Aunt Janet's Apple Pie #52

Growing up, the only way to get any sugar in my body was to sneak the Tang bottle out to the back yard and pour the powder right into my mouth (which I did) or pray that a bite of the previous Sunday’s dessert, always provided by Aunt Janet, was still covered in tinfoil on the counter.

We never had sugar cereals or candy in our house (which, judging the way Tang disappeared around our house, was probably a good choice on my mom's behalf); however, the array of desserts prepared by Aunt Janet for our weekly Sunday dinners provided enough of an education for me to learn that anything baked was superior and set me up for a life-long quest of trying to bake as well as she did. Especially since it made so many people happy.

Among my favorite treats that Aunt Janet made, were her pies; and until a few years ago, Aunt Janet was the only person that I knew that made pies. It’s been at least 20 years since I last made a pie with her, but I’ve never forgotten the amount of care and precision that she gives to each pie. In fact while we cooked, she told me how her mother would call her “Fussy Janet” and remind her that the more she worked over her piecrust the less desirable it would be. Though, through all of her fussing, she has perfected her technique and each pie is a true labor of love. She plans, prepares, and exactly measures every step she takes and humbly takes no credit for the wonderful outcome. If it really is possible for cooks to transfer emotions into their creations, then there may be no better way to feel Aunt Janet's love than to taste one of her pies.

This recipe has been passed down for generations. From Alta Taylor; to my Grandmother, Myrtle Calder; and luckily landed in the talented hands of my Aunt Janet. Within my lifetime alone, I estimate that she’s made this pie around 120 times (two at each Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner) though I know that is a pretty modest estimate since it says nothing about the many other occasions where it’s graced our table or the fact that she was making this long before I came around.

Aunt Janet says that the secrets to this pie are the Golden Delicious apples from Allred Orchard and, most importantly, the lard crust. Although our apples were not from Allred Orchard this time, I think that she is right about the lard crust. Stacked up against a butter crust that we had from another pie, I have to admit that I was very impressed with how good the lard crust tasted. This is a fairly salty crust, but the sweet interior makes a perfect combination.

Another secret that we learned together, this week while we baked, is that using baker's sugar (which is sugar that has very small granules, but not as small as powdered sugar) made a difference in the overall sweetness and texture of the pie. Also, this pie is better if you sprinkle flour over the bottom crust before you add the apples.

Thanks to Aunt Janet's precision, this pie is nearly perfect. And thanks to her generosity and sweetness, I was able to make such a wonderful pie as my last one this year.

Aunt Janet's Apple Pie

Crust

1 generous cup lard cut into cubes

1/2 cup boiling water

Pour boiling water over lard and whip up together until lard is melted. Chill in the fridge until lard has hardened (about 30 minutes) stiring occassionally to check the progress.

3 cups sifted flour (go lightly on the flour; cups should be slightly rounded but not heaping)

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons sugar

After flour has been sifted several times, sift the salt and the sugar with the flour a few times to mix completely.

Once lard has chilled,  mix flour mixture into lard until just combined. Roll into two balls. Cover each ball in waxed paper and tin foil and store in refrigerator overnight or until ready to use.

(Makes one 2-crust pie or 100 tarts)

Filling

5 to 7 tart apples (Golden Delicious)

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons enriched flour

Dash salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

DIRECTIONS:

Pare apples and slice thin, Mix sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and add to apples. If apples aren't tart, add 1 teaspoon lemon juice--or grated lemon peel, if desired. 

Fill 9-inch pastry lined pie pan. Dot apples with butter. Cover apples with the top crust. Bake in hot oven (400 degrees) 40 to 45 minutes.

Deep-Dish Winter Fruit Pie with Walnut Crumb #50

Okay, so I think this pie has a lot of potential, but it’s not perfect just yet. There was too much fruit for the filling. Most pies call for one cup of sugar, but because of the sugary topping, I thought that maybe the half cup would be sufficient; however, I would say that it wasn’t sweet enough. Also, there was A LOT of filling. I would use only two pears and two apples (or maybe three each, but definitely not four).

That’s no small thing since that basically has everything to do with the filling, but the mixture of pears, apples, cranberries, and figs were great. I love figs and I liked the texture and taste that they added. Also, the pie was a bit runny, but again, all of that might be solved by just using less pears and apples, but use these adjustments, I really think it will be a winner.

Deep-Dish Winter Fruit Pie with Walnut Crumb

(Adapted from: Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumbles, Buckels, Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More)

Pie Pastry

1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

12 tablespoons (6 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 tablespoons ice water

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Walnut Crumb Topping

3/4 cup (3 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed (5 3/4 ounces) brown sugar

3/4 cup (3 ounces) raw walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

Fruit Filling

1 cup (5 1/2 ounces) dried figs

4 small apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/2 inch thick (12 ounces prepped)

4 pears, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/2 inch thick (1 1/4 pounds prepped)

1 cup (4 ounces) cranberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

To make the pie pastry, put the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl, stir to combine, then put the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Add the butter to the flour mixture and toss to evenly coat. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, a food processor, an electric mixer, or your hands, just until the mixture becomes coarse and crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Stir the water and lemon juice together, then pour over the dry ingredients and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured work surface and press it into a 6-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll the chilled dough into a 14-inch disk, then line a 9 or 10 by 3-inch springform pan with the rolled-out dough. Patch any holes and trim off any dough that hangs over the edges of the pan. Chill for an additional 30 minutes while you prepare the crumb topping and the fruit filling.

To make the walnut crumb topping, mix the flour, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the butter, then work it in with your hands until the texture of crumbs. Put the topping in the refrigerator while you make the fruit filling.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.

To make the fruit filling, remove the stem from each fig, then boil the figs in 1 cup of water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Slice each fig into 4 to 5 pieces, put them in a large bowl, and add the apples, pears, and cranberries. Separately, rub the sugar and cornstarch together, then add to the fruit and gently toss until evenly coated.

Transfer the filling to the pie shell and top with the walnut crumb. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the crumb is golden, the fruit juices are bubbling thickly around the edges, and the fruit is tender when pierced with a wooden skewer. If the crumb is getting too dark, cover it with foil.

Storage: Covered with a tea towel, the pie will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. Spooned into a bowl and drizzled with chilled cream, it makes a wonderful breakfast.

Caramel Apple Pie #41

So, I realize that this one sounds like a very similar concept to the candy apple pie, which I previously made.

They both involve: apples, caramel, a lot of sugar, and they were both pie contest winners.

So there. I just had to put that out there. I know. You know. We all know--and now I just sound defensive...

Any way, here's what was good about this pie: first of all, the filling was good. I'm beginning to believe that precooking your apples a bit before putting them in the crust might just be the right thing to do and is also the only way to combat having a big crust dome (I've been skeptical of this practice and I hope that in the future I can confirm what's best through some experiments). Also, it was like a one-stop-shopping experience, in that you just make caramel with your apples. Now, how's that for a smart, yet deliciously simple trick?

Here's what was mediocre about this pie: the struesel topping. The real reason I made this pie was because of the struesel topping. I was curious about how a crust on top of a struesel would turn out. I dreamed of the best of both worlds combining atop caramely apples and it was...well...meh.

Ryan was with me when I searched for the "toffee bars" that it "calls" for and we had a long debate in front of a not-so-thrilled clerk about what was the best thing to use. Finally we agreed to both be satisfied with scraping the chocolate off a Skor bar and using the toffee innards.

I'm not going to try and convince you that we made the best choice, because despite what I hoped for, the toffee bits just melted into the rest of the pie and there wasn't any toffee crunch or uniqueness to this whole streusel thing. Also, while I grew up loving Skor bars, I now realize that they are not quit the high-quality candy bar I remember sneaking out of my Dad's bulk-sized stash in the garage.

All I'm saying is, I would imagine that homemade toffee (or at least some high-quality toffee) would make a positive difference here. And while we had a hard time finding it in Harlem on a Saturday night, if you do have some positive success or have any good ideas, please let me know.

Here's what was not appealing about the pie: The crust. First of all, it was the most difficult crust that I've ever worked with. It crumbled, it ripped, it was hard to roll out. The crust was too thick and you know what? It was one of the first times I really didn't enjoy rolling one out.  So, if you are making notes about this pie, your second one should be: just use a completely different crust for this recipe.

However, I wouldn't throw this recipe out completely. I think that it has some great potential--most importantly the filling was awesome. But if you're not looking to experiment, I recommend you use the previously mentioned candy apple pie recipe--even though, like I said, they are different!

Caramel Apple Pie
(Winner of the Food Network Pie bake-off 2003)

Pie Crust:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled

4 tablespoons shortening

1/3 cup ice water

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 egg, beaten

Filling:

6 cups apples

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons heavy cream

4 tablespoons butter

Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon butter

2 toffee bars or 3 ounces chocolate covered peanut or pecan brittle, crushed

DIRECTIONS:

Pie Crust:

Chill all ingredients, including the flour and vinegar. Combine the flour, salt and sugar. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles cornmeal. In another bowl, mix water and vinegar with the beaten egg. Add the liquid mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the flour mixture, tossing with a fork to form a soft dough.

Filling:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Peel and slice apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and add apples. Toss to mix. Add vanilla and cream. Melt butter in heavy skillet. Add apple mixture and cook approximately 8 minutes, to soften apples. Turn into pie shell.

Streusel Topping:

Combine the flour and sugar. Mix in butter with fork until coarse crumbs. stir in the crushed toffee bars. Sprinkle over pie. Add top crust. Seal, flute edge and vent top. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake 45 minutes longer

Candy Apple Pie #40

 I was getting a toothache while I was making this pie. Every step felt like another cup of brown sugar and I was worried that it was going to taste like a spoonful of sugar.

However, after tasting it I started wondering why I was so worried about that. It definitely was one of the most sugary pies that I've made, but the apples, graham-cracker crust, and whipped cream were enhanced by the added caramel. I'm not sure it could have taken any more sugar, but I while eating it, I definitely didn't want any less sugar. This is definitely one of those pies that you can count on being a crowd pleaser no matter the crowd.

I don't know how I came across this pie exactly. There are several people who have posted about this recipe but ultimately it was because of what was written on the Doughmesstic's blog that made me want to make it. She told about last year's rigged Martha Stewart pie contest--one that I also attended. It's maybe only funny to read if you were there or if you're interested in reading about what it's like to go to the Martha Stewart show.

In any case, whether it was rigged or not, there was no competition between the pies that I took and this pie (though this wasn't even a finalist). So, I'm over being upset about the contest being rigged--mine were not this tasty, that's for sure.

Also, I must say that this is a pie that Ryan hasn't actually tasted (yet). My boss gave me a bunch of apples so I brought this pie in and shared it with my boss and the rest of the office. I set it out on the break room table and it within 1/2 hour the pie pan had been licked clean and there were people monitoring others slices so they could hopefully get a bigger pie of the pie. So, needless to say, I'll have to make a special one just for him.

One other note, I made the graham crackers and the caramel sauce  from scratch rather than buying them at the store. Several people have commented over the past year about how that seems crazy of me to make these cheap, store-bought ingredients, however, I would like to once again bear my testimony about how much better the finished product tastes with just a little bit more preparedness and a lot less HFCS. I mention it here because I think that is especially true for this pie since it is so simple.

The caramel recipe is below (by the way there is a lot of extra but it is super easy and perfect for other things like ice cream or dipping apples--so don't let it go to waste) and, I will link you back to my blog post that has a graham cracker recipe (the same one I used here).

So...I really don't think that there's more to say on this one. It's delicious and even if it was a big spoonful of sugar, it seemed to make the medicine of work go down a lot smoother.

Candy Apple Pie

(Adapted from MiMi Hodge, winner of Good Morning America’s “Pie of Emeril’s Eye” Contest, 2000)

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs*

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping**

1 cup chopped pecans

Apple Filling:

5 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, sliced very thin)

5 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream Cheese Topping:

8 ounces cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar

Topping:

3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping

1/4 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

For the Crust: In a medium bowl, combine the crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Mix well and press into a 10-inch pie plate and up the sides. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until golden in color. Remove pie shell from oven and cool completely. Pour caramel into pie shell and sprinkle with 1 cup of chopped pecans. Refrigerate pie shell while making apple filling.

For the Apple Filling: In a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Stir with a wooden spoon. Add apples and stir. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes until apples are softened and tender. Let cool for 10 minutes and pour into pie shell. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F.

For the Cream Cheese Topping: In a medium bowl, using a hand-held mixer on low speed, combine cream cheese and sugar for about 1 minute until smooth. Add egg, lemon juice and vanilla and beat for 1 minute or until fully blended. Pour over apple filling in pie shell. Bake for 30 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean. Remove pie from oven and let cool. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Let stand outside the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Top with whipped cream, caramel and pecans, and swirl with a knife. Slice and serve.

*Follow this link for a graham cracker recipe

**Caramel Ice Cream Topping:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 tsp salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat melt butter. 

Add brown sugar and whisk until combined and thickened (about 2 minutes)

Whisk in whipped cream and continue to whisk until it is fully combined and thickened (about 2 more minutes). Add salt and vanilla and whisk for 1 more minute.

The sauce is now ready to be used in the pie but you may want to allow it to cool for handling purposes. Note: the sauce will thicken in the fridge.

Cranberry-Apple Crumble Pie #39

I don't want to be hasty and say that this is the end-all for apple pies (especially since it's only the second one in this little series of apple pie recipes), but it's definitely the best one on this blog to date. 

How good is it? Well, let me say this, the crust is spectacular. The apple variety was perfect (and so much better than the last one). And despite my skepticism, the crumble was an excellent topping (especially since apples tend to cook WAY down during the baking process, so it was nice to have the crumbles right on top of the apples and not some domed crust hovering above). Also I feel like the crumbles may have soaked up a bit of the extra juices too, which was an added bonus.

So the texture, taste, and equal-top-crust-to-apple-ratio all scored big with me and with those who ate it. Our friends, who have probably tasted more of my pies than anyone else, said that it might be their favorite pie this year.

And with that type of recommendation, what else needs to be said?

Here, look again:

Those of you who are already thinking about Thanksgiving, take note about this pie: the cranberry, apple, pecan combination would make a great dessert. 

And for those of you who are just thinking about pie, make a note that you should put this one in your pie queue for any fall occasion--even if that occasion is as unglamorous as having a slice of pie for breakfast (which, by the way, I'm not against).

One other note I have about this pie is that I didn't think it aged well. I thought it was best on the day it was made it (we ate ours about 12 hours after it was made), but on day number two the crumbles were a little soggy and I didn't enjoy it AS much--though I still licked my plate. But since I always lick my plate, that might not be as solid of a recommendation as the one before. 

Even still, it was a great pie and I hope you get to find that out for yourself.

Cranberry-Apple Crumble Pie

(Adapted from epicurious.com)

For pastry dough:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening (trans-fat-free)

Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

For crumble topping:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

For fruit filling:

2 pounds Gala apples (about 5), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

8 ounces fresh or frozen (not thawed) cranberries

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Equipment: a 9 1/2-inch glass deep-dish pie plate (6-cup capacity)

DIRECTIONS:

Make pastry: Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle 3 tablespoon ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.

Squeeze a small handful: If dough doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring until incorporated. Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all dough together (using a pastry scraper if you have one) and form into a 5-inch disk. If dough is sticky, dust lightly with additional flour. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Make crumble topping: Stir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips until large clumps form, then stir in pecans. Chill until ready to use.

Make fruit filling: Stir together apples, cranberries, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl.

Assemble pie: Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in lower third.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round, then fit into pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under and crimp decoratively. Transfer fruit filling to pie shell and dot with butter. Loosely cover with foil and bake until apples droop slightly, about 30 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Sprinkle crumble topping over filling and bake, uncovered, until crumble is browned, filling is bubbling, and apples are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour more. Cool completely, 2 to 3 hours.

Deep Dish Apple Pie (The Barefoot Contessa) #38

I'm going to do a string of apple pie posts because: 1-it's fall, 2-there are so many thousands of apple pie recipes to choose from, 3-I live in the big apple--so...there's that, 4-apple pies are delicious, 5-and mostly because the only thing I remember from fifth grade history was the question, "What's more American than apple pie?" and even 20 years later I don't have an answer.

Although, with even the most ubiquitous fast food restaurant selling some version of an apple pie, the question really should have been, "What American hasn't tasted apple pie?"

I'll be sure to bring that up with my fifth grade teacher next time I see her.

Until then, that's kind of the problem with apple pies. It's not likely that you're going to mess any apple pie up, but since it's so common, it's difficult to make one that knocks everyone's socks off. And, I don't know about you, but the reason I bake pies is one part catharsis, one part hunger, and one part that's just hoping to blow someone away in a slice.

So? How did this one hold up?

Well, since I've been wanting to make for awhile--not really because of the recipe, but because I've been a Barefoot fan for a few years and I hadn't ever tried it--I hate to report that it was disappointing. But really, that's all I have to say, disappointing. My socks were not knocked. Probably not even rolled down. I would have expected more from someone named, the Barefoot Contessa, but maybe I shouldn't have such expectations.

The first problem, I believe, were the apples. I don't typically like using Granny Smith apples, but since the recipe called for it, I followed. They turned out mushy and did not rehabilitate my feelings about Granny Smith's in pies.

Even so, with the right apples, I wouldn't say that this was a winning combination for me. I don't like wassail and the combination of spices really made it taste like wassail. I found that distracting rather than enhancing. However, if you love wassail, I would recommend you try this recipe, but definitely with a different variety.

Luckily, there are almost as many apple pie recipes as there are apples.

Note: that fact may or may not be true. Maybe I'll bring that question up with my fifth grade teacher too.

What is true is that my refrigerator is FULL of apples! And there are a lot more apple pies to come and hopefully we can find just the right one to blow those socks right off.

Deep Dish Apple Pie
Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

Filling:
4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, and cored

1 lemon, zested

1 orange, zested

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 teaspoon to sprinkle on top

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Perfect Pie Crust:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening

6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

Topping:
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

 DIRECTIONS:

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut each apple quarter in thirds crosswise and combine in a bowl with the zests, juices, 1/2 cup sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

Roll out half the pie dough and drape it over a 9- or 10-inch pie pan to extend about 1/2-inch over the rim. Don't stretch the dough; if it's too small, just put it back on the board and re-roll it.

Fill the pie with the apple mixture. Brush the edge of the bottom pie crust with the egg wash so the top crust will adhere. Top with the second crust and trim the edges to about 1-inch over the rim. Tuck the edge of the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and crimp the 2 together with your fingers or a fork. Brush the entire top crust with the egg wash, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar, and cut 4 or 5 slits.

Place the pie on a sheet pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the crust is browned and the juices begin to bubble out. Serve warm.

Elizabeth's Pie #21

Truth be told, this pie doesn't know what it is. It's got a little bit of everything in it: strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, and even a green apple.

So...you don't like apple pie? Fine, how about a berry pie. No berries? Try this rhubarb one on for size.

It's got it all.

Even a winning reputation--someone, named Elizabeth (hence the pie's name), brought home a ribbon from the Iowa state fair with this recipe, which gives it somewhat of a celebrity status and if I were the owner of this recipe, I'd give it a proper celebrity name: straspbarbappleberry...or something like that.

Apple and Tart Cherry Pie with a Buttermilk Crust#10

You may or may not have read about our Pi(e) party here.
And if you didn't, you should know I made 6 pies this weekend (five new pies that I will post on this blog and one repeat, the chocolate cream pie, since it seemed like it would be a crowd pleaser).

Here's the thing with apple pie. There are probably 1,000 ways to make an apple pie and they are all good. I mean, who doesn't like apple pie? But to really make one that knocks you socks off is a little bit harder and let's just say my socks were not knocked by this one although, it was still pretty good.

And not to discourage you on this apple-cherry combination, but it should be noted that it was my least favorite of all the pies at the party (which is why I'm posting it first...we'll work up to the best one). We talked about it after the party and I think that if it weren't up against such flavorful pies (which it was at the party) AND if it were made in the fall (since the cloves give it a very harvesty flavor) it's a pretty decent pie.

Also, I think that the buttermilk crust was worth trying, but it was only okay. The bottom crust was a little on the soggy side and it almost seemed like the sour buttermilk flavor cooked right out of the dough and in the end it tasted kind of like your basic homemade crust.

Was that just a whole load of rambling contradictions?

In short:
Pretty good for an apple pie, but
don't make it until Thanksgiving
and don't pit it against pies with a whole lot of flavor because I was expecting a lot more tartness from those "tart" little cherries I mixed in there.

Apple and Tart Cherry Pie with a Buttermilk Crust

Buttermilk Crust
(Adapted from epicurious.com)

2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced

1/2 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Apple and Tart Cherry Pie

3/4 cup sugar

4 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

3 to 3 1/4 pounds large apples (about 6, though I used 8), peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced

3/4 cup dried tart cherries

1/4 cup cherry preserves

Glaze

One egg white

Directions

The Crust:
Combine flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Add butter and shortening. Cut in using hands or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir with fork until moist clumps form.

Press together to form dough. Divide dough in half. Gather dough into balls; flatten into disks. Wrap separately and chill 1 hour.

The Pie:
Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Combine all ingredients and make sure apples are coated.

Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Spoon filling into crust. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 13-inch round. Arrange dough over filling and cut out a small hole from center or decorative steam vents. Trim double overhang to 3/4 inch. Fold under, crimp edge. Brush crust (except edge) with glaze.

Place pie on baking sheet. Bake until apples are tender; cover crust with foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool on rack. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store at room temperature.)