Saturday, December 6, 2008

Apple, Pear & Sour-Cherry Pie



This was the Thanksgiving pie this year. An attempt to stay seasonal and local. Possibly the yummiest pie I have made. A good mixture of sweet, tart and spice. I thought the addition of so many flavors in the filling (e.g. lemon zest, ground ginger, mixed berry jam etc.) may backfire but they all blended to make a really tasty combination).

I must mke mention that the only exact measurements related to the crust. Everything else was to taste and measurements here are what I approximately added.


Crust : 1 1/4 cups AP flour; 1 stick of super cold butter; 1/2 tsp of salt; 1/2 tsp of sugar; 2-3 Tbsp of ice water.

Filling: 2 large granny smith apples; 1-2 Comice pears; 3/4 cup of dried sour cherries; 1/2 cup packed brown sugar; 2 tsp of cinnamon; 1/2 tsp nutmeg; 1/4 tsp ground ginger; 2 Tbsp of mixed berry jam; juice of half a lemon; zest of a small lemon.

Topping: 3/4 cup of AP flour; 1/4 cup rolled oats; 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 stick of cold butter in cubes.
Pre Heat oven to 425F
1) Make Crust: Add dry ingredients and butter and pulse in a food processor until crumbly; Add 1 Tbsp of ice water until dough begins to clump together. Empty out onto plastic wrap and form into a disk (it's a good thing to see little blobs of butter in your dough :) Put in the fridge for an hour or up to a day.
2) Roll out dough with a bit of four; Place in 9" pie plate and crimp edges. Place crust in fridge to set while you make the filling and the topping.
3) Make Filling: Cut apples and pears into wedges (about 8-10 per piece) and toss with other ingredients.
4) Make Topping: Mix dry ingredients together and then work butter in with your finger tips until it is all crumbly.
5) Place filling into pie crust and cover with crumble topping
6) Bake until apples are tender (about 45-50 minutes). If the crust gets too brown just cover it in Aluminium foil and continue baking.

Enjoy with good quality vanilla ice-cream.