Apple (or Pear) Butterscotch Pie

This recipe is being posted in response to a couple requests from friends who really wanted the recipe. The original calls for pears which is also quite good (if you like pears) but it translates right over for apples as well.

Filling:

3 TBSP flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 lbs (about 5) apples (or pears), peeled, cored & cut into wedges

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 TBSP butter, cut into little pieces

Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.

Whisk the dry ingredients together so there are no lumps and toss the fruit in the mixture along with the lemon juice and the vanilla extract. Let macerate for about 15 minutes then place in the

bottom crust in the pie pan. Dot the top with the little pieces of butter, then cover with the top crust and crimp the edges. Cut vents in the top. If you'd like, lightly beat an egg and brush it over the top crust for a nice golden glaze.

Bake the pie on the hot baking sheet for 20 minutes, then reduce the temp to 375 and bake an additional 40 to 45 minutes.

Pie Crust: (or use store-bought. Seriously.)

2 cups flour

1 cup shortening (I use half COLD butter and half Crisco)

pinch of salt

1/3 cup ICE water

Cut the shortening into the flour & salt mixture until it resembles cornmeal then add the ICE water. Mix til it just comes together--DO NOT OVERWORK IT! Makes enough for 2 pie crusts.

Cook's Notes:

1. If using apples, I'd recommend using Braeburn or Fuji, but pretty much anything other then Red or Golden Delicious would be great. For pears, use Bartlett or Anjou, or mix it up and use some of each.

2. The brown sugar & vanilla is what makes this a butterscotch pie as well as the butter pieces melting down into the filling.

3. You can make the pie crust by hand which is what I used to do or if you have a food processor, use that. It cuts the shortening into the flour much more evenly and your hands don't get as icky. If you do use the food processor, contrary to popular belief, DO NOT make the dough ball up. If you do, the dough has been overworked and will not be flaky. Pulse the mix until the dough comes together in large clumps then you can gently press the clumps together. What happens is that you're making many teeny tiny layers of flour & shortening and when the pastry bakes, the shortening melts and the water in the shortening evaporates leaving all these teeny tiny pockets which is what makes a flaky pastry. The colder the shortening, the more it keeps it shape and makes the little pockets. When you overwork the dough, the shortening melts and you begin to develop gluten strands and it causes the dough to become tough.

4. The reason you preheat the baking sheet and then bake the pie on it is to bake the bottom crust a nice golden brown which doesn't usually happen when there is a heavy filling like pears or apples in the pie pan. This is the equivalent of blind-baking which is what you do for custard-filled pies (but we can discuss that in another blog!).

Eat well,

Holly