sprinklefingers

well, i did it.

i set out to create a preservable apple pie filling and i did it.

i would consider canned apple pie filling to be one of my craziest kitchen adventures yet. it was the kind of situation where every square inch of counter space was covered with either mixing bowls, dirty spoons, wet towels or

[we interrupt this message to say, ‘hey neighbor! whatever the hell you’re banging on with that hammer, would you mind cutting it out? i’m trying to write over here. YES. write here. right here.’]

back to the apple pie filling:

my kitchen was a pit. everything was dirty. and if it wasn’t dirty because i used it directly in the creation of the filling, it was dirty because i touched it with sticky, gooey hands.

on top of sticky and gooey, i had a water bath canner filled with boiling water - heating up the kitchen to what felt like summertime in a really hot place that isn’t portland, oregon because apparently we don’t have hot summers anymore.

furthermore, by the time i finally arrived upon a filling worth canning, it was after midnight. and i was t-i-r-e-d.

with water boiling and dishes stacked to the ceiling and the clock getting close to 1 am, this whole thing could have been a recipe for disaster -

instead it turned out to be a recipe for canned apple pie filling.

homemade apple pie filling
makes approximately 7 quarts

note: this recipe calls for an ingredient called clearjel. because i love you, i did all of the research possible on clearjel before tracking it down, experimenting with it and - finally - writing a recipe using it. clearjel is not cornstarch. it’s basically a modified starch made especially for canning fruits…it thickens, but it doesn’t get so thick so that bacteria can’t be killed in the canning process. you can read all about clearjel here.

you need:

• 9 lbs cooking apples (i recommend gravenstein), peeled, cored and cut into 6 slices each
• 5 cups apple cider
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 5 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups clearjel
• 1 T cinnamon (a stronger variety like saigon cinnamon works best)
• 2 vanilla beans, pods scraped
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 t freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice

make the filling:

1. working in batches, blanch sliced apples in boiling water for 30 seconds. take care to get the apples out of the boiling water quickly - you want to blanch them, not cook them.
2. combine sugar, cider, water, clearjel, cinnamon, scraped vanilla beans and pods, orange zest and nutmeg in a large nonreactive pot.
3. heat the sugar mixture over medium heat until it thickens and gets bubbly. you’ll want to stir often and watch the mixture carefully: there’s a lot of it and it could start to burn on the bottom without you even knowing it.
4. while you’re waiting for the mixture to get thick & bubbly, you’ll want to start water boiling in your water bath canner and get your sterilized jars ready. just remember to keep checking in on your sugar mixture!
5. once the sugar mixture has reached the thickened and bubbly stage, add the lemon juice and stir to incorporate.
6. after you’ve stirred in the lemon juice, boil for a full minute - remember to keep stirring!
7. after one minute, add the apples and mix well so that all of the apples are coated with the now sticky, thick filling. it may take a bit of effort given the viscosity of the stuff.
8. once the apples are incorporated, pack them as quickly as possible into your sterilized quart jars. leave about 1” of space at the top of the jar.
9. process in your water bath canner for 25 minutes. remember: don’t start your timer until after the water has come back to a full boil.
10. remove the jars from your canner and let sit for 24 hours.
11. check that your jars have sealed. those that have can go into the pantry. if you have any that didn’t, refrigerate until you’re ready to make a pie or crisp or crumble.
    
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now that you have this apple pie filling - what are you waiting for? make a pie!

• here’s a recipe for perfect pie dough (double the recipe if you’d like a double crust pie)
• not into double crust? give it a crumbly top with this crumbly top recipe
• bake at 375 for 45 or so minutes - keep an eye on the edges of your crust - until the juices bubble thickly and the topping is golden/brown.

you can also make a crumble!

• pour the filling into a baking dish (2 quart capacity works best)
• top with a batch of crumbly top
• for a double crust pie: bake at 400 for 45 minutes or so, covering edges with foil after 30 minutes if it needs it. the crust will be golden and the fruit will be thick & bubbly at the edges when it’s finished.
• for a crumb to pie: bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and crumble is golden/brown.