In Which I Attempt "The Best All-American Apple Pie" - Part Two

I'll admit it. I've been in a bit of a pie rut lately. Hence the decision to bake my way through The Pie and Pastry Bible. I've pretty much stuck to the same pie crust recipe for the last 15 years: 3 cups of flour, a tsp of sugar, a half tsp of salt, two sticks of unsalted butter (not a stickler for that one- salted seems fine too), and a half cup of ice water. 

Rose Levy beranbaum's pie bible has like a gagillion different recipes for crust. OK, maybe not a gagillion, but a whole lot. Rose recommends that you make her "Best All-American Apple Pie" with her "Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust," which, compared to my usual crust recipe, is downright fancy. You've got baking powder, cream cheese, and cider vinegar. And as I mentioned a few posts ago, there are a lot of steps taken to make sure everything is chilled.

The directions say to knead the pie crust mixture in a gallon freezer bag and I found that to be a bit challenging. I couldn't quite get everything incorporated and so I finally took it everything out and dumped it into the chilled bowl. After mixing it by hand in the bowl, I was overcome with remorse because I had vowed to- just once in my life- follow directions exactly. My lack of patience got the best of me.

The other interesting- and time-sucking- thing about this recipe was macerating the apples in the lemon juice, sugars, and spices and letting them sit for half an hour to three hours, then setting them in a colander over a bowl to collect the juice. This juice is then poured into a saucepan with two tablespoons of butter and reduced by a third or so.

When I finally assembled the pie, I found the crust to be similar in temperament to my usual recipe, if a little more sticky due to the cream chez. Again ignoring directions and throwing caution to the wind, I floured my table and rolled the crust out. Rose recommends buttering two sheets of plastic wrap or flouring pastry cloth. I prefer to save on plastic and waste in general. I mean, Rose, what gives? First we're using two gallon freezer bags and then a bunch of plastic wrap when I usually only use a bit of parchment paper and some foil. Sorry for the soapboxing but let's consider the environment for a moment.

Trixie and I agreed, the pie looked great when it was all set to go in the oven.

In Which I Attempt "The Best All-American Apple Pie"

While working on the above-mentioned pie, with its two full pages of instruction (more than three if you count the pie crust recipe), the plumber, who was fixing the bathroom sink, popped his head into the kitchen to express his concern that perhaps our dog had eaten a large brass screw. Said screw was nowhere to be found and said dog was entirely capable.

A call to the vet prompted a visit to the vet for exam and x-rays and a bit of a wait.

No screw was found- inside the dog or the house.

Back to Baking

Yes, it's been a very long while since last I posted to this blog. Work and family tend to get in the way of blogging. In any case, inquiring minds may want to know- and my husband wants you to know- that the doorknobs have indeed been replaced.

Now, on to the matter at hand. The goal is to bake the hell out of Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible, starting with the very first pie in the book and - if I can stick with it (let's be honest here, I do have trouble finishing projects sometimes) - bake each and every pie in this massive tome. (Thanks, Emily!)

The weekly BurningMan camp meetings being held here have helped me get started because there's nothing like a regular meeting here at the homestead to inspire me to feed people! Sadly, they've had to endure slightly similar treats the last two weeks - apple/pear upside down cake, apple galette - and now tonight is apple pie. But it's not just any apple pie. We're talking apple pie a la Rose LB made with such painstaking care and niggly tiny steps that it can't fail to be fab. Right?

I don't know. I'm already daunted by her pie crust directions and thinking, "Really? You want me to chill the mixing bowl and then cut the chilled butter into pieces and then chill it again? And I need to assemble the crust in a gallon freezer bag and mix and then stick it in the freezer, Rose? Really?" Anyone who knows me knows I am a slowfood type of gal, but this is veering into anal retentive pastures.

Well, here goes. Will report back when it's all over. Wish me luck. Do you think I'll be OK without pastry flour?