a super apple pie takes great apples and a super syrup!

Making a Great Apple Pie requires the best apples and making your own syrup.

  • Preparing the Apples:

Peal the apples, slice in quarters, core and divide each section into thirds. This will give you 12 slices per apple. I love my apple slices sautéed in butter with 1/2 of the seasonings ( 1 tablespoon of my apple spice blend).

Use enough butter to sauté your apples

  • Making the syrup:

Preparing a thick syrup is one of the keys to a wonderful pie! The basic thickener I use is the same combination of cooked sugar, water and corn starch that helps give Meringue its characteristic stiff peaks!

2.25 cups of fine sugar

5 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp apple spice blend

3/4 cup cornstarch

Cook the syrup until thick (spoon in combined dry ingredients slowly into the heated water and stir)

  • Spice Blend (on recipe link)

Most Apple Spice blends are rather simple with a little cinnamon , nutmeg and maybe something else… you might like mine.

Bon Appetite!

first apple pie of the season

first apple pie of the season
first and maybe only apple pie of 2010!

Here in our part of California we had an early spring followed by a quick freeze. This was problematical for the apples here this year as all the blossums were distroyed and the crop reduced. To be honest, I really wasn’t looking forward to the daily harvesting and prep for pies and sauce!

This goes a long way to say that I made my first apple pie today… with a nice topping. yum!

Here’s the recipe.

the many signs of spring

Here it is January and it is starting to feel like spring  in San Luis Obispo, California. Personally, I think my apple trees have one major season called ‘flowering’ and the remainder of the year it bares apples. Too bad, more apple pies to make! (click on the above photo for the recipe) It’s also nice to shed some of the rain gear and break out  the Harley!

Spring isn’t here yet, but it’s peeking  around the corner!

Roger