PHOTOGRAPHY AND STYLING BY LIBBY VOLGYES
With autumn in the air and Thanksgiving right around the corner, now’s the perfect chance to indulge in a delicious seasonal pie. Whether you’re a fan of crisp apple, sweet-and-savory pumpkin, or sticky-sweet chocolate, there’s a flavor for everyone when it comes to these scrumptious treats.
If you’re planning on baking your own pies this year, be sure to check out our recipe ideas, courtesy of local restaurants and shops, for inspiration.
Spiced Pear and Apple Pie with Sage Crust (recipe by Anna Kae, owner/baker at Love Well Baking Co.)
Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups rye flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. fresh sage, cut into small ribbons
- 2 sticks cold butter, cut into small cubes, then frozen
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar + 1/2 cup ice water
Whisk flours and salt together until combined, then toss in sage. Add frozen butter, and use hands or a pastry cutter to cut in butter until it’s the size of peas. Slowly pour in vinegar/water mix, and mix slowly. Add until absorbed by flour and mixture holds itself together. Shape into two discs, then refrigerate for a minimum of one hour.
Filling:
- 3 cups Granny Smith Apples, peeled
- 3 cups red pears, skin on
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. powdered ginger
- 1 tsp. fresh nutmeg
- 1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp. ClearJel (specialty pie thickener, can be ordered from King Arthur Flour)
Slice fruit into 1/4-inch slices, then toss with lemon juice and fresh ginger. Mix together all the dry ingredients and sprinkle over fruit mixture. Make sure everything is well coated to ensure proper thickening.
Roll out one disc of chilled pie dough into preferred baking dish (metal is best), with an extra inch hanging over the sides to create the crimped rim on the crust. Pour in filling, enough so that it creates a nice mound in the middle, as the fruit will cook down and reduce in size a bit. Then roll out the top crust however you like, a full cover on top (make sure to cut a few air vents), or a pretty lattice.
Make sure to brush with egg wash so that it browns nicely and evenly in the oven. You can even sprinkle a bit of raw sugar for added crunch and texture.
Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, then turn oven down to 375 degrees and bake for 30 more minutes, or until filling is bubbling under the crust.
Continue to page 2 for a recipe for Forest Berries and Citrus Pie.
Forest Berries and Citrus Pie (recipe by Bashar Al Shamali, Executive Pastry Chef at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach)
Crust:
- 12 oz. pastry flour
- 8 oz. cold butter, cubed
- 1/4 oz. salt
- 4 oz. iced water
- 1/2 oz. sugar
Combine flour, sugar, and butter cubes (rub butter to make fine). Add salt and water until dough forms – don’t over-mix. Refrigerate dough overnight.
Filling:
- 15 oz. fresh strawberries
- 7 oz. fresh raspberries
- 2 oz. blueberries
- 7 oz. sugar
- 7 g. pectin powder NH
- 1 vanilla bean
- Juice from 1/2 lime
- Zest from 1 lemon
Mix sugar and pectin together. Add lime juice and vanilla to the fruit mix and let set for 10 minutes, then put on fire, stirring constantly on low flame until it comes to boil. Strain the compote.
Instructions:
Roll out the pie dough to 5 mm. Cut 2-inch squares out of the dough. Pick up the dough and fill it out in the perfect square mold. Fill mold with mixed berry compote and cover with remaining dough. Poke the top and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees until golden in color. Once cool, invert the molds and serve.
Continue to page 3 for a look at several other delicious desserts.
White chocolate tart with cranberries, raspberries, and pistachios, courtesy of Philip van Egmond, owner of Bond and Smolders.
Tart with white wine-poached pears, blueberries, toasted almond cake, and brown sugar oatmeal crumble, courtesy of pastry chef Jennifer Reed of The Sugar Monkey.
Deconstructed blueberry pie shooters with torch-browned meringue, courtesy of confectionary artist Janderyn Makris of Earth and Sugar.
The post Slice of Heaven: Seasonal Pie Recipes appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.