Two Girls, Two Guys, Four Pies - Part III

For the fourth and final pie in our Two Girls, Two Guys, Four Pies series, we decided to go in a completely different direction in terms of ingredients and technique. After Lindsey came across a recipe for Grandma Ople’s Apple Pie on allrecipes.com which was consistently given 5 stars and touted as the best ever, we knew it had to be added to our arsenal of apple pies. In fact, the reviews even stated that this pie is a winner!, and that people should look no further for the perfect apple pie recipe!. Using a lattice top and a liquid mixture poured over top, this pie was certainly a change from the first three. But did it match up to Pies #1, #2, and #3?

As with Pies #1 and #2, we used the Pillsbury ready to cook, refrigerated pie crust. Like I mentioned in yesterday's wrap up, I was a bit wary of committing to more than one pie with a homemade crust, and well, I figured that if I was going to make it myself, it should be for my own Grandmother's recipe. For this little beauty, we rolled out the bottom crust (after bringing it to room temperature) and filled it with the peeled, cored and sliced apples. As with the first 3, we used a mixture of Macintosh, Cortland, and Spencer apples.

We then covered the pie with a lattice top, which Lindsey made by simply rolling out the second crust and creating a grid over the top of the pie. We then secured the edges of the lattice with the bottom crust by pushing it altogether using just our fingers.

Notice that we were yet to add anything extra to the apples. Th biggest difference with this pie is that a mixture is created on the stovetop and poured over the entire pie, top crust and all. I know, I looked at Lindsey like she had two heads too...kind of like how you are rereading that last line. But it's true.

Grandma Ople’s Apple Pie with Pillsbury Crust
*Adapted from AllRecipes.com
1 pkg Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts (2 crusts included, one for top and bottom)
½ C unsalted butter
3 tbsp all purpose flour
½ C white sugar
½ C brown sugar (I made my own, stay tuned for that how-to)
¼ C water
½ tsp cinnamon
5-6 C tart apples, we used a mix of Cortland, Macintosh and Spencer

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the bottom crust (after bringing it to room temperature) into your pie plate and fill it with the peeled, cored and sliced apples. As with the first 3, we used a mixture of Macintosh, Cortland, and Spencer apples. Cover the pie with a lattice top, which Lindsey made by simply rolling out the second crust, cutting it into slices with a pizza cutter and creating a grid over the top of the pie. We then secured the edges of the lattice with the bottom crust by pushing it altogether using just our fingers. Set aside and in a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and then whisk in the flour. Whisk in the white sugar, brown sugar and water  and bring to a boil.

Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes. It will be thick. Now it's time to pour over the pie. We moved the mixture into a small measuring cup first for a more controlled pour over your pie.

We (very carefully and slowly) poured the mixture over the entire top of the crust, making sure to fill in the holes with the mixture so that it would flow into the inside of the pie. Sprinkle with cinnamon. We knew that if this was any indication of the taste, we were in for a real treat.

Cover the edges with foil, as with the first 3 pies, to prevent burning. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 35-40 minutes. This is what we ended up with:

Yum! As soon as it was cool enough to handle, we sliced that baby up and dove right in with our taste test. Unfortunately, the crust held up the worst of the four, completely crumbling once cut into.

First impressions: This pie was buttery and delicious, just as the reviews promised it would be. The crust had a crisp and sweet carmelization from the butter-sugar mixture. Although it fell apart, it seemed less runny than pies #1 and #2, which was a very good thing in our book. It was amazing how much flavor was imparted by the sauce, which I was very wary about since we weren't sure that it had covered all of the apple filling. Instead, it created a sweet and appley pile of apples. Though they weren't quite as tender as Pie #3, it did have a deeper richness than Pies #1 and #2.

And what did the guys think? Stay tuned for tomorrow's post to find out! We'll be wrapping up our apple pie baking adventure and giving you our picks for best crust, best filling, best overall pie, and best pie on T+1.

So what do you think? Have you ever tried the lattice top? Have you ever heard of a pie where the syrup is drizzled over the entire thing? And for a bonus question, what is your favorite kind of apple, whether for baking or munching?

Psst...missed parts 1 and 2 of our Two Girls, Two Guys, Four Pies series? Check them out here and here!

Comments

[Heather (Heather's Dish)]

WOWZAH that pie looks good! i would totally rock a lattice top too...so beautiful!

[Kimberly]

this is definitely the prettiest dish!!

[megan @ whatmegansmaking]

this pie looks awesome! I wish I could eat some right now :)

[PIC]

I am salivating! This is Grandma Mary's by far look the most appetizing. Mmm mmm mmm. I will have to try this out.