Why You Should Par-Cook Apples For Better Pie

Tips for making better apple pie tend to focus on . Pie dough can be tricky, and home bakers usually don't make it often enough to perfect the technique. But the apple filling can be improved with some pointers, too.

Recipe developer and food stylist , author of "The Fearless Baker," and "Savory Baking," shared a couple of them with us, including par-cooking the apples. "I almost always pre-cook the fillings of my fruit pies, including apples," McDowell told The Takeout. "The act draws some of the juice inside the fruit to come out, which makes it easier to ensure an ideal texture and proper thickening to produce an ultimately sliceable pie.



" Using par-cooked apples instead of raw slices helps keep them from getting mushy and avoids soupy pooling in the bottom of the pie because their liquid has already been released. It also eliminates that annoying space between the apples and the top crust caused by raw apples shrinking down as they cook while the pie bakes. One quick method to pre-cook the apples is zapping slices mixed with sugar and spices in the microwave three minutes at a time until tender.

Another fast technique pours boiling water over them before draining 10 minutes later. You can develop more flavor by taking the time to roast sugar-and-spice-tossed slices or saute them in butter until a fork can easily pierce them. Let the filling cool to room temperature before transferring to the crust to bake.

More ways to make top-notch apple pie filling The best apple pie filling starts with its ingredients, and the most important, of course, is apples. Pie with overcooked or mushy apples could be caused by "using the wrong variety of apple," according to Erin Jeanne McDowell. "The best apples for pies keep some of the texture even after pre-cooking and lengthy bake times," she explained.

"My favorites are Cosmic Crisp and Honeycrisp apples for pies." Sweet apples tend to fall apart easier when cooked. That means tart types such as Granny Smith or Cortland are better, or ones that are sweet and tart like McDowell's suggestions, Jonagold, or Pink Lady – .

You could also use both sweet and tart varieties for balanced flavor once you determine . Apple pie filling is traditionally made with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add deeper flavor by using brown sugar or replacing half of the granulated sugar with it.

Give it a taste boost with more warm spices like ginger, allspice, clove, and cardamom, or a dash of apple brandy. Double down on apple goodness with some apple cider in the pan if you're sauteing the fruit to par-cook, or mix cider with cornstarch instead of water to make a slurry, commonly used to thicken the filling. The pre-cooked fruit filling can be made a few days in advance and refrigerated.

If you have spare, you can . Recommended.