Remembering...

Late last night, just as we were sitting on the edge of our seats waiting to see if Nene was going to completely blow her top on Celebrity Apprentice (does anyone know who went home!?), a newsflash came across the screen.  President Obama had an important announcement to make.  What could it be?  And why so late at night?

Flashback to September of 2001.  The whole world was still in shock from the events of 9/11 and I was off to my freshman year of college at The Ohio State University.  I remember those first few days in the dorm.  Everything was new - new friends, new classes, a new bed to get used to, overall, a new way of life.

But it was also an emotional time.  As if starting college wasn't nerve wracking enough, our entire country was going through one of the scariest, saddest times in our history.  I remember going to a candle light vigil a few days after the events.  As we stood there honoring the memory of those lost, the glow of thousands of candles filled our hearts with hope that America would persevere, that we would never forget, but that we would rise above the tragedies of that day when so many were lost...


Fast forward almost ten years to May 1, 2011.  President Obama appeared on the screen with news we had all been waiting so long to hear - Osama bin Laden was dead.  In the words of President Obama, "We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country."

So what better way to thank our military men and women for all that they do than with All-American Apple Pie?  I just happened to buy this star pocket pie mold from Williams-Sonoma a couple summers ago and I thought it would add a special touch to this patriotic treat.  I don't think this particular mold is still available but they do have a cute apple or you could try using large cookie cutters to make your own.

All-American Apple Pies
makes 7-8 small pies

1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. shortening, cut into small pieces, chilled
1/4 c. butter, cut into small pieces, chilled
5-10 tbsp. ice water
1 heaping cup of diced apple (I used granny smith, check this post for a list of baking apples)
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water, for egg wash
ice cream!

Make crust:
Combine flour, sugar and salt in food processor.  Using on/off turns, cut in shortening and butter until coarse meal forms.  Blend in enough ice water, 1 tbsp. at a time, to form moist clumps (I used about 8).  Gather dough and form into a disk.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.

Make filling:
Combine sugars with cinnamon and toss to coat apple.  Place in a strainer over a bowl for about 30 minutes to allow some of the juices to drain.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out dough on a clean, floured work surface.  Using the pie mold cut out 14-16 stars.  If you don't have a pie mold you could simply cut into small squares or try using a cookie cutter.

Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the apple mixture into each pie.

Wet the edge of each pie with water and top with another cut-out before pressing into pie mold.  Place on a baking sheet lined with a silpat.  Brush with egg wash mixture and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating your pan halfway through, until crust is golden brown.  Remove to a rack and cool completely (if you can wait!) before serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

 

Note: You could make this with a premade crust.  I would recommend rolling it a bit thinner so that the corners of your stars don't get too doughy.

Enjoy!

Classic Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

 

This is the best pie I've ever tasted.  I remember the first time I ever tasted it, a coworker had brought it in to work to share.  How generous, knowing now how good it is I would have kept the whole thing to myself.  But from that moment on I persistently nagged him for about a month straight until he finally got sick of hearing me, or really wanted some more strawberry rhubarb pie, and sent the recipe my way.  

Never having much pie success in the past, or more specifically pie crust success, I decided I was going to give this pie my all and make it for Greg's birthday.  That was two years ago and I have since recreated this pie numerous times.  This pie is like the security blanket you keep with you no matter where you go.  It's like a trusty friend who you know will never let you down.  What I'm trying to say is, use this recipe when you don't want to stress about the outcome, because even when it's bad, it's still good!  

So naturally, when we decided to have friends over last night, I settled on burgers, oven baked potato wedges, and my best friend, strawberry rhubarb pie.

Since those first attempts at making the perfect pie crust, I have learned several secrets that make success a bit more certain.  Granted, I still have my days when, for the life of me, I cannot get the crust to turn out (I think sometimes it has to do with humidity and things like that, that's what I tell myself anyway), but here are a couple tricks that seem to help:

1. Cold ingredients, even frozen!  Putting everything in the freezer prior to mixing (even your flour!) is a good start to making the perfect, buttery, flaky crust.

2. Don't mess with the dough too much.  It is perfectly acceptable to see bits of butter and shortening throughout your dough.  These will eventually melt into beautiful bites of flaky goodness. 

3.  Use a food processor or stand mixer to make your crust.  They are quick, hence your ingredients remain cold.

With these few tricks up your sleeve, let's get started.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

recipe can be found on Epicurious

Ingredients:

For crust 

3 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

10 tablespoons (about) ice water

For filling
3 1/2 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices trimmed rhubarb (1 1/2 pounds untrimmed) I couldn't find fresh so I used frozen and it worked fine
1 16-ounce container strawberries, hulled, halved (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

Make crust:
Combine flour, sugar and salt in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in shortening and butter until coarse meal forms. 

 

What, doesn't everyone have a shelf in their freezer filled with chunks of butter and shortening?

Blend in enough ice water 2 tablespoons at a time to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; cut in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap separately in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling.) 

 

Make filling:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Toss gently to blend. 

 

Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish.   

 

Trick: Drape your crust over your rolling pin to prevent tears.

Trim excess dough, leaving 3/4-inch overhang.

Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Cut into fourteen 1/2-inch-wide strips.  I use a pizza cutter but a regular knife would work too. 

Spoon filling into crust. Now comes the tricky part, making the lattice top.  Here is a YouTube video showing how to do it, once you see how it's done, you will find it isn't really that bad.  If you are still nervous about trying it on your actual pie, you can practice with strips of paper first.  Arrange 7 dough strips atop filling, spacing evenly. 

 

Trick: Use every other strip so that you will still have the correct lengths to go the other way.

Form lattice by placing remaining dough strips in opposite direction atop filling. Trim ends of dough strips even with overhang of bottom crust. Fold strip ends and overhang under, pressing to seal. Crimp edges decoratively. 

 

Brush glaze over crust. transfer pie to baking sheet. 

 

This is why you put your pie on a baking sheet!

Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake pie until golden and filling thickens, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely.

Enjoy with someone you love!

Apple Mania

I know it has been awhile, but I have a good excuse! My camera cord decided to quit working so I haven't been able to download all of my pics. Anywho, I finally borrowed one from a friend so here are some of my apple creations. First, I made an apple cake from good 'ol Martha. You can find the recipe here. This cake was delicious - perfectly moist, chewy, nutty and apple-y at the same time. I didn't even bother making the caramel sauce but I'm sure it would be a yummy addition. Greg and I enjoyed this dessert for, ohhh about a week's worth of breakfasts! Nom, nom, nom:) Enjoy the pics:

Floury, cinnamony!

Mmmmm

Plopped out of the pan.

Close up of the baked goodness!

Next up was apple pie. I have been slightly obsessed with Rose Levy Beranbaum and her books, The Cake Bible and The Pie and Pastry Bible. I would still like to check out The Bread Bible anddddd her newest book, Rose's Heavenly Cakes is definitely at the top of my Christmas list. Just based on the cake from the cover along with all the positive reviews on Amazon, I know it's gonna be awesome! Rose (apparently we're on a first name basis) is extremely knowledgeable about all things baking. While some of her explanations can get a bit lengthy and in depth, overall I love her style of teaching. She is very detailed and answers questions that others assume you should already know. So, when I wanted to make an apple pie I decided to use her recipe. After all, it is titled "The Best All-American Apple Pie." I used the version from the actual cookbook, but I also found it here for anyone who would like the recipe. It was a lot of work, but let me tell you, it was worth it! This was one of the best apple pies I've ever had. Here are the pics:

Greg creating the world's longest apple peel!

The apples in all their glory.

Me attempting to do a cute cooking shot - lil bit too much clutter in the background, ha!

Me attempting to take an artsy food shot.

The pie all ready to pop in the oven.

Would ya look at this beauty?!

I should have one more apple recipe coming up for the season and then I will be all appled out! I will also be back with my "spook"tacular Halloween treats - stay tuned!