Each September, I announce on Instagram, each formally and emphatically: “It’s fall, y’all.” It’s a convention nobody requested for, but I proceed to ship on dutifully yr after yr. This announcement doesn’t come when the mornings begin to really feel chilly, the air begins to really feel crisp, or the primary leaves begin to fall, however reasonably when all three occur on the similar time. This yr, that second got here surprisingly early—proper after Labor Day—which meant an earlier begin to fall baking. The very first thing I all the time make after my formally unofficial declaration of fall? Apple pie.

Whereas this web site boasts no scarcity of apple pie recipes (we’ve bought 4 of them, to be actual), Stella Parks’ straightforward, old school model is the best. Not like many recipes through which it’s a must to pre-cook your apples to realize a succulent pie filling, Stella’s skips that step totally whereas nonetheless producing a pie with a thick, saucy filling. Her straightforward trick is to macerate the apples. 

Why (and How) You Ought to Macerate Your Apples

When making an apple pie, you need to draw out as a lot liquid as potential from the fruit so that you don’t waterlog the crust, and also you additionally need to be sure the apples are tender. Many apple pie recipes name for pre-cooking your apples to resolve these issues, however this may be time-consuming, provided that it’s a hands-on process. If the fragile apple slices aren’t monitored carefully whereas cooking, they will rapidly overcook, leading to mushy fruit. Macerating apples helps break down the fruits’ buildings and reduces their quantity—no cooking or pot-watching required.

Whereas we advocate macerating in a zip-top bag to restrict the apples’ publicity to air, you can use a bowl so long as you cowl it tightly with plastic wrap pressed immediately into the slices. Even then, you must nonetheless count on some oxidation. After peeling, quartering, and coring the apples, lower them into half inch-thick slices, ensuring they’re as uniform as potential—it will guarantee there may be an excellent floor space throughout all of the slices and that all of them break down and launch their juices at about the identical charge of time. As soon as your apples are sliced, add them to the bag (or bowl) with the brown sugar, spices, and salt known as for in Stella’s recipe. From there, the apples want to sit down for at the very least three hours at room temperature, or as much as eight hours within the fridge, which provides you loads of time to make, roll, and form your pie crust. Throughout this resting time, the tart juice from the apples will gather on the backside of the bag. Flavored with brown sugar and spices, this liquid acts as a concentrated syrup within the pie filling. 

How one can Flip Macerated Apples Into Pie Filling

To make sure the pie filling is good and thick, we advocate including a contact of tapioca starch to the apples. This ingredient absorbs extra liquid, thickening the filling with out making it gloopy. Add the tapioca starch to the bag of apples after macerating and earlier than baking, then zip it again up and provides it a very good shake. (You may need to use about 1 ounce per 4 1/2 kilos of apples.) Ready so as to add the starch after all of the juices launch from the apples ensures the starch will take up evenly into the liquid. From there, you’re able to tuck your apples into the pie plate. (Essentially the most thrilling half…in addition to consuming the precise pie.) 

What Kind of Apples Ought to You Use for a Juicy, However Not Mushy Pie?

Some apple pie recipes recommend utilizing quite a lot of apples for a extra advanced taste. Completely different apple cultivars, nonetheless, have completely different textures and flavors, and utilizing an assortment could have disastrous outcomes. Some could break down extra rapidly and launch extra liquid than others, making a watery, mushy pie with erratically cooked apples. For one of the best style and texture, we advocate utilizing one number of apples per pie. We like tart apples like Granny Smiths, since their excessive pectin ranges maintain onto their form properly within the oven, conserving the filling thick as an alternative of runny. For further depth of taste, we incorporate brown sugar and heat spices.

The Takeaway

Macerating your apples eliminates the widespread apple pie-baking step that requires pre-cooking the fruit. It’s a straightforward, hands-off approach that minimizes cleanup and requires little greater than apples, brown sugar, spices, a bit of salt, and a zip-top bag. The maceration course of creates a syrup that we embody within the apple filling for further taste, and a small addition of tapioca starch helps thicken that filling. The result’s a saucy, luscious apple pie that you just’ll need to make all season lengthy. 

It’s fall, y’all!!! 

September 2024