As the summer sun slants across our decks and shadows lengthen, let’s get serious about pie.
What better tribute to the season’s bounty than to wrap those late season raspberries, plump blueberries or snappy apples in a tender, buttery crust?
Few kitchen feats provide as great a sense of accomplishment as making a pie. It’s a staple of our North Coast, served mid-morning to mid-afternoon with a strong cup of coffee or a heady brew.
The options for fillings are limitless and, in truth, there is nothing terribly tricky about making a perfect crust. An age-old debate continues – all-butter vs. shortening vs. a mix of both.
I go all-butter. It is crisp and sturdy, though some say it sacrifices flakiness for flavor. But Nothing (with a capital “N”) beats the buttery taste. This crust stands firm against juicy fillings and is strong enough to be rolled out and molded into a free-form, open-face tart. It is my go-to pie dough for any pie or tart, sweet and savory pies.
One sure bet for pie lovers is another favorite of mine: The Bayfield Apple Festival (October 5-7 this year) celebrates the harvest of America’s iconic fruit in apple brats and fritters, apple dumplings, apple ice cream, caramel apples and cider toddies. I especially love the Grand Parade on Sunday with its 400-member “Mass Band” finale, a rousing testament to North Country pride.
You’ll find my pie-lovers’ guided recipe with tips and hints for the best farm-to-pie options this season. Serve slices warm with Rum Whipped Cream (see recipe) or a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream from your favorite shop. Be it ever so humble, there’s nothing like a good homemade pie.
Heartland Fruit Pies – The Basics
This is my fool-proof crust for both sweet and savory pies. It’s great for open-faced tarts, too. Makes one 9-inch, double-crust pie.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks (1 c.) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch size chunks
6 Tbsp. or more ice water
4 to 4-1/2 c. chopped fruit or berries (suggestions follow)
To taste sugar, amount depending on the fruit
Instructions:
Mix together the flour and salt. Using your fingers or two knives, work the butter into the flour until it resembles small peas. Gradually blend in enough ice water to form moist clumps. Gather the dough into a ball; divide in half then flatten each ball into discs. Wrap each of the discs in plastic and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.
Roll half the well-chilled dough out on a floured pastry cloth or wax or parchment paper. For ease of transfer, fold the dough into quarters, lift and set it into the pie tin, then unfold and trim the edges to fit.
In a large bowl, gently toss together the fruit with the sugar to taste and turn into the prepared tin.
Roll out the remaining dough; fold into quarters then lift and place on top of the filling. Cut to fit the top of the pie. Crimp the edges to form a border to seal the pie.
Make 2-inch slashes in the top crust starting near the edge and going toward the center of the pie to release steam as it bakes.
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Bake pie until the crust is golden and brown and firm and the juices have bubbled through the slashes, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.
To use these fillings, toss together the ingredients and add in appropriate place in the basic recipe.
Apple Black Walnut
Ingredients:
4 to 4-1/2 c. chopped apple (try Haralson, Keepsake, Fireside or Prairie Spy)
1/4 cup chopped black walnuts
1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind
Sweeten to taste with brown sugar or maple sugar
Pear Ginger
Ingredients:
4 to 4-1/2 c. chopped pears (Bosc, Anjou, Summercrisp or Parker)
1/4 c. chopped crystalized ginger
Plum & Early Apple
Ingredients:
2 c. chopped apples (Haralson, Keepsake, Fireside or Prairie Spy)
2 c. chopped plums (Superior)
1 Tbsp. grated orange rind
Apple Cranberry
Ingredients:
2 c. fresh cranberries
2 c. chopped apples (Haralson, Keepsake, Fireside or Prairie Spy)
1/2 c. sugar or more to taste
Rum Whipped Cream
This will hold for 4 to 6 hours in the refrigerator. Makes 2 cups
Ingredients:
1 c. heavy cream
2 to 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
2 to 3 Tbsp. dark rum
Instructions:
In a medium bowl whip the cream until it holds soft peaks. Whip in the sugar one tablespoon at a time, then whip in the rum. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Beth Dooley, a food adventurer from the Twin Cities area, is a recent winner of the James Beard Award along with Sioux Chef co-author Sean Sherman (See Behind the Pages on page 4 for more.)
