Yes. . . It does taste as good as it looks!
Sadly enough, this was my first time baking my own pie dough. I had always thought it took too much time and was such a hassle, so I would just buy those frozen two pack Tender Flake pie crusts and use one for the crust and the other one I would cut it to make a weave design. But after making this so simple and DELICIOUS style of dough, I will NEVER EVER wander down the frozen isle in my grocery store looking for pie crust.
No Excuses, I will make time for this recipe!
No Excuses, I will make time for this recipe!
Pate Brisee Recipe:
Pate Brisee (pronounced paht bree-ZAY) has a rich and buttery flavor and a crisp and crumbly texture. It is ideal for both sweet and savory pies, tarts, and quiches. Once made, wrap in plastic wrap and it can be stored in the refrigerator for several days or frozen for about a month. If frozen, defrost in the refrigerator for several hours, or even overnight before using.
Pate Brisee:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or (cake & pastry flour for a flakier texture)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
Pate Brisee (pronounced paht bree-ZAY) has a rich and buttery flavor and a crisp and crumbly texture. It is ideal for both sweet and savory pies, tarts, and quiches. Once made, wrap in plastic wrap and it can be stored in the refrigerator for several days or frozen for about a month. If frozen, defrost in the refrigerator for several hours, or even overnight before using.
Pate Brisee:
- In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process until combined. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds). Pour 1/4 cup water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube until the dough just holds together when pinched. Add remaining water, if necessary. Do not process more than 30 seconds.
- Turn the dough out onto your work surface and gather it into a ball. Divide the dough into two equal pieces,flatten each portion into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour before using. This will chill the butter and allow the gluten in the flour to relax. At this point you can also freeze the dough for later use.
Pie Filling Ingredients
To make the filling:
To assemble:
- 7 medium tart, firm apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 2 tsp. cornstarch
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 tsp. spiced rum (captain morgan or sailor jerrys)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
To make the filling:
- In a small dish stir together the cornstarch, brown sugar, and spices. Set aside. Place a large skillet over medium heat with the butter. Swirl the pan occasionally and cook the butter until it begins to brown and smell nutty.
- Add the apples to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the reserved cornstarch mixture to the pan along with the spiced rum, vanilla and salt and continue cooking until the sugar is dissolved and the liquids thicken and begin to bubble, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the apples from the heat and cool completely.
To assemble:
- Preheat an oven to 400ºF. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Roll out one dough disc at a time to about 1/8-inch thickness. Transfer one piece of dough to a 9-inch pie plate and press it gently into the plate. Transfer the cooled apples to the pie shell, mounding them slightly in the middle.
- With the second disc of pie dough roll it out the same as the first piece and with any shape cutter, (diamond, leaf etc) cut 40-50 pieces of the shape of your choice. Place the shapes close together angling the same way. On the second row of shapes, place them in the opposite direction of the first row. Continue until the pie is covered, leaving a small whole in the middle at the top.
- With a pastry brush, brush the pie dough lightly with the beaten egg and 2 tbsp of milk. Crimp the pie edges as desired and lightly brush the entire top and edges with the remaining beaten egg mixture. Garnish the crust with the raw sugar. Transfer the pie to a baking sheet and bake for 15 min and reduce oven to 350ºF until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 45 min. Transfer the baked pie to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature before serving, about 1 hour. Makes one 9-inch pie.