Hot Water Apple Pie

Happy Pi Day (get it? 3.14).  Alright, alright, all cheesiness aside, I know what you're thinking... Hot Water What??!!!!  Yeah, that's what I thought when I first learned about this technique too, but I'm here to tell you the apples in my pie turned out great!  Not mushy at all - firm, yet tender and absolutely packed full of pure apple flavor.  

Typically when I make an apple pie, I'll use a mixture of 3 or 4 different apple varieties, but this technique calls for only 1.  Additionally, the spices are kept to a minimum which really elevates the flavor or the fruit.  Bottom line, if you think you'd like the flavor of golden delicious apples on steroids, it's safe to say this recipe and technique are for you.  

Start with room temperature golden delicious apples - we're going to need about 4 pounds of peeled, sliced apples.  Don't miss the room temperature part - it's important.  We need to peel them - let me show you my nifty apple peeler.

How fun was that?  I’m in love with how fast this gadget peels an apple!  Sorry for the blurry video, but you get the idea.

Cut out the cores.  I save mine for the girls, and by girls I mean the chickens at my local egg farm.  They know my vehicle and come running every time I visit because they know they're going to get something I bring lots of fruit and veggie scraps for them to snack on.  This week it'll be apple cores, cabbage, carrots, squash seeds, broccoli and cauliflower stems and leaves, some salad greens didn't get eaten, and empty egg shells.

Cut the apples into 1/4-inch slices.  Using a really good knife helps (I love this one).

Heat 3 quarts of water (or cider) until it boils.  If you use cider, save if after soaking the apples to drink later. 

Pour the boiling water over the apples and soak for 10 minutes.  If the apples are cold, they'll make the temperature of the liquid drop too much - it should remain between 140F and 160F during the 10-minute soak.  This is the magic temperature range that allows the pectin in the apples to set, preventing them from totally breaking down into mush during the baking process.  By the way, don't be alarmed if you hear the apples hissing in that hot liquid... you'll see a lot of tiny bubbles rise to the surface too. 

The water is too hot to press the apples down by hand so I weighted them down with a plate.   When 10 minutes are up, drain for another 10 minutes.

Then toss them with sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch.  There's only 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon needed for 4 pounds of sliced apples... that's very little, but remember, I said the spices were kept to a minimum to allow that pure apply flavor shine.  

You can hardly see the specks of cinnamon, but they're there - just enough to add the slightest bit of warmth to the pie.  The apples are now ready to go into your favorite pie crust (check out my food processor all-butter crust recipe here, or my make-by-hand all-butter crust here).  

Items used in this post:

(affiliate links)

• nifty apple peeler https://amzn.to/3HNP7xG

• digital kitchen thermometer https://amzn.to/3v3xTot

• 7-inch nakiri knife https://amzn.to/3sxBJ7Y

• 9-inch glass pie plate https://amzn.to/3DBme4p

• 9-inch ceramic pie plate https://amzn.to/3sUa5SZ

• mini pie plates https://amzn.to/3oyFwjQ (recipe will make four 5-inch pies or eight 4-inch pies)

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Hot Water Apple Pie

makes one 9-inch pie, four 5-inch pies, or six 4-inch pies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• double pie crust (recipe and photo tutorial here and here)

• 4 1/2 pounds golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices (*see note below)

• 3 quarts water (or apple cider)

• 10 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 4 tablespoons cornstarch

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or more to taste)

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes

• 2 tablespoons milk or cream

• turbinado sugar (or granulated sugar)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F and place rack in bottom center position.

2. Bring water or apple cider to a boil and pour over apple slices; soak 10 minutes, then drain another 10 minutes.

3. Add sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt to the apples; mix well to combine.

4. Roll half the crust and line pie plate(s) as usual.

5. Pour the apples into the lined pie plate(s) and dot with butter cubes.

6. Roll remaining half of crust and top pie, crimp edges to seal and cut a few holes for ventilation.

7. Brush top crust with milk or cream and sprinkle liberally with turbinado sugar.

8. Place pie plate(s) on rimmed baking sheet and bake 55-60 minutes for a 9" pie, 40-45 minutes for 5" pies, or 30-35 minutes for 4" pies.

Note

• The weight of the apples after peeling and coring should be just under 3 1/2 pounds.

adapted from Serious Eats

DIY Corned Beef

I recently learned how easy it is to make corned beef from scratch and I thought, since St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner, I'd show you how it's done.  And let me just go on the record and say this, you may never go back to the stuff from the grocery store again.  

Be sure to plan ahead -  the brisket needs to brine for 6-8 days before cooking. And you'll also need to find pink curing salt, not to be confused with pickling salt, pink himalayan salt, or pink Peruvian salt (look for Instacure #1 or Prague powder #1).  You can order it online or you might be able to get some from a butcher, or a friend who makes their own sausage and/or cures their own bacon.

First prepare the brine.  The beef brisket will sit in the brine for a minimum of 6 days and a maximum of 8.  Clockwise from top left:  table salt, whole garlic cloves, brown sugar, pink curing salt (instacure #1), bay leaves, whole allspice berries, whole coriander seeds, whole peppercorns.

You'll also need 16 cups of water and a non-reactive vessel that’s large enough to hold the brine and brisket (non-reactive vessels would be glass, food-grade plastic, stainless steel, or ceramic). I used this ginormous 13.25-quart French oven, but anything that's big enough and isn't made of aluminum, uncoated cast iron, carbon steel, or unlined copper will work.

Add the brisket, bay, garlic, peppercorns, allspice berries, and coriander seeds.  My brisket stayed completely submerged in the brine.  If yours doesn't stay submerged, it can be weighed down with a dinner plate.

Cover the container and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 days and a maximum of 8 days.  Less than 6 days and the brine won't penetrate all the way through the brisket.  More than 8 days and the brisket will be too salty.

Here's what the brined brisket looks like after 8 days.  Remove the brisket and discard the brine.

On the day you cook the corned beef, you'll need more peeled garlic cloves, black peppercorns, and bay leaves.  Also preheat the oven to 250F.

Place the brined brisket in 10-quart or larger stockpot and add the bay, peppercorns, and garlic.

Pour in 8 cups of cold water.

Bring to a boil on the stove top, then remove from heat and cover.

Place in center of preheated oven for 3 hours.

Return stockpot to stovetop and transfer corned beef to platter; drizzle with some cooking liquid to keep it from drying out.  Add the cabbage, carrots, and potatoes: simmer for 15-30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender (remove cabbage after 10 minutes).

I like to scrape away some of the excess fat from the top of the corned beef - that allows me to see what direction the grain of the meat runs.  Cut slices across the grain.

Try not to drool.

Mmmmm.... it's soooooooo incredibly good! 

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• Instacure #1 https://amzn.to/431XHjo

  or

• Prague Powder #1 https://amzn.to/431XHjo

• 13.25-quart enameled cast iron dutch oven https://amzn.to/46irt6l

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DIY Corned Beef

makes 12 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Brine:

• 4 quarts water

• 3/4 cup table salt

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons pink preserving salt #1 (see notes below)

• 4 bay leaves

• 3 whole peeled garlic cloves

• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds

• 5 whole allspice berries

 Additional Ingredients (the day of cooking):

• 4 pound flat cut beef brisket, fat trimmed to 1/4-inch

• 2 quarts water

• 2 bay leaves

• 3 whole peeled cloves garlic

• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

• brined corned beef

• 1 head cabbage, cut into wedges

• 1 1/2 pounds red new potatoes

• 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

Directions

1. Brine (6-8 days before cooking): In a 12-quart or larger non-reactive container (see notes), whisk the table salt, brown sugar, and curing salt until dissolved; add bay leaves, whole garlic cloves, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, and allspice berries.

2. Place trimmed beef brisket into brine, cover, and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 days and a maximum of 8 days (brisket should stay completely submerged - use a dinner plate to weigh it down if necessary).

3. Remove brisket from brine; discard brine.

4. Preheat oven to 250F.

5. In a 8-quart or larger stockpot over medium-high heat, combine 2 quarts water, bay leaves, whole garlic cloves, black peppercorns, and the brined brisket until it reaches the boiling point.

6. Turn off heat, cover, and place in preheated oven for 3 hours.

7. Remove stockpot from oven and return to stovetop; transfer corned beef to a platter and drizzle some of the cooking liquid over to keep it from drying out.

8. Add cabbage, carrots, and potatoes to the stockpot and bring to a simmer for 15-30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender (remove the cabbage after 10 minutes).

9. Slice beef across the grain and serve with the cooked vegetables.

Notes

• Pink curing should not be confused with pickling salt, pink himalayan salt, or pink Peruvian salt (look for Instacure #1 or Prague powder #1). It should contain a mixture of sodium chloride and sodium nitrite.

• The difference between curing salt #1 and #2? Basically, curing salt #1 is used to preserve things that will be cooked (corned beef, sausage, bacon, etc). Curing salt #2 is used to preserve things that will be air dried (salami, pepperoni, jerky, etc).

• A non-reactive container is one made of glass, food-grade plastic, stainless steel, or ceramic. Avoid aluminum, uncoated cast iron, carbon steel, or unlined copper.

adapted from America's Test Kitchen