When Fall gives you Apples...

Make Apple Pie!

What better way to end an insanely busy week than with a slice of homemade apple pie. As Fall creeps into the background I can't help but feel a sense of coziness, warmth and quietness. The Summer partying is officially over. Now, it's all about family, week night television and enjoying a slower pace of life. That is, once you leave work for the day.

It feels so strange to be back in my hometown as the sense of familiarity of the seasons is laden with childhood memories, sights, smells, and sounds. A little weird yet so comforting. So why apple pie? A classic for really any season, but Fall is when the Engel apple tree has branches covered in fruit. It's pretty amazing to see, as this Gordon variety Apple tree is seasonally consistent with its fruit production. It keeps not just my Dad happy with Apple Crisps, pies, and cobblers but also the birds that frequent it for the overripe apples that have fallen to the ground.

This pie is a combination of several recipes. Never am I one to follow a recipe, so why not multitask and incorporate three? The crust is from Julia Child; we use Crisco & butter.

Classic Apple Pie with Streusel Crumble Topping

for the crust... Baking with Julia
5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter cut in cubes
1 3/4 cups solid vegetable shortening, chilled
1 cup ice water

To make the dough, start with very cold ingredients. Place the dry ingredients in the food processor and pulse to mix. Add the cubed butter and shortening and pulse again until dough looks like cornmeal. Add a little cold water and pulse, continue to do so until the mixture sticks together when pressed between your fingers. Chill the dough!!! wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours... I'd recommend a full day.

for the Oat-Wheat Germ Streusel Topping... The Perfect Pie
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter diced, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a large bowl combine everything with your hands. This is the fun part!

apple filling... The New Basics Cookbook
6-8 apples
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
(or maybe a tad more, this is my fav addition)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Egg Wash for Dough
Beat together:
1 egg
tablespoon of water

Preheat oven to 350F

Peel and slice the apples and combine everything in the apple filling list together in a big bowl. The cornstarch will thicken the apple filling while the zest will bring out some juices in the apples.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Place into a pie dish. I believe this dough will make two pies, so you can always freeze one of the round discs. Brush the egg wash on to the pie dough and pre-cook the dough for about 8 minutes, or until dough is set.

Let cool. Next add the apple filling. Cover the apples with the Streusel Crumble.

Bake for about 1 1/4 hours, or until the filling is bubbling and the crust edges are golden brown.

phew... that was a lot of direction! Last but not least, Dig In!

"Outstanding" Fresh Berry Tart

In my opinion, fruit tarts always look better than they taste. The gooey, gelatinous glaze that holds the fruit together, um, no thanks! I've never had a fruit tart that left me fully satisfied, until I made my own. This "Outstanding" tart defies all others with it's flaky crust, fresh berries, and amazing lemon curd... a fresh berry tart doesn't get better than this.

For those who aren't familiar with the organization Outstanding in the Field, it is a project that brings together local farmers, chefs and foodies of all sorts for amazing dinners and conversation. They ultimately aide in rebuilding relationships between the consumer and farmer - the epitome of the sustainable and slow food movements. What an awesome cause! Unfortunately I missed my chance to attend the McGrath Farm Dinner in Camarillo, featuring wines from Old Creek Winery and creations by Chef Tim Kilcoyne from The Sidecar Restaurant - one of my fav's. I heard it was amaaaaazing! Hopefully they'll be swinging through Ventura County again next year. In the meantime, I'll keep enjoying their cookbook.

Mixed Berry Tart with Meyer Lemon Pastry Cream
from Outstanding in the Field Cookbook

1 Meyer lemon
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons white flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 pints mixed fresh berries
Tart Shell

Tart Shell
1 1/3 cups white flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces and chilled
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons ice water

Tools:
Tart pan
Food processor

For the Curd: Zest the lemon and chop it finely. Squeeze about 1 tablespoon of the juice from the lemon and set it aside along with the zest.

Whisking is key here! In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup sugar, flour and salt. Whisk in the egg and egg yolk until a smooth batter forms. In a heavy bottom saucepan bring the milk to a boil. While whisking the egg batter constantly, temper it by pouring a little bit of the hot milk into the egg batter. Whisking briskly, pour the entire egg batter into the milk. Whisk in lemon zest. Keep the saucepan over medium heat, whisk constantly, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan. The mixture should quickly thicken. Remove from the heat and pour the pastry cream into a bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap flush to the surface to prevent a skin from forming. This is key! Refrigerate until cold, or overnight.

In a small bowl, mix your fresh berries with the lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. This will help the flavors marinade together, macerating the berries.

Tart shell: Using your food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse into mixture forms coarse bread crumbs. Add 1 of the yolks and 1 tablespoon of water and pulse until the dough just comes together, adding the remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time only if necessary. Press the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate at least for an hour. I personally believe overnight is the best way to go!

Once you remove the dough from the fridge, let it sit for about 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface roll the tart dough to 1/8 inch thick. Fit into your favorite tart pan with a removable bottom and refrigerate again for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 425 F.

Line the pan with parchment paper and pour in pie weights, bake for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, prick the bottom and sides with a fork. Bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes until tart shell is a golden brown.

Meanwhile, mix the remaining egg yolk with a pinch of salt. Brush the surface of the tart crust with the egg yolk mixture and bake for 1 to 2 minutes until the yolk is set. Remove tart shell from oven and let it completely cool.

Assembly: Spoon the chilled pastry cream into the shell and smooth the top. Pour the berries and their juices on top and serve as soon as you can.