Martha Stewart's Classic Apple Pie
So much for regular posts, eh? There is a very good reason I haven't posted in a while. A few weeks ago, my mother-in-law, Eleanor had neck surgery to repair four disks that were riddled with arthritis. My sister-in-law, Lynn, and I have been trading days to help her out at her house while she recuperates. So I'm sure you can understand that my blog has not been a priority these past few weeks.
But now, I'm back at it in the kitchen. I recently bought myself Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook because I wanted a top-notch baking cookbook and I knew I couldn't go wrong with Martha. Eleanor is a great baker and makes a mean apple pie. She has used Martha's recipe and technique for pate brisee for years, and her pie crust is always divine. I have always wanted to make good pie crust like Eleanor, but success with it has always eluded me, no matter how hard I've tried. I know it's because I haven't done it enough times to learn the right technique. So, for Father's Day this year, I decided to be ambitious and offered to bring an apple pie for dessert for our gathering out at the family country house. I used Martha's recipe for both the crust and the pie. This is it, I told myself. I am going to conquer pie crust once and for all.
My first crack (bad joke, I know) at making the dough went very badly. I decided to make it before dinner when I was hungry, so I rushed and ended up adding way too much water and had to throw it out. The second attempt yielded better results. It had just the right consistency: not too wet, not too dry and it held together well. So far, so good, I thought.
Rolling out the dough was a little trickier because it tends to crack and split in all the wrong places. I damn near cried during this part, but I refused to become unglued. I knew I had to stay patient and follow Martha's recipe to the letter. I took my time rolling out each portion of the dough and kept my board well-floured. I handled the dough with my hands as little as possible to keep the butter from melting. My perseverance paid off and I got through the dough-rolling process without losing my sanity.
Although this recipe is somewhat time consuming (most of Martha's recipes usually are), it was worth every minute. Her recipes for both the pate brisee and the apple pie are spot-on perfection. My crust came out flaky, flavorful and beautifully golden. Eleanor was happy that I persevered and shared in my excitement. Everyone in our family gobbled up their slice. My father-in-law had seconds. Peter raved. Success with pie crust was mine at last!
Pate Brisee
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking HandbookA big time-saver for me was making the dough the night before. It had plenty of time to relax and chill. Be sure to let it stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes so the dough is malleable enough to roll out, but do not let it get too warm or too soft and handle it as little as possible.
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, kept cold
1/4 cup ice water, plus more if neededCut the butter and place in refrigerator to keep cold. Measure out the water, add some ice and set aside. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade, pulse together the flour and salt. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger pieces of butter remaining.
With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, until the dough holds together. You can test this by taking some dough and pressing it between your fingers to see if it holds together. It should not be too wet or sticky. If it is still too crumbly and does not hold together well, add more water about 1/2 teaspoon at a time.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide in half as evenly as possible. Shape each portion into a flattened disk. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. The dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator before using.
Classic Apple Pie
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
Makes 1 double-crust 9-inch pie3 T. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Pate Brisee (recipe listed above)
1 large egg yolk
1 T. heavy cream
3 pounds assorted apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices (I used Granny Smith and Fuji)
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 T. cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Granulated sugar, for sprinklingOn a well-floured board, roll out one disk of dough to a 12-inch round. Using a dry pastry brush, sweep off the excess flour and fit the dough into a 9-inch glass pie plate, pressing it into the edges. Trim a 1/2-inch overhang all around. Roll out the second disk of dough in the same way and transfer the round to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill both the pie shell and the dough round in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or until firm.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and cream; set aside. In a large bowl, toss together the apples, lemon juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Arrange in the chilled pie shell and dot with the tablespoon of butter.
Brush the rim of the pie shell with the egg wash. Place the second dough round on top and gently press it over the apples and the rim of the pie shell. Trim the top piece of dough to a 1-inch overhang all around. Tuck the top piece of the dough overhang under and crimp the edges as desired. Brush the entire surface of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle liberally with granulated sugar. Cut three vents in the top to allow steam to escape. Refrigerate until firm, about 30-45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the chilled pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking 40-50 minutes, rotating the pie halfway through, until the crust is a deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling and have thickened. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely. Store at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap for up to 2 days.
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