BPA 105 Day 9: Apple Pie and Strawberry Tartlets

BPA 105
Day 9, Thursday
10.23.2008

Lesson 9: Rolling out doughs and making pies with apple and strawberry fillings

The doughs are hard from being in the chiller. In looking at the two Pate Brisee doughs you can see larger chunks of fat in the flakier.

I dust my counter top with bread flour; it is high in protein and low in starch which means it has a low absorption of moisture and is better for the dough. The flour should be a light dusting and not in clumps. It is best to toss it at a side angle for a thin even coat. Also dust the top of the dough so it doesn’t stick to the rolling pin. Bang the top of the dough with the pin, this helps break it up a little bit and soften it so it rolls easier.

Keep rotating the dough and dust with more flour when necessary. The dough should be around 1/4” thick, enough to go over the sides of the pie tin. If it cracks, just pinch it back together. Since you want the dough to stick to the sides of the pan you don’t need to spray or butter it. Once the dough is rolled out, transfer it to the tin. You can roll it over the pin and then un-roll it over the tin. Gently lift the dough up and let it rest into the sides.

Make sure the dough is tight against the bottom and sides; you don’t want any air bubbles. The final step would be to press down on the bottom from the center outwards and then lifting the sides to release the air. Cut off the excess dough on the sides and go around pinching to create the ripple on the edge. Chill the dough before filling and again before baking.

Apple Filling

1 lb of peeled and sliced apples

lemon juice 5 g

sugar 100 g

cornstarch 10 g

salt .75 g/ a pinch

cinnamon 1 g/ large pinch

nutmeg .33 g

butter 10 g

We are using two types of apples for the pie today, Golden Delicious and Gala. The two apples add greater flavor to the pie than just one variety. When slicing them you want to be sure to have even slices so they will cook evenly. This pie has cornstarch in it and thus shouldn't be frozen. When frozen the starch looses its ability to stabilize and when thawed the juices will just start running out. You can use wheat flour if you plan on freezing the pie.

Using the vegetable peeler, go around the apple and peel in a concentric circle. Keep the peeled apple slices in lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Cut them into quarters and core them. 1/8" slices are a good size.

Transfer the apples and lemon juice to your mixing bowl and toss in the spices, cornstarch, and sugar. Hand toss the apples and let them sit about 5 minutes before putting them in the pie tin. The spices will draw out some juices and combine with the sugar.

When putting the apples into the tin, keep them as flat as possible. They will lose a lot of volume when baking, so if you have extra apple slices you can mound those in the center. Dot the butter on top and put the pie back in the cooler. The filling has to be cold otherwise the butter in the crust will start melting and you will end up with a greasy final product.

Egg Wash

-egg yolks and cream (half and half)

Using an egg wash will give a darker color and a softer texture. Apply the egg wash to the inside edges before putting on the top crust and to the top crust after it has been chilled.

Rolling out the flaky top crust

Dust the counter and the dough with flour. This dough will crack more because of the way is was mixed and the larger chunks of shortening. Press the cracks back together as you go along; sealing and pressing them at the beginning will make it better at the end. It is tougher to roll than the mealy dough. Make sure to use enough dusting flour as it will very easily stick to the counter. You can see the fat layer spread out thinly.

Roll to 1/4" and brush off the excess flour with a pastry brush. Have the pie ready with the egg wash along the inside and top of the crust; the wash will help stick the two doughs together. Lift and place it on top of the pie or roll and un-roll using the pin. Press down into the sides. You want it really tight against the sides. Press the two together into the crimped edge. Cut off the excess with a paring knife. Crimp the edges again to make a nice looking final product. At this point put the pie back into the cooler. After is has been chilled apply a very thin layer of egg wash across the top. You want to glaze it, not have spots. Cut air vents with a fork or knife in the top crust to allow for steam to release, this process called Docking.

The pies will take 30-40 minutes in the oven at 425 degrees F. It is a good idea to check them after 15 minutes just to make sure that everything is going well. After baking the pie should have a tender, golden crust. Let it cool fully before slicing.

Pate Sucree and Strawberry Tartlet filling

The Sucree dough is a lot smoother and has a yellow tinge to it as well as being more malleable. Dust the surface and dough and beat it down with the rolling pin. This dough gets a lot softer than the Pate Briseee. You can feel with your hand how nice and even the surface is. Roll from front to back to a thinner height since we are making tartlets.

We will be using the Second Tin pie baking method where you flop the dough over upside down tins, cup and stretch around the top, and cut them into four sections.

Cover with another tin on top and cut along the outside of the edge of the tin. When you flip it over you have a perfect tart shell. Fill the tin with beans or pie weights then par bake them at 350- 375 degrees F. Higher sugar doughs such as this one, bake at lower temperatures.

Strawberry Filling- Recipe makes enough for 4-5 pies
strawberries 10 lb
water 1 pt
sugar 2 lbs
cornstarch 4.5 oz
salt .17 oz
lemon juice 2 oz

With this filling we are using the cooked fruit method where we cook half of the strawberries with the salt, sugar, and lemon juice. This is an unbaked pie, just the crust has been baked. In a separate bowl make a slurry with the cornstarch and water. Whisk them together making sure all of the starch has dissolved. As it sits the cornstarch will start to separate from the water slightly, so whisk again before adding to the fruit. Once the fruit mixture has reached a full boil you can add the slurry. Stir the fruit as you slowly add the slurry.

The starch will make the product a little cloudy. Be sure to stir reaching the bottom, not just the surface, as the starch and sugars settle on the bottom and will be first to burn. The mixture will thicken more as it cooks, it has to reach 212 degrees F, a full boil, to cook the starch through. You should be continuously mixing keeping anything from burning at the bottom.

When done pour the hot filling over the other half of the berries and still them together. As the fruit cools it will thicken nicely. Use a ladle to fill the tartlets with the cooled filling. Put them in the cooler to set fully.