Bon Appetit Desserts (60 page)
Read Bon Appetit Desserts Online
Authors: Barbara Fairchild
Tart and sweet apples combine in this all-American pie. See Crust 101 (page 212) for tips on preparing, rolling, and crimping the crust.
8 servings
2½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ cup chilled solid non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons (or more) ice water
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1¾ pounds sweet apples, such as Spartan or Golden Delicious, peeled, cored, thinly sliced (about 5 ½ cups)
1¾ pounds tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Pippin, peeled, cored, thinly sliced (about 5 ½ cups)
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon plus large pinch of ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
1 tablespoon whole milk
CRUST:
Whisk flour and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and shortening and rub in with fingertips until very coarse meal forms. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons ice water over; toss until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if mixture is dry. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill at least 1 hour.
DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften slightly at room temperature before using.
FILLING:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter deep-dish glass pie dish with nonstick spray. Stir all apples, ¾ cup sugar, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Let stand until juices form, tossing occasionally, about 15 minutes. Mix in flour.
Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Place dough in prepared pie dish. Spoon in filling; dot with butter. Roll out second dough disk to 13-inch round. Using small bottle cap, cut out ten ½-inch-diameter circles from dough for decoration; discard circles. Drape dough over filling. Seal top and bottom crust edges together; trim to ½-inch overhang. Fold overhang under; crimp decoratively. Brush pie with milk. Stir remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and large pinch of cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle over pie.
Technique Tip:
Easy on the Dough
There are two ways to transfer rolled-out pie crust dough from the work surface to the pie dish (see below): Roll the dough gently onto the rolling pin, then unroll it in the dish [1]; or fold the dough carefully into quarters, and unfold it in the pie dish [2].
Transfer pie to baking sheet; place in oven. Immediately reduce temperature to 375°F. Bake pie until crust is golden brown, apples are tender, and filling is bubbling thickly, covering edge with foil if browning too quickly, about 2 hours. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely; store at room temperature.
Apple and Blackberry PieTart green apples and blackberries are a delicious combination. The crust has a texture more like that of a biscuit than a typical pie crust.
8 servings
2 cups self-rising flour
9 tablespoons sugar
¾ cup (1½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1 tablespoon (or more) ice water
2 pounds tart green apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, quartered, cored, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
1½ cups frozen blackberries, unthawed
⅓ cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
Milk
Sweetened whipped cream
CRUST:
Combine flour and sugar in medium bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in beaten egg. Mix in 1 tablespoon ice water, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls as needed until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap separately in plastic and chill at least 30 minutes.
DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.
FILLING:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix apples, blackberries, ⅓ cup sugar, and flour in large bowl.
Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish.
Spoon filling into crust. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round; place atop filling. Fold top crust edge under bottom edge and pinch to seal. Crimp edges decoratively. Brush crust with milk. Sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar. Cut several slits in top crust to allow steam to escape.
Bake pie until crust is golden brown and fruit is tender, covering crust edges with foil collar if browning too quickly, about 55 minutes. Cool pie on rack 30 minutes. Serve warm with sweetened whipped cream.
Equipment Check
What you need to make perfect pies and tarts.
PIE DISHES:
In the
Bon Appétit
test kitchen, we use glass pie dishes. Ceramic pie dishes (such as from Emile Henry) also work well. Most recipes call for a 9- or 10-inch-diameter pan that’s about 1½ inches deep. If you like to make deep-dish pies, also consider buying a deep-dish pie dish, which is usually about 2 inches deep.
ROLLING PIN:
You’ll need one to roll out pastry crust, but the style you use is up to you. Some cooks believe that the tapered wooden French-style rolling pin (with no handles) gives you a better feel for the dough. Others prefer a heavy marble rolling pin because it keeps cool, which is helpful when you’re working with a sticky dough. Still others swear by a straight rolling pin with a nonstick silicone-lined barrel or a classic wooden pin with handles.
TART PANS:
Tart pans are usually made of metal with fluted sides and a removable bottom. The most common shapes are round, square, and rectangular. Most of the recipes in this book call for 9-, 10-, or 11-inch-diameter tart pans. If you like making tartlets, buy a collection of 4 ½-inch mini pans.
ROLLING MATS:
You can buy silicone mats, made just for rolling out dough. The nonstick surface makes the dough easy to roll and has circles (9-inch, 10-inch, 13-inch) drawn right on the mat, which help you create perfectly round, perfectly sized crusts. These mats are also handy for rolling out dough for pizza, scones, and biscuits.
Technique Tip:
Keep It Clean
Place fruit pies on a baking sheet lined with foil or a Silpat baking mat before putting them in the oven. This will help avoid a sticky, baked-on mess on the bottom of your oven should the fruit filling bubble up and over.
Cinnamon-Apple Pie with Raisins and Crumb ToppingRaisins and brown sugar enhance the apples in this homey pie. Because they’re firm and tart, Pippin apples would make an excellent alternative to the Granny Smiths in the filling. Don’t skip the teaspoon of vinegar in the pie dough—it helps to make the crust tender.
8 servings
1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
¼ cup (or more) ice water
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2¾ pounds Granny Smith apples (about 6 medium), peeled, halved, cored, cut into ⅛-inch-thick slices (about 8 cups)
1 cup raisins
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
Lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
CRUST:
Blend flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix ¼ cup ice water and vinegar in small bowl; add to processor. Using on/off turns, blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if mixture is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour.