American as . . .

Recently I read a quote from a magazine article saying, “Violence was American as apple pie.” Later I read another article that said, “Pornography was as American as apple pie.” Oh my! The poor apple pie–associated with such nefarious characters and miscreants. Nefarious associations aside, customers and friends have made apple pie my most requested recipe. It’s not just for the mountain of succulent apples–their sweet-tart taste reminiscent of cool, crisp fall evenings–or the subtle flavors of spicy cinnamon and nutmeg that my apple pie is recommendation #1. It’s for the crust. A crust with a flaky, buttery texture that melts in your mouth.

When people discover that I’m a professionally trained pastry chef, they eventually ask, “How do you make pie crust? It’s so scary.” Unrolling pre-made pie crust sheets from Trader Joes seems to be all they can muster.

Pie crust is the most forgiving and one of the easiest pastries to prepare. All it takes is a little patience, effort and faith. With those three things you will come away with a crust where each flaky layer complements the rich meaty apples sauteed in cinnamon and nutmeg. There’s no comparison to having a house redolent with apple pie spices eminating from a warm kitchen to a pie from the local grocery reheated in a microwave oven.

Here’s a recipe to one of the most delectable pie crusts. Its flakiness will surprise you. You can use it for savory or sweet pies. I just used it for a leek and mustard tart last weekend–best tart ever!

Flaky Pie Dough
1lb 4oz all purpose flour or 4 3/4 cup
7 oz shortening or 1 cup
7 oz unsalted butter or 1 cup
1 tbsp lemon or vinegar
6 oz cold water or 3/4 cup
2 tsp salt
1 oz sugar (optional) or 2 tbsp

1. Sift the flour and sugar (if using).

2. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes, then cut into the flour with a bowl scraper using the rounded end until most of the flour is the size of grapes. Begin cutting in the shortening. Continue cutting in the shortening until flour is the size of peas. See photo.

3. Add one tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar. This makes the dough more tender.

4. Make a well in the middle of the flour and fat, then put 1/2 of the water in the flour. If the mixture is still crumbly add a little more water.

5. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten to a disk. Wrap the dough well and let it rest in the refrigerator.

6. After the dough feels cold to the back of your hand, cut it into 3 portions. 1 portion for the bottom of the pie and another for the top. The last portion you can use for decoration or save well-wrapped in the freezer.

7. Put the cold disk on a well-floured surface. Press down gently with a rolling pin. Then roll out the dough into a circle. Use the pie tin to make sure the dough diameter is wide enough.

8. Roll the dough around the rolling pin and then roll out into the pie tin. Gently make sure the dough fills the pan–don’t stretch the dough or it will shrink when you bake it.

9. Put your cooled pie filling in the pie tin.

10. For the top dough layer repeat step 7. Then roll the dough onto the apple filling. Either cut a small circle into the top dough layer with a cookie cutter or cut slits on top of the dough.

11. Put the pie in the freezer until dough hardens and cools.

12. Egg wash and bake at 325 for 45 minutes.