Pie and Pastry Bible (28 page)

MAKE THE TOPPING

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse together the sugars, nuts, salt, and cinnamon until the nuts are coarsely chopped. Add the flour, butter, and vanilla and pulse until the mixture is coarse and crumbly, about 20 times. Empty it into a small bowl and with your fingertips, lightly pinch together the mixture to form little clumps. (Or, in a medium bowl, whisk all the topping ingredients except for the butter, using your fingers to get rid of any lumps in the sugar if necessary. Add the butter and cut it in, using a pastry cutter or two knives, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Lightly pinch the together to form little clumps.)

Transfer the apples and their juices to a colander suspended over a bowl to capture the liquid. The mixture will exude about ¼ cup of liquid.

In a small saucepan (preferably lined with a nonstick surface), reduce this liquid, over medium-high heat, with the butter, to 2 tablespoons. (Or spray a 4-cup heatproof measure with nonstick vegetable spray, add the liquid and butter, and reduce it in the microwave, about 4 minutes on high.) Pour the hot liquid over the apples, tossing them gently.

Transfer the apples to the baking dish. Pour in all the remaining juice. Cover the dish with foil and make a 1-inch slash in the middle. Bake the apples for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and sprinkle the surface evenly with the topping. Continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes or until the topping is crisp and golden brown, the fruit juices are bubbling thickly around the edges, and the apples feel tender but not mushy when a cake tester or small sharp knife is inserted. Cool on a rack.

Serve the crumb pie warm or at room temperature.

STORE

Room temperature, up to 2 days; refrigerated, up to 3 days.

NOTE

If a deeper filling is desired, you can increase the filling by 1½ times and the initial baking time to 40 minutes. Set a greased foil-lined baking sheet under the pie to catch bubbling juices.

ROSY APPLE CRANBERRY PIE

T
his pie is a thing of beauty. During baking, the apples become rose-tinted by the cranberries. Golden raisins add more color and a welcome sweetness against the tart apple and cranberry. Though the fruit sinks below the top crust, the cranberries leave their charming round impressions in it as an intriguing clue to the berries beneath.

OVEN TEMPERATURE: 425°F. • BAKING TIME: 50 TO 60 MINUTES SERVES: 8
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
*If the apples are very tart, add up to 3 tablespoons more sugar.
Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust for a 2-crust 9-inch pie (page 30)		22 ounces	624 grams
1 pounds baking apples (See page 635; about 4 medium), peeled, cored, and sliced ¼ inch thick	6 cups (sliced)	1½ pounds 680 grams (sliced)
freshly squeezed lemon juice	1 tablespoon	0.5 ounce	16 grams
granulated sugar	34 cup*	5.3 ounces	150 grams
light brown sugar	¼ cup, packed	2 ounces	54 grams
ground cinnamon	1 teaspoon	•	•
salt	teaspoon	•	•
unsalted butter	4 teaspoons	0.66 ounce	18 grams
cornstarch	2¼ tablespoons	approx. 0.75 ounce	24 grams
fresh (or frozen) cranberries, rinsed, picked over, and dried	2 cups	7 ounces	200 grams
optional: golden raisins or 2 extra tablespoons granulated sugar	½ cup	2.5 ounces	72 grams

EQUIPMENT

A 9-inch pie pan

Make the dough (page 30).

Remove the dough for the bottom crust from the refrigerator. If necessary, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes or until it is soft enough to roll.

On a floured pastry cloth or between two sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap, roll out the bottom crust
inch thick or less and 12 inches in diameter. Transfer it to the pie pan. Trim the edge almost even with the edge of pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 3 hours.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, sugars, cinnamon, and salt and toss to mix. Allow the apples to macerate for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 3 hours at room temperature.

Transfer the apple mixture to a colander suspended over a bowl to capture the liquid. The mixture will exude at least 6 tablespoons of liquid.

In a small saucepan (preferably lined with a nonstick surface), over medium-high heat, boil down this liquid, with the butter, to ¼ cup, or until syrupy and lightly caramelized. Swirl the liquid but do not stir it. (Or spray a 4-cup heatproof measure with nonstick vegetable spray, add the liquid and butter, and boil it in the microwave, about 8 minutes on high.) Meanwhile, transfer the apples to a bowl and toss them with the cornstarch until all traces of it have disappeared.

Pour the hot syrup over the apples, tossing gently. (Do not be concerned if the liquid hardens on contact with the apples; it will dissolve during baking.) Add the cranberries and optional raisins and toss gently to mix them.

Roll out the top crust large enough to cut a 12-inch circle. Use an expandable flan ring or a cardboard template and a sharp knife as a guide to cut the circle.

Transfer the apple mixture to the pie shell. Moisten the border of the bottom crust by brushing it lightly with water and place the top crust over the fruit. Tuck the overhang under the bottom crust border and press down all around the top to seal it. Crimp the border using a fork or your fingers (see page 13). Cover the pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour before baking to chill and relax the pastry. This will maintain flakiness and help to prevent distortion.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. at least 20 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating. (Place a large piece of greased foil on top to catch any juices.)

Use a small cutter, the bottom of a pastry tube, or a knife to cut a small hole (about 1 inch) in the middle of the top crust. Lift out the cut round of pastry and discard it. Set the pie directly on the foil-topped baking stone and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the juices are bubbling out through the hole and the apples feel tender but not mushy when a cake tester or small sharp knife is inserted through the center opening into the apples. After 30 minutes, protect the edges from overbrowning with a foil ring (see page 19).

Cool the pie on a rack for at least 4 hours before cutting.

STORE

Room temperature, up to 2 days.

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

See Best All-American Apple Pie, page 81.

UNDERSTANDING

Each cup of apples requires 1 tablespoon of sugar. Two cups of cranberries need ¾ cup of sugar. The raisins add a little extra sweetness. They are added after the sugar syrup, as it would tend to cause them to stick together if added with the apples.

CHERRY LATTICE PIE

W
hen I think of Michigan, my immediate association is cherry pie, because Michigan is the nation’s sour cherry capital. Cherry pie is America’s favorite pie. It is also my father’s and my husband’s favorite pie. Fortunately for both of them, it is also my favorite pie, although my father has always maintained that no one has ever made one as good as his mother’s.

There is something about sour cherries. Their tart flavor is as pure and joyful as the piercingly clear song of a cardinal. Classic cherry pie is made only with bright red sour cherries. For the truest flavor and texture, use fresh or frozen cherries. You can freeze your own and they will be every bit as good as the fresh, or you can purchase them (see page 639).

Never a cherry season goes by, no matter how busy I am, without my baking at least one cherry pie. And over the past twenty years, every time I made my father a cherry pie, my husband would have a ritual of asking him, “Well? Is it as good as your mother’s?” The answer was always the same: a polite pause, and then the unflinchingly honest answer, “Not quite. I don’t know
what
it was that made hers so special.” It wasn’t until after my mother died two years ago that Dad answered the question differently. To my utter astonishment, he said simply, “It’s better.” With these words, I knew I had finally come into my own.

Classic cherry pie is baked with a lattice crust. When cherries are not in season, or when you want a very quick and easy cherry pie filling with an incredibly pure and intense flavor, try the Fruit Perfect™ Cherry Pie variation on page 95.

It’s also fun to make a designer version using leaf-shaped pie crust cutouts (see page 129).