Pair of cookbooks take pies to the next level

  • By Erin Pride Special to The Herald
  • Friday, November 20, 2015 1:32pm
  • Life

I’d happily eat the guts of any pie. But the crust? That’s another story. Nasty, floppy, soggy things — barely excusable pastry envelope for a pie’s tasty innards.

Let me eat cake.

That is, until I was offered a slice of award-winning pie — apple candied ginger pie. I couldn’t say no to award-winning pie, especially when offered by a blue ribbon baker. I felt cornered, but how bad could it be? She’d not only been given a ribbon for her efforts, but also a cash reward. Money talks. I accepted.

If it wasn’t singing I heard at first bite, it was certainly my taste buds waking from a long pie-starved slumber. This is what a pie crust was meant to be: Flaky and buttery; one that shattered when I sliced my fork through to the sweet apple goodness inside, bits of candied ginger surprising each bite.

I was a convert.

If you aren’t convinced pie is for you, I have two books for you: Kate Lebo’s “Pie School: Lessons in Fruit, Flour and Butter,” and Emily and Melissa Elsen’s “The Four &Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book: Uncommon Recipes from the Celebrated Brooklyn Pie Shop.”

Lebo, Pacific Northwest-born pie baker and expert, founded Pie School to teach novice bakers how to master the art of pie. Her appropriately named cookbook will ease you into the hows and whys of a flaky pie crust and introduce you to a variety of delicious insides to fill it.

I opted for her award-winning crust — Purple Ribbon Piecrust — not only because it is award winning, but also because Lebo says that I needn’t worry about its ragged appearance.

“If your fresh-baked pie looks a bit homely,” she writes, “you’re doing it right.”

If you’re already a born pie lover, then “The Four &Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book: Uncommon Recipes from the Celebrated Brooklyn Pie Shop” is the one for you.

The Elsen sisters use bitters and spices to enhance the fillings in their creative pies — paprika for the peaches, lavender and bitters for the blueberries, juniper for the pears. All these intriguing additions provide a backbone to the flavor, layering it beyond just “sweet.”

I love bitter, so the idea of adding a little bit of it to a pie was just as fine to me as adding it to a cocktail. I was rewarded for my faithfulness to the recipe, as bitters seem to act like a sort of healthful MSG, keeping me hooked and coming back for more. Consider yourself warned.

I wowed my family and myself with the Concorde Grape Pie. Jammy and reminiscent of childhood, it’s rather sophisticated with its dash of bitters and beautifully cut crust.

Having “The Four &Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book” on my shelf guarantees that no matter what sort of fruit I find at the market — or hiding in my freezer — there’s a pie to be made. A pie that is delicious and, in my mind, completely appropriate to serve for dinner, lunch and certainly breakfast.

A good pie pan yields not only an impressive pie, but also one pretty enough to bring to the holiday meal. I was introduced to such a pie plate on a trip to the Ballard Farmers Market, where I met Darby Huffman of Daily Bird Pottery in Port Townsend.

Daily Bird Pottery is crafted from red clay and left unglazed, giving each piece a very earthy tactility. The pie plate is at once beautiful and utilitarian, light yet sturdy.

“Our pottery starts out feeling a little rough,” Huffman tells me, “but after days and months of use, it smooths out.”

The pie plate he gave me was used in his own kitchen, home to pieces that have subtle imperfections that keep him from selling them to customers. But for me, it’s the perfect fit. A pie plate of slight imperfection for my pies of the same.

The clay dish bakes the pie more evenly as the clay holds a consistent temperature yielding a pie crust that is flaky throughout.

With both “Pie School” and “The Four &Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book” I feel armed and ready with an arsenal of pie crusts and delicious fillings. Less afraid to add to the Thanksgiving meal, I will come proudly bearing my dessert, exclaiming, “Let us eat pie!”

Who should buy “Pie School”: Anyone with a fear of pie baking. Those looking to hone their novice pie baking skills. Sasquatch Books, $24.95

Who should buy “The Four &Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book”: Adventurous pie lovers. Grand Central Life &Style, $30

Erin Pride is a home cook who loves cookbooks and writes about them on her blog, Edible Shelf. For more on the specific recipes Erin tested, visit her website, edibleshelf.com. Follow Erin on Twitter and Instagram @edibleshelf.

Brown butter pumpkin pie

For the crust

11/4cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2teaspoon kosher salt

11/2teaspoons granulated sugar

1/4pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

1/2cup cold water

2tablespoons cider vinegar

1/2cup ice

For the pie

6tablespoons unsalted butter

1cup light brown sugar

2tablespoons water

1/2cup heavy cream

1/2teaspoon vanilla extract

2large eggs

2large egg yolks

1/2teaspoon kosher salt

12/3cups pumpkin puree

1/2teaspoon ground allspice

1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch ground cloves

1teaspoon molasses

2teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2/3cup whole milk

1/3cup carrot juice

For the crust, stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a bench scraper or spatula. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are OK; be careful not to overblend).

Combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice in a large measuring cup or bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or spatula until it is fully incorporated. Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, using the bench scraper or your hands (or both) to mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining.

Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of the ice water mixture, if necessary, to combine. Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give the crust time to mellow.

Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.

For the pie, in a heavy-bottomed skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Continue to cook; the butter will foam and then begin to turn golden, then nut brown; whisk occasionally. When the butter is nut brown, immediately add the brown sugar, whisk, and then carefully add the water to loosen.

Bring the mixture to a boil and continue simmering until a candy thermometer reads 225 degrees. (If you don’t have a candy thermometer, cook until the mixture smells caramelized and starts to darken.) Remove from the heat and slowly add the heavy cream (the mixture will bubble rapidly) and whisk until smooth. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the prebaked pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet.

In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and yolks together with the salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment or in a large bowl using an immersion blender, blend the pumpkin puree with the allspice, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, molasses, and lemon juice until smooth. With the machine running on low, stream the brown-butter butterscotch through the food processor’s feed tube and process until combined. Stream in the egg mixture, followed by the milk and carrot juice; blend until smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides with a rubber scraper. Strain the filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a separate bowl, pressing through with a rubber scraper. Pour into the prebaked shell.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, rotating 180 degrees when the edges start to set, 30 to 35 minutes through baking. The pie is finished when the edges are set and puffed slightly and the center is no longer liquid but still quite wobbly. Be careful not to overbake or the custard can separate; the filling will continue to cook and set after the pie is removed from the oven. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours.

Serve slightly warm, at room temperature, or cool.

The pie will keep refrigerated for 2 days or at room temperature for 1 day.

Makes one 9-inch pie; Serves 8-10.

Cranberry sage pie

3/4cup dried cranberries

1tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh sage

1/2cup granulated sugar

1/2cup packed light brown sugar

1/2teaspoon kosher salt

4tablespoons ground arrowroot

1/4teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4teaspoon ground allspice

4cups whole cranberries, fresh or frozen (two 10-ounce bags)

1small baking apple, such as Northern Spy or Golden Delicious

1tablespoon vanilla extract

1large egg, lightly beaten

Egg wash (1 large egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water and a pinch of salt)

Demerara sugar, for finishing

Have ready and refrigerated one pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan and pastry round or lattice to top.

In a heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over the dried cranberries to cover by about an inch. Allow them to plump while making the remaining filling.

In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine the chopped sage, granulated and brown sugars, salt, arrowroot, cinnamon, and allspice. Process until the sage is fully blended. Pour the sugar mixture into a large bowl.

Use the same food processor bowl to briefly process 2 cups of the whole cranberries to a rough chop; add them, along with the remaining 2 cups whole cranberries, to the sugar mixture.

Peel the apple and shred on the large holes of a box grater.

In a colander, drain the plumped dried cranberries of excess water, but do not press or squeeze them out.

Add the shredded apple and the drained dried cranberries to the bowl with the rest of the filling and mix well. Stir in the vanilla extract and egg, and mix well.

Pour the filling into the refrigerated pie shell, arrange the lattice or pastry round on top, and crimp as desired.

Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to set the pastry.

Meanwhile, position the oven racks in the bottom and center positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack, and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Brush the pastry with the egg wash to coat; if your pie has a lattice top, be careful not to drag the filling onto the pastry (it will burn).

Sprinkle with the desired amount of demerara sugar.

Place the pie on the rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is set and beginning to brown. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees, move the pie to the center oven rack, and continue to bake until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling throughout, 35 to 45 minutes longer.

Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

The pie will keep for 3 days refrigerated or for up to 2 days at room temperature.

Makes one 9-inch pie; serves 8-10

Salted honey pie

For the crust

11/4cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2teaspoon kosher salt

11/2teaspoons granulated sugar

1/4pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

1/2cup cold water

2tablespoons cider vinegar

1/2cup ice

For the filling

1/4pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

3/4cup granulated sugar

1tablespoon white cornmeal

1/2teaspoon kosher salt

1teaspoon vanilla paste (Nielsen-Massey makes a readily available one)

3/4cup honey

3large eggs

1/2cup heavy cream

2teaspoons white vinegar

1 to 2teaspoons flake sea salt, for finishing

In anticipation of making the pie, please make the crust first, crimp and freeze so that the crust is fully ready to be used according to the first step of the recipe.

For the crust, stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a bench scraper or spatula.

With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to overblend).

Combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice in a large measuring cup or bowl.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or spatula until it is fully incorporated.

Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, using the bench scraper or your hands (or both) to mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining.

Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of the ice water mixture, if necessary, to combine. Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give the crust time to mellow.

Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.

For the filling, have ready and frozen one pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan, crimped. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter, sugar, cornmeal, salt, and vanilla paste. Stir in the honey and the eggs one at a time, followed by 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 pie shell, or strain it into a separate bowl and then pour it into the shell.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, rotating 180 degrees when the edges start to set, 30 to 35 minutes through baking.

The pie is finished when the edges are set and puffed up high and the center is no longer liquid but looks set like gelatin and is golden brown on top.

Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours.

Sprinkle with flake sea salt.

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

The pie will keep refrigerated for 4 days or at room temperature for 2 days.

Makes one 9-inch pie; serves 8-10.

— Recipes courtesy “The Four &Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book: Uncommon Recipes from the Celebrated Brooklyn Pie Shop,” by Emily and Melissa Elsen

Crab-apple pie

1 recipe any double-crust pie dough

2 or 3 big handfuls crab apples (for 1 cup sliced)

3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided

3 or 4 tart pie apples (such as Gravenstein, Belle de Boskoop, macoun, or cortland)

1 any variety ripe pear

Juice of 1/2 medium lemon, or more (1 to 2 tablespoons)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Big pinch of salt

3 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Egg white wash (1 egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon water)

Demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Crab apples are relatives of apples and pears, but in this pie they take after a different cousin — the rose. Ever notice that crab apples, which grow (often barely tended) wherever autumn is crisp and cool, look a lot like rose hips? That’s no coincidence. Like quince (another relative), a raw crab apple is barely palatable, while a cooked one smells and tastes slightly of flowers. They’re walnut-size but have an apple’s core, so they require a patient knife to deseed and slice enough of them to make a pie. That’s why this recipe only requires a cup. Their rosy flavor and rind turn an apple pie from dependable to dazzling.

Make the dough and refrigerate it for at least an hour, or overnight. Roll out the bottom crust and place it in a 9- to 10-inch pie plate. Tuck the crust into the plate and trim the edges. Refrigerate it while you prepare the next steps of the recipe.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Slice off the tops and bottoms of the crab apples and core them. They’re tiny, so be careful not to cut too much of their edible fruit away. Slice the fruit as thinly as possible, leaving the rosy peel on. In a medium bowl, combine the crab apple slices with the granulated sugar and let them sit while you prepare the rest of the fruit.

Core, but don’t peel (unless you want to) the apples and pear, and slice them as thinly as possible, no thicker than ¼ inch. Put the slices in a large bowl and squeeze the lemon juice over them to prevent browning. Add the crab apple-sugar mixture. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Taste and adjust the flavors as needed. Stir in the flour and set the filling aside.

Roll out the top crust and retrieve the bottom crust from the refrigerator.

Pile the sliced fruit in the bottom crust, pressing them down gently to pack them into the pie. If any liquid remains in the bowl, pour it over the fruit. Smooth the filling into a mound with your hands and dot it with the butter. Drape the top crust over it, trim the edges, and crimp or flute them. Cut generous steam vents, brush the crust with the egg white wash, and sprinkle it with the demerara sugar.

Bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the crust is blond and blistered. Rotate the pie front to back and reduce the heat to 375 degrees F. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes more, until the crust is deeply golden and the juices bubble slowly at the pie’s edge.

Cool the pie on a wire rack for at least an hour before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers on the kitchen counter loosely wrapped in a towel for up to 3 days.

Makes 1 pie.

Purple ribbon pie crust

21/2cups flour

1tablespoon sugar

1teaspoon salt

12tablespoons (11/2 sticks) well-chilled unsalted butter

1/2cup well-chilled vegetable shortening

The first time I entered a pie contest I dropped my pie off at the door and ran home, utterly convinced I was a fool for trying. But I won. As in, the entire contest: Best in Show, purple ribbon, the whole enchilada. This butter-and-shortening crust stole the show because it’s flaky from center to edge and flavorful, not because it’s beautiful. If your fresh-baked pie looks a bit homely, you’re doing it right.

Fill a spouted liquid measuring cup with about 1½ cups of water, plop in some ice cubes, and place it in the freezer while you prepare the next steps of the recipe. The idea is to have more water than you need for the recipe (which will probably use 1/2 cup or less) at a very cold temperature, not to actually freeze the water or use all 11/2 cups in the dough.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut tablespoon-size pieces of butter and shortening and drop them into the flour. Toss the fat with the flour to evenly distribute it.

Position your hands palms up, fingers loosely curled. Scoop up flour and fat and rub it between your thumb and fingers, letting it fall back into the bowl after rubbing it. Do this, reaching into the bottom and around the sides to incorporate all the flour into the fat, until the mixture is slightly yellow, slightly damp. It should be chunky — mostly pea-size with some almond- and cherry-size pieces. The smaller bits should resemble coarse cornmeal.

Take the water out of the freezer. Pour it in a steady thin stream around the bowl for about 5 seconds. Toss to distribute the moisture. You’ll probably need to pour a little more water on and toss again. As you toss and the dough gets close to perfection, it will become a bit shaggy and slightly tacky to the touch. Press a small bit of the mixture together and toss it gently in the air. If it breaks apart when you catch it, add more water, toss to distribute the moisture, and test again. If the dough ball keeps its shape, it’s done. (When all is said and done, you’ll have added about 1/3 to 1/2 cup water.)

With firm, brief pressure, gather the dough in 2 roughly equal balls (if one is larger, use that for the bottom crust). Quickly form the dough into thick disks using your palms and thumbs. Wrap the disks individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour to 3 days before rolling.

Note: Shortening is quite soft when refrigerated, which can make this dough slightly more difficult to roll out. Unless I am patient and slow with the rolling pin, the dough often ends up with a hole in the middle. If that happens to you, don’t fret. Put the hole-y dough in the pie plate, place the edges of the hole together as best you can without folding or otherwise marring the rest of the dough, and patch any leftover holes with pieces from the edge.

The extra 1/4 cup of fat (when compared to my other dough recipes) means there is usually plenty of dough left over. When I double this recipe, I usually get two and a half double crusts (or five single crusts).

Makes 1 double crust

Whiskey maple pecan pie

1/2recipe any double-crust pie dough (for a single crust)

3large eggs

3/4cup maple syrup

3/4cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/4cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

1teaspoon white vinegar

3tablespoons rye whiskey

1/4teaspoon salt

2cups pecan halves

Make the dough and refrigerate it for at least an hour, or overnight. Roll out the bottom crust and place it in a 9-inch pie plate. Tuck the crust into the plate, trim the edges, and fold them into a ridge. Freeze the crust while you prepare the next steps of the recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with an electric hand mixer until frothy. Stir in the maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, vinegar, whiskey, and salt. Mix in the pecans. Pour the filling into the pie shell and smooth the surface with a spoon. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the crust is golden and the center remains firm when gently shaken.

Cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Store leftovers on the kitchen counter loosely wrapped in a towel for up to 3 days.

— Recipes courtesy “Pie School: Lessons in Fruit, Flour and Butter,” by Kate Lebo.

Daily Bird Pottery

Visit Phoebe and Darby Huffman at the Ballard Farmers Market, Sundays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or at their Port Townsend pottery studio, 2009 4th St, Port Townsend. For more information, visit www.dailybirdpottery.com.

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