Pie Crust

Rustic Pear Tart /  by Judy Kim

by Judy Kim

Rustic Pear Tart

Yield: 1 (10-inch) Tart, 6 - 8 servings

This is a rustic dessert perfect for any occasion, especially because it's easy to make and looks super impressive. I made this last minute for a photoshoot and only had about 90 minutes to make it. I kept the ingredients and steps simple. It's perfect for the holidays when there's never enough time to prepare for a last minute dinner party. If you have pre-prepared pie dough in the freezer, that's a big time saver. You can easily substitute the pears for any seasonal fruit, although I'm partial to these Starkrimson pears. If vibrant fruit isn't available, finish the baked galette with a dusting of powdered sugar for a pretty presentation.

INGREDIENTS

Single crust pie dough, such as Buttermilk Pie Dough

1 /2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

3-4 Starkrimson or red Anjou pears

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled

DIRECTIONS

  1. Prepare the pie crust recipe, which can be made in advance. Line 10-inch tart pan with parchment paper, leave over hang (see photo for reference) to make it easier to remove later. Set aside.

  2. Before rolling, let the pie dough come to room temperature, about 5 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out round disk to thickness between 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch. Keep dough moving and apply just enough flour to prevent it from sticking. Gently fold into quarters and transfer onto parchment lined tart pan. Gently push the pastry into the corners of the tart pan. Trim pastry with scissors or a sharp paring knife, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold excess pastry backwards into the tart pan and press into the sides, it will make a nice imprint from the crimped edge. Chill tart pan in freezer or refrigerator.

  3. Place oven rack in the middle fitted with a Baking Steel or a pizza stone and preheat oven to 375°F. I like that it ensures a crispy bottom.

  4. Prepare pears by cutting around the core into four pieces. Cut vertically parallel to the core and continue around all sides. Carefully slice the pears thinly about 1/4-inch. I recommend a mandoline, used with a protective cut resistant glove, or cut by hand. Keep the slices in groups.

  5. Dust bottom of prepared pastry evenly with cinnamon. (I like using OXO’s Bakers Dusting Wand because it gives great control). I prefer dusting the bottom so you don't cover up the beautiful color of the pears. Arrange pear slices in slightly fanned out groups by keeping one of the pointy ends slightly together (see photo for reference). Alternate directions of the pears until the tart pan is filled. Use more pears for a denser filling. Sprinkle sea salt and sugar evenly all over the pears. Finish with pieces of frozen butter.

  6. Place the tart pan on rimmed half sheet pan and bake directly on the Baking Steel. Bake until golden brown, for about 1 hour. Rotate midway if needed for even browning.

  7. Transfer to a cooling rack. After cooled, lift the pastry out of the pan by holding the parchment. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Apple & Blood Orange Garden Trellis Pie /  by Judy Kim

by Judy Kim

Apple & Blood Orange Garden Trellis Pie

Yield: 1 (9-inch) Pie

Created a new twist on apple pie. Blood oranges aren't a typical addition to pie, but I had them around and wanted to use them in place of lemon for some acidity. This design was inspired by a garden trellis woven with twisty vines. I've always had an affinity to gardening and all things floral, I get it from my Mother. I've included directions to create this design but the truth is, all designs don't go exactly as planned, so feel free to go rogue. I often utilize leaf and floral cut outs to cover up mistakes like broken pastry. There are some trouble shooting tips below. Regardless, true beauty and imperfection sit side by side in my book. 

You can watch my pie demo video below.

INGREDIENTS

1 double crust, such as Buttermilk Pie Dough

1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling pastry

1 egg

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 blood orange, zested and cut into supremes

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon kosher, such as Jacobsen sea salt

1/4 teaspoon aromatic bitters

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

5 (about 3 pounds) medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced on mandoline

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes and frozen

DIRECTIONS

  1. Prepare the Buttermilk Pie Dough recipe, which can be made in advance.

  2. Before rolling, let the pie dough come to room temperature, about 5 minutes, to prevent cracking. On a lightly floured surface, roll out round disk to thickness between 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch. Keep dough moving and apply just enough flour to prevent it from sticking. Try avoid using too much flour to prevent the pastry from getting tough. Gently fold in half and again into a quarter, then transfer over your pie dish. Drape dough and nestle into the corners of the pie dish. Trim pastry with scissors or a sharp paring knife along the rim, chill trimmed pastry; roll out pastry a bit thinner and cut out leaves using a small leaf pie cutter. These will be used to make the leaf crown around the crust. Place on a generously floured rimmed sheet pan. Keep pie dish and sheet pan in fridge until ready to use.

  3. Roll out rectangular piece of pastry to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a fluted edge pastry wheel, cut a variety of narrow and wide strips to create the lattice and twisted cables. Use remaining dough to cut out shapes such as flowers and leaves for decoration. To make the leaves look more realistic, try bending them a bit. Place lattice strips in a single layer on a new floured sheet pan; chill in refrigerator. Add flowers and leaves to previously prepared sheet pan with leaves and keep in the fridge, preferably freezer until ready to use.

  4. Place oven rack in middle and preheat oven to 425°F. In a small bowl beat egg with heavy cream; set aside.

  5. In a large mixing bowl, add blood orange zest and supreme orange segments. Drain and discard any excess liquid from the oranges. Mix in sugar, salt, bitters, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Fold in apples until well coated; sprinkle 1/4 cup flour and toss again. Transfer apple mixture into pie dish and try to keep the mixture even. Scatter frozen butter cubes evenly all over the apples.

  6. Remove sheet pans with remaining pastry from the fridge or freezer. To create a simple lattice design, place strips (any width you prefer) in one direction across the entire pie. Lift every other row, place another strip in the opposite direction and flip the strips back down. Alternatively lift every other row, place another strip in the opposite direction and flip strips back down again until the lattice is complete. Try to keep the lattice pieces close together to cover most of the filling, this will help trap in steam and make a tender filling.

  7. To create cable knit roping, loosely twist 2 strips of similar width together to create a cable knit effect. Try to keep the strips flat to create an even cable. For my Garden Trellis design I mixed in cable knit ropes, a row of leaves and a row of flowers with the wavy flat strips.

  8. Using a sharp paring knife, trim the excess lattice work. Gently lift the ends of the lattice work and brush a light coating of egg wash to glue down the strips to the pie shell. Brush the top edge of the crust with egg wash. Place leaves on a 45° angle, press down lightly and alternatively place leaves in opposite directions to create a crown crust.

  9. Brush a light coating of egg wash evenly all over the pie. Place pie dish on a sheet pan and bake on the center rack for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 375°F, bake until bubbling and golden brown, about 75 minutes. If necessary, rotate the pie for even baking and cover with foil if the top is browning too much. For best results, let pie cool for 4 to 6 hours before serving. Or bake the day before. Note: pie must be bubbling or filling will not be tender and crust will not be crispy.

Apple Cardamom Cable Knit Pie /  by Judy Kim

by Judy Kim

Apple Cardamom Cable Knit Pie

Yield: 1 (9-inch) Pie

This cable knit design was inspired by Aran Irish Sweaters, something I learned about during my first job as a design assistant at Ralph Lauren when I worked in Men’s sweaters. Not surprising as we used to make knit downs of cable knit designs all day long, always looking for new combinations. I use a similar approach when designing this pie crust.

INGREDIENTS

1 egg

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 double crust, buttermilk pie crust recipe

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling pastry

2 meyer lemons, zested and juiced

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, such as Jacobsen

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 (about 3 1/2 pounds) medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced on mandolin

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes and frozen

DIRECTIONS

  1. Place Baking Steel on the middle rack of your oven. Preheat oven 425°F. The pizza stone ensures a crispy bottom crust. Preferably preheat oven for 30 to 60 minutes. In a small bowl beat egg with heavy cream; set aside.

  2. Prepare the buttermilk pie crust recipe, cut into one third and two thirds ratio, wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Shape smaller piece into a flat round disk and shape other half into a narrow flat rectangle. Let dough rest 20 minutes or overnight in refrigerator. Note: This dough makes more dough than average recipes, great for decorative pie crusts.

  3. Let the dough come to room temperature for 5 minutes before rolling out to prevent cracking. On a lightly floured surface, roll out round disk to thickness between 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch. Keep dough moving and apply flour as needed to prevent it from sticking. Gently roll onto rolling pin and transfer to pie dish. Trim with scissors or a knife along the rim leaving a 1/2-inch border. Note: Be careful not to stretch the dough or it will shrink back. 

  4. Cut second rectangular pie dough in half lengthwise. Roll one half (Dough A) to 9-inches in length and 1/4-inch thick. Roll remaining dough (Dough B) to 9-inches in length and 1/8-inch thickness. Work quickly to prevent the dough from getting warm. If needed, place them in the fridge to firm up during the process.

  5. Dough A: Use a ruler to cut long even strips. For a square edge braid, cut into 1/4-inch strips with a sharp paring knife. Braid together keeping both ends loose; transfer to a sheet pan. For rounded edge braid, cut dough into six 1/4-inch strips and roll against floured board to round edges. Repeat braiding technique and transfer to the sheet pan, keep in the fridge while you roll the remaining dough. Separate layers with parchment if needed. Dough B: Cut four 1-inch strips. Loosely twist 2 pieces together to create a cable knit effect and repeat; transfer to the same sheet pan. Cut three diamonds from any leftover dough and score with a knife in a diagonal direction. Roll four balls of dough and flatten slightly to create 4 small buttons; score with a curved fork to mimic a leather football button. (Fashion is clearly still in me). Transfer sheet pan back to the fridge. NOTE: If you are having trouble with the dough breaking while braiding, the butter pieces may be too large or the dough is too warm. For decorative pies, I formulated a pie crust that is ideal and hopefully breakage won’t be an issue.

  6. In a large mixing bowl, combine zest of 2 Meyer lemons, 3 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice, sugar, sea salt, cardamom, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Fold in apples until well coated; sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour and toss again. Transfer apple mixture into pie dish, try to keep the mixture even. Scatter frozen butter cubes evenly all over the apples.

  7. Remove sheet pan with pastry from the fridge. Start in the middle and place cable knit pieces tightly next to each other. Try to avoid large gaps between pastry. Trim pieces to fit within the pie dish. Fold edge of pie inward neatly and crimp together by pinching. Chill in freezer or fridge for 15 minutes.

  8. Brush evenly with light coating of egg wash and cover loosely with foil. Adjust oven to 425°F, gently place pie dish directly onto Baking Steel or pizza stone and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375°F, remove foil and bake until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, about 1 hour more. If necessary, rotate the pie for even baking. For best results, let pie cool for 4 to 6 hours before serving.

Note:

You can use leftover dough for decorative cut outs. Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Dip pie cutters or cookie cutters in flour and cut out shapes. Lay them evenly on a quarter sheet pan and layer using parchment paper. I didn't use any cut outs for this cable knit design, but you can keep these in the freezer for a future use. Suggestion: Bake and add them to a bowl of ice cream or berries and cream.