Two Girls, Two Guys, Four Pies - The Finale

Today we're wrapping up our Two Girls, Two Guys, Four Pies series with some apple pie superlatives and finally getting the guys' points of views on this little experiment of ours where we turned these gorgeous, juicy apples...

Into a full blown table of autumnal awesomeness...

Along with my friend Lindsey (this whole 1950's style playdate was here idea in fact), we baked up four pies, each of which using different ingredients and techniques. Our mission? To finally put to bed what makes a great apple pie.

And since our own opinions just weren't enough, we also roped our significant others into this experiment and charged them with participating in a blind taste test of all four pies. Somehow, I don't think they minded.

Shaun is no stranger to the taste test. He is and has always been my ultimate recipe tester and diligently gives me feedback whenever I request it. Coming home from work to a plate full of pie and an apartment smelling of apples wasn't too shabby either. And since he's typically not a dessert lover, I pracitically jumped for joy when I saw him breaking out a pen and paper to take notes on each pie. I call him the 'Alton Brown' of the family.

So let's get down to what you've been waiting for, shall we?

Best Crust
Rachel: Grandma Mary (#3) with special shoutout to Grandma Ople (#4) I made it myself after all!
Lindsey: Grandma Mary (#3) with special shoutout to Grandma Ople (#4)
Shaun: Grandma Mary (#3) with special shoutout to Grandma Ople (#4) I love the carmelization!
Eric: Grandma Mary (#3)

 

Best Filling
Rachel: Tie between Grandma Mary (#3) and The Joy of Cooking (#2)
Lindsey: The Joy of Cooking (#2) Maceration was the unexpected trick to performance balanced apples!
Shaun: The Joy of Cooking (#2)
Eric: Grandma Mary (#3)

Best on Day After
Rachel: Grandma Mary (#3) It was just as perfect as Day 1!
Lindsey: I didn’t have any more pie after that first day!
Shaun: Grandma Mary (#3)
Eric: Grandma Mary (#3) The apples weren't too syrupy and the crust held!

Best Overall
Rachel: Grandma Mary (#3) It's really hard to not be biased, but it was darn good!
Lindsey: Do I have to choose? I just love pie! But I love the way #4 cooked...especially the crispy top!
Shaun: Grandma Mary (#3) But maybe with #2’s filling
Eric: Grandma Mary (#3)

So while we all had varying takes on different aspects of the pies, there are a few things that Lindsey and I took away from this:

• Most importantly, baking pies all day would be the best, most fun job in the entire world, especially if we could do it together! That and making jams and soaps.

• Macerating apples seems to be a very important step in creating the perfect pie filling. Though Pie #3 was the most appley of the bunch, Pie #2 (the macerated version) had the perfect amount of sweetness, tartness, and texture of all the pies.
• In addition to the right technique, the right apples are key! You don't want a pile of sweet mush (not in this case, anyway). Tart apples are best for baking! We used a random mixture of Cortland, Macintosh and Spencer and we thought they were tops!

• Though we debated on the value of the homemade crust up until that very morning - is it really necessary? We've heard good things about Pillsbury premade crust! Do people really want to spend the time to make their own crust? Will it make that much of a difference? - we came to the conclusion that for proper research we must be able to taste both. And we were psyched that we did. Our final stance on the to-crust or not-to-crust issue? Making your own is completely worth the time. However, if you cannot make it, be it a time or pure intimidation issue, the refrigerated, premade kind is completely fine and was still extremely delicious. Just not as delicious as the real deal. And my tip on making your own crust? Just follow the instructions and do it slowly and carefully! Like many things on this blog, if I can do it, so can you!

To sum it up, we all had varying opinions on different parts of the pie, and the bottom line is that I think a few things could be combined to make one super pie! I can't wait to try my grandmother's homemade crust with macerated apple filling and a lattice top that's carmelized with a buttery sugar mixture. It could be like a super pie! And of course, I'll document the entire thing if you want to follow along.

So there you have it. Our lengthy roundup of 4 amazingly delicious pies. And the truth of the matter? You can't really go wrong with any of them, since as we tasted each one, one was just a bit more delicious than the next. As Shaun said, The barbershop couldn't split hairs this thin!

If I had to recommend the best for ease of use? I'd say go with Pie #2. To get a little more fancy but still use the premade crust, I recommend #4.

Now I want to know, what's your favorite apple pie recipe? Have you ever made a recipe over and over in different ways to try and get it right?

And our bonus question is...what should be next in the Two Girls, Two Guys series?

Psst...want to see the Two Girls, Two Guys, Four Pies series from the beginning? Check out Part I, Part II and Part III!

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!

A Delicious Year in Review: 2009

A Big Thanks
Wow, I can't believe it's the end of another year. The post-holiday malaise has left me in a shell of dread for the upcoming cold months and limited vacation time. Though 2009 had it's ups and downs, all in all, it was a good year. After all, I got a brandy new day job, am married to the best husband of all time, and, oh yeah, I started this little ol' blog, of which I'm very happy and proud to call my baby.

What started less than a year ago as a way for me to ramble about my love for Manhattan and it's surrounding areas has grown into a bonafide web site with actual readers...something I can't believe is real. This is the most fun personal project I've ever embarked on. It makes me happy and excited every single day and I wish I could devote even more time to developing content. Over the last year with this site, I've taken an interest to things I never knew I liked or even loved for that matter - who knew that I'd be so giddy over receiving baking tools for Christmas? Or that my truly adorable Anthropologie apron would become one of my favorite wardrobe items? Or that I have a serious love of trying new restaurants and the food that's housed within them? Not me. And even more, I can't wait to continue learning about food - how it's made, where it's eaten - and passing on my new found knowledge to all of you. After all, when I started writing about food, I didn't know any more about it than anyone else. Sure, I've always liked it, but who hasn't? Exploring, learning and writing about food has been a wonderful adventure and I can't wait to continue it next year. So a gargantuan thank you to everyone who has read my articles, commented on them, and passed along this site to friends.

And while we're on the subject of how great you all are, I've never really had the chance to explain to you how much each and every one of you means to me and how I truly cherish each and every one of your comments and inquiries. Please keep 'em coming! So thanks again for giving me a reason to keep on writing and I hope you enjoy reading it half as much as I enjoy writing it.

Where we're going
So with that in mind, I hope that you'll continue to indulge me in 2010. Some big things will be happening around here very soon and I'm almost bursting with excitement to share the news. I think and hope that you'll be (almost) as excited and happy as I am with my big announcement, so please stay tuned! Part of the 2010 plans include even more food reviews, recipes, tutorials, event coverage, videos and lots of reader contests. This is also the part where I ask you, fabulous reader, what you would like to see more of on this site? It's always difficult to gauge what strikes a chord with you and what you come back for more of. I know what I love writing about...but what do you love reading about? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

So with all of that in mind, have a fabulous, fun, and safe New Year's Eve tonight and a restful New Year's Day! Meanwhile, you can catch some of my own personal favorite articles of the year below (the articles that qualify for this are the ones that I genuinely loved every moment of experiencing and then relaying the messages on to you). Did any articles strike your own particular fancy?

My Top Ten Personal Favorite Articles of 2009:
Yankee Stadium vs. Citifield: Baseball Park Awards

Restaurant Roundup: Mesa Grill

Suburban Dog in the City

Key Lime in the Coconut Cupcakes

Aruba Travelogue: How to do Breakfast Three Ways

Eating Through Madison Square Park

Before Oktoberfest, It's Italianfest Part II or How to do the Festival Circuit

Fall Treats: Apple Surprise Muffins

Turkey Day Recipes

Restaurant Roundup: An Otto-matic Favorite