Saturday, November 5, 2011

APPLE PIE......what do you think?

It's annoying enough to click on a Yahoo Homepage article and have to sit through an ad and THEN a video instead of just reading what it says they're going to tell you on their teaser headline, but this really made me curious! (and a little ticked off)

I saw there's some award winning apple pie recipe which the developer of that recipe is finally sharing so I figured I'd check to see what makes her pie special (what makes my apple pie very special is bourbon-soaked raisins in it!). 

So I clicked on the headline and there's one of the dreaded videos.......I decided it can't be that they've brought me here and aren't publishing the recipe, too, so I scrolled down and hit COMMENTS......I was slowly reading through them (everybody's ticked off at the video instead of a recipe and a deaf person or two is really outraged because there's no accomodation for the deaf) when I saw a commenter had published the recipe.  She said "Here it is, for those of you who'd like it".......I'd gone by that comment when what she'd written finally HIT me!....but, by the time I scrolled back up, it was GONE, folks.   Honestly!   And, I'd noticed that the comments were up to something like 131 and, suddenly, it said 129!

Now, it could be it wasn't THAT recipe and the editors deleted it or they just plain want you to WATCH THE VIDEO so their advertisers which show their ad first get their payback!?  What do you think?  I just checked again, and way down the line of comments someone HAS printed "A" recipe, who knows if it's the one? But, there's nothing really special about it at all.  How can using a mechanical apple peeler make your pie better??   I WILL admit that the commenter said the award winner uses EMPIRE APPLES and they are MY FAVORITES and I've only had them ONCE in London, Ontario, Canada at an apple picking place near my sister's home.........and they've stuck in my mind as THE BEST!

Well, putting that aside, what special things do you do with YOUR apple pie? (and you've just got to decorate with those leaves (it's SO easy) but you MUST include a little apple alongside the leaves like I do!)    The apples in the image are Empires, by the way!

z

32 comments:

elmers brother said...

what special things do I do? I just eat it. Your pie sounds yummy.

Z said...

Hi, Elbro..I had that exact thought when I wrote "what special things do you do.." :-)
Yes, the bourbon raisins are good in it!

Pris said...

I use pippin apples, peeled of course, and slice them rather thin. I dot them with butter, add about a cup of sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon.

I cheat with my crust and use prepared pie dough by Pillsbury. I've been complimented on my apple pie, and cannot tell a lie if I'm asked about my pie crust.
Pillsbury get's the credit!

It's rather simple, no secrets, just apple pie. I like things to taste like what they are, but that's just me. As you can see, I'm not a gourmet cook!

elmers brother said...

Must be warmed and eaten Ala mode

Z said...

Elbro, I've been served warm apple pie without ice cream and don't like that at ALL (I'm not big on warm pastries, tell you the truth) but to have vanilla ice cream melting over a warm piece of pie DOES taste good, you're right!

I'm a huge pie fan in general..ANY kind . Not huge on mincemeat but blueberry, lemon meringue, peach....love it!

Pris, sometimes a good old prepared crust is just the ticket.
I do like to make my own because it's easy (as pie :-) and you get those nice pockets of flakiness from the shortening, etc., but you're right..nothing wrong with Pillsbury's!

Brooke said...

Doesn't matter; had pie. ;)

Fredd said...

Didn't know you were a foodie, Z. Of course, I'm not very observant on stuff like this, just ask my wife, I thought you were just a political pundit. Since your topic is pie, I have a question for you.

FOOD QUESTION: I am trying to invent a dish that a relative of mine will enter into a 'cup cake tin' contest. Entrants simply need to submit an entre or dessert baked in a cup cake tin, minimum 6 servings for judging: and it can be anything - except cupcakes.

I thought that she would have a stab at the trophy if she submitted a cup-cake chicken pot pie. Sounds good on the surface, but I think the major rub on success will be the crust. I was thinking just make the standard chicken pot pie filling on the stove top, and pour it into puff pastry lined cupcake tin. First par bake the bottom crusts prior at maybe 3 minutes at 500. Remove the tray from the oven, allow bottom crusts to cool, fill them with hot filling, and then covering them with fresh puff pastry and finishing them off in a hot 425 degree oven for perhaps 10 minutes.

I've not attempted this yet. Do you see any pitfalls to this rough recipe before I start?

A fellow foodie, Fredd.

PS: I'm not sure I invented this, I've not researched it at all. It is probably around somewhere in print. But this would be my spin on it.

Ticker said...

Fredd, Chili pie as some call it.

make up your favorite chili recipe mix up your cornbread recipe(NO SUGAR PLEASE, that''s cake). Pour in chili in the cupcake tins, add a dollop of corn bread mix and bake at 375. I do it in a casserole dish but it would work in a cupcake tin as far as I can see. It's delicious too.

Z said...

Fredd, BIG foodie here and glad to see you are, too!
I'm thinking that's a good idea but they'll have a few chicken pot pie entrants because it's kind of a natural for a cup cake tin, you know?
If you DO that, I'd make sure you put little fork holes in the bottom's pastry layer so it doesn't puff up and fill the whole 'tin'...If you pricked the dough after you baked just the bottoms, before the filling, you'd just have a mess of 'crumbs' there and you don't want that...so prick the layer before baking.

I don't mean to be critical, but if it's a big contest with lots of people, I'd bet chicken pot pie would be pretty popular.
Still, you could win!:)

I might try chili with a cover of cornbread, maybe even a cupcake of thin cornbread with chili filling and cornbread top??

Or little shepherds pies?

or maybe 'faux Wellingtons' using ground beef inside a crust and mushroom duxelle at the bottom, before the ground beef goes in over the pastry bottom??


just brainstorming here but maybe it needs to be more creative than just a smaller rounder normal dish, you know? And I don't mean to dissuade you from the chicken pot pie thing;
You know, COME TO THINK OF IT...I don't know why chicken pot pie couldn't have mashed potatoes on top JUST LIKE A CUPCAKE ICING WOULD LOOK..HIGHER IN THE MIDDLE AND MAYBE SWIRLED A BIT TO LOOK JUST LIKE A CUPCAKE!? that might appear clever to the judges?...HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT IDEA? :-)

Z said...

Oh, my GOSH Ticker!
While you were printing your comment I JUST SAW, I was writing a recipe just like you did with the cornbread chili! Your comment wasn't there when I read Fredd's comment and off I went; is that hilarious!?
GREAT MINDS :) *but I like my idea of having whatever the topping is looking like cupcake icing, I must admit :-)

Fredd said...

Hi, Z:

I thought my idea sounded good, and it probably is, but the goal here is win. About 100 entrants or so the last few years, and so I suppose you are right: cup-cake-pot-pie is probably going to be pretty pedestrian.

HOWEVER: I think that your idea to combine a chicken pot pie with shepards pie is one that I am going with, I don't think anyone will submit something like this.

I think this will be GREAT! And then the mashed potatos on top I will brown a bit with a propane torch, much lke creme broulet or lemon meringe pie, since looks are 50% of the judging.

Fredd said...

Ticker:

Your chili pie cup-cake application is something that my relative heard was being considered by one of her arch rivals in the contest, but with a different cornbread application: cornbread crust.

Myself, I would likely consider a crushed Frito crust if a Frito Pie was my goal, that sounds good too.

GOsh, just reading these comments is making me slobber.....

Z said...

Fredd, I LOVE the idea of the crushed Frito crust.....got to figure out how to make it stick together, however.....

But, I'm REALLY glad you like the idea of mashed potatoes on top making the chicken pot pie look like a real cupcake! YOu think the blow torch thing will still have it looking like a cupcake icing? How about SPRINKLES, FREDD, like they do so often on real cupcakes?!! HEY HEY HEY! What could they be?...hmmmmmm Too bad peas don't come smaller than they are, you could have peas in the pot pie mixture and top the mash with peas but they're way too big to look like sprinkles..darn.
maybe chopped parsley stem sprinkled a little over the top?
How's about a cool addition to a chicken pot pie to really make it different? maybe a little curry in the chicken mixture and then sprinkle a tiny touch of curry powder on the mash? ...i don't know....You'll think of something :=-)
DELIGHTED that you like the mashed potato topping but I do urge you to pile it on like a cupcake, you know?, not just smoothed flat like a shepherd's pie looks.
MAN, you guys are making me HUNGRY!!

Fredd said...

Z:

Frito crust: with graham cracker crusts, butter is used after crushing the crackers, I suspect Fritos are similar in chemical makeup, and that some butter or margarine would do the trick.

Mashed potatoes: yes, to make them look like cup cake frosting is an edge with the judges, and savory rather than sweet sprinkles of some sort would really bring home the bacon. And you are right, just smooting on the mashed potatoes takes away from the icing look, and I thought dalloping on the spuds with peaks would more resemble a lemon meringe look, and yet keep everything savory. I think the sprinkles thing will have more of an effect than the torch, and it will be easier (bacon bits, perhaps?). And I do not know how mashed potatoes will take to a torch, either. Lots of unknowns with that.

Curry: I've never been much of an Indian foodie, and curry is one of the main reasons for that - don't much care for it, and I don't think my relative will like it much, either. She's more of an American cuisine afficienado, much like myself.

Here I go again with the slobber...

Ticker said...

Love the mashed tater topping. I may have to try that as well.

Fredd and Z, actually the way I do the cornbread it actually mixes into the chili rather than just being on top. That is why I said a dollop, as it cooks it sinks and mixes. I do it on a large scale for potlucks and at home as well. Some sliced jalapenos on the top or in the dollop adds a bit of spice to the mix.

Looking for my mom's apple pie recipe with crust recipe but can't find it. Think my daughter absconded with it.

Lisa said...

Hey Z didn't get a chance to comment been busy this weekend plus my arm and shoulder are killing me from staining our
deck the last few weeks so even to type hurts. Now we see why every quote we got was alot of $$. But it's done...finally.

Z said...

Hi, Lisa! Well good for you for doing such difficult work and saving a ton of dough ("Dough" because this IS a food blog :-))
I hope you're feeling MUCH better very soon.xxx

Z said...

man, we didn't get ONE unique apple pie idea but my bourbon-soaked raisins (which I knew about before :-)

:-(

Speedy G said...

A wedge of sharp cheddar to nibble on in between bites...

Apple pie w/o cheese
is like a kiss w/o a squeeze!

Lisa said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lisa said...

Well Z I don't know why but I never made many Apple Pies. I usually will pick one up at a good bake shop. Although I love it and now that you gave me the idea of the bourbon soaked raisins I will def try it being I love Apple Pie with Raisins. And of course always serve warm with vanilla ice cream...the best.
We have a German Bakery I absolutely love. The freshest cakes ever.
Arm is feeling much better. My husband was supposed to do it when he was on vacation in Sep but it rained every day. So together it took us about 4 weeks being we had to make sure it didn't rain 3 days prior and 24 hrs after and of course the time to do it. But we did save alnmost a thousand dollars doing it ourselves.
Wow Speedy I forgot about the chees on Apple Pie. I should have known being I used to prepare it that way when I was a short order cook many moons ago.

Z said...

I don't eat apple pie with cheese but should try it...I love sweet and savory together...thanks, Speedy! (squeeze, squeeze!)

Lisa, glad you're feeling better and I do hope you try the bourbon soaked raisins!!

Short order cook was always something I wanted to do..and waitress; but I never did :-)
I love to watch Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, don't you? With Guy Fieri?

sue hanes said...

Z - I am not a huge fruit pie fan.


But how about some 'Americans' - let's say four and twenty - baked in a pie!

Z said...

only if I can pick which ones.

Always On Watch said...

I can't bake a pie!

However, I can bake a mean cobbler. Very easy recipe! But you must use cooked or canned fruit.

sue hanes said...

Z - Politics aside, though.

I only like apple pie with the crumbly topping - Dutch Apple I think.

I will eat Cherry Pie a la mode.

Pumpkin pie I love.

Also coconut cream pie!!!

Z said...

I adore fruit pies and cobblers.
I think the cherries in a sour cherry pie are too sour for the ice cream, but everybody to his own taste.

Fredd said...

Sue Hanes:

If you like cherry pie ala mode, then you will love it when the cherry pie is hot, and melt a thin slice of Wisconsin cheddar over it, a bit of heaven, that.

NOTE: not Kraft cheddar, not Tilamook cheddar, not feaux cheese (American), must be Wisconsin cheddar. Otherwise, you have wasted your time, and ruined a perfectly good piece of cherry pie.

Z said...

the cherries and CHEESE?
I have to admit, I'm just not a hot fruit pie lover, so count me out of this conversation! :-)

I had a mac 'n cheese for lunch yesterday which arrived totally white, no yellow cheddar and I was dismayed; it was one of THE tastiest I"ve had!

Fredd said...

Z: cherry pie has to be hot to melt some of the ice cream, and the cheese too.

The taste is very similar to cherry cheesecake. Which I love, BTW.

Always On Watch said...

My favorite cobbler is blackberry cobbler. Years ago, we used only the blackberries that Mom picked and canned -- with a minimum of sugar in the canning process she used.

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