Birthday pie? Birthday pie.
Friends! Tomorrow is my birthday, and by the time you read this I'll be on my way to a spa so they can massage all of the tension from the past month out of my shoulders (let's hope that works!). This will be a short newsletter, because today is a day of relaxation, but I do have two whole pie recipes for your edification! They are both from a pie cookbook I love, The Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book. I'd decided on the one to send you all, but then I started flipping through the book and saw another one I love, so you'll get them both.
But wait, before I get to pie! The Wedding Date ebook is on sale for just $1.99! It would be a delightful birthday gift to buy it (if you haven't already) in any form, and preorder The Proposal, which is out in just two and a half weeks! If you want a signed copy of either book, you can order them from any of the bookstores I'll be visiting starting at the end of the month (there's a list here on my events page), (The Ripped Bodice has an order page here!) and you can always get signed copies of any of my books at my local bookstore, East Bay Booksellers (just call them to order and I'll go there and sign it for you).
Okay, to pie. First, my favorite pie dough recipe is in this old newsletter. I've never made a different pie dough since I've started making this one; it's easy to make and double or triple and it freezes well, but you can use whatever pie dough you like. Second, the first pie here has a medium to high degree of difficulty if you've never made caramel before. Here's some caramel cooking advice: be patient; keep the heat lower than you think; and NEVER LOOK AWAY from the pot (go to the bathroom before you start!). (Don't worry, the second pie is super easy, I've thrown it together in less than ten minutes when I already have the pie shell frozen -- or when I buy a pre-frozen one.) Third, even though you don't blind bake either of these pies, I always give this tip: I failed at every blind bake I ever attempted (blind baking is the step when you half bake the bottom crust first before you add the filling, usually done in custard type pies and other pies without a top crust), until I read this piece and started using sugar as the pie weight. Just funnel the sugar into a jar after you use it (wait for it to cool first), it doesn't burn or anything, and you can use it for anything after! Fourth: both of these pies are great to make ahead (and honestly much easier if you make them the day before you want to serve them). Store the first at room temp and the second in the fridge (but take it out of the fridge a few hours before you want to serve it).
Salted Caramel Apple Pie
Dough for a 9 inch double crust pie
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter (cut in 6-8 cubes)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 lemons
6 to 7 baking apples (about 2.5 pounds) (I like to use a mix of apples, a few Granny Smiths, and a few Jonagolds or Pink Ladys or Golden Delicious, but use what you like)
2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
1/3 cup raw sugar (I think I've always just used brown sugar and have been fine)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
A pinch of nutmeg
A grind of fresh black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt
1 large egg white
Demerara sugar, for finishing (optional)
Have your pie crust ready (this is great as a lattice crust pie if you like making a lattice, but if you don't, just cut some big holes out of the top).
To make the caramel:
Whisk together 1 cup of the granulated sugar and the water in a medium saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is just dissolved (remember, when in doubt, make your heat lower!). Add the butter cube by cube and bring to a slow boil. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture turns a deep golden brown (remember, do NOT look away from the caramel! It always seems like nothing is happening and then EVERYTHING HAPPENS). Remove from heat and slowly add the heavy cream -- it'll look sort of like an exploding volcano while you do this, be careful but don't be alarmed! Whisk the final mixture together and set aside to cool while you do everything else.
Juice the lemons into a large mixing bowl, removing any seeds. Core, peel and thinly slice or cube the apples (I like to make thin cubes of apples -- or slice in half and then cut those slices in half again). Dredge the cut up apples in the lemon juice and then sprinkle lightly with the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix the Angostura bitters (if you don't already have these on hand, I've left them out, it's fine), with the raw or brown sugar, the spices and pepper, and the salt and flour, and mix well. Add the apples to this mixture, leaving behind any liquid in the apples. Toss to make sure the apples are well coated with the spice mixture.
Tightly layer the apples in the prepared pie shell, mounding slightly higher in the center. Pour 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the caramel sauce evenly over the apples (use more if you want a sweeter pie). Sprinkle with 1/4 teapsoon of the flaky salt, and put the pie crust on top of the pie.
Chill the assembled pie in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Mix the egg white with a teaspoon of water and a pinch of salt, and brush the top of the pie with the egg wash (don't let any of the caramel get on the top of the pie). Sprinkle with the demerera sugar and flaky salt, put on top of a rimmed baking sheet and put in the oven. Bake for about 20-25 minutes (until the pastry begins to brown), and then lower the oven temp to 375 degrees and continue to bake 30-35 minutes longer, until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling. The apples should be tender if you poke them with a knife or fork.
Cool completely on a rack before serving.
Salty Honey Pie
Dough for a 9 inch single crust pie, crimped and frozen
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon white cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
3/4 cup honey
3 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt (I use Maldon)
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Stir together the melted butter, sugar, cornmeal, salt, and vanilla paste (I have used vanilla extract in place of vanilla paste, it isn't as good, but it works). Stir in the honey and eggs one at a time, and then the heavy cream and vinegar. Place the frozen pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet and strain the filling through a fine mesh sieve directly into the shell. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45-50 minutes, rotating halfway when the edges start to set, about 30 minutes in. The pie is ready to take out when the edges are puffed and set, the center is golden brown, but still jiggles a little (it'll set all the way as it cools). Let it cool completely on a wire rack, and sprinkle with the flaky salt.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Jasmine
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