On Saturday, November 14th, Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning’s executive director, Gloria Palmer treated an audience of ten to an apple pie demonstration. This class was part of GMALL’s Culinary Series and sponsored by Vermont Kitchen Supply of Manchester Center, Vermont. Gloria assembled three different variations of the apple pie: a Maple-Apple Pie with a Lattice Top Crust, an Apple Pie with a Cheddar-Brown Sugar Crumb Topping, and a Rustic Open-Faced Apple-Pear-Cranberry Pie. Each of the pies were made with a butter pastry.
Buttery Pie Pastry
Single crust: Double crust:
1 ¼ cup flour 2 ½ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon sugar
1 stick of butter, chilled 2 sticks of butter, chilled
¼ cup ice water ½ cup ice water
Combine flour, salt and sugar. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to flour mixture. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into flour until the butter is the size of small peas.
Sprinkle the cold water over the flour mixture and work the dough with a fork, adding more water by tablespoons, until it is evenly moistened and begins to clump together. Press the dough together with your hands to make a ball and flatten into discs.
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Maple-Apple Lattice Pie
1 double crust pastry
Filling:
5 medium sized apples, peeled and sliced (I used Golden Delicious)
½ cup light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
6 Tablespoons maple syrup
Egg Glaze:
1 egg
1Tablespoon water
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
With floured rolling pin, roll out one pastry disc into a round 2 inches larger than pie plate. Fold pastry in half and place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into the plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.
In medium bowl, mix apples, brown sugar, butter and maple syrup. Place in pastry lined pie plate. Trim overhang close to rim of plate.
Roll out second pastry disc. With pastry wheel, cut strips about ½ inch wide.
Mix egg and water. With a pastry brush, paint glaze on the pastry around the pie rim. Weave the strip into a lattice design and trim around the rim. Take any extra pastry dough and cut out maple leaf shapes with cookie cutters. Brush egg glaze on top of lattice and place leaves around the rim.
Bake for 50 minutes until golden.
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Apple Pie with Cheddar-Brown Sugar Crumb Crust
1 single crust pastry
Filling:
5 medium sized apples, peeled and sliced (I used MacIntosh)
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Juice of 1 lemon
Crumb Topping:
½ cup flour
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
4 Tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into small cubes
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out pie pastry to a round about 2 inches larger than the pie plate. Fold pastry in half and place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into the plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.
Mix together sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add sliced apples and lemon juice. Toss to thoroughly coat the apples with sugar mixture. Spoon apples into pastry lined pie plate. Turn the pastry dough edge under and crimp or flute to seal.
For crumb topping, mix together flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with pastry blender. Add cheddar cheese and toss until thoroughly mixed. Sprinkle on top of apples.
Bake for 50 minutes until golden.
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Open-Faced Rustic Apple-Pear-Cranberry Pie
1 single crust pastry
Filling:
3 medium sized apples (Cortland)
2 medium sized pears (Anjou)
1 cup of fresh cranberries
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoon orange juice
½ teaspoon orange peel
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out pie pastry to a round about 2 inches larger than the pie plate. Fold pastry in half and place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into the plate.
Mix together filling ingredients. Spoon apples into pastry lined plate. Take the edges of pastry and fold over and crimp loosely.
Bake for 50 minutes until golden.
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ENJOY!
