Melba's Jammin' wrote:

> I make a fine apple pie. Excellent, in fact.
> Trying to cut down on Wednesday work, is there any way to prepare the
> pie filling and refrigerate it for a couple days? I'm thinking along
> the lines of pre-cooking or par-cooking the filling so that I can simply
> put it in the crust, top, and bake on Wednesday for transport that
> evening and the next day.
>
> I suppose I'm looking to do something along the line of a canned filling
> without buying Wilderness or whatever other glop is available.

I just picked up a copy of Cook's Illustrated Holiday
Baking issue last week specifically because of a
recipe and technique for a deep dish apple pie they
featured.

The same technique they use for the deep dish could
be used for your do-ahead filling problem. They
recommend pre-cooking the apple slices and seasonings
in a Dutch oven and drain the excess juice so the
resulting pie won't be soggy. They cooked the apples
over a medium heat for about 15-20 minutes.

I nice touch is their use of two different types
of apples in the filling, one tart, one sweet
for a combination of flavors.

I haven't tried it yet, but did buy two bags of
apples for when the mood strikes. I just need to
pick up a lemon since their recipe uses zest as
well as juice.

Now please share your pie crust recipe!

HTH

Nyssa, who just made a lovely apple coffee cake