It's that time of year; apple orchards are in full swing, apple cider is in stores, and apple pies are coming out of the ovens piping hot. We have a delicious apple pie filling recipe to celebrate the season's most humble fruits.
I've spent years perfecting and tweaking this recipe. I was never 100% satisfied with the recipe until this one came along. You could say this recipe is decades in the making! I remember countless times during the fall when I made apple pies with my mother in the kitchen when I was younger.
But this recipe can be used for far more than just apple pies; use our apple turnover recipe here, or eat it straight out of the pot warm. You can even make applesauce with this same recipe. All you need to do is omit the water and cornstarch, cook it further, and mash up the apples!
The key to this recipe, and any good recipe, is the ingredients. With a recipe with so few ingredients and apples being the show's star, there is no room to hide poor-quality ingredients. This recipe is unique from others, with a touch of fresh ginger for a bite and a dash of orange for citrus. It, of course, has warm fall spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, though.
If you look real closely at the picture, you'll probably see the larger flakes of spices. I like to use fresh cinnamon for this recipe. I take a cinnamon stick and grind it up in my pestle and mortar. It's a bit extra work but most definitely worth it.
If you've read my other posts, you probably know how much I preach about quality, fresh ingredients. Spices are no different than herbs. If you can grind them up yourself, do it! If you can pick the apples from a tree and make this recipe when you get home, do it!
Many fruits, especially apples, last a good deal of time. However, their quality does decrease as soon as you pull them from the tree or plant. Take corn, for example; within 10 minutes of pulling it off the plant, the flavors have already decreased! If you spend your time cooking, you may as well treat the ingredients with respect and use the freshest possible.
The texture is also important in a filling like this. Many recipes have you chop up some apples, toss them in spices, and put them in a pie. That's nice, but it's missing a key element! The juices from the apple can only help so much. I want lots of flavor and juice when I cut into a slice of pie. And so comes water and cornstarch. It helps the apples to cook in the pie, is full of flavor, and makes for a much nicer oozy texture!
This recipe is one for the books; give it to your friends and family, and pass it down; it is that good! Very easy and very tasty. Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chef Olson
Apple Pie Filling
Yield: 1 Pie Filling
Prep Time: ~10 Minutes Inactive Time: ~10 Minutes Total Time: ~20 Minutes
Ingredients
1. 415g Peeled and Largely Sliced or Diced Apples (1 Green and 3
Honey Crisp)
2. 1/4th tsp Orange Zest
3. 3/4th Cup (185g) Caster Sugar (Ultrafine Baking Sugar)
4. 3/4th Cup (185g) Water
5. 4 tbsp (40g) Corn Starch
6. 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
7. 1/8th tsp Salt
8. 1/8th tsp Nutmeg
9. 1/2 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger (Optional)
Guide
1. Combine the apples, orange zest, water, sugar, sifted corn starch, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottom sauce pan over medium-low heat.
2. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until the it begins to thicken; stir occasionally. Keep in mind it will thicken further as it cools.
3. Place your filling in the fridge and let it cool completely.
4. Use in apple turnovers, apple pie, or just eat it straight!
Recipe By: Chef Olson Thewoodenspoonchefs.com
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