I’m with you; I’ll pass on the cornstarch… the pie looks gorgeous.

That crust is done to perfection. Please email me a slice. Thank You.

Yeah, I’m allergic to corn, and therefore corn starch, but I never liked the strange texture that it adds to pie fillings. I sometimes add a softer apple or a pear to my filling to bind everything together while it cooks. And I learned just the other day on a cooking show that you can pre-cook your apple filling a little as long as it doesn’t get too hot (the heat will reduce the efficiency of the pectin). I can’t remember how hot “too hot” is though.

This looks great Ivonne. I’m so intimidated by baking, especially pie dough. Have never used modified cornstarch. Did you post your Mom’s apple pie????

Ivonne,
Great job on the pie! I agree with you - thick gluey fillings remind of those awful mass-produced pies you see in stores. Why hide the yummy taste of good fruit? Glad you’re enjoying school!

The pie looks beautiful! As for the modified cornstarch … well, it is the first of many evils you will encounter in that class (wait till you’re given “clear” vanilla extract!!) Just stick to the filling as you’ve always made it, as your apple pies are already a thing of beauty!

Hi Ivonne,

I’ve never used modified cornstarch either. I have used arrowroot though to hold together rice & lentil patties, which is supposed to be similar to cornstarch, but better.

Thanks for sharing your cooking class!

A beau-tee-ful apple pie…now where’s the vanilla ice cream?

Interesting note on the cornstarch as I have used either that or flour at the bakery. IMO, the flour does leave a bit of “flour-y” taste. Another thickening agent that I’ve used is finely ground tapioca granules. It’s used in puddings and fruit fillings quite a bit, I just run it through a spice blender to get it into a finer grain.

BTW, I still keep thinking about the Canadian geese at your friend’s home.

that looks delicious. you can come practice at my house.

For peeling potatoes, apples or other vegetables I always use my peeler and never a paring knife. It does take off less flesh, the handling is easier and it’s faster…

Like you I always use flour for the filling and never tasted it. If I decide to use cornstarch, it is to have a gooey consistency close to the one found in commercial pies…

Apple-wise, I love to use boskoop apples even if they have a tendency to “melt”, but I love their sharp taste! That’s the kind of old countryside apples my family used…

And I must say that, like you, I find it difficult to switch to other pie versions than the ones I’ve grown with as they’ll always be my favorite!

Anyway, your pie looks delicious and very professional!

Thanks for entertaining me with your interesting reports!…

Stunning pastry.
I am with you on the Ma’s pie debate Ivonne.. my mother adds a little flour as well and no complaints here. Soo much better than anything reminiscient of out of a tin. I have tried the fine ground tapioca (in blueberry pie in particular) and it works too.
Can’t wait to see the next assignment.
Best.
Mary

This curse sounds like so much fun already, Ivonne, that I’m tempted to enrol in one too. That pie looks really good…mmmmm, apple pie.

I’m with ya on the ick of modified cornstarch. I hate those gloopy commercially made pies. Your crust looks beauteous =)

Hey Ivonne, thanks for dropping by Greedy Goose. I’m really glad I’ve found your blog too. It’s fab!

I apparently would not do very well in baking school–I don’t peel my apples and I make my pie crust in a food processor! I have to say, though, cornstarch never goes into my filling. Oh well, it’s fun to travel to class along with you, Ivonne.

Your pie looks heavenly!

Oh no, modified cornstarch is icky indeed. Gorgeous picture! What kind of shortening did you use? I’ve been experimenting with non-trans-fat kinds with mixed results.

Wow, beautiful pie, Ivonne!

I always use cornstarch in fruit pies. It keeps the “sauce” or juices clear, and I find is a better thickener than flour. It has a more neutral flavour, too. As for flour, as long as you don’t use too much of it and your pie cooks for long enough at a high enough temperature, the starchiness of the flour should cook out and you won’t get a gluey kind of texture of flavour. I’ve heard of using arrowroot but haven’t experimented with it myself. I used tapioca flour once for a blueberry filling and it thickens well and freezes better, but it breaks down if boiled and therefore isn’t ideal in pies. I didn’t know this at the time and couldn’t figure out why my filling was kinda stringy looking.

Food for thought…

Congrats on a beautiful pie. I have never made pie and rarely have made pastry…it truely is an art. My mum once made a pie and she peeled the apples..and I guess forgot to add flour ( or, cornstarch..too gummy!) and when she cut it at the table…it ran all over the place! I don’t think she made apple pie ever again. My sister and stepmother both make great pies…so I am never without.

I’m a “commercial baker” and I’ve never seen modified corn starch in a kitchen. Perhaps at Safeway, or those horrible bakeries where the peanutbutter cookies taste like Crisco? However,your pie looks beautiful!

p.s. our kumquat (and coconut cupcake) mind-meld is pretty weird!

How lucky you are to go to school that way ! Sounds like so much fun ! And thanks for all the precious tips… Your pie looks beautiful !

Loved your post, really interesting. Great looking pie, I love apple pie, so yummy.
Oh, by the way, bought a pasta machine today so very soon I’ll make fresh pasta.

How very interesting. I’m enjoying this school experience with you. Your pie looks delicious (despite the taste from the cornstarch you’ve described).

Keep using that peeler!

Best,
Paz

My mom uses potato starch in her pies to control excess liquid - but then she also uses very juicy fruit: blueberries, lingonberries, and homemade applesauce.

But shortening - now that’s evil. Please do yourself a favor and do not learn to bake with it… your heart and arteries will say thank you.

Hi everyone,

Thank you for all the wonderful comments and encouragement!

Inspite of a few quirks here and there, I’m really enjoying my course and looking forward to completing it so that I can continue with the baking certificate.

As for the modifed cornstarch … it’s just not my cup of tea!

Please come back for future installments of Cream Puff Goes to School.

Ciao!

How I would love to go to school in this way! I’m afraid there is no such thing around here in Holland. It is either professional or workshop-like (meet the bachelor party and teambuilding party….) Yesterday night I was talking to a friend and decided I was going to try and find a training of some sort. And this morning I read your post!

Great discussion. My mom always used tapioca and so have I and now my son. Yes, I really like McGee also.

I’m so glad you are writing about your classes, this is so intersting!

~Dianka
http://na-zdravi.blogspot.com/

Nice apple pie. Did you cook the apples beforehand, or just bake them and if not, did you find that the Spartan apples shrink a lot during baking? I remember in my class that we cooked the apples beforehand which minimized the shrinking. I thought they would be mushy, which is why I don’t like apple pies, but they weren’t.

Anyway, looking forward to your next class post.

Hi Baking Soda,

If you look around I bet you could find a lot of cooking/baking courses. Check the local schools in your area and also find out where the nearest culinary school is to you. They often have courses for people who are interested in learning more about cooking/baking.

Hi Tanna,

Thanks! I’ve never used tapioca but several people have recommended it to me so I’ll have to give it a try.

Hi Dianka,

Thanks so much and thanks for stopping by!

Hi Mochene,

No we put the apples in raw and they didn’t shrink at all. I think the key was not to overcook the pie.

Thanks so much for stopping by and introducing yourself. I will definitely be checking out your blog!

Ok, I am way behind-the-times is reading your blog, and I missed cooking class #2.
I only use cornstarch (and I think I just use “corn starch” not “modified” but now I’ll have to go home and read the box) in cherry pie, as they alwasy come out too runny, and flour just does not seem to have enough power to “solidify” cherries for me.
But I totally agree with you that that gel consistency that would have been produced in the apple pie would have had me making an ugly face (mmm, apple gel, I don’t think so).