Apple pie with lattice upper crust
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Place of origin | Western Europe |
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about 265 kcal | |
An apple pie is a fruit pie, in which the principal filling ingredient is apple. It is, on occasion, served with whipped cream or ice cream on top, or alongside cheddar cheese. The pastry is generally used top-and-bottom, making it a double-crust pie; the upper crust may be a circular or a pastry lattice woven of crosswise strips. Depending on the baker's preference, the bottom of the double-crust may be baked first (before baking the whole pie) to prevent the bottom from getting soggy. Exceptions are deep-dish apple pie, with a top crust only, and open-face Tarte Tatin. A survey showed that one out of five Americans (19%) chose apple pie over pumpkin (13%) and pecan pie (12%). It is also said that apple pie making was brought to America by English settlers.
Apple pie can be made with all sorts of different apples. The more popular cooking apples include, Bramley, Empire, Northern Spy, Granny Smith, and McIntosh The fruit for the pie can be fresh, canned, or reconstituted from dried apples. These different types of apples (canned, dries, fresh) affects the final texture and the length of cooking time required will vary, therefore people disagreeon if it affects the flavour or not. Dried or preserved apples were originally substituted only at times when fresh fruit was unavailable. Along with the apples people commonly use, cinnamon, salt, butter, and most importantly sugar. Though most of the old recipes don't include sugar due to the price or having a better sweetener option, most people definitely use it today. Apple pie is often served in the style of "à la Mode" (topped with ice cream). Alternatively, a piece of cheese (such as a sharp cheddar) is, at times, placed on top of or alongside a slice of the finished pie.