LEAFY ELSTAR APPLE PIE WITH ALL-BUTTER CRUST

LEAFY ELSTAR APPLE PIE WITH ALL-BUTTER CRUST

Said the 10 yr old upon tasting the pie: "Mommy, your apple pie exceeds expectations!"

Yes, it was a mighty fine pie and I'd make it exactly the same way again and again!

It all starts with the Apple.  In my pie are Elstar apples, which is a variety originating in the Netherlands in Elst in the 1950s.  It is a cross between Golden Delicious and Ingrid Marie apples. We picked these in Abbotsford at Willow View Farms last week. They are excellent apples eaten out of hand as they are crunchy and sweet.

I have an aversion to soggy crusts.  If you’re like me this recipe will please you because it does everything possible to mitigate the soggy pie crust scenario.

I used leaf cutters for my top crust because I didn’t feel like struggling with a braided lattice again. It took me only 10 minutes to make this top crust. 

The crowning glory is the little bird cut-out.  I was tempted to use a Totoro cut-out but it just didn’t look right lol!

A brushing of egg white and sprinkling of evaporated cane sugar ensures a crunchy crust

The recipe called for baking at a high temperature of 425F for 15 minutes and then turning the oven down to 350F for 45 minutes.  After the time was up, I added another 15 minutes because I saw the bottom crust wasn’t browned enough.  The best thing about using a glass pie plate is that you can easily monitor the bottom crust during the baking process.

The top crust of overlapped pastry leaves are absolutely delicious and crunchy with the sprinkling of sugar.

The filling is simply apples, cinnamon and sugar.  No extra butter or lemon juice is needed

ELSTAR APPLE PIE WITH FLAKEY ALL-BUTTER LEAFY PIE CRUST 

FOOD PROCESSOR ALL-BUTTER PIE CRUST

• 2 1/2 Cups all - purpose flour (12.5 ounces; 350 grams)
• 2 Tbsp sugar (25 grams)
• 1 tsp kosher salt (5 grams)
• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 - inch pats (10 ounces; 280 grams)
• 6 Tbsp cold water (3 ounces; 85 milliliters)

1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 425F (400F convection). If you have a sheet pan or a pizza stone/tile, place it on your oven rack to heat.
2. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.  Scoop out two thirds of the flour mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse twice to incorporate. Spread butter chunks evenly over surface. Pulse until no dry flour remains and dough clumps, about 25 pulses. Use a rubber spatula to spread the dough evenly around the bowl of the food processor. Sprinkle with remaining flour and pulse until dough is just barely broken up, about 5 short pulses. Transfer dough to a large bowl.
3. Sprinkle with water; using a rubber spatula, fold and press the dough until it comes together into a ball. Use your hands to form a ball.  Divide ball in half. Form each half into a 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before rolling and baking

ELSTAR APPLE PIE FILLING (REPLACE WITH GOLDEN DELICIOUS IF YOU CANNOT FIND ELSTAR)

• 8-10 large Elstar apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Place the sliced apples in a saucepan with the cane sugar and cinnamon.
2. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the apples are translucent and have released their juices
3. If there is a lot of juice in the bottom of the pan, scoop out most of the juice into a small bowl.  Create a cornstarch slurry with 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water.  Pour the slurry into the juice and stir.  Then add the mixture back into the pan of apples.  Heat, stirring constantly until the apple filling thickens
4. Allow filling to cool in the pot until ready to fill pie crusts

ELSTAR APPLE PIE

• double-crust pie dough (above)
• 1 egg white
• extra evaporated cane sugar
• cooled apple pie filling

1. Roll out one of the pie crust disks between parchment or plastic wrap to fit the bottom of a 9 inch glass pie pan.  Roll the edges under itself to fit the pie pan. Make a decorative pattern in the dough with fork or fingers along the rim.
2. Brush the bottom of the pie crust with egg white
3. Pour the apple pie filling onto the bottom crust.  
4. Roll out the top crust and use leaf cutters to cut out leaves. Overlap the leaves in a concentric pattern and brush the tops with eggwhite.  Sprinkle sugar over the crust.
5. Bake in hot preheated 425F (400Fconvection) oven by placing the filled pie on the heated pizza tile or sheet pan.  Bake for 15 minutes
6. Lower oven temperature to 350F (325F convection); baking for a further 45-60 minutes. NB: monitor the bottom crust of the pie through the glass pan and ensure that the crust is a deep golden brown.  Cover with foil if you think the top crust is browning too quickly. I had to bake this for 60 min at 325F convection setting.
7. Allow to cool on a rack. 
8. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

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LEMON MERINGUE TARTS (Paleo, GF, Refined sugar free)

A tiny slice of the 4"Lemon Meringue Tart I made 

Am I in the minority? do you salivate like Pavlov's Dog when you see a lemon meringue pie cross-section like this?

Did you also purchase a huge bag of coconut flour at Costco, like I did...only to let it sit in the cupboard unopened until close to the expiry date?  Fear not! do what I did--I froze the coconut flour to extend its freshness.

This coconut flour crust is crumbly and a perfect foil to the lemon curd.  Yes, it will have distinct coconut flavour; so if you don't like coconut flavour, don't use coconut flour or bother with this recipe because the whole point is to use up your coconut flour and make a gf/paleo tart!

you can strain your lemon curd through a sieve but I couldn't be bothered and left it a little bit lumpy.  It was all good; I didn't notice any textural problem as using a whisk makes the curd pretty smooth

the best part is the piping of the meringue onto your tarts and then bruléeing them

I burnt a hold through my fave towel as I left my mini brulée torch on the counter with a small flame on. Don't do that.  Be safe

LEMON MERINGUE TARTS (GF, Paleo, Refined Sugar-free)

(Adapted from The Kitchen McCabe)

Makes four 4" Tarts
[NB: don't make crazy substitutions because the whole point of this recipe is to avoid gluten & refined sugar.  You cannot substitute regular flour for the coconut flour as the absorption rate is much higher for coconut flour.  Use the highest quality organic ingredients possible.  You may end up with a lot of meringue so you can create huge swirls on your tarts if you like meringue. Sugar and flour are cheap; this tart isn't cheap to make considering the large amount of honey and the other quality ingredients that take the place of those refined ingredients.  You're worth it though!]

COCONUT FLOUR CRUST:

• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coconut oil

LEMON CURD FILLING:

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teapsoon sea salt
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

MERINGUE:

• 1 cup honey
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

FOR THE CRUST:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degreesF.
2. Place the coconut flour and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together to break up all the lumps. Add the maple syrup and stir in until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add the coconut oil to the mixture and work into the flour with a pastry cutter or spoon until the a dough forms and there are no pieces of coconut oil remaining.
3. Divide the dough into 4 balls (approximately 1/2 cup) and press each ball into a 4" tart pan with a removable bottom. Bring the dough up the sides and use the tips of your fingers to press the dough into the tart pan ensuring even sides. Place the tarts on a baking sheet.
4. Bake the tart shells in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden brown across the bottom.
5. Remove tarts from the oven and fill each one to the top with lemon filling.

FOR THE LEMON FILLING:

1. In a saucepan, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, honey, lemon juice and salt until smooth and fully combined. Heat on medium/high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 4-5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in the chunks of butter.
3. Divide evenly between the cooked tart shells.
4. Place tarts back in the oven for an additional 4-5 minutes to set the filling, removing before the crusts get too dark (watch closely - coconut flour browns quickly).
5. Remove and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until cold.

FOR THE MERINGUE:

1. Place the honey in a small saucepan and heat on medium/high heat to 230 degreesF. While the honey is heating, place the egg whites and salt in a bowl and beat until they reach soft peaks
2. Once the honey has reached 230 degrees F, very slowly pour it (bubbling) into the egg whites as you beat them on medium speed. continue beating until all of the honey has been incorporated. Continue to beat on med-high speed until the meringue cools down, another 5-7 minutes. During this time, the meringue should thicken up and turn lighter in colour
3. Top the chilled tarts with the cooked meringue, either with a spoon, or using a piping bag and tip.
4. Brulee the meringue with a kitchen torch or place in oven on top rack and broil for a few minutes until golden (watching closely so as not to burn the tarts)
5. Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. Crusts will lose their crispness after the first day.

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BRAIDED LATTICE APPLE PIE

Braided Lattice Apple Pie!

Humble Pie

Braided Lattice is insanely time-consuming.  

When my daughter walked by the kitchen and asked me "hey, are you making that pie for someone?" I was attempting to weave the braided lattice pie dough that was akin to wrangling cooked spaghettini. The delicate strands would stretch each time I moved them.  I was not feeling the pie love.

I replied "no, it's for you guys"

"Yay!  I can't wait! it doesn't matter what it looks like mommy...it'll taste great! I can't wait!"

Out of the mouth of my babe.

I stopped trying to weave the triplicate braid & lattice combinations.

And into the oven the pie went

Lots o' butter! 

I was eager to try a new recipe for a pie crust that could handle lattice-work.  I did my research and found a recipe on Serious Eats that sounded promising. It had a higher ratio of butter (how could that go wrong in any way?)

Cold cubed butter! 2 sticks!

I think I was too ambitious.  I even planned to do the Sous-Vide method for pre-cooking the apple pie filling.  What the heck was I thinking?  

Squash the butter cubes. 

Almost immediately into making the crust I nixed the sous-vide idea and decided to just do it on the stovetop.  It was wise as the actual sous vide part would add another hour to the prep time.

The huge chunks of squashed butter are very visible here.

Use the technique of making a quick puff pastry.  You're doing the laminated technique here next

Roll out the dough with plenty of flour.

This laminating technique looks harder than it actually is

Cut in half and wrap in plastic wrap.  Pop it in the fridge!

Roll that out 

The dough is quite strong and stretchy...quite promising for lattice-work!

The pre-cooked apples I used consisted of granny smith and gala.  

After I realized my kids don't care about the weaving, I just gave up and popped that pie in the oven so we could get it in our pie-holes sooner!

Though I saved plenty of time forgoing the weaving...and I didn't do the sous-vide part, we still had to wait 4 hours for the pie to cool before cutting into it.  

Good things come to those who wait!

PIE CRUST RECIPE FROM SERIOUS EATS

Old Fashioned Flaky Pie Dough

• 8 ounces all-purpose flour (1 2/3 cups; 225g), plus more for dusting
• 1/2 ounce sugar (1 tablespoon; 15g)
• 1 teaspoon (4g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight
• 8 ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks; 225g), cold
• 4 ounces cold water (1/2 cup; 115g)

1. For the Dough: Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes (this size is important, as smaller pieces will melt too fast) and toss with flour mixture to break up the pieces. With your fingertips, smash each cube flat—that's it! No rubbing or cutting. Stir in water, then knead dough against the sides of the bowl until it comes together in a shaggy ball. Dough temperature should register between 65 and 70°F (18 and 21°C); if not, refrigerate briefly before rolling and folding (see note above).
2. Make the Layers: On a generously floured work surface, roll dough into a roughly 10- by 15-inch rectangle. Fold the 10-inch sides to the center, then close the newly formed packet like a book. Fold in half once more, bringing the short sides together to create a thick block. Divide in half with a sharp knife or bench scraper. Dough temperature should still be somewhere between 65 and 70°F (18 and 21°C); if not, refrigerate briefly before proceeding (see note above)
3. For a Double-Crusted Pie: Using as much flour as needed, roll one piece into a 14-inch circle and drape across a 9-inch pie plate; it will be super easy to lift by hand. Dust off excess flour with a pastry brush, using it to nestle dough into the very corners of the pan. With scissors or kitchen shears, trim the edge so that it overhangs by 1 inch all around. For a solid top crust, roll remaining dough as before, or roll into a 9- by 15-inch rectangle for a lattice-top pie. Transfer the entire sheet, uncut, to a baking sheet or parchment-lined cutting board. (The parchment will prevent dough from absorbing any savory odors from the board.) Wrap both portions in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight. 

GOOEY APPLE PIE RECIPE FROM SERIOUS EATS

• 5 pounds (2.25kg) apples (see note above), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup (100 to 150g) sugar (see note above), plus more for sprinkling
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (1/2 ounce; 15g)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) fresh juice and 1 teaspoon grated zest from 1 lemon
• 1 recipe PIE DOUGH (ABOVE)
• 1 egg white

1. To Cook Filling on the Stovetop: Transfer apples and their juices to a large Dutch oven. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until lightly steaming. Cover and continue cooking over lowest heat setting, stirring frequently, using a thermometer to maintain temperature below 160°F (71°C). Do not allow liquid to come to a boil for first 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until juices thicken enough that a spatula dragged through the bottom of the pot leaves a trail that very slowly closes back up, about 10 minutes more. Transfer apples to a rimmed baking sheet, spread out into a single layer, and allow to cool completely, about 1 hour.
2. Roll 1 disk of pie dough into a circle roughly 12 inches in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Add filling, piling it into the pie shell until it all fits. Roll remaining disk of pie dough into a rectangle, approximately 10" x 15". Cut dough into strips and weave in a lattice pattern on top of pie.
3. Using a pair of kitchen shears, trim edges of both pie crusts until they overhang the edge of the pie plate by 1/2 inch all the way around. Fold edges of both pie crusts down together, tucking them in between the bottom crust and the pie plate and working your way all the way around the pie plate until everything is well tucked. Use the forefinger on your left hand and the thumb and forefinger on your right hand to crimp the edges. 
4. Use a pastry brush to brush an even coat of lightly beaten egg white all over the top surface of the pie. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon (15g) of sugar. Transfer pie to baking sheet in oven and bake until light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking until deep golden brown, about 25 minutes longer. [NB: I had to add a full 15 minutes of baking time to ensure a golden pie crust.] Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature for at least 4 hours before serving.

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Birthday Pie! Flaky All-Butter Crust Apple Pie

Birthday Pie

Organic cold unsalted butter sliced in 1/4 inch pieces in my food processor, along with only 2/3 of the flour mixture...ready for pulsing.

Several years ago, my friend confided to me that he doesn't like birthday cake (gasp!)
I remembered that.

Pulse butter and flour mixture until most of the flour incorporated but don't overdo it

I might be really crappy with remembering names (not cool when you're a teacher, I know) but I'm good with remembering students' and friends' dietary allergies, food preferences and stuff like that!

Perhaps only other teachers can relate to the happiness of seeing an ex-student years later and the corresponding dismay of not being able to access the student's name on the spot.
"Hey! Ms K!"
"Hey!... Hi!...how are you!...how've you been? what are you doing now?"

Ready for the next step

When I'm walking to Rain or Shine Ice Cream on 4th Ave, filling my prescription at the drugstore, shopping for groceries or paying the cashier at the checkout in Kitsilano...and an ex-student exclaims "Hey, Ms. K!"  I don't always spit out the student's name that quickly in response.  Usually, one out of 4 times, I'll remember the student's full name on the spot during the greeting.  If I've not recalled the name during the initial greetings, hugs and whatnot, then I'm hooped and I have to ask probing questions to jog my memory.  Often, I KNOW the student but the name still eludes me.  The frustrating thing is 10 minutes after the meeting has passed, my lightbulb will turn on and I'll remember your full name and what English class I taught you.  I'll even remember on what side of my classroom you sat.  The years are all a mish-mash now so that I don't really know your Grad year, but I definitely remember YOU.

This is what your butter and flour mixture should look like. Here I'm using the rubber spatula as instructed in the recipe to fold and press the crust mixture

I apologize profusely if I cannot remember your name at that exact moment, but some of you boys are now men with facial hair! I knew you when your face was as smooth as a baby's bottom; when I beat you at arm wrestling in English class and you were shorter than me.  The girls I taught years ago are now women!

3 varieties of apples were employed: Gala, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith 

I will blame my crappy name-recall on my Hashimoto's disease and the fact that I've taught for 25 years. I know I've taught a lot of students in that time, but just had to figure out how many students have been in my classrooms each year (let's assume a class-size of 25, even though it's been 30 the last decade or so).
That's 25 students x 7 classes=175 students each year.
175 students each year x 25 years = 4375 students.
I've worked part time for the last 12 years (because of having kids and also from being a tech mentor) so let's say I'll subtract 12 years x (25 students x 3 blocks)=900.
That's 4,375 - 900 = 3,475 students

After the initial hot water soak of 10 minutes and subsequent draining and drying, I had the kid toss in the cornstarch and sugar mixture for thickening. I observed worriedly as in the bottom of the bowl a huge pool of apple juices collected despite initial drainage and drying.  I dumped out the liquid and tossed in another teaspoon of cornstarch for good measure.  This however, was not enough to set up the apples after the pie was baked and rested for 3 hours. I would suggest pre-cooking the apples and reducing the apple liquid prior to filling the pie crust for baking.

3,745 students.  That's still a lot of names to remember; but in general I still remember your names, eventually.  Those neural pathways just take a bit of time to fire up ya know.  Help me guys, tell me your full name and grad year; especially if you've graduated more than 3 years ago!  I'll remember you a lot quicker! lol

Rolling out the cold-hard dough.  It rested for 2 hours in the refrigerator prior to rolling.

So my buddy tells me this birthday pie wish decades ago.  My initial response was simply that he's weird.  Fortuitously, as I have aged, the harbinger of grey hairs and reading glasses is wisdom and acknowledgement that perhaps there are truly people out there who don't like birthday cake? (gasp again)

But this pie thing is totally something I would remember forever.  This past weekend, I finally had an opportunity to make a pie for him. It wasn't exactly the blueberry pie that I remember he prefers because I had tons of apples on hand that I wanted to use; but it's pie! It's Birthday Pie!

Rolling the pastry onto my rolling pin to move it into the pie plate.

The golden brown crust looked and smelled perfect.  We rammed a birthday candle in the centre of the pie and the kids led us all in singing the birthday song.  He blew out the candle and I think he even made a wish!

This part of pie-making is quite satisfying: unrolling the crust into the pie plate.  It fits.  yay!

Some gentle manipulation of the crust is required to have your pastry conform to your pie plate.  I am using an Emile Henry Ceramic Pie Dish.

The recipe for the pie crust is from Serious Eats.  I was going to make my crust with ATK's Vodka pie crust recipe, but I was too lazy to do that.  This recipe guarantees via technique solely, a flaky crust made with butter in a food processor.

I am excited to finally use my new leaf cutter to cut out the air vents in the top crust

The apples look pretty but at this point I'm worried that they are not softened enough from their initial hot water bath.   I just stick to the recipe regardless and carry on as if everything will turn out.  You never know, ya know.

My favourite part of the pie-making process: crimping the edges.

Here's how I do it.

An egg-white wash 

Sprinkling with organic evaporated cane sugar 

ta-daa. It looks pretty even before baking 

Delicious, excellent, flaky pie crust.  A winner.  The apple pie filling was meh. It tasted good but half the apples fell out of each slice as I cut them.  I had rested the pie 3 hours after baking but that was insufficient for the filling to set up.  The next day, from the refrigerator, cold in this picture, the pie sliced very easily and the apples stayed intact in each slice.  However, the point of making pie is to eat it warm and freshly baked.  So I will likely modify the recipe next time by keeping the Pie Crust as is and cooking down the apples in a saucepan until they are softened and then adding the cornstarch/sugar mixture.

PIE CRUST (from Serious Eats Pie Crust)

• 2 1/2 cups (12.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 1/2 sticks (20 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pats
• 6 tablespoons cold water

1. Combine two thirds of flour with sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse twice to incorporate. Spread butter chunks evenly over surface. Pulse until no dry flour remains and dough just begins to collect in clumps, about 25 short pulses. Use a rubber spatula to spread the dough evenly around the bowl of the food processor. Sprinkle with remaining flour and pulse until dough is just barely broken up, about 5 short pulses. Transfer dough to a large bowl. 
2. Sprinkle with water then using a rubber spatula, fold and press dough until it comes together into a ball. Divide ball in half. Form each half into a 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before rolling and baking.

APPLE PIE (from Serious Eats Perfect Apple Pie) 

• 4 to 4 1/2 pounds Golden Delicious, Braeburn, or other baking apples, peeled cored, and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
• 3 quarts boiling water (or cider)
• 10 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling over crust
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (or more, to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 recipe Easy Pie Dough (above)
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten

1.  Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and place a heavy rimmed baking sheet on it. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place apple slices in a large bowl or pot. Pour boiling water or cider directly over top. Cover and set aside at room temperature for ten minutes. Drain apples well and let sit in a colander in the sink, tossing occasionally until completely dry, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and add 10 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cornstarch, and toss until apples are evenly coated. Set mixture aside.

2.  Roll one disk of pie dough into a circle roughly 12-inches in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Add filling. Roll remaining disk of pie dough into a circle roughly 12-inches in diameter. Transfer to top of pie. Using a pair of kitchen shears, trim the edges of both pie crusts until they overhang the edge of the pie plate by 1/2 an inch all the way around. Fold edges of both pie crusts down together, tucking them in between the bottom crust and the pie plate and working your way all the way around the pie plate until everything is well tucked. Use the forefinger on your left hand and the thumb and forefinger on your right hand to crimp the edges. Cut 5 slits in the top with a sharp knife for ventilation.

3.  Use a pastry brush to brush an even coat of lightly beaten egg white all over the top surface of the pie. Sprinkle evenly with a tablespoon of sugar. Transfer pie to sheet tray in the oven and bake until light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F and continue baking until deep golden brown, about 25 minutes longer. Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.

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