(yields one 9" pie)
(Inspired by Maida Heatter's Yam Pie and Gourmet's Sweet Potato Pie 1989) one 9" all-butter pie crust (blind bake before filling) 1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 4 oz. (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes 1/2 cup ice cold water 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine flour, salt and sugar. Pulse once or twice to combine. Add butter and pulse just until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Empty this mixture into a medium sized bowl. Combine ice water and vinegar then add to flour/butter mixture, one or two tablespoons at a time until the dough comes together. If it feels at all dry, add one or two additional tablespoons of ice cold water. Pat the dough together into a disc, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out and fitting it into a 9"pie plate. Chill the pie shell thoroughly before blind-baking it. Sweet Potato filling 1 & 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes (try and use a deep colored yam such as the Garnet) (roast the potatoes in a 375 degree oven until they pierce easily and begin to caramelize, about an hour, maybe a bit longer) 4 tablespoons room temperature, unsalted butter 3 eggs 1 egg yolk 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground ginger (I prefer 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger) 1/4 teaspoon cloves 1/2 teaspoon allspice 3/4 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon orange zest 1/4 cup good quality bourbon Once the potatoes have roasted and cooled, remove the skins and mash the pulp with a potato masher. You need 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes for this recipe. I like to give the mashed potatoes a quick run through the food processor with the butter so they are smooth, but don't overdo it and get them all pasty. Place the pureed potatoes/butter in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine your salt, brown sugar and spices. Now add the salt/sugar/spice mix to the potatoes/butter mix and blend thoroughly. I like to heat the cream either in the microwave or over medium heat just until it is hot, but not boiling. Add the hot cream to the potato mixture and fold in with a rubber spatula, then add the vanilla extract, orange zest and bourbon. Let this mixture rest for about an hour (really) before you add the eggs and egg yolk. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together the eggs and egg yolk in a small bowl then add to the sweet potato mixture. Fold in gently but thoroughly. Place the partially baked pie shell on a parchment lined baking sheet and pour the filling into the pie shell. Cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil strips so they don't get too dark. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees. Continue baking the pie for about 25 minutes. The edges of the pie will begin to puff and the center will still look the tiniest bit shiny. It should just barely jiggle- the pie continues to firm up as it cools. While the pie cools, prepare the Bourbon Whipped Cream and Crazy Nut brittle. Bourbon Whipped Cream 1 1/3 cups heavy cream 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons good quality bourbon In a chilled bowl, whip together the cream, sugar, vanilla and bourbon until it holds soft peaks. Keep chilled until ready to serve the pie. Crazy Nut Brittle (adapted from the Leslie Mackie's Macrina Cookbook) Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush the parchment with canola oil. In a small bowl combine the following spices: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon allspice 1/8 teaspoon cardamom 1/4 teaspoon ginger 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt In a small saucepan over low heat combine 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup dark corn syrup. Heat just until the mixture is melted. In a medium bowl combine an assortment of nuts that will total 2 cups. I used: 1/2 cup pecan halves 1/2 cup walnut halves 1/2 cup macadamia nuts 1/2 cup whole skinned almonds Toss the spice mixture over the nuts, coating them thoroughly, then add the melted honey/corn syrup mixture. Using a rubber spatula, turn the mixture out onto the greased, parchment lined baking sheet, spread the nut mixture into a single layer and bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. Let the nut mixture cool completely before you break it into brittle.
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![]() (yields: 6) 6 apples (between 7-8 oz. each) peeled, cored, leaving the bottom intact, brushed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice (I use either Honeycrisp or Cortland- something sturdy, but not Granny Smiths- too tart) Hazelnut Pastry 2 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cups finely chopped skinned hazelnuts 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse together flour, hazelnuts, brown sugar and salt. Add butter, pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal. Turn this mixture into a large bowl. Combine ice water and cider vinegar, add to flour/nut/sugar/salt/butter mixture, one tablespoon at a time, just until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a piece of parchment paper. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cherry Hazelnut filling 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped skinned hazelnuts 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons tart Montmorency dried cherries In a small bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar, hazelnuts, cinnamon and dried cherries. This will be the filling for the cored apples. (Prepare 1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons of cream or milk as an egg wash.) Working with one disc of chilled pastry at a time, roll out the dough onto parchment paper, 1/8" thick. You can cut out an 8" square of parchment to use as a template, or simply use a ruler to mark 8" squares. You should get three 8" squares from each disc of rolled pastry with extra to cut out decorative leaves. (Chill the leaf cutouts on parchment while you are wrapping the apples in dough.) Place one apple, right side up, in the center of each square of dough, and fill the apple with 1 generous tablespoon of the brown sugar/hazelnut/dried cherry mixture. Brush the edges of the dough with a bit of the egg wash, then bring one corner of the square up to the top of the apple, pressing gently to hold it in place. Bring the next corner of dough up to the top, slightly overlapping, pressing it into place. Continue with the remaining two corners of dough. The dough should be overlapping, and it's fine to pinch it with your fingers to adjust the creases. Brush the entire pastry wrapped apple with some of the egg wash. Continue the process with the remaining apples, placing the completed apples 1 & 1/2" apart on a rimmed parchment lined baking sheet. Dab the leaf cutouts with egg wash and attach them to the dumplings. You must refrigerate the apples before you bake them, at least an hour, to ensure that the pastry is cold and doesn't slip down during the baking. I've kept them covered with plastic in the fridge overnight and baked them in the morning and they are delicious hot of the oven for breakfast. Before you are ready to bake them, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Use a small knife to poke a hole in the top of each pastry, allowing steam to escape. (The leaf cutouts brown faster than the rest of the pastry, so you may want to cover them with foil halfway through.) Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the apples feel tender when pierced with a knife. Serve with the Cider Caramel. Cider Caramel 2 cups good quality apple cider, reduced to 1/4 cup 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 5 tablespoons salted butter (the salt deepens the flavor of the caramel, balances the sweetness) 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract 1 pinch sea salt You have to reduce the cider down from 2 cups to 1/4 cup. This takes a little time and patience- keep an eye on things here; you can start with a high heat but as it reduces, you will need to lower the flame. Measure the reduced cider into a pyrex measuring cup- if it's more than 1/4 cup, reduce it a bit more. When you have 1/4 cup of cider reduction, place it in a medium sauce pan. Add the brown sugar, salted butter and heavy cream, stir to combine and cook over low heat. Continue cooking the caramel until the mixture thickens; this can take about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and the sea salt. Stir and set aside to cool. The caramel will continue to thicken as it cools down. Refrigerate the cooled sauce. (yields one 7" double crust pie) (adapted from Superb Pies and Pastries, Culinary Arts Institute)
Ginger/Honey Poached Quince (yields generous 4 cups) (adapted from Food and Wine magazine) 4 quinces, (about 2 lbs.) peeled, core removed, cut into ¼” slices 3½ cups water ½ cup sugar ¼ cup honey 1 lemon, cut in half 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 3 cardamom pods, crushed 8 thin slices of peeled fresh ginger In a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar, honey, lemon, vanilla bean, cardamom and ginger. Bring to a boil, stirring, just until sugar and honey melts. Reduce heat, add the quinces, cover with a circle of parchment paper, and simmer until quinces are tender, about 45 minutes, maybe a bit longer. Transfer the poached fruit to a bowl, using a slotted spoon. Reduce the poaching liquid until syrupy, about 10 minutes. Pour the syrup over the quinces and set aside until cool. Refrigerate. This will yield enough quince for two 7” pies so you will have an excuse to bake this breakfast or dessert pie not once, but twice. (The extra quince keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.) Gruyere or Cheddar (or Cheddar and Gruyere) Crust (both Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s offers these cheeses individually, or in combination) (adapted from King Arthur Flour) 1¼ cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt 1½ teaspoons sugar 1 tablespoon finely minced crystallized ginger 10 tablespoons cold butter, cut into ½” pieces 1½ oz. Gruyere or Cheddar or combo, shredded finely then frozen 3 tablespoons ice cold Hudson Standard Pear Honey Ginger shrub (You can substitute 3 tablespoons cold apple cider plus 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, but it is well worth keeping a bottle of the shrub in the fridge for fall pie baking.) In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse together the flour, salt, sugar and finely minced crystallized ginger. Add the cold butter and cheese, and pulse just until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Turn this mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the cold pear ginger shrub, 1 tablespoon at a time, gently combining the dry mixture with the liquid, until the dough comes together. Shape the dough into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour before rolling out. Quince Pear Pie filling for a 7” pie 2 cups drained, cooled, poached quince slices 2 cups of peeled, cored ripe pears, cut into ¼” slices zest and juice from one small lemon 1 teaspoon of Pear Honey Ginger shrub 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon honey 1 tablespoon cornstarch ¼ teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped (egg wash made with one egg and two teaspoons of water) Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. On a piece of parchment paper, roll out one disc of pie dough about 1/8” thick, 9” round, and fit it into a 7” pie plate. Roll and crimp the edges, then refrigerate while you prepare the filling. Roll out the second disc of dough for your top crust about 1/8” thick and 9” round on the parchment paper, place on a baking sheet and refrigerate. Place the poached quince slices, pear slices, lemon juice, honey and the shrub into a large mixing bowl; stir gently to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch, ground ginger, fresh ginger, cardamom, seeds from the vanilla bean, and the lemon zest. Pour the sugar/cornstarch/spice mixture over the fruit, toss gently to coat with a rubber spatula. Pour into chilled pie shell, place top crust over the fruit, seal and crimp the edges. Brush the top crust with egg wash and cut a few vents in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover the edges with strips of aluminum foil and bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until the pie is golden and juices bubble from the center. Best to cool on a rack for two hours if you care about neat slices. Some of us do not. ![]() (makes one 9" pie) Pie Crust (adapted from Carole Walter’s Flaky Pie pastry) 11 oz. all-purpose flour 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar ¾ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ cup chilled non-hydrogenated shortening, cut into ¼” cubes ½ cup cold, unsalted butter cut into ¼” cubes 5-6 Tablespoons cold water In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add the shortening and butter to the bowl, mixing on low just until crumbly. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Drizzle the cold water one tablespoon at a time, around the inside of the bowl using a fork to push the mixture towards the center. Add the remaining water one tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half, dust with flour. Wrap each half in plastic and chill for at least one hour before using. Roll one half of the chilled pie pastry into a 12” circle, about 1/8” thick. Fit the rolled dough into a 9” pie plate, trim the edges to leave a 1” overhang around the pan. Roll out the remaining half of dough on parchment paper to about 1/8” thick, and trim it into a 12” circle. Chill both the top and bottom crusts while preparing the filling. Plum Raspberry Filling 2 lbs. red or purple plums, halved, pitted and cut into thick wedges (5 generous cups) 1 cup fresh raspberries zest from one small orange 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup dark brown sugar 3 Tablespoons cornstarch ¼ teaspoon ginger ¼ teaspoon cardamom ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg egg wash made of 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of water 2 Tablespoons of coarse raw sugar, for sprinkling on top of lattice Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the sugars, cornstarch and spices. Whisk to combine. In a large bowl, place the plums, orange juice and zest. Add the sugars, cornstarch and spices to the plums, mixing gently with a rubber spatula. Set aside. Place the chilled pie shell on a parchment lined baking sheet. Add half of the plum mixture to the pie shell, sprinkle with ½ cup of the raspberries, then repeat with the remaining plums and raspberries. Cut the top crust into wide lattice strips, weave the lattice over the fruit, then tuck and seal the edges. Crimp as desired, and brush the dough with egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse raw sugar, cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil strips to prevent overbrowning. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden and the juices are bubbling thickly. Let cool on a rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. |
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