Can you believe we’re in the home stretch of 2015? Christmas will be here sooner than you think, and so I’ve already started a list of “Things to Bake” for the remainder of the year.
A tart. A layer cake. Perhaps tiramisu. My biggest challenge will be not biting off more than I can chew. After all, there are only so many sweets one can make in a month while tending to a day job and pint-sized yorkie.
If I wasn’t so eager to try something new, I’d seriously consider recreating this apple-berry pie, the finale to our Thanksgiving dinner.
A rich, buttery crust envelopes lightly spiced apples, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. And the best part? As the filling cooks, it takes on a festive crimson hue – a delightful surprise when you slice into the finished product.
Serve apple-berry pie à la mode or with freshly whipped cream. It’s a crowd-pleaser, at least based on personal experience.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
- 4-5 tablespoons ice water
- 2½ pounds apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼"-thick slices (see notes)
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 10 ounces fresh or frozen mixed berries
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
- 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon Demerara sugar
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse meal. Add 4 tablespoons water and mix with a fork. If it is crumbly, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the ingredients start to come together. Then use your hands to lightly knead the dough in the bowl until it forms a ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide in half. Shape each half into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt. Gently fold in the berries.
- Remove 1 disc of dough from the refrigerator and let it sit for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 14" circle. Carefully transfer the dough to a 9” springform pan, pressing it against the bottom and sides. Use a sharp knife to trim the edge of the dough so it comes about 2 inches up the side of the pan. Pour the filling into the pie shell and dot with butter.
- Remove the other disc of dough from the refrigerator and let it sit for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a ¼"-thick circle. Cut dough using leaf-shaped cutters and create veins using the dull edge of a knife; lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Transfer cutouts and pie to the freezer and let chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove cutouts and pie from the freezer. Arrange the cutouts over the filling, overlapping them slightly but leaving some openings. Brush cutouts with egg wash and sprinkle with the Demerara sugar.
- Place the springform pan on a baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until the crust is golden brown and the apples are very tender, 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours. Check the pie periodically; if the top crust gets too brown before it is done baking, cover loosely with foil.
- Remove pie from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Then remove ring and transfer pie to a wire rack to cool for at least 2 hours before serving.
