Slab Apple Pie

Pre-Baked Apple Slab Pie

This is a recipe that I got from Jody, one of her favorites.  I have tasted it a few times at her house and it is delicious.  Today is the first time that I have made it myself!

Crust:
1 cup margarine/butter
1 cup shortening
5 cups white flour
2 tsp. salt
2 egg yolks plus enough milk to measure 1 cup

Filling:
8-10 granny smith apples, peeled, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. flour
4 T. tapioca pearls

Directions:  For crust, cut in shortening and margarine into dry ingredients.  (I used 2 cups of butter flavored shortening instead of 1 cup of each.  I also mix these together with my hands, it works just as well.  In fact, it is faster than when I use my pastry cutter).  Then add eggs and milk.  When the dough is mixed, divide the dough in half.  Roll out dough for bottom crust to cover a 17x2 jelly roll pan (aka cinnamon roll pan for me) and then roll out a top crust.

For filling, mix all ingredients together except the tapioca   Sprinkle tapioca over the bottom crust and then cover with apple filling.  Then carefully place the top crust over the apples and crimp down the edges of the pie (I just used my fingers).

Brush top of pie with 2 egg whites mixed with 2 T. of water.  (I like to sprinkle the of the crust with sugar after the egg white mixture).  Do NOT slit top of pie.  Bake at 350 for about one hour or until crust is golden brown.  Drizzle with glazed made with power sugar and water over the warm pie.  Enjoy!
 

Apple Pie Filling

I love having this on hand to make pie year round!


6 qts. fresh apples, peeled, cored, sliced
3 c. sugar
1 1/2 cups Ultra Gel
1 T. cinnamon
1 tsp. of each - nutmeg, cloves, ginger, allspice
2 1/2 cups cold water
5 cups apple juice
3/4 cups lemon juice

Mix sugar, ultra gel, and spices together.  Then add water, apple juice, lemon juice and cook over medium high heat until thick and bubbly.  Fold in apples.  Fill jars, leaving headspace.  Process jars in hot water bath for 35 minutes.  Makes 7 quarts.

Caramel Apples

I made these from scratch - this recipe is a keeper (and another great Pinterest find).  This comes from the Tasty Kitchen blog.

• 12 whole Apples
• ¼ cups Butter
• 1 cup White Syrup
• 14 ounces, fluid Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
• 2 cups White Granulated Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  Assemble all ingredients: wash and dry apples, insert sticks, and butter a cookie sheet and dinner plate before starting to cook.
  
  Heat all ingredients except vanilla in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium/low heat. Stir constantly! (Unless you really like the look of scorched bits on your apples.)
  When caramel reaches soft ball stage (235°F–240°F) remove from heat and add vanilla. Let cool a few minutes.
  
  Using the stick inserted in the apples, dunk apples in the hot caramel and twirl slowly away from the heat for a couple of minutes. It’s nice to have a helper or two at this point.
  Place caramel-covered apples on a buttered cookie sheet. Optional: drizzle with melted chocolate or roll in chopped nuts.
  
  Extra caramel from the bottom of the pan:
  1. Can be scraped out with a spatula into a buttered plate or dish to be cut into individual pieces when cool.
  2. Can be thinned in the pan with half-and-half and eaten warm, as a dip for apple wedges.
  

Tiff's Tips:  I cooked the caramel longer in the pan until it was a little thicker and richer in color.  I used the cold water method to see if it was at the soft ball stage I wanted.  You can always use the extra caramel and pour it over popcorn.  Just microwave the leftover caramel when you are ready for a tasty treat.

Apple Pie Filling

Make some delicious homemade apple pie filling with all those apples you got this year!  This is pretty simple but takes a little bit of time.  I have two recipes I tried this year. The first one I used last year but this year I added some more spices and thickened it a little more.  It tasted yummy from last year but I was trying to get it more like my 2nd recipe, but a little cheaper.

7 quarts filled with peeled, cored and sliced apples
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1 TBS cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
10 cups water
3 TBS lemon juice

Wash jars and screw lids.  Place flat lids in pot of hot water on low on your stovetop.  Get them out just you you need them.

Peel and slice apples (this is SUPER EASY if you have an apple peeler/corer - I have one from Pampered Chef - makes it very fast!).  Fill quarts with apples leaving 1 inch head space.  Be sure to pack the apples in there, put a few in and smosh down with a handle of a wooden spoon, if needed.

Make syrup by combining sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and water.  After combined, cook until thick. Add lemon juice.  Pour syrup over apples in jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Be sure to run your plastic spatula around the inside of the jar to get the air bubbles out and let the syrup run down.  Use a wet washrag to wipe down the top of the jar to get all the dripping syrup off.   Place the lids on and screw the rings down just finger tight.   Process for 35 minutes.  Add 5 minutes for elevations of 1,000 to 3,000 feet and 10 minutes from 3,000 to 5,000 feet.


And the other recipe is from my sister-in-law, Cheryl.  This is very yummy and tastes exactly like the apple pie filling from the store.  The syrup is super thick!   But it is more expensive to make.

7 quarts filled with peeled, cored and sliced apples
5 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups Ultra Gel
1 TBS cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 1/2 cups cold water
5 cups apple juice
3/4 cup bottled lemon juice

Follow the same instructions above for the syrup except add all the ingredients together at once instead of leaving the lemon juice for last.  Cook until thick and pour in jars.  Process for same time above.

Canned Applesauce

I love making applesauce. I grew up canning applesauce with my parents, around 100 quarts per year! I love making it for my family now, and my kids love to help.

This is how I make my applesauce, but you can vary the amounts of sugar and flavoring if you want. I don't add extra flavoring (like kool-aid or red hots) as I try to keep my applesauce as natural as possible and no food dyes. I have made applesauce with golden delicious, gala, rome, jonathon, jonagold, and honeycrisp. All are delicious! For apples that are more tart like jonathons you can add less sugar.

I use a Back to Basics strainer and I love it! There is no need to peel, core or take the seeds out. Saves so much time.

1. Put apples in sink and wash well.

2. Cut apples into quarters, only cutting out the blossom at the bottom. I put the quartered apples into large bowls.

3. Dump the apples into large pots to cook until soft. Make sure you add them heaping to the pots...they cook down quite far. Add water to the apples, but don't add too much or your applesauce will be watery. I cook my apples in my pressure cooker and I add 1 qt to this large pot. It helps make the apples soft and cook down without burning. To the smaller pot I add 1 cup water.

4. Cook on medium and keep stirring until apples are really soft and squishy. This usually takes me about 45 minutes or so.

5. Squish through your strainer. Tip my dad taught me: Put the skins through twice, and it will give you more sauce! It really does and makes the apples go farther.

6. After I have a large bowl full of sauce, I add the correct amount of sugar and cinnamon that we like. I measure my sauce into the large bowl as I go so I know exactly how many quarts I have in my mixing bowl.

For each quart of sauce, I add 2 Tbl. sugar and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. I usually make sauce with galas and this is the perfect amount of spices for our family. I have it written down with figured measurements so I can mix quickly. So for 8 quarts of sauce, add 1 c. sugar and 1/4 tsp cinnamon.

7. Fill jars, put on hot lids and rings, and process for 25 minutes. (Check your elevation for processing time. This is my elevation time).

ENJOY YOUR APPLESAUCE!

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

You can't go wrong with recipes from Our Best Bites - I love their site.  This was another great find!

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding (their post with pictures)

Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites from C&H Sugar

5-6 c. stale French bread cubes (about 1/2 of a standard loaf cut into 1" cubes)

3 c. apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces

4 eggs

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 c. milk

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

2 tsp. pumpkin or apple pie seasoning

1 Tbsp. butter, chopped

1 recipe Buttermilk Caramel Syrup

*If possible, cut the bread into cubes and leave it out for several hours or overnight. If not, place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the bread cubes are dried out but not toasted.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease or spray a 9x13" baking dish with shortening or non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, toss together the bread cubes and the apple pieces. Transfer to the baking dish. In the same large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients except for the butter. When combined, continue to whisk while pouring over the bread/apple mixture (just to make sure the spices are evently distributed). Gently combine the bread and egg mixture, making sure each piece of bread is soaking in part of the egg and milk mixture. Allow to stand for at least 15 minutes (longer, if you can; you could even do this the night before, cover it tightly, and then bake it in the morning).

When the egg/milk mixture has mostly soaked into the bread, dab the butter over the bread and place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the center is set but not dry or burned.

Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve with warm Buttermilk Syrup (and vanilla ice cream if you really want to walk on the wild side.)


Buttermilk Caramel Syrup

3/4 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 stick real butter
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a LARGE pot. Like one you'd make soup in. Yes, you'll have way more pot than ingredients (and I'm not referring to the green leafy stuff), but this will boil all over your newly-cleaned stove if you put it in a smaller saucepan.

Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low (as long as it's still bubbling, you're okay). Cook, stirring very frequently, for 8-9 minutes. You're basically making candy here and candy-making requires constant vigilance.

When it's done, it should take on this luscious golden-brown color. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

There will be foam on top. It tastes just as good, but it's not super pretty. If you're into aesthetics, you can skim it off; otherwise, just give it a good stir.

Candied Walnut Salad

I found another great recipe from Our Best Bites, here   It is fabulous and easy.

Tiff's Tips:  I used feta cheese (already hand that on hand) and I only used one large head of green leaf lettuce and it was plenty.  I served in the dressing on the side.  Great salad! 

Candied Walnut Salad

2 heads of leafy greens; 1 can be a bag of spinach (I like 1 bag of spinach and a head of Romaine or just 2 heads of Romaine)

3/4 c. Craisins

2 crisp apples

Orange juice (enough to toss apples in to prevent browning and add a little flavor)

2 oz. blue cheese or Gorgonzola (I prefer Gorgonzola; it's milder, but harder to find and more expensive)

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1/4 c. sugar

1 recipe  Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette  (see below)

1. Wash and chop lettuce. Set aside to drain.

2. Combine walnuts and sugar in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly. After a few minutes, the sugar will look very fine and then a few minutes after that, it will start to liquefy. This is when you have to be absolutely vigilant about scraping the bottom of the skillet and making sure everything gets stirred around. The syrup will begin to darken and will coat the nuts. When they reach a golden brown color, remove from heat. Stir occasionally as the nuts begin to cool. After a few minutes, spread candied nuts onto a greased piece of parchment or wax paper or a greased cookie sheet and allow to cool completely. Set aside.

3. Chop blue cheese or Gorgonzola very finely. You want crumbles, not chunks.

If blue cheese absolutely gives you the ookies and you CANNOT handle the thought of it (the flavor in the salad will be very mild, I promise!), you can use another strong cheese like feta. But I really, really think you should use the real thing... :)

4. Chop apples and toss in orange juice.

5. When ready to serve, toss lettuce, cranberries, walnuts, apples, and blue cheese in a large bowl. Add dressing if desired; it really is better all mixed together rather than on top, but the dressing will wilt any leftovers.

Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1/2 c. honey

1-2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (really, that's pretty optional; it all goes in the blender)

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 c. canola oil

In a blender, combine vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper. Place lid on blender and blend on high. While blender is running, add oil in a steady stream. Store in refrigerator for about 2-3 weeks. Shake well before serving.

Perfect Apple Pie

I think I got this from A Taste of Home magazine many years ago. I have loved it ever since. It is the perfect apple pie!

Crust:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup shortening
4-5 Tbsp. cold water

Combine the flour and salt and then cut in shortening. Add water slowly until dough forms a ball. Chill 30 minutes.

Filling:
7-8 cups peeled, sliced apples
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 Tbsp. butter
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp. water

Toss apple slices and lemon juice together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg and mix. Then add apples. Pour mixture into rolled out pie crust, dot with butter. Roll out top crust, and lay on top of apples; seal and flute edges. Beat egg yolk and water and brush over pastry. (Then I generously sprinkle sugar on top of the pastry crust).
Bake 425 for 15 min. Then reduce heat to 350 and bake 40-45 minutes until golden and bubbly.
(I usually cover the edges of my pie crust for half of the baking time so they don't get too dark).