Mom's Apple Pie

It's officially fall here in Boston. Over the weekend temperatures dropped from high 70's into the low 50's. Thankfully I was able to enjoy the warmth while it lasted over the holiday weekend. On Friday, Dylan and I went apple picking at an orchard one hour outside the city. The leaves were beautiful driving through the countryside and it made me feel a little closer to home. When we arrived the orchard workers directed us to a line of disappointing green apples, but we found a secret field wayyy in the back and picked ourselves a bag of pretty, miscellaneous red apples! It involved some piggy-backing and tree climbing, but all the effort made it more rewarding.

And on Columbus Day, we took a day trip to Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire and went on a fantastic 4-mile hike. Ever since my trip to Alaska I have been itching for the outdoors, and it was a great day to escape the city. Not to mention my awesome treat at the top of the summit! PB&J has never tasted so good.

Of course, what else does one do with a bag of freshly picked apples besides bake them in something delicious? I decided to finally tackle my mom's famous apple pie. Every year for Thanksgiving she makes two apple pies and the morning after, we all wake up and have a slice of pie for breakfast. One year she tried a different recipe from Ina Garten and the whole family complained it didn't compare. Now this pie is on the list of family traditions that we don't mess with. For another great family recipe, take a look at my Grandma's Apple Cake.

Mom's Apple Pie
Makes: 1 pie  Prep: 30 minutes  Total: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup and 2 tbs Crisco (preferably the yellow, butter-flavored variety)
1/4 cup water
6-7 cups sliced apples
1 cup sugar
3 tbs cinnamon
2 tbs butter

Directions
Mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening with two knives until fine particles. Add water and mix well, but don't overwork it or else the dough will be tough. Form into a ball, cut in half and roll out each crust.
In a large bowl, toss sliced apples with sugar and cinnamon. Lay down the bottom crust in a greased pie tin and cover with sugared apples. Cut butter into 1/4" cubes and sprinkle on top of apples. Cover with top pie crust and pinch edges together. Cut four large slits in the top of the pie and bake at 450 for 50 minutes. Remove, sprinkle with sugar and let cool.

Whipped Spring Berry Pie

Happy Pi Day everyone! It's been an unseasonably warm March here and since I needed an excuse to make something sweet, what better reason to make a pie? (For those who don't know, March 14 - 3.14 - is Pi Day.) I am not a math person by any means, but I AM a pie person.

My roommates and I discovered an indoor year-round farmers market in our little town and I probably make 2 or 3 trips each week for fresh produce. I can't wait until the summer months roll around and there is an even better selection to choose from! Luckily my roommates share the same passion for local produce, so I'm sure we will be making lots of trips.

Anyway, the pie. That is why you're reading this, isn't it? I challenged a coworker yesterday to a pie-off at lunch after he announced that today was Pi Day. I don't think he knew quite how seriously I was going to commit to the idea, but hopefully since it's sunny and 70 here there will plenty to go around at lunch outside today. Hope you're all enjoy the weather! And maybe some pie, too. :)

Whipped Spring Berry Pie
Makes: 1 pie  Prep: 30 minutes  Total: 4-24 hours

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tbs butter
1/2 tbs orange zest
1 1/2 tsp vanilla, divided
3 cups strawberries
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 1/2 cups blackberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tbs white sugar

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, orange zest and 1 tsp vanilla. Press into a 9x9 inch pie pan and bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes. Remove and let cool.
In a large pot, combine 2 cups strawberries, 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup blackberries, brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and water. Place on high heat, stirring and mashing fruit, and bring to a boil. Boil for 30 seconds, then simmer on low for five minutes. Add remaining berries into the mix and pour mixture into pie crust. Cool in the fridge for 4-24 hours.
To make whipped cream, beat heavy cream, white sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla until firm (but not too firm or else you'll make butter). Spread on top of pie and garnish with berries. 

Duck Pot Pie with Sweet Potato

Sorry this recipe is a bit delayed. I've been cooking so much recently but have hardly had time to post anything! Anyway, my friends in my musical theater group will recognize this pot pie because I spent a day preparing to make it, only to realize I had a 3 hour rehearsal that night and would have to delay the meal. I was quite traumatized by this, but was fortunately free to bake and eat this delicious pot pie the next day.

I had an urge to make meat pot pie after my mom sent me a picture of a yummy-looking chicken pot pie she made earlier this month. (We swap cooking stories a lot.) I knew I wanted to use sweet potato, and after much thought I set my mind on duck as the meat for this unique pie. I walked down to Chinatown with Dylan and my roommate Katie to get dim sum and hunt for duck meat. Fortunately, I was able to buy half a cooked duck in a little shop directly across from the restaurant we found. The most time consuming aspect of this recipe was picking the duck meat off the bone, but once that's over the rest is easy and the final product very delicious!

Duck Pot Pie with Sweet Potato

Serves: 8  Prep: 30 minutes  Total: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 duck (approximately 3 cups duck meat)

1 ready-rolled pastry puff

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped

1 1/2 cups mushroom, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cups frozen peas

1 tbs thyme

6 tbs butter

6 tbs flour

4 cups low-fat milk

1 tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

1 egg (optional)

Directions

Remove duck meat from the bone with a small knife or by hand. Be sure to remove small bones and all excess fat from the meat. Set aside.

Combine sweet potato, carrots, mushroom, onion, peas and thyme in a large saucepan. Fill with water up to the top of the vegetables. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the potato is slightly softened. Drain and let cool.

In a medium pot, melt butter on medium-high heat and add flour to begin the béchamel sauce. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture is golden and thickened. Heat the milk separately and add in 4 different increments, bring to a boil and let simmer. Add the salt and nutmeg and remove from heat.

In a large baking dish, combine vegetables, duck meat and the béchamel sauce. Cover with pastry puff and brush a whisked egg on top for an egg wash if desired. Cover in foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove and cool before serving.