Years ago, when I had my gourmet shop on Fishers Island, my mother-in-law at the time, Anna, would make pies and cookies for me to sell at the store. I decided to sell the pies for fifteen dollars, which Anna thought was outrageously expensive. However, the minute I placed them on the counter customers scooped them up by the slice, whole pies, and special orders – Anna couldn’t bake them fast enough and we couldn’t keep them in stock.
Anna taught me so many life lessons, and also how to make pies so we could keep up with the demand, and now I think of her often when I’m making a pie.
There is something comforting about the smell of an apple pie baking. The butter, cinnamon, apples and sugar make for a delicious blend of aromas that could make any space feel like home and it’s such a perfect dessert for days like these.
Today I was low on apples but I had a bag of frozen sweet cherries, so I added them to the apples and the outcome was amazing – so good that my husband literally ate half of the pie in one sitting. The bright tart flavor of apples marries perfectly with luscious cherries.
- 2 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1¾ sticks cold unsalted butter, diced
- ½ cup chilled water
- Using a food processor, pulse together the butter, flour and salt until just barely blended.
- Add the ice water a bit at a time, pulsing the processor a few times each time you add the water. Only add enough water for the dough to just hold together. It may appear a little lumpy, which is fine.
- Remove the dough and make two balls with it, wrapping each ball in plastic wrap or wax paper.
- Set in the refrigerator to relax and chill for 30 minutes or so.
- 5 -6 firm Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
- 10 ounces sweet cherries, pitted and halved
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (more or less depending on taste)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- In a large bowl, toss white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour with the sliced apples and cherries.
- Roll out one ball of pie crust dough and place in pie pan. Fill with apples and cherry mixture.
- Dot with a couple of pats of butter.
- Roll out second crust to fit over apples, pinching and crimping edges to seal and cutting a few steam vents on top, or cut pastry into strips and create a lattice style top.
- Brush top of pie with an egg wash made with 1 egg and a tablespoon or two of water and then sprinkle with a bit of sugar.
- Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 40 to 50 minutes (cover edges and top with foil if it browns too much before the pie is done).
- The pie is fully cooked when the fruit comes bubbling up through the vents or lattice.
- Let cool for at least one hour before serving.
Enjoy!
