Eat it!!!!!!!!

Seriously, I'm for soggy over moldy any day.
I'm weird, but I actually like pie crust even when it has absorbed the juices.

Deanna

My first inclination is to say just put it in the pie keeper. I have several vintage cake covers and I usually just put them over a pie on the table. Made an apple crisp tonight and that's what I did. To me it usually takes longer than two days to get moldy, but if you're concerned, put half the pie in the fridge or freeze it for a few days and leave the rest of the half out. See how it does, that way you have a gauge for your pies for the rest of the season. Before I had my cake covers I'd use a stainless steel bowl to cover the pies.

I decided that eating it is the best solution, and so I divided it up between Kevin and me, and we will take it to work tomorrow to dispose of. I've had 2-1/2 pieces so far (I cut it into eighths), and so we should be able to finish it tomorrow before it goes bad. I don't like soggy crust, and so I've left my portion in the paper bag, but Kevin put his in a plastic container and stored it in the fridge. I told him he would have to heat it in a toaster oven at work.

I think a cake over is a very good idea, but I don't have one. I have dough left over for one more pie, which I plan to make tomorrow and then take to work for our Product Development meeting, which will have eight people.

Here's the recipe I used, which was based loosely on what SharonCB posted. I made significant changes to the crust recipe, but for the filling, I mainly switched the flour to cornstarch.

Apple Pie

3/4 cup sugar
1-1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp butter
6-8 medium apples (I use Fuji)

Preheat oven to 500° F with pizza stone in the bottom rack.
Peel and core apples and slice very thinly (about 1/16-1/8”) into a mixing bowl. In another small bowl combine the dry ingredients and pour them over the apples. Toss well to coat all over.
Line a 9” metal pie plate with pastry and pile coated apple slices into pie plate, arranging so that the middle is not higher than the sides. Dot apples with pieces of butter.
Roll out top crust and put on pie, flute edges pierce top, and cover the fluted edges with aluminum foil. Place pie on the pizza stone and reduce heat to 425°F for 10 minutes, and then lower heat to 375°F for 30 minutes. Remove aluminum foil from the crust and bake an additional 10-20 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Crust (for two pies)

1 cup whole wheat flour
4 cups unbleached bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening , cut into 8 pieces
1/3 cup cold water
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup vodka

Store the 1/3 cup vodka , the cut butter, and vegetable shortening in the freezer.
Process 1 cup WW flour with 2 cups regular flour, salt, and sugar together in a food processor until combined. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 2 cups flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into very large bowl.
Combine the egg with the water in a Pyrex measuring cup and add the vodka. Add enough water to make one cup total liquid and sprinkle vodka, egg, and water over the flour mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together �" do not stir. Flatten dough into four discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place pizza stone on oven rack, and heat oven to 500°. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured work surface to an 11” circle about 1/8” thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1/2” overhang all around. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Add the apple pie filling, and continue with directions above.

What I like about this recipe is that the bottom crust never got soggy, even after one day. It's not what I would call flaky, but it is very crisp and did not create any gaps between the top crust and the filling. Kevin took pictures because I left my camera battery at work.

Lars

I have had apple pie mold when left at room temp. Eating is a good choice!

I've also had apple pie get moldy when left unrefrigerated, so I think eating it is the best solution. Refrigerating it is next best.

Funny, no one in my family really likes apple pie very much, and here we are, in apple country with thousands of acres of trees around us. Figures.....

fortunately they all like apple butter and Nancy's Apple Maple Jam!

Annie

When apples are in season, I will make quite a few apple pies... and I wrap them in foil and freeze them. I bake both regular sized pies and individual pies to freeze... When I defrost them, they are just like fresh baked if you defrost them slowly and don't nuke em to defrost..

I don't eat a lot of pie, but hubby does, and I keep it in the fridge and it doesn't seem to sog up at all...

Carolyn

I'm getting a bit tired of eating apple pie, but I did want to finish it off before mold set it. Kevin and I divided what was left last night so that we could take it to work, and he left his in the fridge. I heated up my last two pieces and gave one to a co-worker. He ate his very fast, and so I guess he liked it.

I don't have the energy to make enough pies to freeze, but that sounds like a good option. Do you freeze before or after baking? I would guess that they would be best if frozen raw.

Lars

I have yet to find little individual pie tins to buy. I figure they would be good for individual pot pie too which is why I was looking for them. Does anyone know if they are at Gordon's?

We always leave it out on the counter but it doesn't last long here with my large family and group of friends. Grandma always made many and froze them raw and would bake straight from the freezer. She had one freezer just for her baked goodies. One of my favorite memories of visiting was going to that freezer and picking out all kinds of stuff she had made.

David

Lars,
You can bake the pie, then cut into slices and wrap individually. Then you and Kevin can have a slice whenever you want. Should be thawed by lunch time! If not, nuke it a bit to warm and finish thawing.
I often do this since it's just me and DH and we aren't big pie eaters (except Pumpkin...) Smile.

Deanna

I made another pie on Tuesday (because I had made enough pie dough for two 2-crust pies) and brought it to work for our product development meeting. Two people were absent from the meeting, and so I have two pieces left over, and I'll probably refrigerate those this evening, if we don't eat them. Next time I'll consider freezing part of it.

BTW, Tuesday after work we went to BBB and I bought a rotary device that peels, cores, and slices the apples in one fell swoop. This saved immeasurable time from having to do all the apples by hand, as I am very slow at peeling and coring otherwise. So now I am ready to make another batch of pies! I might freeze one raw and freeze part of another one after baking. I really do want to make good use of the huge amount of apples we have, but I was not up to the task until I got this device. I enjoy making pie crust, but peeling and coring apples was another story.

Thanks for the advice! It's going to be nice to be able to have pie that can hang out in the fridge or freezer without getting moldy. I like to heat it up in the toaster oven before I serve - it tastes better warm to me than cold, but my co-workers eagerly ate it cold.

Lars

A side question, Lars, what is BBB? It's not Big Box Store. It's not Better Business Bureau. I probably know it, it is just eluding me at the moment...

I also have a device that peels, cores, and slices apples. Lovely device. It's even better when I can convince on of my college boys to do it for me. I've got bad hands and have had to resort to electric stuff that does what I used to do by hand.

Ah well. Life is still good!

Jean

BBB is Bed, Bath, & Beyond. I guess you could call it a big box store, although I tend to avoid most of those because they smell like cheap plastic. The link that I put in will take you to their site, which is why I did not spell it out.

The device that I got is probably not the best one available, but the only trick is to get the apple put on so that the end of the core lines up properly. I would be happy to have help in my kitchen also, and at least now I have room for it. My previous kitchen was way too cramped.

Lars