Mom’s Apple Pie

My Mom made the world’s best apple pie. Fact. Now, I can hear you saying to yourself, Dear Reader, “Hold on a minute – MY Mom makes the best apple pie in the world!” So… let’s agree that ALL our Moms make the best apple pie in world, OK?

While out walking the dogs this morning in Tongham Community Wood, I picked up two pockets full of windfall apples to make into an American-style apple pie for some French guests coming this weekend. But not just any apple pie, of course, My Mom’s Apple Pie.

Floss McCarty’s Apple Pie
Based on a recipe from an early edition of Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, my Mom delighted us with this apple pie for decades. The secret is in the cinnamon! In this post I also used another family recipe: the Shortcrust pastry recipe comes from UK Thermomix Director Janie Turner’s Scottish Grandmother, as published in Fast and Easy Cooking, the 300-recipe cookery book included with every Thermomix TM31 purchased from UK Thermomix.

Ingredients for filling
Enough apples to fill your pie tin (see Rule of Thumb below)
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 – 2 Tbsp flour
2 tsp sugar (or up to 100 g for a really sweet pie or if using really tart apples)
½ tsp cinnamon – ground in your Thermomix, of course!
1 Tbsp butter

Rule of Thumb for determining how many apples to prepare: Fill your pie tin (or gratin dish or other baking dish) fully with whole apples (or potatoes, or parsnips, etc.) and this will be the amount you need to peel and slice. The basic idea is that your dish will hold the same amount of whole apples or potatoes as sliced apples or potatoes. I learned this trick from a wise French cook but I can’t remember who 🙁 but I do know that it works beautifully for apple pies and gratin dauphinois (sliced potatoes baked with garlic, cream and grated Gruyère cheese).

Ingredients for Thermomix Shortcrust Pastry
Note: for a one-crust apple tart, use one recipe. For an American-style two-crust pie, double the ingredients and follow Janie’s tip below. Makes a superbly flaky pastry.
80 g chilled butter, diced and put in the freezer for at least 10 minutes
150 g plain flour
pinch of salt
50 g chilled water

Method

Make the pastry:

1. Chop the butter into the flour and salt 10 seconds/Speed 8.
2. Add the water. Turbo pulse briefly a few times until JUST clinging together. Turn out and chill the pastry 30 to 40 minutes in the fridge before rolling out or pressing into the pie or tart tin.

Janie’s Tip 1: to make the right amount for lining a 28 cm tart tin, use 200 g flour, 100 g butter, pinch salt, 70 g chilled water.

Janie’s Tip 2: to double or triple the quantity, double or triple all ingredients. Chop the butter into the flour and salt 20 seconds/Speed 8. Add the water and mix at Speed 6 until JUST clinging together. Turn out and chill the pastry 30 to 40 minutes in the fridge before rolling out or pressing into the pie or tart tin.

While the pastry is chilling, prepare the filling:

1. Peel, core and chop your apples as desired. I usually quarter them first, cut out the core, peel and then cut each quarter in half so I get eight pieces from each medium to large apple. Toss them in lemon juice to prevent them turning brown as you proceed. Then toss the apples in the flour, sugar and cinnamon.

Assemble the pie:

1. Preheat the oven to 190° C/375° F. Roll out your Thermomix Shortcrust Pastry to the proper size and press into your tin. Fill the raw pastry to heaping with your prepared apples. Dot with butter.
2. Roll out the top crust and cover the bottom with it. Cut off the excess with scissors or a knife and crimp the edges together. Use the excess to decorate the top crust if desired.

At this point, you may freeze your assembled pie for another day. Thaw before baking.

1. Cover the crimped edges of your pie with foil. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. When in England, serve with cream or custard. When in America, serve with orange Cheddar cheese 😉

Bon appétit – and thanks, Mom!

PRINT THIS RECIPE

For more of Madame Thermomix’s apple recipes, see:

Ode to the Apple
First Frost 
Having Your Way with Apples

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