Hey, it's Marcia! Andi asked me to post for her today (something about her internet not working and hey-gotta-run-to-a-Naartjie-sale situation). So straight from sunny New Jersey,...My husband, Kenton, is always trying to get more pie into his life. For a while he made a decree that the last Sunday of every month was to be pie night...drew up a charter and everything. He then instituted a new tradition of Thanksgiving Pie and Karaoke night, where the Friday after Turkey Day, everyone brings leftover pie and sings Air Supply til one in the morning (don't knock it til you've tried it.) So you can imagine his sheer delight when Andi called to inform me that 3/14 would be pie day! What more could a (tremendously handsome) statistical researcher want than a day dedicated to flakey-fruity goodness and a mathematical freak of nature! Baby, this PI's for you.
9” Apple Pie
For the crust:
There are several ways to cut the fat into the flour. Some people like to use the food processor. It’s ok, but I find it over cuts the dough. A pastry cutter is ok, too. But be sure not to turn the fat and flour into anything that resembles a paste. My favorite method, by far, is to start with a pastry cutter, just to get the big chunks out and then switch to two table knives. Pull them through the dough in a criss-cross motion, turning the bowl every minute or so.
2 C flour
½ C cold butter, cut into small squares
½ C cold Crisco, cut into small pieces
pinch of salt
1/3 C(plus more, if needed) Ice cold water
In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Toss in butter and Crisco. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut fat into flour until mixture resembles very course meal. It’s good to have a few small lumps of butter here and there. Drizzle the ice water over the dough, while tossing the dough with a fork. You may need to add a bit more water, depending on the day. Bring the dough together into a ball quickly…try not to handle it too much. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
For the Pie:
Preheat the oven to 415 degrees. Preheat a cookie sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. (this will make sure you don’t have a soggy bottom crust). A pyrex pie plate makes the best bottom crust, I find, but anything will do.
3 golden delicious apples
2 granny smith apples
2 firm, redskinned apples – macintosh, gala, pink lady
¾ C granulated sugar (sometimes I substitute in a few T brown sugar)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T flour
pinch of salt
2 T cold butter, cut into small cubes
Heavy cream, for brushing
Sugar, for dusting
Peel, core and slice apples into ½ inch slices (about 4 per apple quarter). Toss with sugar, flour, salt and cinnamon. Pile into bottom crust of 9” pie plate. Dot with butter. Wash edges with cream. Place top crust over apples, vent with slits or a hole in the middle. Seal, trim and crimp the edges. Brush the entire pie with heavy cream and dust liberally with sugar. Bake at 415 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until top crust is set and starts to brown. Turn oven down to 375 degrees and continue to cook for about 30-40 minutes, or until juice bubbles in the middle. If the pie browns too soon, lay a piece of tinfoil over the top. ok, so just call me if you need to.
For the crust:
There are several ways to cut the fat into the flour. Some people like to use the food processor. It’s ok, but I find it over cuts the dough. A pastry cutter is ok, too. But be sure not to turn the fat and flour into anything that resembles a paste. My favorite method, by far, is to start with a pastry cutter, just to get the big chunks out and then switch to two table knives. Pull them through the dough in a criss-cross motion, turning the bowl every minute or so.
2 C flour
½ C cold butter, cut into small squares
½ C cold Crisco, cut into small pieces
pinch of salt
1/3 C(plus more, if needed) Ice cold water
In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Toss in butter and Crisco. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut fat into flour until mixture resembles very course meal. It’s good to have a few small lumps of butter here and there. Drizzle the ice water over the dough, while tossing the dough with a fork. You may need to add a bit more water, depending on the day. Bring the dough together into a ball quickly…try not to handle it too much. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
For the Pie:
Preheat the oven to 415 degrees. Preheat a cookie sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. (this will make sure you don’t have a soggy bottom crust). A pyrex pie plate makes the best bottom crust, I find, but anything will do.
3 golden delicious apples
2 granny smith apples
2 firm, redskinned apples – macintosh, gala, pink lady
¾ C granulated sugar (sometimes I substitute in a few T brown sugar)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T flour
pinch of salt
2 T cold butter, cut into small cubes
Heavy cream, for brushing
Sugar, for dusting
Peel, core and slice apples into ½ inch slices (about 4 per apple quarter). Toss with sugar, flour, salt and cinnamon. Pile into bottom crust of 9” pie plate. Dot with butter. Wash edges with cream. Place top crust over apples, vent with slits or a hole in the middle. Seal, trim and crimp the edges. Brush the entire pie with heavy cream and dust liberally with sugar. Bake at 415 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until top crust is set and starts to brown. Turn oven down to 375 degrees and continue to cook for about 30-40 minutes, or until juice bubbles in the middle. If the pie browns too soon, lay a piece of tinfoil over the top. ok, so just call me if you need to.
4 comments:
I think "what america needs is more Pi/pie." should be the slogan of a future president.
BTW Marcia, VERY nice work!! (Don't go and get yourself a blog of your own on me. I need a food editor!)
Marcia, it's good to hear from you. I think about you all the time. Hope we see you this summer
Judy
You all really need to join the Pie of the Month club. (www.pieofthemonth.org) Every month you get a cool, crazy pie post card of new recipes and get to write pie reviews, etc. I am not sure if the t-shirts are still available, but they are our favorite t shirts every.
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