Pamela Salzman’s Apple & Tart Cherry Pie
Being from the South, I know a good pie. My momma makes a killer pecan pie that we make for every holiday. I’ll be honest—pies have always intimidated me. Baking in general can be kind of intimidating until you get confident with it. This year for Thanksgiving, the family is coming to my house. So, I needed a little brush up on my pie baking skills.
With that said, I have a new OB-session and her name is Pamela Salzman. I first found out about Pamela from a mutual friend because she had taken a cooking class from her. When I hopped on her blog (which you also need to check out) I knew I had to take a class from her. Not only is her food delicious, she also makes it fun and doesn’t make it super complicated.
This week, I invited Pamela over (along with some friends) and had a Thanksgiving themed cooking class. Over a couple glasses of wine and demonstrations by Pamela, I think it’s pretty safe to say we are all going to take our Thanksgiving dinner by storm. Here’s an apple & cherry tart pie recipe that looks professional but is easy to make. You know what they say– nothing tastes as good as impressing the in-laws!
Apple & Cherry Tart Pie
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour for dusting countertop
- 1 recipe for double pie crust (see below)
- 1 large egg yolk or whole egg
- 1 tbsp. heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
- 1 lb. tart apples, such as Granny Smith
- 1 lb. sweet apples, such as Fuji
- 1 lb. soft apples, such as Golden Delicious
- ¾ cup unsulphured dried tart cherries
- ¼ cup cherry preserves (look for an all-fruit one without added sugar)
- 2 tbsps. fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup organic cane sugar + extra for sprinkling on crust
- 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Directions:
- Roll one disk of pie dough on a lightly floured countertop, regularly checking to make sure disk is not sticking to counter. Roll into 12-inch round. Fit pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Roll second disk in the same manner. Transfer to a baking sheet and refrigerate pie shell and 12-inch round until ready to fill pie.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and cream. Set aside.
- Peel, core, and slice apples crosswise into ¼-inch slices. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in dried cherries, cherry preserves, lemon juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Combine well. Arrange apple mixture in pie shell and dot with butter.
- Place the rolled out disk on top of the apples and press down gently. Press together the dough at the rim of the pie plate to seal. Tuck top dough under bottom dough and crimp around the edge as you like. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Cut three slits into the top center of the piecrust to allow steam to escape. If pie dough is feeling very soft, place pie in the freezer until firm.
- Place pie on a baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking until the crust is golden and the juices are bubbling and have thickened, about 40-50 minutes more. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for an hour before serving. Pie can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Double Pie Crust
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour or white spelt flour
- 1 tsp. cane sugar
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 5-8 tbsp. ice water
Directions:
- Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse a couple times until blended.
- Add the butter to the flour and pulse until the mixture resembles small peas.
- Pour 5 tbsp. of ice water on top of the flour mixture and pulse about 10 times. Avoiding the blade, carefully grab a small handful of dough and squeeze together. If the dough holds together without crumbling, it’s ready to be formed into a disc. If it’s too dry, pulse in another few teaspoons of ice water until dough holds together.
- Transfer dough to a piece of plastic wrap and bring dough together to form a ball. Divide in half and shape into two disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes at which point it will be ready to roll out. Or you can keep the dough refrigerated for 2-3 days, or in the freezer, well wrapped for 2-3 months.
