I have never been a fan of apple pie, I always referred to the flavor as boring and not very exciting. I suppose the phrase, "As American as apple pie" exists for that reason; its wholesome and cookie cutter. So, when I saw the idea to add cayenne pepper to apple pie I decided to give it a try, hoping it would improve my lackluster opinion on the flavor......and I have to admit, it did.
Ingredients:
10 cups of peeled, thinly sliced apples (I used 8 Granny Smiths)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, I recommend using your hands. Then pile it high into your chosen pie crust, cover with your other round of dough, seal the edges, cut 3-6 leaf shaped holes near the top. And if desired brush with egg white, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Place the pie in the oven for 10 minutes, then decrease the oven temperature to 375 degrees and let bake for 40 minutes. This pie packs a bit of a punch from the cayenne, which I and others enjoyed. But if you do not like heat/spice I would decrease the cayenne to 1/8 tsp and the paprika to 1/4 tsp.
I found the pie a bit drier than my liking, but I am not sure how I could make it more moist. If you have any suggestions let me know! I suppose serving with ice cream would help as well, to also balance the sweet and spicy.
If your apple pie is too dry, reduce the flour in the filling. The only function of the flour in the filling is to absorb the excess juice from the apples as they cook.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I didn't think of that! Thank you!
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