I've been getting several bags of fruit every week from my CSA. There's only so much fruit that two people can eat in a week, and then some of it is under ripe (or overripe)...so I've been making pies. Who doesn't love pie? Zack loves it and he lives in my house and eats the food that I make, so it all works out. I picked this recipe for two reasons - 1) there are only so many apricot pie recipes and 2) it had Ruth Reichl's name in the title and I'm obsessed with her.
Ruth Reichl Apricot Pie
1 stick (1/4 pound) unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 1/2 to 3 pounds apricots, peeled, halved, and pitted
1 prepared pie crust
First, how to make a pie crust? I got all cocky because I made one last time that was okay. So I tried again, but I used different ingredients. Instead of butter, I used Crisco. Meredith said it was better than butter, so I gave it a shot. I cut up six tablespoons and mixed it up with one and a half cups of flour. Then I added some chilled Maker's Mark - this might sound weird. I read on Meredith's blog that in one of her pie crusts, she used vodka. She said the alcohol bakes out and leaves it really flaky and nice. Mine didn't come together very well. But I pushed it together, wrapped it in plastic wrap, put it in the fridge and hoped for the best.
I made it go into the pie pan....for better or worse. I pitted and halved a lot of apricots - but I forgot to peel them. Whoops! Maybe it won't matter...
Then I made the topping. I melted the butter and added the sugar, flour and nutmeg. I may have added more sugar than the recipe called for. And maybe a little more flour. I wasn't really paying attention. That may turn out to be a problem.
I pushed the topping over the fruit and baked it at 450 degrees for ten minutes, then at 350 degrees for another 45.
I wasn't a huge fan - I found the topping overly sweet and the fruit was a little sour. I wish I'd remembered to peel the fruit. The crust was all right - flaky, but a little stiff. The Maker's Mark left a nice bourbon-y flavor. Zack really loved the pie though - so did my other friends who ate it. So, what do I know? It's all a matter of taste.
2 comments:
I believe I said you should use a mixture of butter and shortening. Check out the recipe on cooks illustrated- the vodka one is really good- I like the idea of using maker's mark a lot though. I don't know about toppings on pies... Either cover it with crust or don't. That's what I say.
Maker's Mark makes everything better. Seriously.
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