Another year, another dollar? No, no, that's not it. Another decade, another dollop, then? No, that doesn't sound right either. Another Christmas, a brand new MacBook Pro on which to write lots more blog posts, AND upload pictures successfully, AND create crazy ingredient spreadsheets, AND...who knows what all else? Yes, by George, I think I've got it. I know I do. I am actually in possession of a computer that is able to run what Google terms "a modern browser." A computer that does not allow me nearly enough time to shower while it boots up. A computer that knows the year upon start up rather than being stuck in 1969 like some kind of whacked out DeLorean stuck in 1955. As much as I loved the movie, I do not want every computer session reminding me of Doc Brown rigging up crazy cables to a clock tower just to get the thing to move. This machine is more like Speedracer when I start the thing up...I can barely get in a sip of coffee between pushing the power button and seeing the screen illuminate with a prompt for me to Log On, Already! Thank you, Family!
For some reason, the term "family" makes me think of a pie. I think it's because pies can be cut in all sorts of ways and have all kinds of fillings, to start. Pies are composed of a somewhat unlikely combination of components that meld together to make something great, not because each thing loses its identity, but precisely because each thing differs from the others, and the coming together of those differences creates something complex and tremendous. That is not to say that the process is at all simple or that it's the same every time. No indeed. Making a pie is a little bit different every time, even if you're making the same pie. The butter might be wetter, the air might be dryer, the food processor might be warmer, you might be less patient than last time...the list of factors influencing how a pie turns out is endless. Every time, you must approach the pie making with the utmost respect, kindness and patience, both towards the pie and yourself. Making pie never gets old, it is always a little scary, and there is constant challenge. The rewards are always worth the labor. When something doesn't work, well, you have learned (and you still probably have a fairly scrumptious if not perfect treat). When something comes out better than expected, enjoy it and record it (either in your head or on paper) for future use and self-affirmation!
The holiday times are a time for families, whether your family is made up of people you are related to or people you have elected to love and behold dear or some combination of the two. Who cares, really, about the definition, as long as you know what it means for you and yours.
Holidays are also a time for pies, naturally. I have conducted several secret gluten-free pie making experiments that did not make it into the blog for various reasons. One resulted in a small oven fire. Lesson learned: when a pie crust has two sticks of butter in it, you had best put a rimmed baking sheet under the pie as it bakes to catch the melty stuff when it oozes out. Another trial yielded tasty but not overwhelmingly delicious results, and wasn't particularly nice to look at, though my taste tester gobbled it up. Lesson learned: my perspective is not the only one, and may not be 100% correct, though it is valid. Second lesson learned: it is possible that each one of us is our own meanest and most unforgiving critic. (Pie sounds more and more like reflections on family as you read, doesn't it?)
On this latest attempt, I combined and adapted a couple of recipes based on my own school of thought on pie crust behavior. My school of thought favors a combination of butter and shortening for baking consistency as well as taste and texture. I don't care for multiple eggs in pie crust, but in gluten free crust, you need a binder, and eggs work for that purpose as well as imparting a nice hue to the crust as it bakes. For the filling, apples were an obvious choice because they are in abundance right now, both at the farmer's market and in our fruit drawer. I threw some cranberries in too, since apple-cranberry pie is a family favorite 'round these parts. The crust was the experimental part, so feel free to use any filling you like. This recipe makes two nine inch crusts, so if your pie recipe of choice only calls for a bottom crust, freeze the other half for later use. Most importantly, share a piece of your pie with your family! Even if you think it's lousy (the pie, not your family). They might agree...or not (once again, about the pie). The important thing is that you're eating pie together.
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Apple Cranberry Pie for Sharing
A note before starting: I make pie crusts in a food processor with a capacity of 11 cups. If you have a 9 or 11 cup food processor or a stand mixer, I highly recommend using it. If not, you can cut in the butter and shortening using a pastry knife, two knives, or your fingers.
For the crust (adapted from Blackbird Bakery Gluten Free, by Karen Morgan)~
3/4 C. tapioca flour
2 TBSP potato starch
3/4 C. arrowroot (or cornstarch)
1/4 C. plus 2 TBSP sweet rice flour, plus extra set aside
1/4 C. sorghum flour
2 TBSP granulated sugar
1/4 TSP salt
1 1/2 TSP guar gum
1 stick (8 TBSP) unsalted butter, chilled and diced
8 TBSP shortening (I use palm), chilled and diced/cut up
3 large eggs
Combine all the dry ingredients in the bowl of your chosen apparatus. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs. Add the eggs and mix until the dough rolls itself into a ball. This dough will be a lot softer and uniform-looking than wheat flour pie crust because of the eggs. It will appear less clumpy and a lot more yellow. This is no cause for alarm!
Scrape/dump/gracefully extract the dough from your food processor onto a dry surface coated with that extra rice flour. Knead for a few turns, then divide in half, forming each half into a thick disk. Put in the refrigerator to cool for at least 2 hours, or up to two days. If you are impatient like I was, you can also put it in the freezer for about 20-25 minutes and achieve the same result as 2 hours in the fridge. The dough needs to be firm when you start working with it because it softens up ridiculously fast once out of the fridge. However if it's too firm, it is also unworkable. If it cracks open at your first attempt at rolling, it is too firm. Leave it at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. If it feels firm on the outside but the middle is gooey, put it back in the freezer or fridge until it is more uniformly firm.
On a dry surface covered with rice flour, roll out both disks to about 13 or 14 inch round. The dough is very, very sticky, so be sure and flip it often (but carefully - it tears very easily) and re-flour as needed. This rolling out process will be slightly frustrating but it will work out. The second time around, I put floured plastic wrap on the counter, placed the dough on that, put more flour on the dough, and then placed a second sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough so that the transportation from counter to pie plate did not make me yell (again). If you are a fast roller, you probably won't have to do that. Once again, this is very, very sticky dough, but it's easy to fix tears with a finger and some cold water! In other words, if the pie bottom doesn't make it to the pie pan in one piece, no problem!
For the filling~
6-9 apples - more or less depending on the size of your pie pan, whatever variety you like
Fresh lemon juice
1 TSP vanilla (optional)
1 TBSP arrowroot
2 (or more) TBSP sugar
1 TSP cinnamon
1 C. fresh or frozen cranberries
Peel, core, and slice the apples and place in a large bowl.
Squeeze on the lemon juice.
Stir in the arrowroot and sugar and cinnamon, and then the vanilla if using.
Fold in the cranberries.
Let sit for about 10 minutes (just enough time to roll out the dough!).
Putting it all together~
Preheat your oven to 375.
Place one of your lovely rolled out disks into your pie plate and trim to just overhang the edge of the plate.
Carefully ladle in your filling. If you have extra, well, eat up!
CAREFULLY lay the top crust over and pinch the top to the bottom.
CAREFULLY cut vents in the top crust.
I use a paring knife and start by making an unconnected cross in the very center, then fill in between the cuts for one more set of vents. The trick is that there are enough vents for ...well, ventilation, but not so many or so close together that your pie bursts out.
At this point, you may brush the crust with milk or a beaten egg or egg white. It will look really nice. When I made this pie, I was so relieved that the crust was staying together that I quick put it in the oven before realizing that I had made an aesthetic blunder in the pastry world. However, given my dairy and egg intolerances, perhaps it was subconsciously on purpose.
Bake for 40-60 minutes on a rimmed baking sheet. The pie is done when it gets golden brown and it very bubbly. If the crusts start to get dark after only 20 minutes, cover them with foil for the next 20 minutes then reassess. Enjoy!
~GFG
For some reason, the term "family" makes me think of a pie. I think it's because pies can be cut in all sorts of ways and have all kinds of fillings, to start. Pies are composed of a somewhat unlikely combination of components that meld together to make something great, not because each thing loses its identity, but precisely because each thing differs from the others, and the coming together of those differences creates something complex and tremendous. That is not to say that the process is at all simple or that it's the same every time. No indeed. Making a pie is a little bit different every time, even if you're making the same pie. The butter might be wetter, the air might be dryer, the food processor might be warmer, you might be less patient than last time...the list of factors influencing how a pie turns out is endless. Every time, you must approach the pie making with the utmost respect, kindness and patience, both towards the pie and yourself. Making pie never gets old, it is always a little scary, and there is constant challenge. The rewards are always worth the labor. When something doesn't work, well, you have learned (and you still probably have a fairly scrumptious if not perfect treat). When something comes out better than expected, enjoy it and record it (either in your head or on paper) for future use and self-affirmation!
The holiday times are a time for families, whether your family is made up of people you are related to or people you have elected to love and behold dear or some combination of the two. Who cares, really, about the definition, as long as you know what it means for you and yours.
Holidays are also a time for pies, naturally. I have conducted several secret gluten-free pie making experiments that did not make it into the blog for various reasons. One resulted in a small oven fire. Lesson learned: when a pie crust has two sticks of butter in it, you had best put a rimmed baking sheet under the pie as it bakes to catch the melty stuff when it oozes out. Another trial yielded tasty but not overwhelmingly delicious results, and wasn't particularly nice to look at, though my taste tester gobbled it up. Lesson learned: my perspective is not the only one, and may not be 100% correct, though it is valid. Second lesson learned: it is possible that each one of us is our own meanest and most unforgiving critic. (Pie sounds more and more like reflections on family as you read, doesn't it?)
On this latest attempt, I combined and adapted a couple of recipes based on my own school of thought on pie crust behavior. My school of thought favors a combination of butter and shortening for baking consistency as well as taste and texture. I don't care for multiple eggs in pie crust, but in gluten free crust, you need a binder, and eggs work for that purpose as well as imparting a nice hue to the crust as it bakes. For the filling, apples were an obvious choice because they are in abundance right now, both at the farmer's market and in our fruit drawer. I threw some cranberries in too, since apple-cranberry pie is a family favorite 'round these parts. The crust was the experimental part, so feel free to use any filling you like. This recipe makes two nine inch crusts, so if your pie recipe of choice only calls for a bottom crust, freeze the other half for later use. Most importantly, share a piece of your pie with your family! Even if you think it's lousy (the pie, not your family). They might agree...or not (once again, about the pie). The important thing is that you're eating pie together.
==========================================================
Apple Cranberry Pie for Sharing
For the crust (adapted from Blackbird Bakery Gluten Free, by Karen Morgan)~
3/4 C. tapioca flour
2 TBSP potato starch
3/4 C. arrowroot (or cornstarch)
1/4 C. plus 2 TBSP sweet rice flour, plus extra set aside
1/4 C. sorghum flour
2 TBSP granulated sugar
1/4 TSP salt
1 1/2 TSP guar gum
1 stick (8 TBSP) unsalted butter, chilled and diced
8 TBSP shortening (I use palm), chilled and diced/cut up
3 large eggs
Scrape/dump/gracefully extract the dough from your food processor onto a dry surface coated with that extra rice flour. Knead for a few turns, then divide in half, forming each half into a thick disk. Put in the refrigerator to cool for at least 2 hours, or up to two days. If you are impatient like I was, you can also put it in the freezer for about 20-25 minutes and achieve the same result as 2 hours in the fridge. The dough needs to be firm when you start working with it because it softens up ridiculously fast once out of the fridge. However if it's too firm, it is also unworkable. If it cracks open at your first attempt at rolling, it is too firm. Leave it at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. If it feels firm on the outside but the middle is gooey, put it back in the freezer or fridge until it is more uniformly firm.
On a dry surface covered with rice flour, roll out both disks to about 13 or 14 inch round. The dough is very, very sticky, so be sure and flip it often (but carefully - it tears very easily) and re-flour as needed. This rolling out process will be slightly frustrating but it will work out. The second time around, I put floured plastic wrap on the counter, placed the dough on that, put more flour on the dough, and then placed a second sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough so that the transportation from counter to pie plate did not make me yell (again). If you are a fast roller, you probably won't have to do that. Once again, this is very, very sticky dough, but it's easy to fix tears with a finger and some cold water! In other words, if the pie bottom doesn't make it to the pie pan in one piece, no problem!
For the filling~
6-9 apples - more or less depending on the size of your pie pan, whatever variety you like
Fresh lemon juice
1 TSP vanilla (optional)
1 TBSP arrowroot
2 (or more) TBSP sugar
1 TSP cinnamon
1 C. fresh or frozen cranberries
Peel, core, and slice the apples and place in a large bowl.
Squeeze on the lemon juice.
Stir in the arrowroot and sugar and cinnamon, and then the vanilla if using.
Fold in the cranberries.
Let sit for about 10 minutes (just enough time to roll out the dough!).
Putting it all together~
Preheat your oven to 375.
Place one of your lovely rolled out disks into your pie plate and trim to just overhang the edge of the plate.
Carefully ladle in your filling. If you have extra, well, eat up!
CAREFULLY lay the top crust over and pinch the top to the bottom.
CAREFULLY cut vents in the top crust.
I use a paring knife and start by making an unconnected cross in the very center, then fill in between the cuts for one more set of vents. The trick is that there are enough vents for ...well, ventilation, but not so many or so close together that your pie bursts out.
At this point, you may brush the crust with milk or a beaten egg or egg white. It will look really nice. When I made this pie, I was so relieved that the crust was staying together that I quick put it in the oven before realizing that I had made an aesthetic blunder in the pastry world. However, given my dairy and egg intolerances, perhaps it was subconsciously on purpose.
Bake for 40-60 minutes on a rimmed baking sheet. The pie is done when it gets golden brown and it very bubbly. If the crusts start to get dark after only 20 minutes, cover them with foil for the next 20 minutes then reassess. Enjoy!
~GFG
Will this recipe work if I substitute 2 cups + 4 T of a commercial gluten free baking mix for the first 5 ingredients?
ReplyDeleteYour comparison of the pie to the family was really sweet -
and savory too!
It should work, but you might have to adjust the liquid depending on the mix. Add 2 eggs and reassess the situation - that might be enough to bring the dough together. Also, read the mix and see if it includes guar gum or xanthan gum. Sometimes the mixes include a proportional amount of binder in them. If it does, I would just add 1/4 t rather than the full 1 1/2 t. Let me know how it works!
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