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Posted: 10/26/2005 3:50 AM

#121654

	Amy

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Last Post:8/31/2010
Member Since:11/22/2003

Subject: Apple Pie Perfect

In a thread a couple of weeks ago someone mentioned the book Apple Pie Perfect by Ken Haedrich. Always on the lookout for Christmas gifts, I order it from Amazon for my cousin who is a self-proclaimed apple pie freak. It came the other day and in thumbing through it I came across a recipe that intrigued me. It was for Cardamom Apple Pie with Dried Tart Cherries. For anyone that likes the combination of cardamom and apples (that would be me standing there wildly waving my hands in the air yelling "me! me!") let me say, this is one awesomely great pie. The tartness of the cherries, just the right amount of lemon and a light touch of sugar combined with the cardamom gave this pie a lot of dimension beyond the usual sensations of just apple and sweet. In fact, I think one of the things I liked most about it was that it was decidedly not too sweet...it was almost piquant. I find the vast majority of apple pie recipes to be extremely cloying, and in looking through this book most of his recipes are very well balanced on sugar. I may just keep this copy for myself and order another for my cousin. Amy

Posted: 10/26/2005 4:32 AM

#121655

	Mortar and Pestle

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Last Post:8/26/2010
Member Since:4/1/2003

Thanks for the recommendation Amy, any chance of getting a look at that recipe?

-Kurt

Posted: 10/26/2005 6:08 AM

#121656

	porterbl1

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Total Posts:1602
Last Post:9/2/2010
Member Since:2/4/2004

I have his book PIE. It's fantastic. Pie is probably my favorite dessert. I was so pleased when I finally learned how to make a good crust. His grape pie recipe is so delicious.

I have never really liked apple pie. Too sweet and not enough texture. Then when I started making my own, for my husband, I realized they could be good. I just like some tartness and for it to not be overspiced.

-Becca
Check out my blog:
http://porterhouse.typepad.com/

Posted: 10/26/2005 7:04 AM

#121657

	Amy

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Total Posts:5736
Last Post:8/31/2010
Member Since:11/22/2003

Becca,

I think you'd like this book. As I said, I find most apple pie recipes to be simply too cloying (which is why I don't follow them) but his recipes are very light touch. I've never been a believer in the ''more is better'school of thought...more is usually simply more, and it's usually done to either cover up something inherently bad in the recipe, or simply to be ''clever and different.''

Kurt...I really shouldn't, but how can I refuse you...

Cardamom Apple Pie with Dried Tart Cherries
by Ken Haedrich

1 double pie crust (like me, he uses a combo butter/shortening crust)

Filling: (I don't measure and so probably used slightly more apples, lemon, zest, cherries and cardamom, and slightly less sugar)

8 cups peeled, cored and sliced granny smith or other tart, juicy apples (I used Northern Spy, the Mother of all pie apples)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbls. fresh lemon juice
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
3/4 cup dried tart cherries
1 1/2 tbls. AP flour
1 tsp. cardamom

Glaze:

Milk
Sugar

Roll out your bottom crust and center in a 9" deep dish pie pan and refrigerate.

Combine the apples, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and dried cherries in a large mixing bowl; toss well to mix. Set aside for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out the top pastry into an 11 1/2 round. Combine the flour and cardamom in a small bowl, shake over the filling and mix. Turn into the pie shell, smoothing the top of the filling. Lightly moisten the edge of the pie shell with your finger or a pastry brush. Invert the top pastry over the filling then press the pastries together along the dampened edge. Trim the pastry, leaving an even 1/2 inch all around. Sculpt the overhang into an upstanding edge. Poke several steam vents in the top of the pie and near the edge. Lightly brush the top with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Put the pie directly on the center oven rack and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and place on a large, dark baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake on center rack until any juices visible at the steam holes bubble thickly, approximately 30-35 minutes more. Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool at least one hour.

Amy

Posted: 10/26/2005 7:23 AM

#121658

	Beeker

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Total Posts:210
Last Post:6/19/2007
Member Since:9/17/2003

I wouldn't mind seeing that recipe. I recently made a pear cobbler with cardomom & it was lovely.

I'm not a big apple pie fan myself, but my DH is...

Edited to add: Thank you!

Posted: 10/26/2005 7:13 PM

#121659

	Mortar and Pestle

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Last Post:8/26/2010
Member Since:4/1/2003

[quote]----------------
On 10/26/2005 7:04:16 AM Amy wrote:

Kurt...I really shouldn't, but how can I refuse you...

-Kurt

Posted: 10/26/2005 8:16 PM

#121660

	steffano

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Total Posts:78
Last Post:6/5/2010
Member Since:11/5/2003

HI Amy: I'm the poster that recommended Apple Pie Perfect. I so love his book, and I've been baking pies from his book since late summer. I made Apple and Pear Opened Faced Pie, excellent. Tried the brown sugar apple pie too, though I didn't make it with all Mac's, just didn't want that apple sauce thing going on when you cook with all Mac's. It was very good, and the brown sugar adds a nice flavor with the apples.

I so agree with you that most recipes for apple pie, don't taste like apples. They should be called Cinnamon and Sugar Apple Pie. Less is more with the sugar and spices when baking with fresh fruits. It's such a dream to let the natrual flavors of the fruit be the star.

On a side note I got my book as a Christmas gift last year and spent all winter reading the book, waiting for apple season to arrive to start baking. So keep the book and get another copy for your cousin.

Cheers,
Steffano
Chicago

Posted: 10/26/2005 8:58 PM

#121661

	leenagrace

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Last Post:1/3/2010
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Yum, Amy, that looks like a wonderful recipe. I've had apple with cranberry which I thought was a nice twist on plain old apple pie. Haven't had the cardamom though I'm sure I would like it a lot.

I am with you on overly sweet apple pie and on "loosely measuring". A few years ago I made a recipe improvising with about 3T of lemon juice including some of the citrus flesh and added a bit more flour to ensure it got bound up away from the crust. Ever since then I find myself using more lemon juice to get a tarter brighter fresher apple taste. Then again I am quite a lemon/lime fiend so I find any excuse I can to use them :)

I also like granny smiths, macs or jonathans best for pie which I think are more tart and have more character than so many of the sweeter eating apples. It seems growers just keep bringing more sweet eating varieties to market and we keep losing more pie types. Jonagold is one perfect example.... easy to find it now at the market but not so easy anymore to find jonathans. I haven't tried Northern Spy though, will have to look for it but we are not apple territory down here in the desert so I may not be successful. I'll liekely have to haunt all the produce stands for a chance at finding them.

Leena

Posted: 9/29/2006 7:16 AM

#121662

	makennasmom

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Last Post:7/11/2010
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I just received this book the other day and I gotta say, I've really enjoyed reading it. I love how he introduces every pie and explains how he arrived at the recipe and what to expect from it. And I love all the extra little articles and tips that are scattered throughout the book. His apple buying guide in the beginning is an excellent resource, too. I just can't believe all the amazing apple pie variations he offers in this book! I haven't had a chance to make anything from it yet, but as I've said before, the first one I'm tackling is the Cardamom/Dried Tart Cherry one. I am so excited about that one and I admit the sheer mention of it is what prompted me to buy the book in the first place! Does Amy or anyone else who has this book have any other recommendations to try as well? Any recipes that were not so great? And how do you like his crust recipes? The all shortening one doesn't interest me at all, but he does have several others to choose from. So far my favorite crust that I've made has been RLB's cream cheese crust, but I love to try different crust variations. Anyway, I'd love some feedback if anyone wants to share.

Thanks,
Renee

ps. And thanks to Amy for recommending the book!

Posted: 9/29/2006 7:45 AM

#121663

	Amy

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Total Posts:5736
Last Post:8/31/2010
Member Since:11/22/2003

Renee,

I've made four or five different pies from this book, and while I didn't ''love'them all, that is mostly a matter of taste, and in one case ingredient...my pears just weren't ripe enough.

I'm looking through the book now and trying to remember which ones I made...I don't exactly remember, but the ones I'm sure of are:

Apple Pear Crumb Pie--as I said, my pears weren't ripe enough, so it wasn't as good as it could have been.

Tipsy Apple and Dried Canberry Pie with Grand Marnier--wasn't a fave of mine...just didn't care for the flavor combination.

Maple Apple Pie with Very Pecan Crumb Crust--I really liked this one...I love the combo of apples and pecans.

Cardamom Apple Pie with Dried Tart Cherries--you already know how much I love this one.

I was going to make the Sausage, Apple and Prune Potpies for Thanksgiving, but just never got around to it.

Enjoy the book!

Amy

Posted: 9/29/2006 8:20 AM

#121664

	makennasmom

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Last Post:7/11/2010
Member Since:11/30/2005

Thanks Amy!
The maple and pecan one did sound very delicious when I was reading it. With all these variations, it is so hard to choose!
I wonder how his more all-encompassing "Pie" book is. I picked it up and glanced at it when I was at Barnes and Noble last week. It's a monster of a book! It was hard for me to resist, but I knew I had "Apple Pie Perfect" coming and I forced myself to wait until I was able to try out this one. (Don't ask me how I pulled that one off!) He does seem very knowledgeable and I enjoy the tone of his book, as well. I can't wait until I have some time to make my pilgramage to Wegman's to get my dried tart cherries! I usually only bake pies for "occasions" but for this one I am more than happy to make an exception!

Posted: 10/9/2006 2:37 PM

#121665

	makennasmom

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Last Post:7/11/2010
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Amy,
I finally got to make the Cardamom Apple Pie last week. I made it on my Dad's birthday along with the cake and some assorted chocolate truffles. I did like this pie but I must say it was EXTREMELY tart. I used the Granny Smiths called for in the recipe, as Northern Spies are not quite ready to be picked around here (next week..YAY!!) and it almost made us pucker when we ate it. Luckily there were a lot of tart apple pie fans, but some people just really didn't like it b/c it wasn't sweet enough. And along with the dried tart cherries (which I absolutely love) it tasted doubly tart. Is this pie supposed to be like this? I do admit that I tasted the apples and they did taste unusually tart and I tried to compensate for it a little by adding some more sugar, but there was still very little sweetness. Do you think it was just a matter of my apples being too tart? I just didn't know what to expect with this pie. BTW, his classic double crust was a big hit. It was very tender but flaky and yummy.

Thanks,
Renee

Posted: 10/9/2006 3:29 PM

#121666

	Amy

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Last Post:8/31/2010
Member Since:11/22/2003

Renee,

As I said in my original post, this pie is almost piquant. Your apples may have been a little tart and so made it unpalatable, or, I just like tart pies, and we have different palates. Each time I've made this pie, I've delighted in how 'not too sweet' it is. Sorry you had a bad experience...

I'll be making this again in the next few weeks...Spies are finally coming into season.

Amy

Posted: 10/9/2006 3:34 PM

#121667

	makennasmom

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Total Posts:2801
Last Post:7/11/2010
Member Since:11/30/2005

Thanks Amy,
Don't get me wrong...I did like it, but it was definitely more than piquant. It was probably my apples because now that I think of it, I sat down yesterday with a Granny Smith along with some of the homemade caramel sauce I had left from Saturday's dinner party and the apple was so tart that I couldn't finish it, even with the caramel sauce on it! It was probably from the same batch of apples that I got for the pie. I will definitely make this again, but I will probably make it with a different apple. Can't wait to go Northern Spy picking next week!
Thanks for the help!
Renee

Posted: 10/9/2006 5:40 PM

#121668

	porterbl1

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Last Post:9/2/2010
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Okay this cinches it. I have to try this pie. I like things tarter than everyone else, sounds perfect for me. Plus, I have been looking for a way to use my cardamom.

-Becca
Check out my blog:
http://porterhouse.typepad.com/

Posted: 10/13/2006 1:21 PM

#172778

	makennasmom

	Member

Total Posts:2801
Last Post:7/11/2010
Member Since:11/30/2005

Here is a photo of the Cardamom Apple Pie with Dried Tart Cherries. The directions say to use a "deep dish" pie pan, so I used the deepest one I have. The pie didn't mound very much and ended up sinking in the middle a little. I am thinking that if I used my regular Pyrex pan this would not have happened. Any thoughts?

Posted: 1/29/2007 11:50 AM

#187198

	allee

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Last Post:1/29/2007
Member Since:1/29/2007

Apple Pie is one of my favorite desserts but I've usually found the fillings too sweet. So, unless I'm making a guest-friendly pie, I've learned to just personally customize it by leaving the sugar out. Completely. And no other spices either. Or flour. Or anything else. Just crust and apples. Plenty of apples. Packed with apples.

And it tastes great. At least to me. The flavor of the apples is more nuanced somehow.

For this pie I also don't roll out a separate top crust. I just make the bottom crust extra big and then flop the ends hanging over the sides of the pan up over the apples. It's more of a rustic rather than polished look but still pleasing.

[Edited on 1/29/2007]

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