Winter Fruit Pie with Walnut Crumble

Over the last few years I've developed a sincere fondness for pie. I never disliked it before, but it wasn't something I'd choose for dessert. What changed? The crust. I learned how to make a rich buttery pie crust. A pastry shell that you could fill with practically anything and it would taste divine. Pie pastry gets a bad rep. There's a misconception that it's difficult to make. To me, pies are one of the easiest things to bake! (Especially if you have a food processor to do all the work for you.) It only takes a little flour, a dash of salt and sugar, ice water, and a lot of very cold butter. Butter can do amazing things to ordinary ingredients. The one essential pie-making advice I can offer is that temperature is key. Cold specks of butter exploding in the hot oven is what magically creates that crispy flakey crust. For a basic, go-to pie crust, visit this recipe. (It's adaptable for one or two layers and can be used with any variety of fillings.)

This deep-dish pie was my contribution to our Thanksgiving dinner. I thought it perfectly fit the season, stuffed full of fresh apples, cranberries, and pears. The original version called for dried figs. Since I was feeding my family and feeling less adventurous, I left them out. The filling was fabulous and adequately sweet. And the walnut crumb topping made it unique. A hit even with my younger twin sisters (who haven't outgrown their pie aversion yet).

Winter Fruit Pie with Walnut Crumble

INGREDIENTS

Crust:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, diced
3 Tbsp. ice water
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Walnut Crumb Topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup raw walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
4 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
4 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup dried figs (optional, I omitted)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch

DIRECTIONS
1. To make the pastry crust, put the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl, stir to combine. 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.

2. Roll the chilled dough into a 14-inch disk, then line a 9 or 10 by 3-inch springform pan (or 9 or 10 inch deep pie dish) 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.

3. 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.

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

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

6. 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.

7. Bake 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. When done, cool for several hours on a wire rack. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Makes a 9-10-inch round deep dish pie.

(Adapted from Rustic Fruit Desserts via Epicurious)

Triple Berry Pie with Almond Crumble

Before this summer, I never considered myself much of a pie lover. Or perhaps it started in the fall when I made my first all-butter pie crust and filled it full of fresh picked apples. Then in the Winter it was pears. Now berries are bountiful and I can't get enough of them piled high in pies. For the 4th of July it was blueberry, and this time I threw in three berries. Instead of a traditional top, this pie comes with a crumble. Almost two desserts in one!

Don't let a fear of pastry prevent you from making your own. I actually consider pies one of the easiest desserts to master. With the help of a food processor, preparing the dough is no work at all. Then you just have to roll it out and fill it full. And bake it until it's golden and bubbling. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 recipe sweet butter pie crust (this recipe makes a double pie crust and you only need a bottom layer)

Almond Crumble:
6 Tbsp. brown sugar
6 Tbsp. whole almonds
6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 1/2 Tbsp. old-fashioned oats
4 1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

Triple Berry Filling:
5-6 cups assorted berries (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, about 8 oz. of each)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca (I would assume several Tbsp. of corn starch could be substituted)
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare the crust according to recipe directions.

2. To prepare the crumble topping, combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Process until moist clumps form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

3. To make the filling, mix the sugar, tapioca, and lemon juice in large bowl. Add berries and toss gently to combine. Let stand until tapioca softens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. 

4. Preheat oven to 400 F. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to form a large round. Transfer to a 9-inch-round pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1 inch. Fold overhang under and crimp decoratively. Freeze crust 20 minutes.

5. Spoon filling into crust. Crumble topping evenly over filling. Bake pie until crust and topping are golden brown and filling is bubbling, covering loosely with sheet of foil if topping browns too quickly, about 45-55 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool at least 3 hours. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Cut pie into wedges and serve.

Makes 1 pie.

(Adapted from Bon Appetit)

Strawberry Banana Cream Pie

I just had to sneak in one last strawberry dessert before the local strawberry season ended. I picked up a plump juicy basket of berries at the farmers market on Saturday morning and on Sunday I set about to make this strawberry-banana cream pie. While I consider myself somewhat experienced at baking (I've been baking much longer that I've been cooking), I'd never made a custard before, so this recipe was new territory for me. It made me nervous. At first glance I thought, "oh my, there's so many steps!", which is true. This pie took some careful planning and the better part of the afternoon to pull off. But some things are just worth it! What better way to spend my last day without school pressures (I started back to classes yesterday) than in a cute apron in my sunny kitchen baking?

These are my words of wisdom on this recipe:

If at all possible, use a food processor to create the crust (Cuisinart has made my life so much simpler!)
Don't overbake the crust (next time I'll remove the foil after 20 minutes and then only bake it for several more minutes until it is lightly browned- because it turned out slightly firmer than I'd prefer)
Commit all of your attention to the custard (it would be easy to scorch and a smooth creamy filling really makes this dessert)
Find the freshest ripest berries
Wait to assemble the pie until soon before serving (while all three parts can be made ahead of time, last-minute assembly prevents sogginess)

And that's it! All it takes is a little time and confidence (you can always fake it) to make this rich and delicious pie.

INGREDIENTS
For the tart crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
8 Tbsp. (1 stick + 1 Tbsp.) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 large egg yolk

For the custard filling:
2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
pinch of salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 ripe bananas, sliced
10 strawberries, sliced

For the whipped topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS (directly from Joy the Baker)
1. To make the tart crust:
Put the flour, powdered sugar and salt in a food processor fit the the blade attachment. Pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the pieces of cold butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. There will be pieces of butter that are the size of oatmeal flakes and butter the size of peas. Beat the egg yolk with a fork and add a little of the egg yolk at a time to the flour mixture. Pulse for 10 seconds at a time. When the egg is in, process in longer pulses until the dough forms clumps and curds. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that may have escaped mixing.

Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and the sides of the pan. Press the crust so that the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of foil and fit the foil, butter side down, tightly against the frozen crust. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust is puffed, gently press it down with your fingers.

Bake the uncovered crust for 8 to 10 more minutes (mine only needed 4-5 more minutes, and I might take it out even sooner next time) on the baking sheet. Keep an eye on the crust. It will brown quickly.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before filling.

2. To make the filling:
Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.
In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the brown sugar, cornstarch and salt until well blended and thick. Whisking without stopping, drizzle about 1/4 cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture, warming the eggs so they don’t cook and curdle. Still whisking, slowly add the rest of the hot milk in a steady steam.

Place the pan over medium heat and, whisking constantly (make sure to get the edges of the pan), bring the mixture to a boil. Boil, still whisking for one minute before removing from the pan from the heat. Mixture will be thick and silky. Be warned, once the mixture starts to boil, it will thicken very quickly. Don’t be afraid to remove the pan from the flame to whisk it smooth.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let stand for 5 minutes then whisk in the butter, stirring until fully incorporated and the custard is smooth and silky. Transfer custard to a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap so that the plastic touches the surface of the custard and refrigerate until cold throughout. Custard can be refrigerated up to three days.

When ready to assemble the pie, slice bananas and strawberries into thin, round slices.

Whisk the cold custard to loosen. Add a handful of banana slices. Stir.
Arrange a thin layer of banana slices on the bottom of the tart shell. Arrange a thin layer of strawberries atop the bananas. Reserve some strawberries for topping the pie. Top with banana custard. Smooth out a refrigerate while you make the whipped cream.

3. To make the whipped cream topping:
With a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat heave cream until it just starts to thicken. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Continue to beat until the cream holds stiff peaks. With a rubber spatula, spoon whipped cream onto banana cream pie filling. Top with sliced strawberries.

Serve pie immediately or refrigerate for several hours before serving. This pie is best served the day it is made, but also isn’t too shabby the next day for a breakfast treat.

Makes a 9-inch round pie.

(Adapted from Joy the Baker, originally adapted from Dorie Greenspan)

Pear Butterscotch Pie

I'm feeling really torn. Apple or pear? I don't want to be a traitor, but ever since I lifted a forkful of this sweet butterscotch pear pie to my lips, I've never felt the same way about the all-American apple pie. Because, to me, this is better! If you're wondering- you can really taste the pear! The flavor is very pronounced and it's made even more enticing by a butter and brown sugar coating that melts into butterscotch bliss. Plus, there's that crust. I'm not bragging because I didn't invent the recipe, but this pastry is phenomenal! It uses only butter (shortening stay away!) and when it hits the high heat something magical happens- it turns sweet, flakey, and golden. It's awesome. You could put anything (edible) in this crust and I'd eat it. Really, I can't think of anything I wouldn't like!

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe double sweet all-butter pie crust
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4-1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg (to taste- I can't remember which I used!)
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 1/2 lb. firm-ripe Bartlett pears (about 5), peeled, cut into 6-8 wedges, and cored
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large egg, beaten + 1 Tbsp. warm water
1 tablespoon organic cane sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare pastry dough according to recipe directions (make sure to allow time for refrigerating).

2. Place baking sheet on middle rack of oven and preheat oven to 425 F.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and brown sugar, making sure break up any lumps. Add the pears, lemon juice, and vanilla and gently toss to coat. Let stand 5 to 15 minutes to macerate fruit.

4. Roll out prepared pastry dough on a lightly floured surface into two 13-inch rounds. Fit one half into the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish, trimming the edges if necessary.

5. Transfer the filling to the shell. Top with the second rolled out pastry, trim, and pinch the edges to seal. Lightly brush the top with some of the egg wash. Using a sharp knife cut three long vents in the top. Sprinkle the crust with sugar.

6. Place pie on hot baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 F and continue baking until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, about 20-30 minutes more. (I covered mine with foil for the last part of baking because it was browning so fast.) Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Makes 1 9-inch pie.

(Adapted from Gourmet)

Butter Tarts

My mother is Canadian-American. She comes from a tiny town in Alberta. She has lost her accent and her "eh", but she's still got her traditional Canadian recipes. Our northern neighbors know how to do dessert right. Some time ago I shared with you a recipe for Nanaimo Bars- a rich chocolaty Canadian delicacy. And now I finally got around to making butter tarts. I made them for my brother as a birthday gift. He's a huge fan. It has been years since I'd had one and I'd forgotten how good they are!

These are amazingly simple to prepare. You make a buttery sweet pate brisee (pastry dough), form it into mini tarts, and fill it with a syrupy mixture of butter, sugar, and raisins. (I have detailed the pastry making process in another post, so be sure to visit that link for directions.) The filling is gooey and sweet, with a pleasant chewiness from the raisins. And I absolutely love the flaky, light crust. Don't wait to try this Canadian delight!

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe all-butter pie crust (you will need to halve this recipe, because it is for a double pie crust)

Filling:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare the pie crust and refrigerate 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 375 F.

3. Roll out the pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Using a large round cookie cutter (or cup/bowl) cut out 12 circles large enough to fill standard muffin tins. Gently press the crusts into the muffin tins (they should reach up the sides almost level with the top).

4. To prepare the filling, combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl, stirring until the sugar has dissolved (no lumps remain). Evenly distribute the filling among the 12 pastry crusts, filling each about 2/3 full. (Any fuller and they will bubble over when baking.)

5. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the crusts are lightly browned. Remove to cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 12 tarts.

(My mom's recipe.)

Deep Dish Apple Pie with Sweet All-Butter Pie Crust

When we came home with 25 lbs. of Virginia grown apples, I knew apple pie was in our future. This dessert is extra special because Dustin helped out. He drove us to Charlottesville on our apple-picking adventure, braved gravity and climbed to the top branches to find the finest and ripest, and even helped make the pie! He's usually not very involved in the cooking around here. Partly it's my fault for being so territorial in the kitchen. That, and he lacks the desire. (Unless he's having a sugar craving and wants cookies- NOW!)

But this dessert bears Dustin's magic touch. He peeled and cored and sliced all the stunning Granny Smiths that filled the dish. In my time of need, he came to the rescue and he was indispensable! I was busy rolling out pastry and boiling caramel and fretting over what I wanted to be the perfect pie. And my cute husband rolled up his sleeves and chopped through those apples in no time! (Or just in time, rather, to smother them in cinnamon, butter, and sugar, pour them into a deep dish, cover them with a blanket of pastry, and send them off to bake).

It's no wonder that I thought this pie was a sweet success. I made it with my honey. (Awww!) So my opinion might be a little jaded. Together, curled up on the couch under laptops, lecture slides, and books, we finished off half a pie. Including several scoops of vanilla ice cream. Dustin has never loved apple pie, but he agreed that this was a good one. My favorite part? The most amazing, buttery, flaky, spectacular crust I've ever had! I swear- I'll never, ever buy one again. Reserve a little of the filling "juice" to brush on top and it will turn golden, sweet, and crunchy.

I was surprised that with all the butter and sugar, the filling was not super sweet. I liked that the tart-ness of the Granny Smiths snuck through. You could always mix in a few apples of a sweeter variety for a sweeter pie. I sure have a crush on that crust, though! Crust + thick caramel-apple filling + frozen vanilla ice cream = Ahhh.

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe sweet all-butter double pie crust (below)
7-8 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 heaping tsp. cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg white

DIRECTIONS
1. Make the pastry dough according to directions (below). Chill until ready to use. Roll out each pastry on a floured surface until large enough to cover pie dish. Place one sheet of rolled out pastry in the bottom of the dish. Brush with egg whites.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F.

3. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, sugars, and vanilla and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

4. Toss apples with cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour caramel mixture over apples (reserving several Tbsp. to brush the crust) and stir to coat. Pour apples into pie dish.

5. Cover with the second sheet of rolled out pastry. Trim the edges, pressing them together. Make several slits in the top. Brush the top with the reserved caramel mixture.

6. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and the apples are soft. Place on a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes before serving warm topped with vanilla ice cream. (If you serve it immediately the filling will ooze out- it needs some time to set up.)

Makes 1 9-inch deep dish apple pie.


Sweet All-Butter Double Pie Crust

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. natural cane sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) COLD unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6-7 Tbsp. ice water

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in food processor (or by hand with a whisk). Add butter and pulse until coarse mill forms (or cut in butter by hand with a pastry blender until only pea-size crumbs remain). Gradually blend in enough ice water until dough clumps (or mix in a Tbsp. at a time by hand). Form dough into a large ball. Divide in half. Flatten each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 2 hours or overnight.

Makes a double 9-inch pie crust.

(Crust from Epicurious, Filling adapted from All Recipes)

Lemon Meringue Pie

Meringues are a little tricky. I think mine would have turned out perfect if I hadn't forgotten to pre-bake my crust before filling it. We salvaged the filling but had to make a new crust, which gave the filling time to cool before being topped with the meringue. Hot filling prevents your pie from weeping. Nevertheless, my pie came out very pretty. Follow the directions closely and you should have no trouble. Because this is a time-sensitive production, I suggest prepping all of your ingredients before you begin (as well as baking your crust)!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups milk

2 lemons, juiced and zested
2 Tbsp. butter
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 all-butter pie crust, pre-baked
4 egg whites
6 Tbsp. white sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in milk, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. (This is called tempering.) Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.

3. To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie (while the lemon filling is still hot), sealing the edges at the crust.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

Makes 1 9-inch pie.

(Adapted from All Recipes)

All-Butter Pie Crust

Most pie crust recipes call for shortening. In avoiding trans fats and impure oils (stick to olive or canola oil) I went on a quest for a shortening-less crust. Lard would make a great crust, but I didn't happen to have any sitting around. To quote Recipe Zaar: "shortening is virtually flavorless, and is used to make baked goods light and flaky". When an ingredient is packed full of fat, why would you want it to be flavorless? If I'm going to ingest all those calories I want my body to know it and to savor every second of it! That's why this butter crust is delicious- buttery as well as light and flaky! I used it for my Dad's lemon meringue pie. It was a cinch to throw together, although I have to give my mom credit for the impressive edge work. I'm still a pie novice.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold butter, diced
3-4 Tbsp. ice water

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix flour and salt in food processor (or by hand with a whisk). Add butter and pulse until coarse mill forms (or cut in butter by hand with a pastry blender until only pea-size crumbs remain). Gradually blend in enough ice water until dough clumps (or mix in a Tbsp. at a time by hand). Form dough into a large ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill 2 hours or overnight.

2. Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

3. If necessary, (first prick the bottom of the crust with a fork) bake in 450 F preheated oven for about 10 minutes (until it starts to turn golden brown).

Makes 1 9-inch pie crust.

(Adapted from All Recipes)