SOURCES: COOKS ILLUSTRATED BOOK ON BAKING, PASTRY LOVE BY JOANNE CHANG, THE BOOK ON PIE BY ERIN JEANNE MCDOWELL
PIE CRUST
YIELD: 1 all-butter pie crust - fits a 9” pie tin generously
INGREDIENTS
- 1 stick (113g) very cold unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes
- 150g Ground Up All Purpose or Pastry Flour
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ cup (60g) ice water (+ a few tablespoons as needed)
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the pie crust:
- Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter cubes and toss to combine, then use a pastry cutter or fork to cut and crumble the butter pieces into the flour until the butter pieces are about pea-sized or lentil-sized and the flour/butter mixture looks pebbly. Add the water and mix with a fork, hydrating the flour-butter mixture, until it begins to hold together. Fresh, stone-milled flour is thirsty, so you may need to add a bit more water, but do it sparingly, one tablespoon at a time, only until the dough is moist and no dry flour remains.
- Dump this mixture onto your kitchen counter and bring it together with your hands in a gentle kneading action. Fold the dough over itself a few times, but don’t overmix it. You should still be able to see chunks of marbled butter in the dough. Bring the dough together and form into a disc. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 3 days) before rolling.
- When ready to roll, lightly flour your work surface, your rolling pin and both sides of the chilled dough disc. Remove the dough from the fridge. Bang it a few times with your rolling pin to soften it up, and then begin to roll it into a circle. Roll from the middle outwards towards the ends, rotating the dough as you go, making sure it is not sticking to your counter. You can use a dough scraper to free up any sticky bits. Roll the dough into roughly an 11” circle.
- Fit the dough into your pie tin, gently pressing it to the bottom and sides, leaving about ½” overhang all around. Roll the edges under and seal with a fork or finger crimp. Return to the refrigerator until ready to fill.
PIE FILLING
INGREDIENTS
- 8 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 200g (1 cup) of granulated sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp fine sea or kosher salt
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 ½ lbs apples and pears, mixed, cored, unpeeled and sliced
- 1 egg lightly beaten for egg wash
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the pie filling:
- Bring cranberries, orange juice, ½ cup sugar, ¼ tsp cinnamon, and ¼ tsp salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally and pressing berries against the side of pot, until berries have completely broken down and juices have thickened to jam-like consistency, 10-12 minutes. Off the heat, stir in water and let cool to room temperature, at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix ½ cup sugar, remaining ¼ tsp cinnamon, remaining ¼ tsp salt, together and sprinkle over the apples and pears. Transfer the fruit mixture to a pan, and cook over a medium-low heat for about 8 minutes, gently tossing until the fruit is beginning to break down and the liquid is thick. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the cooked fruit and gently mix. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Let the mixture cool completely.
BUTTER CRUMBS
INGREDIENTS
- 60g/4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup Ground Up Pastry Flour
- 40g light brown sugar
- 40g granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Melt butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan. Place the flour, sugars, spices and salt in a bowl and mix to combine. Drizzle the melted butter on top of the flour mixture and mix with a rubber spatula until combined, with a mixture of some large clumps and some smaller ones. Reserve for use.
CANDIED CRANBERRIES
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- granulated sugar for coating
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add the cranberries. Let the cranberries steep in the simple syrup for 10 minutes.
- Strain the cranberries and scatter them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Allow to cool and dry, for about one hour.
- Gently toss the cranberries in the granulated sugar, coating completely. Reserve for use.
ASSEMBLE AND BAKE
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Remove the pie shell from the fridge and dock all over with a fork, then add the fillings and toppings - first, spread the cranberry mixture evenly across the bottom, then add the apple-pear mixture. Carefully top with butter crumbs.
- Transfer the pie to a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375°F and bake for another 30-40 minutes until the crumb topping is golden and the fruit filling is bubbly.
- Allow the pie to cool completely before adding the candied cranberries around the perimeter, gently pressing them into the filling to secure.
