Pie and Pastry Bible (40 page)

Make the dough (page 30).

Advance preparation:
Twenty-four hours ahead, cut the lemons in half the long way. Slice off a piece from the end on each half, just to the point where the pulp begins, and discard these ends. With a sharp thin-bladed knife, slice the lemons paper-thin, collecting all the juice but picking out and discarding the seeds. When you get to the end where the white pith begins, stop slicing, and discard these end pieces too. You should have 2 cups of lemon slices (10.75 ounces/305 grams).

In a medium bowl, stir together the lemon slices, their juices, and the sugar and set aside, covered, at room temperature for 24 hours.

The next day,
remove the dough for the bottom crust from the refrigerator. If necessary, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes or until it is soft enough to roll.

On a floured pastry cloth or between two sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap, roll the bottom crust
inch thick or less and large enough to cut a 12-inch circle. Transfer it to the pie pan. Trim the edge almost even with the edge of the pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 3 hours.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and the yolk until they are well mixed. Stir them into the lemon mixture. Transfer the lemon mixture to the pie shell.

Roll out the top crust large enough to cut a 12-inch circle. Use an expandable flan ring or a cardboard template and a knife as a guide to cut out the circle.

Moisten the edges of the bottom crust with water and place the top crust over the fruit. Tuck the overhang under the bottom crust border and press down all around the top to seal it. Crimp the border using a fork or your fingers (see page 13). Make about 5 evenly spaced 2-inch slashes starting about 1 inch from the center and radiating toward the edge. Cover the pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour before baking to chill and relax the pastry. This will maintain flakiness and help to keep the crust from shrinking.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. at least 20 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating.

Set the pie directly on the baking stone and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F. and continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes or until a thin knife blade inserted into one of the slashes comes out fairly clean and the crust is golden. (The temperature in the center will be 165°F.; 1 inch from the side, it will be 194°F.)

Cool the pie on a rack for at least 2 hours before serving.

STORE

Room temperature, up to 2 days.

NOTE

For a half-size pie, bake it in a 7¾-inch fluted tart pan or 3-cup capacity pie pan at 450°F. for 15 minutes, then at 350°F. for 20 minutes.

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

Meyer lemons, from California, offer the mildest lemon flavor.

UNDERSTANDING

Allowing the lemons to macerate for 24 hours in the sugar enables the sugar to penetrate and sweeten the bitter white pith. It also works to let them sit for 2 hours and then hold the baked pie overnight.

The acidity of the lemons raises the temperature at which the eggs coagulate, preventing curdling in the hot oven.

One extra yolk is added to absorb the little bit of liquid that forms when using only the traditional 4 whole eggs.

This filling seems just like lemon curd interrupted by the texture of lemon slices. But it is lighter in texture and more lemony in flavor because it contains mostly whole eggs instead of just yolks and no butter.

FRUIT TURNOVERS

(Basic Recipe)

T
urnovers are for those who adore pie dough, because this pastry contains the highest proportion of flaky golden crust to fruit filling. For this reason as well, I prefer to keep them small in size; in fact, for me, the miniatures offered below as a variation are perfect. I also like to roll the dough as thin as possible. Sprinkling the top of the dough with sugar makes it crackly/crunchy.

In a turnover, I prefer a cream cheese or basic flaky pie crust to puff pastry. Not only is there a better proportion of filling to crust, but no matter how you seal and vent the puff pastry, it always opens at some point along the seam, spewing out some of the filling. I asked one of my favorite pastry chefs how she managed to keep the fruit in the puff pastry turnover she served me. Her answer: “Are you kidding? It always leaks out—I spooned it back in!” It’s always great to know you’re not alone.

This recipe contains specific directions for making a wide variety of fruit and berry turnovers.

EQUIPMENT

A 17- by 12-inch baking sheet (half-size sheet pan) lined with aluminum foil or parchment

APPLE, NECTARINE, AND PEACH TURNOVERS

APPLES
14 ounces (3½ cups/400 grams) of fruit, ¼ cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) of sugar, 1¾ teaspoons (5.5 grams) of cornstarch

NECTARINES OR PEACHES
14 ounces (2½ cups/400 grams) of fruit, ¼ cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) of sugar, 1¾ teaspoons (5.5 grams) of cornstarch

Make the dough (page 30 or 23).

MAKE THE FILLING

In a large bowl, combine the fruit, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and salt and toss to mix. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour (apples can sit for up to 3 hours).

OVEN TEMPERATURE: 400 F. • BAKING TIME: 20 TO 30 MINUTES SERVES: 10
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
The recommended amounts of sugar will result in a slightly tart filling. If a sweeter filling is preferred, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more sugar.
Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust (page 30) or Basic Flaky Pie Crust (page 23) for a 2-crust pie		18 ounces	510 grams
½ large egg white, lightly beaten	1 tablespoon	0.5 ounce	14 grams
apples, nectarines, or peaches, peeled, cored or pitted, and sliced to ½ inch thick	2½ to 3½ cups (sliced)	14 ounces 400 grams (sliced)
finely grated lemon zest	1 teaspoon		2 grams
freshly squeezed lemon juice	1 teaspoon	•	•
sugar	¼ cup or more, depending on the fruit*	•	•
ground cinnamon	½ teaspoon	•	•
salt	a pinch	•	•
unsalted butter	1 tablespoon	0.5 ounce	28 grams
¼ teaspoon almond extract or 1 teaspoon Kirsch
cornstarch	1¾ teaspoons	0.2 ounce	12.5 grains
Optional Glaze 1 large egg, lightly beaten	3 tablespoons	1.75 ounces 50 grams (weighed without the shell)
sugar	approx. 2 teaspoons	•	•

Transfer the fruit to a colander suspended over a bowl to capture the liquid. The apple mixture will exude about 4 tablespoons of liquid; the nectarines and peaches will exude about 6 tablespoons.

In a small saucepan (preferably lined with a nonstick surface), reduce this liquid, with the butter, to about 2 tablespoons. (Or spray a 2-cup heatproof measure with nonstick vegetable spray, add the liquid and butter, and reduce it in the
microwave, about 3 minutes on high.) Allow the liquid to cool for about 10 minutes or until warm. Add the almond extract or Kirsch.

Meanwhile, toss the fruit with the cornstarch. Pour the liquid over the fruit, tossing gently.

CHERRY AND BERRY TURNOVERS

The same technique of leaching out some of the fruit’s liquid can be used for cherries and berries (except for blueberries, whose skin, if unbruised, is more impermeable) to make it less messy for filling the dough. It also makes it possible to use about three quarters of the thickener that would otherwise be required.

I prefer, however, to cook these fruits (except for blueberries) just to thicken the juices and cool them before filling the dough, as the filling holds together better. The filling should be very thick, because the cherries and berries will release more liquid during baking. If you are doing this, there is no need to leach out the liquid first.

CHERRIES
14 ounces (2½ cups/400 grams) of fruit,
cup (4.6 ounces/132 grams) of sugar, 1½ tablespoons (14 grams) of cornstarch if reducing the liquid, 1 tablespoon plus 2¼ teaspoons (16.5 grams) if not

BLUEBERRIES
14 ounces (2¾ cups/400 grams) of fruit, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (2.6 ounces/75 grams) of sugar, 1 tablespoon plus 1¼ teaspoons (13.5 grams) of cornstarch

BLACKBERRIES
14 ounces (3½ cups/400 grams) of fruit, ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons (3 ounces/88 grams) of sugar, 2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon (20.5 grams) of cornstarch if reducing the liquid, 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons (16 grams) if not