Before this weekend, I’d never made an apple pie. Now I’m still not sure if I’ve made an apple pie. Y’see, the thing is every time I find a new Cook’s Illustrated in my mailbox, I get preoccupied with at least one of the recipes. This time, apple pie. But it’s a different kind of apple pie. It’s called a skillet apple pie.
Apple pie has always been one of those foods that didn’t really interest me for two reasons. First, it seemed like a lot of work. Getting the crust right. Finding a filling that tastes just right. Lot’s of time involved. And so on. Also, I had never really found apple pie to be all that interesting. Always on the menu. Always mentioned as the Americana cliché. At least in North Dakota, it wasn’t all that uncommon to order a slice with cheese. Well, it’s American cheese, and from what I understand, that’s not really cheese. But I digress. Apple pie. Yawn.
There seemed to be something different about his apple pie. Something masculine. Stop laughing. Yes, I know that’s weird. Seeing those spiced apples all caramelized and bubbling sweet syrup up through a flaky crust makes my mouth water. But all of that goodness resting in a big, heavy cast iron skillet that almost takes two hands to life as a whole extra element of cool. Sort of like a monster truck of apple pie.
My friend Chris and I cooked up a version and brought it to a party this weekend. It was a big hit. And Cook’s Illustrated was right. Filling with great texture. Flaky crust. Fast. Easy. Yeah.
Maybe what’s most important here, though, is that I found out just how interesting apple pie can be. Red apples don’t work; it’s the green ones. But there are so many varieties (thus the term “variety,” right?) with such a wide range of flavors. The website recommends a sweet green apple mixed with something more tart. Also, the filling can get pretty complex, too. For instance, I didn’t know that some apple pies have maple syrup. What about substituting something like a strong honey or one of the specialty preserves I make?
I knew about the cinnamon, but it hadn’t occurred to me that there could be substitutions here, too. I’m going to have to look this up, but I’m curious.
Although we didn’t try any of these variations with our first attempt, we did add an extra little something. Raisins. I know, not exactly shocking, but we were a few ounces short with the apples, so we just added raisins to make up the difference (about two ounces, I think). We could definitely taste them.
The recipe is so good that I’d love to post it, but I just don’t feel okay about it. However, I’d be willing to send a pdf to anyone who asks. Better yet, either subscribe to the magazine (beautiful) or the website (media rich with recipes and videos of hundreds and hundreds of recipes). Neither one is all that expensive, and it seems like a great magazine to support.
Regardless. Get started learning how to make this stuff. It could really become a signature dish. Something you could really make your own.