pie report, part 1 (production): cautious optimism
The pie's in the second half of its baking; no disasters yet.
Which is a mercy, because the pie-making process did not get off to an auspicious start. I turned my kitchen upside down in search of the pie tin that I *know* I've got somewhere, and couldn't find it. Fortunately, the thrift store a block from my house had not one but *two* lovely Pyrex glass pie plates (one 8", one 9"), for $1.50 each. So the initial catastrophe was averted.
The dough part was made immeasurably easier by my trusty Kitchenaid stand mixer, which has seen me through many a pastry production. Pasty dough needs to be kept cold, which is difficult when working by hand; the mixing implement is usually warmer, and the process takes long enough that the butter starts to warm up naturally. Using the nice cold mixing paddle solves both those problems. So the dough was settled relatively quickly and without obvious problem.
The apple part was relatively straightforward. (I :: heart :: my apple corer.) Of course, since this is me, I overestimated how many apples I'd need. As a result, the pie is arguably a little... overstuffed. Also, I can never leave well enough alone with spices, so in addition to half a teaspoon of cinnamon the filling's got allspice, powdered cloves, nutmeg, and goodness only knows what else. Let's hope I avoided flinging in cumin or five-spice powder.
Rolling out the dough went fairly well. I think the rolling-out may be where I've screwed up in the past. The recipe I used this time around emphasized the importance of rolling only outwards from the center, not back and forth; I suspect my failure to adhere to this apparently crucial dictate contributed to the (let's face it) leathery quality of my last pie attempt.
I did manage to tear a rather remarkable gash in the top crust as I unfolded it onto the top of the pie, but I think I fixed it okay. I also forgot to pierce the top crust, which may have dire consequences currently unknown to me. But the pie managed to make it into the oven without any incidents of unusual horror. I did jab myself with the paring knife at one point, but that's kind of a given, and I didn't actually bleed on the pie.
to be continued...
Which is a mercy, because the pie-making process did not get off to an auspicious start. I turned my kitchen upside down in search of the pie tin that I *know* I've got somewhere, and couldn't find it. Fortunately, the thrift store a block from my house had not one but *two* lovely Pyrex glass pie plates (one 8", one 9"), for $1.50 each. So the initial catastrophe was averted.
The dough part was made immeasurably easier by my trusty Kitchenaid stand mixer, which has seen me through many a pastry production. Pasty dough needs to be kept cold, which is difficult when working by hand; the mixing implement is usually warmer, and the process takes long enough that the butter starts to warm up naturally. Using the nice cold mixing paddle solves both those problems. So the dough was settled relatively quickly and without obvious problem.
The apple part was relatively straightforward. (I :: heart :: my apple corer.) Of course, since this is me, I overestimated how many apples I'd need. As a result, the pie is arguably a little... overstuffed. Also, I can never leave well enough alone with spices, so in addition to half a teaspoon of cinnamon the filling's got allspice, powdered cloves, nutmeg, and goodness only knows what else. Let's hope I avoided flinging in cumin or five-spice powder.
Rolling out the dough went fairly well. I think the rolling-out may be where I've screwed up in the past. The recipe I used this time around emphasized the importance of rolling only outwards from the center, not back and forth; I suspect my failure to adhere to this apparently crucial dictate contributed to the (let's face it) leathery quality of my last pie attempt.
I did manage to tear a rather remarkable gash in the top crust as I unfolded it onto the top of the pie, but I think I fixed it okay. I also forgot to pierce the top crust, which may have dire consequences currently unknown to me. But the pie managed to make it into the oven without any incidents of unusual horror. I did jab myself with the paring knife at one point, but that's kind of a given, and I didn't actually bleed on the pie.
to be continued...