Jazz, Delicious and Others: The Apple of Your Eye – and Pie!

For some people, autumn is a time of beautiful Autumn colours, apples – and apple pie! They like nothing better than to plan a trip to the country with their apple baskets to pick their own. Grocery stores and farmer’s markets also feature the huge variety of apples that are available at this time of year.

The big question is which apples are best for apple pie?

It seems everyone will have a different answer. Some cooks like their apples to retain their shape after cooking (while apples that’s often are better used to make apple sauce).  Sweetness is always a consideration with many cooks reaching for sweet-tart and out-and-out sour apples such as green apples for their apple pies.

Remember that most pie recipes use sugar in the filling to help thicken the juices as the apples cook and also for flavouring, so it’s always a good idea to combine sweet and tart varieties.

Looking for a new recipe to try? Here’s a five-star delectable Classic Apple Pie recipe from Fine Cooking. Also, here’s a general guide to some of the delicious Autumn varieties of apples you’ll find. Talk to apple farmers for their recommendations and you can even do a few taste tests in the orchard!

Gala Apple: Brilliant rosy red apple firm and crisp.

Golden Delicious: These great baking apples are sweet and mellow.

Granny Smith: A highly recommended apple for pie because it is tart and sour.

Criterion Apple: Slightly tart, good for baking and hand eating.

Jazz: A nice blend of sweet and tart.

Pippin Apple: Crisp flesh, juicy, slightly tart.

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