Autumn Apple Pie

Autumn is definitely here.  The heat in our building has turned on a couple times, the leaves are starting to change, and the apples at the farmer's market are absolutely perfect.  So there was really no way I could go much longer without making an apple pie.

This is the recipe that my mom and I always make together.  The crust is the best, flakiest pie crust I have had, and the filling is scrumptious.  My suite can attest to that- the pie was gone before anyone had time to think about a second slice.  I guess I'll just have to make another!  Anyways, here is the recipe, and if you haven't made an apple pie this fall yet, now you have no excuse not to.

Bon Appétit
Margaret

Flaky Pie Crust

Makes 2 crusts (enough for 1 apple pie)

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 sticks frozen butter, cut into small cubes

4 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

cold water

Blend the butter, flour, shortening and salt with a pastry fork.  Add the ice water a small bit at a time, just until the mixture sticks together to form dough.  Divide the dough into two balls, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Apple Pie Filling

5 or 6 apples (3 granny smith and 3 jonathan or macintosh)

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt

1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (or 1/4 cup flour)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

a grating of fresh nutmeg

fresh lemon juice

butter

In a large measuring cup mix together the sugars, salt, cornstarch, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.  Core and peel the apples and slice them into 1/4 inch thick slices, putting them in a large bowl.  Squeeze 

1/2 of a lemon over the apple slices, and pour the sugar mixture over them, stirring well.  Let the apple mixture sit while you roll out the dough.

Assembly and Baking

Roll out the two crusts between layers of plastic wrap.  Dust the dough lightly with flour before rolling to prevent sticking.  Place the bottom crust in the pie dish, prick with a fork, and put in the freezer for a few minutes.

Roll out the top crust and cut a hole in the center to vent the pie.  Remove the bottom crust from the freezer, fill with the apple mixture, and dot with a few small pieces of butter.  Place the top crust on the pie, crimp the edges, and add additional vents with a fork.

Bake at 450° for 12-14 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 350° and bake for another 35-45 minutes (or more) until the filling starts to bubble over.

The Most Wonderful Pie

Raspberry pie is the most wonderful kind of pie, in my opinion at least.  It is a perfect balance between sweet and sour with an irresistibly flaky crust.  Still not convinced?  Just wait until you smell the black raspberries bubbling in the oven.

Since I had just about two cups of black raspberries left, I decided to make a mini pie.  In fact, I prefer the mini pies to the larger ones.  They are easier to make and are the perfect size for four.  Plus, it's best when the pie is eaten up the same day it is made.

So here is the recipe for the pie crust followed by the pie recipe.  The crust recipe is enough for the top and bottom of one mini pie, so if you are making a full pie with a top and bottom crust you will need to double the recipe.  Similarly, if you are making a full pie, double the filling recipe.

Enjoy!
Margaret

Pâte Brisée

From Gourmet

1 1/4 cups flour

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into bits

2 tablespoons shortening

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients together until they form a coarse meal.  Add 2-4 tablespoons of water, a bit at a time, until the dough sticks together enough to form it into two equally sized pieces.  Individually wrap the dough pieces and refrigerate while making the filling.

Berry Pie Filling

makes 1 mini pie

2 heaping cups berries

1 tsp lemon juice

1/3 cup sugar

1 heaping tablespoon corn starch

several bits of butter for dotting the top

Sprinkle berries with lemon juice and mix in a bowl.  Add the sugar and the corn starch and mix completely.  Let sit for several minutes (or while you are rolling out the dough).

When you are rolling out the dough, make sure to dust it with enough flour so that it doesn't stick.  If it becomes to sticky you can put it back in the fridge for a few minutes to let the butter harden up a bit.

When cutting out the strips for the top, I find that it is much easier to use a pizza cutter or similar style tool rather than a knife.  I was using my grandma's cutter here that had an adorable ridge design.

When my mom made pies for me, she always made a point of properly weaving the top crust into a basket weave, rather than just placing the strips down.  This was the part I would always help out during, weaving under and over with the next strip.  I think her insistence on always perfecting the top crust rubbed off on me, because I have to make sure my basket weave is done right!

Before I baked it I should have added the bits of butter to the top of the completed pie before putting it in the oven, but I forgot that step.  It isn't detrimental to the pie, but the top will be a bit drier without the butter.

I used some of the extra pie dough to make Mr. Darcy a little dog treat.  I just rolled some shredded cheese in the dough and shaped it (as well as I could) into a mini dog bone.

He hasn't tried it yet, although I'm pretty sure he will like it.  He would have probably preferred for me to add some bacon bits too though.

Summer Fruit

Welcome to the Cupcake Suite!  (Name comes from a not-so-long story to be explained shortly.)  I have been avidly checking up on all of my favorite food blogs, especially since the start of summer, and I was recently inspired to post some of my own creations- so here goes.  Now I don't know what is going to become of this blog- will I update it ever? Or will this post be the first and last it sees?  Will I even finish this post?  Hopefully I can keep it up.  I used to always keep a journal during the summers when I was little; maybe this could suffice.

Well, here's a start anyways.  I have fallen in love with summer all over again.  On Saturday I went to a local farm with the family and we came home with what I thought would be way to much fruit- or stuff rather.  See we went to pick blueberries, but ended up picking not only blueberries but also blackberries and peaches, we cut our own flowers, and snagged some watermelon, cucumber, and corn from the farm store.  Well three days later all that remains is an eight of the watermelon an half a cucumber.  The fruit was incredible; really nothing can beat just picked berries.  The blueberries ended up in muffins and fourth of July pie, the blackberries went into smoothies, the watermelon made a great picnic drink, and the peaches were snacked on before I could muster up the energy to put them in a galette.  The treats were all incredible and now all I can think of is how I want to go back next Saturday.  I just might, actually.

Well If you've made it this far, thanks for reading!  You deserve some pictures too- so here they are.

White and Yellow Peaches

Blueberries

Enormous Blackberries!

Fresh Cut Zinnias

Happy Summer
Margaret