How Easy Is Apple Pie?

My first apple pie was really an applesauce pie. That wasn’t what I’d intended, but it’s what I got for using my favorite eating apple: McIntosh.

I had envisioned a pie like the ones I’d seen in photos, the crust highly domed and crumpled over an abundance of apple slices piled high within. So I peeled, cored, sliced and mounded as many apples as would fit into the crust without sliding out, and carefully draped the top crust over them.

The baked pie turned out beautifully golden and majestically high. I could hardly wait to slice into it. But when I did, I was shocked to see that the crust stood alone, towering above a thin layer of melted apples.

Apparently, the apples stayed firm long enough for the crust to set. Then the high moisture content of the McIntosh (which makes it so delightfully juicy to eat raw) caused the apples to soften and dissolve.

That was when I learned my first lesson about apple pie: Much depends on the type of apples, and a juicy apple, such as a McIntosh, is not a good baking apple.

Years later, my new husband and I bought a country house with three-quarters of an acre of land that included a magnificent 100-year-old Baldwin apple tree. We were warned by the previous owners that this old-fashioned tree produced apples that were perfect for pies, but did so only every third year, and that when this third year arrived, it would produce so lavishly we would not know what to do with all the apples.

I waited anxiously for that third year of my apple tree. I turned on the huge upright freezer in the basement weeks in advance in anticipation of filling it with unbaked apple pies.

And as the apples started turning from solid green to a faint blush of pink, I made my second apple pie. The apples were perfect but they were sitting in a puddle of juice that soaked the bottom crust, despite the tapioca I had sprinkled on it. I considered adding more cornstarch to the filling, but disliked the idea of corrupting the texture and flavor of the apples.

That was when inspiration struck. Why not reduce the juices? I had noticed that while standing with the sugar and spice mixture, the apple slices had begun to exude liquid. I surmised that by concentrating this liquid, the sugars would caramelize slightly and the liquid would become syrupy so that the baked filling would be juicy but not runny.

My fruit pies have never been the same since. I found that not only does this technique work for apples, it also is excellent for peaches and nectarines or any other juicy fruit. And only about half the usual amount of thickener is required. In fact, when making buckles--fruit pies with no bottom crust--I use no thickener at all.

I went on to make 24 apple pies that season, some with Cheddar cheese in the crust, the rest with just a plain flaky butter crust (which, in the end, we all preferred). When I baked the first of these frozen pies, I discovered the third great secret: Fruit pies baked from the frozen state have crisper bottom crusts. (This is because the crust, which is the part of the pie closest to the pan, starts to bake before the fruit begins to defrost.)

We no longer have that house with the Baldwin apple tree, so for my fall apple pies I buy local New York apples--Stayman-Winesap, Cortland, Jonathan or Macoun. Other great baking apples I’ve discovered include Rhode Island Greening, York Imperial, Northern Spy and Newtown Pippin. And in winter, I use Granny Smith apples from the supermarket, which also make a marvelous pie using the concentration technique.

Whatever the variety, make this pie whenever you have the yearning. Or, if you ever want to sell your house, do some baking as prospective buyers come to visit. The aroma of apples, butter and cinnamon permeates the house like none other and will make everyone feel truly at home.

DEEP DISH CINNAMON-APPLE PIE

Pastry for 2-crust, 9-inch pie

3 tablespoons apricot preserves, melted and sieved

6 large Granny Smith apples (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), peeled, quartered, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup light-brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Roll bottom crust to 12-inch circle. Ease into 9-inch pie pan (preferably black or darkened metal). Brush with apricot preserves.

Combine apples, lemon juice, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Toss to mix. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain apples in colander and reserve liquid (about 1/2 cup). Place liquid and butter in non-stick saucepan and warm over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup. (Or reduce in microwave oven on HIGH (100% power), using 4-cup heat-proof measure sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray.) Cool about 10 minutes or until warm.

Toss apples with cornstarch. Pour liquid over apples, tossing gently. Mound mixture in pie shell. Roll out top crust to 12-inch circle. Moisten edges of bottom crust with water and place top crust over fruit. Tuck overhang under bottom crust border and press down all along top to seal. Crimp border using fork or fingers. Slash top in several places. Refrigerate pie 1 hour. If time allows, freeze at least 12 hours before baking to insure crisp bottom crust.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees at least 15 minutes before baking. Place oven shelf at lowest level and oven stone or baking sheet on it before preheating.

Place pie directly on preheated oven stone. Bake at 425 degrees 20 minutes. Wrap foil over edges of pie and return to oven 20 to 30 minutes or until juices bubble through slashes and apples feel tender but not mushy when cake tester or small sharp knife is inserted through slash. (To bake from frozen state will take about 1 hour and 15 minutes.) Cool at least 1 hour before cutting. Makes 8 servings.

Note : For milder cinnamon flavor, decrease ground cinnamon to 1/2 or 1 teaspoon.

Each serving contains about:

458 calories; 371 mg sodium; 41 grams cholesterol; 20 grams fat; 69 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 1 gram fiber; 39% calories from fat.