Ingredients
- 2 pastry rounds, unbaked
- 1 kg tart apples, peeled and sliced
- 120 ml Québec maple syrup
- 15 ml lemon juice
- 15 g cornstarch
- 5 g ground cinnamon
- 1 g ground nutmeg
- 2 g salt
- 15 g unsalted butter
Method
- Heat the oven to 190 °C and fit one pastry round into a 23 cm pie plate.
- Toss apples with maple syrup, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Fill the crust, dot with butter and cover with the second pastry round; cut vents.
- Bake 20 minutes, then reduce to 175 °C and bake 35–40 minutes more.
- Cool at least 30 minutes so the maple-apple filling sets.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 150 g granulated sugar
Conversion used: Replace 150 g sugar with 120 ml maple syrup; reduce the original apple juice or other liquid by about 60 ml and retain cornstarch for the looser syrup; bake 15 °C below the usual 205 °C.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple brings a warm forest sweetness that pairs naturally with tart apples and spice. It turns a familiar pie into a distinctly regional Canadian variation without changing its structure.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →