Authors: Barbara Fairchild

Bon Appetit Desserts (62 page)

BOOK: Bon Appetit Desserts

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1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

CRUST:
Blend both flours, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons ice water and process just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; divide into 2 pieces, 1 slightly larger than the other. Flatten larger piece into disk and smaller piece into rectangle; wrap separately in plastic and chill at least 1 hour.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

FILLING:
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Spread apple slices on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons sugar over apples, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter and lemon juice; toss to coat. Bake just until apples begin to soften, stirring once, about 15 minutes. Cool apples completely on baking sheet. Maintain oven temperature.

Transfer apples and any accumulated juices to large bowl. Mix in raisins and brown sugar.

Butter 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Roll out dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to prepared pie dish. Spoon apple filling into crust. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter over. Roll out dough rectangle on floured surface to 11×7-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise into twelve Winch-wide strips. Place 6 strips 1 inch apart atop apple filling. Place remaining 6 strips diagonally atop first 6 strips, forming diamond lattice pattern. Trim strips even with bottom crust. Fold dough overhang in, pressing onto edge of pie dish. Using fork, press dough edge decoratively to seal.

Brush dough strips with egg glaze. Sprinkle strips with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake pie 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue to bake pie until crust is golden and apples are tender, covering crust edges with foil collar if browning too quickly, about 1 hour 15 minutes longer. Cool pie on rack at least 2 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely, then cover and store at room temperature.

Pear-Cardamom Pie with Almond Crust

The foolproof cookie-like crust is perfect for the pie-making novice. Consider serving this dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.
8 servings

Crust

2¾ cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 7-ounce package marzipan or almond paste, coarsely crumbled

¾ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

5 tablespoons chilled non-hydrogenated solid vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch pieces

3 tablespoons (or more) pear nectar

½ teaspoon almond extract

Filling

⅓ cup (packed) dark brown sugar

1 vanilla bean, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

3 pounds firm but ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, halved, cored, cut into ½- to ¾-inch-thick wedges

2 tablespoons pear nectar

1 egg, beaten to blend

1 tablespoon sugar

CRUST:
Blend flour, marzipan, and salt in processor until marzipan is finely ground. Add butter and shortening; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix 3 tablespoons pear nectar and almond extract in small bowl; add mixture to processor. Using on/off turns, blend mixture, gradually adding more pear nectar by teaspoonfuls as needed until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap separately in plastic and chill at least 2 hours.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

FILLING:
Grind brown sugar and chopped vanilla bean in processor 1 minute. Add cornstarch and cardamom and process until vanilla bean is very finely ground. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Add pears and pear nectar; toss to coat.

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Roll out 1 dough disk between sheets of floured parchment paper to 13-inch round. Peel off top sheet of parchment. Invert dough into 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Peel off second sheet of parchment and press dough into dish. Trim dough overhang to ½ inch. Transfer pear filling to crust. Roll out second dough disk between sheets of floured parchment to 13-inch round. Peel off top sheet of parchment and invert dough onto filling. Peel off second sheet of parchment. Trim dough overhang to ½ inch. Press top and bottom crust edges together to seal. Fold edge under and crimp decoratively.

Gather dough scraps and reroll between sheets of floured parchment. Using leaf-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Arrange atop pie. Brush top of crust (not edge) with egg glaze. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut several slits in top crust to allow steam to escape during baking.

Bake pie 15 minutes. Cover crust edge with foil collar to prevent over-browning. Continue baking until crust is golden brown and pears are almost tender when pierced with skewer, about 40 minutes. Cool pie on rack at least 1½ hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Pear and Fig Pie with Hazelnut Crust

With its pairing of fresh pears and dried figs, this is a wonderful autumn dessert. Hazelnuts add crunch and rich flavor to the crust.
8 servings

Crust

½ cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, cooled

4 ½ teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2½ cups unbleached all purpose flour

¾ cup (1½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes

4 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling

1 cup dried black Mission figs, stemmed, quartered

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

2¼ pounds pears, peeled, quartered, cored, thinly sliced

CRUST:
Finely grind nuts, sugar, and salt in processor. Blend in flour. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until butter is reduced to rice-size pieces. Blend in 4 tablespoons ice water, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls until dough comes together in moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap separately in plastic and chill at least 45 minutes.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

FILLING:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine figs, sugar, flour, lemon juice, and lemon peel in large bowl. Add pears and toss to blend.

Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fill crust with pear mixture. Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round; place atop filling. Trim overhang of top and bottom crusts to ½ inch; press together and fold under. Crimp edge decoratively. Cut several slits in top crust to allow steam to escape during baking.

Bake pie 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue to bake until juices bubble thickly through slits and crust is golden, about 50 minutes longer. Cool pie on rack 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pie Troubleshooting

Soggy crusts? Overflowing filling? Holes in the dough? We have the solution—or the prevention—for common pie problems.

PROBLEM:
Holes and tears in the dough.

SOLUTION:
When transferring the dough to the pie pan, rips, tears, and holes sometimes appear. To fix this, just use any leftover dough pieces to patch the problem areas. Press the dough patch to adhere it to the crust. If needed, brush over the patch with a little beaten egg white.

PROBLEM:
Soggy bottom crust.

SOLUTION:
Pies with soft, wet fillings can sometimes become soggy on the bottom. To avoid this, partially bake the crust before adding the filling: Line the crust with foil and add dried beans or commercial pie weights, then bake it until it’s just light brown.

PROBLEM:
Unevenly baked crust.

SOLUTION:
First, press the dough gently into the bottom of the pie pan. A crust that touches the pan in all spots has a better chance of browning evenly. Before you preheat the oven, move the rack to the bottom third of the oven. Baking the pie lower in the oven will help the crust brown. And last but not least, we recommend baking your pies in a glass pie pan, which allows you to check the bottom of the crust during baking.

PROBLEM:
Overflowing filling.

SOLUTION:
As some pies bake, the filling bubbles up—and over. To prevent the mess in your oven, place pies on a rimmed baking sheet. Using a baking sheet also makes it easy to remove the pie from the oven.

PROBLEM:
Burned crust edges.

SOLUTION:
Because they aren’t protected by filling, the thin edges of the crust have a tendency to brown more quickly than the rest of the crust. Keep a close eye on the pie as it bakes. When the crust edge turns light golden, cover it with a pie-crust shield (a thin metal or silicone ring that fits over the pie), or make your own with a long strip of aluminum foil. The edge of the crust will continue to brown after you cover it, so it’s important not to wait too long.

Rhubarb Lattice Pie with Cardamom and Orange

Rhubarb comes into season early in spring when there’s little else at the farmers’ market to cook with. It is delicious in pies, cobblers, and crisps, and it is particularly pretty bubbling out from beneath a lattice crust. Look for rhubarb with deep-red stalks, as they make the best-looking pie. If you’re running short on time, skip the lattice and top with a second crust.
8 servings

Crust

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (1½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, then frozen 15 minutes

6 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling

10 cups 1-inch pieces trimmed fresh rhubarb (about 2½ pounds)

⅔ cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar

¼ cup orange juice

2½ teaspoons finely grated orange peel

½ teaspoon ground cardamom