Six Pie Edges

While making my very first apple pie of the season with crisp Hood River Jonagolds (Thank you Cindy for telling me about your PTA's apple sale!),  I thought, "Why not use this opportunity to demonstrate some different ways to finish of the edge of a pie?"

Adding a little enhancement finishes off a pie nicely and for me, is really my favorite part of making one.

So, I do know that this apple pie looks a little crazy but making it served a greater purpose. From basic fork indentations to extravagant layered leaves, here's how to create six different pie edges:

Edge #1

Use a fork to press indentations along the crust. This is a classic pie edge and so easy to do.

 Edge #2

Use a table knife and your thumb to create a scalloped edge. Place your thumb on the edge and use the knife to pull the dough inward alongside it and repeat around the entire pie.

Scalloped edge close-up.

 Edge #3

Use a teaspoon to indent arch marks along the edge. Make a large indentation and a smaller one inside it and continue around the pie.

 Edge #4

Use scissors to cut slits along the edge, about 1/2-inch apart. Then lift a slit up and skip the next one, repeating around the pie.

 Edge #5

Cut mini leaves out of pie dough using a cutter and then use the tip of a table knife to mark veins. Leaf cutters are easy to find in baking stores, especially now, right before Fall.

Layer the leaves around the crust, using a touch of water as glue.

 Edge #6

Cut  even-sized strips of pie dough, about 1/4-inch wide. It's okay to work in sections so you don't have to cut strips long enough to reach around the entire pie.

Put three of the strips together by pinching them at the top,  and braid them.

Brush a bit of water on the edge of the pie and place the braid on it. Use a knife to square off the ends and then keep adding braid segments around the entire pie.

Pie Fundraiser

Just-baked cherry and apple pies.

I've been busy baking an assortment of homemade pies with my friends for a fundraiser at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral this Sunday, June 1, after the 10 a.m. service. Here are a few pictures from yesterday's busy baking session and the details about the fundraiser that benefits Food Ministries which supports The Wednesday Community Meal. I hope to see you there.

A filled cherry pie.

A cherry pie just out of the oven.

Please join us for a slice of homemade pie and at the same time enjoy fellowship and help support Outreach Ministries. There will be a variety of fruit pies from apple to strawberry rhubarb and cream pies from chocolate to lemon meringue to choose from and will cost $3 a slice. If you prefer your pie with a side of vanilla ice cream, don't worry, we'll provide that too. Raffle tickets will also be available for a chance to win a whole pie of your choice to take home. Proceeds from this sale will go to our hungry friends in our Food Ministries.

Apples, strawberries, cherries, rhubarb and peaches ready to be turned into pie fillings. Besides double-crusted fruit pies, we will offer slices of cream pies at the fundraiser.

Pie shells that just need to be baked and then filled with chocolate cream.

Dutch Apple Pie

A slice of Dutch Apple Pie in the process of being devoured.

I recently enjoyed a fun day of baking with my friend Cindy. She wanted to make some mini apple pies that she could share with friends.

One of the yet to be baked mini apple pies made by my friend Cindy.

With two people working, the task of peeling and chopping apples went by so fast that in the end we actually had four cups of surplus apples so we decided to also make a full-sized Dutch Apple Pie.

Because there is no top crust, the part I think is usually most stressful for novice pie makers, Dutch Apple is quick and easy to make. And, the topping,  made with rolled oats, flour, sugar and butter, adds a nice crunch and texture to the soft sweet filling. It really is comfort food at its best and the perfect antidote to blustery Fall weather. Who cares if it's rainy and cold outside when there's Dutch Apple Pie waiting inside?

Here's how to make it:

Dutch Apple Pie
(makes one 9-inch pie)

Crust: 
1 1/2 cups flour
2 /3 cups vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add Crisco and using your fingers, break it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some large pieces remaining.
Add the water, just a few tablespoons at a time until the dough is moist enough to pull together into a ball. Roll out on a floured surface for the bottom crust.

Place the dough in a pie pan and crimp the edges. Chill while preparing the filling and topping.

Filling:
4 cups peeled and chopped apples (I like a combination of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch sea salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside while preparing the topping.

Topping:
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, using your fingers to break apart the butter. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.

To assemble and bake:

Preheat the oven to 400  degrees.

Fill the crust with the apples and sprinkle on the topping.

Place the pie on a sheetpan to catch any spills in the oven.

Bake for 5 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce the temperature to 350 and continue baking for 40 to 50 minutes or until the topping and crust are golden brown and the juices are bubbling.

*Note: Cooking the pie at a higher temperature for the first five minutes helps set the crust and keep its shape in place. If you put a pie into a lower temperature oven, the crust will cook too slowly at first and droop.

Dutch apple pie before baking. The heart on top was made with a tiny piece of the dough and adds a nice touch.

Mini Apple Pie Triangles

I had a roll of phyllo dough left over from making spanakopita and decided to use it to create these mini apple pies.

With the aid of a microwave for pre-cooking the apples, these delicious treats came together fast. I am a big fan of using phyllo dough because it crisps up in the oven just like it was deep fried without the greasiness, time and mess.

Two of these triangles and a scoop of good vanilla ice cream would make quite the elegant dessert.

Mini Apple Pie Triangles
makes 16 to 20 
1 roll phyllo dough (usually a box contains 2 rolls), defrosted and brought to room temperature
3 large apples, peeled and diced
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon flour
olive oil
cinnamon sugar (1 tablespoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the diced apple in a microwave safe bowl and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the apple starts to soften.

Add the ginger, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla and mix well. There should be quite a bit of juice at the bottom of the bowl. Add the tablespoon of flour and mix well. Return the mixture to the microwave and cook for 1 more minute.

Stir the mixture well. The mixture will be thick and sticky.

To assemble, lay out a piece of phyllo dough and drizzle it with olive oil.

Fold the phyllo dough into thirds and place a tablespoon of the apple mixture in the left bottom corner and drizzle a bit more olive oil on the dough. Fold the corner over to form a triangle and repeat folding all the way up to the top. This is just like folding a flag.

Place the triangle on a parchment lined baking sheet and repeat until the apple mixture is gone.

Drizzle the tops of the triangles with a bit more olive oil and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the triangles are crispy and dark brown.

Here are a few pictures to help demonstrate how to assemble the triangles:

Lay out the phyllo dough and drizzle with olive oil.

Fold the dough in thirds by folding one side over the center third of the dough.

Fold over the remaining third of the dough.

Add a tablespoon of the apple mixture in the bottom corner of the dough.

Add another drizzle of olive oil down the center of the strip. Fold the corner over the filling to form a triangle.

Fold the triangle straight up keeping the dough even on the side.

Repeat the folding all the way up the entire strip of dough until you have formed a neat triangle. It's just like folding a flag.

Place the triangles on a parchment lined baking sheet and drizzle with a bit more olive oil and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before baking.

Easy Mini Pies

We are attending a graduation party for our good friend Bo today and he loves pie so I'm bringing mini pies to the party.

I made an assortment of apple and berry pies in cupcake papers and they are so easy to put together. So much easier than hand pies. I made a few of those today as well as a test and despite being delicious, they are messy to make. The juice wants to run all over the place!

I'm sticking to the cupcake version. All you need to do is drop a round of dough into the cupcake liner, add a spoonful of filling and top with crumb topping.
 

Apple and berry pie filling.

Drop a round of dough into the cupcake liner and fill with pie filling.

Add crumb topping and it's ready for the oven.

Hand pies are messier and more time consuming to make. And they require more dough.

Finished mini berry pies.

Apple Pie Two Ways

My husband's birthday apple pie.

I had a catering job last Sunday on my husband's birthday. So as a peace offering, I asked him to name his dessert and I'd make it.

After a full week of thinking about it, he chose apple pie.

So here's the recipe for my husband's belated birthday treat, and a variation for making mini Dutch apple pies for a crowd.

I used to make individual hand pies for entertaining, but I find these pies made in cupcake papers much easier.


Happy Birthday Joe!

Mini Dutch apple pies are great for entertaining because they're easy to transport and serve.

Apple Pie Two Ways 
makes one 10-inch apple pie or 12 mini Dutch apple pies


Filling
4 large Golden Delicious Apples
3 large Granny Smith Apples
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup flour

For the filling, I like a mixture of Golden Delicious and Granny Smith Apples

Peel and slice apples. For a single pie make larger slices, for the mini Dutch apple pies, make a smaller dice. Toss apple slices with lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar and flour. Set aside.

The apple filling for a large single pie. For mini Dutch apple pies, cut the apples into smaller pieces.

Crust
3 cups flour
1 cup Crisco
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup ice water

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add Crisco and using your fingers, break it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some large pieces remaining.

Your hands are the best tools for mixing the Crisco into the flour mixture. When it's mixed enough, it should resemble coarse crumbs.

Add the water, just a few tablespoons at a time until the dough is moist enough to pull together into a ball. Divide dough in half and roll out on a floured surface for the bottom and top crusts. Or, for mini Dutch pies, use a 4-inch round cutter to cut multiple bottom crusts.

When rolling out the dough, keep moving it on your board to prevent sticking. Also, keep rounding up the edges so that you end up with an even sized circle.

To Assemble
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Single Pie

Fold bottom crust in half and lay in pie plate. Fill with apple filling and cover with top crust. Seal edges around pie and crimp with fingers.

Poke holes to allow steam to escape during baking. Bake for 20 minutes and reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

A pie ready for it's top crust.

Ready for the oven.

Mini Dutch Apple Pies

Line muffin tins with cupcake papers. Gently lay 4-inch round pieces of dough into papers. Fill each with about 2 tablespoons of filling. Set in the fridge to chill while making crumb topping.

Crumb Topping
2/3 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup flour

In a bowl, combine oatmeal, cinnamon, flour and sugar. Using fingers, break butter into mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Top each mini pie with crumb topping. Bake at 375 degrees for 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

A mini pie ready for it's crumb topping.