...like warm apple pie

Similar to my fear of scones, my fear of pies stems from the pastry. I've made quiche before with moderate success, but I can never seem to get the crust right 100% of the time. For that reason, and the fact that a pie or quiche can basically be ruined if the crust isn't good, I've stayed away from pies. But the time has come that I must confront my pastry fears head on. Enter Gesine Bullock-Prado's book Confections of a Closet Master Baker.



Not only do I have to read this book for the purpose of writing a book review in class, but I also thought it would be a good idea to try out some of the recipes. The previous scones, for example, were a take on a scone recipe from her book. So far I've had success, and I figured, if I want to make a pie from scratch, without first starting with the universe thankyouverymuchCarlSagan, I may as well start with what seemed like a full-proof recipe. And, hey, the less time I spend researching various recipes and creating a hybrid of my own, the more time I have to actually spend with the confections, right?

I should note that I quoted basically her entire recipe, interjecting pictures and captions of my own. Somewhere, right now as I post this, at least three MLA scholars are dying, but it made the most sense to me to present the information in the author's own, if not unauthorized, words, rather than my paraphrasing.

Apple Pie a la Confections of a Closet Master Baker

For quick puff pastry
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 pounds (5 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp lemon juice stirred into 3/4 cup cold water

For the filling
8 Granny Smith apples
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean, split
1/4 cup heavy cream

1 large egg
sanding sugar

For the puff pastry
"Place the flour in a large bowl. Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces. Add to the flour and incorporate with your hands, pinching and massaging the butter into the flour, making sure to leave discernible chunks of butter intact. You don't want to incorporate the butter so well that it is starts [sic] to look like cornmeal. Chunks of butter are good.

Dissolve the salt in the water. Add to the flour and butter and mix gently with your hands until dough comes together slightly.

Shape the dough into a rough square and let it rest for 10 minutes."


This is my giant mass of dough... it's just begging to get molded into a miniature sculpture of Mr. Belvedere... I don't know why...

"On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Give the dough three single turns, followed by one double turn. If the dough feels rubbery after you have completed a few turns, let it rest a few minutes before you continue. Cover and refrigerate. Your dough block should be approximately 12/6 inches.

For the filling
Peel and slice the apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine the sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a large bowl, add the apples, and toss to coat. In a sturdy pot large enough to hold the apples, melt the butter with the vanilla and cream. Add the apples and cook until the fruit is soft and the mixture thickens. Remove the vanilla bean."

The before shot...


And the after shot... so gooey and so delicious


To assemble the pie
"Once your quick puff is nice and cool, take a sharp knife and cut in half. Take a look at the dough where you've sliced through. You should see layers of dough and butter. Some larger chunks of butter will be peeking through. This is a wonderful thing. When you roll, you want to press down on these layers. You don't want to lay the cut side down; make sure the layers are parallel to the rolling table and you are pressing the layers down into each other, maintaining the layer structure and ensuring maximum puff and flakiness. Roll each piece into a 10-inch circle. Transfer the first circle to a pie plate and crimp the edges. Freeze for at least 1/2 hour. Wrap the second 10-inch round in plastic and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the pie.
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Take the frozen pie shell from the freezer and with a fork, stab the bottom of the shell a few times. Line the shell with foil or parchment and fill it with dry beans or rice as a weight. Bake until the edges are slightly golden and the bottom of the shell no longer looks wet and raw, about 15 minutes. This is called blind baking and ensures that the bottom pastry won't be soggy."


Clearly, this is one of my first pie crusts... and with the exception of quiche, it really is

"Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash.

Remove the foil and the rice or beans and transfer the filling to the shell. Place your second dough circle on top of the apples. Brush the top of the dough with the egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar*"


*The one thing I changed in this recipe - I didn't have sanding sugar, so I used raw sugar

"Bake at 350 degrees F until the top crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes."


I have to admit, I'm incredibly happy with this, visually... it's nice and golden and perfectly imperfect.


A PIE SERVER! My kingdom for a pie server!... and a cup of hot, strong coffee with just a wee bit of sugar and milk... mmm

All in all, I would definitely consider this a successful recipe and a great pie to start with for beginners. I will say the crust takes some getting used to and is a bit challenging. I think, for my purposes, this recipe will go through some modifications for when i make it again. Not out of any particular necessity, but I'd really love to try some brown butter in the filling and try half of the crust recipe, since half seemed to make more than enough for a bottom crust and decorations or lattice work on the top...