News from Magicland Farms

From The Kitchen

For our final recipes of the season, we are going to give you two variations of apple pie. The first is the traditional apple pie and the second is one with a sour cream-apple combination that makes an excellent change of pace.

One note about making apple pies: Recipes often call for adding lemon juice to the apple slices while making the pie. If you are using one of our recommended pie apples (Northern Spy, Calville, Gravenstein, Idared, Stark Jumbo), any lemon juice or lemon peel is unnecessary. These apples have just the right amount of tartness for baking up a wonderful apple pie. I have been making pies for almost ten years here and haven't had to use lemon juice once. Of course, if you are using an apple like a Red Delicious, you will probably want to add the lemon juice.

Fresh Apple Pie

6 cups thinly sliced peeled pie apples (about 2 1/2 - 3 pounds)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 recipe Pastry for Double-Crust Pie (your favorite recipe)

1 tablespoon butter

Milk (optional)

Directions
1. Combine granulated sugar, flour, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. In a large mixing bowl combine apples with sugar mixture. Toss until apples are coated. Set apple mixture aside.
2. Prepare Pastry for Double-Crust Pie and line pie plate with 1 crust.
3. Transfer apple mixture to pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with butter. Trim pastry even with pie plate. For top crust, roll out remaining dough. Cut slits in top crust. Place top crust on the filling. Seal and flute the edge. Brush with milk, if desired.
4. To prevent over browning, cover the edge of the pie with foil. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil; bake for 20 to 25 minutes more or until the top is golden brown and apples are tender. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Tip: For taste reasons, it is better for the crust to be a little more overdone than underdone.

Sour Cream Apple Pie

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 egg

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups apples, peeled and chopped

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1. Stir together 2 tablespoons flour, salt, 3/4 cup sugar and nutmeg in bowl. Combine egg, sour cream and vanilla in another bowl; mix well. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients; mix well. Stir in apples and spoon mixture into unbaked pie shell.
2. Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven 15 minutes.
3. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F and bake 30 minutes more. Remove pie from oven. Increase temperature to 400 degree F.

4. Prepare cinnamon topping and sprinkle over pie. Return to oven and bake 10 minutes more. Cool on rack.

5. To Make Cinnamon Topping: Combine 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon in bowl. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter or regular margarine until crumbly, using a pastry blender.