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Because the liquid is so full of apple flavor, I usually cook it down into a caramel and put it into the pie filling.

I'm not sure this is good or even if I should be macerating my apples at all. I originally started macerating to stop the pie filling from sinking, leaving a space in between the filling and my top crust. Is there a better way to accomplish this?

Jason S.
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3 Answers3

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On Serious Eats, Kenji Alt recommends precooking your apples (by a quick microwave or hot water bath) to set the pectin and prevent shrinking:

http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/10/the-food-labs-apple-pie-part-2-how-to-make-perfect-apple-pie-filling.html

Kenji is my favorite active practical food scientist, and a former recipe developer for Cooks Illustrated.

SAJ14SAJ
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You can let freshly sliced apples and sugar sit in a colander over a container for 3 hours. Mix the drained liquid to a boil and add some cornstarch or tapioca starch and bring that to a boil. Once boiling, add the remainder of the sugar and starch called for by your recipe and bring it to boil a second time. Allow this to cool, and then pour it into your pie-crust - over your apples - and bake as normal.

This procedure pulls the liquid out of the apples, concentrates the flavor in extracted juice, and then preserves the shape of the fruit during baking. It also reduces the chance of your pie boiling over during baking, and prevents empty space inside the pie under the crust.

Source: BakeWise, Shirley O. Corriher

KatieK
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This Thanksgiving I used the liquid in an egg custard which served warm to drizzle over the pie. I have also made ice cream or a spiced port wine caramel glaze with the liquid. If I am not feeling ambitious I'll use it to sweeten some iced tea. It is just sugar syrup so the sky is the limit.

Becks
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