And then there are those days where no matter how positively you try to think, you end up feeling like someone or something is out to get you.
I had one of those days last week, one of those stuck in the mud, falling apart at the seams days, but thanks to the support of my handsome partner, I was able to muster the determination to plug along. My story began simply enough...I wanted to bake a pie.
Now a pie pan is normally not an elusive object. But for what I suppose is an understandable reason, my white ceramic pan did not want to go into a hot oven last Saturday.
Earlier that day, my mom had asked me to bake an apple pie to celebrate Father's Day. But after working out two discs of dough and buying a couple pounds of apples, I discovered that my pan was nesting at my parents' house; although it was already nine o-clock at night, I drove over to retrieve it (my dad deserves a pie and much much more).
After chatting a few minutes with my mom, I left, drove home, and walked into my kitchen only to realize that I had left that damn pie pan sitting on their kitchen counter. It was almost ten o'clock by that time, and I had a disc of dough sitting on the counter, waiting to turn into buttery, flaky goodness. Something had to be done.
I took to my floured counter-top and began rolling out my dough into a large circle. After placing my pastry on a cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper, I spooned the macerated apples into the middle and delicately folded up the edges. To finish off my free-form tart, I cut out small hearts from the left over pastry and lined the rough edges. The result was a beautiful tart that my family oohed and ahhed over the following afternoon.
So lesson to be learned: don't let small mistakes or inconveniences stop you from following your dream (which in this case was a pie). Allow your innate creativity to reign, and you will find unique and stunning treasures.
Pie dough for a single crust, well-chilled
4 large baking apples, peeled and cored
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 TBSP flour
1 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 TBSP butter
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Thinly slice your peeled and cored apples. Combine in a large bowl your apples, sugar, spices, flour and lemon juice. Toss until evenly coated and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes.
3. On a well floured surface, roll out your chilled pastry dough until a large disc is formed. Carefully transfer your pastry to your parchment papered cookie sheet.
4. Spoon your apple mixture into the middle of your pastry, being sure to allow at least a 2 inch margin. Gently fold up the edges of the pastry dough to to form the perimeter of your tart. Slice the butter into small pieces and place in the opening of the tart. (You can brush your crust with an egg wash to give it more of a gleam).
5. Bake your tart in a 350 degree oven for 40-60 minutes, or until crust is golden and apples are tender.
6. Allow to cool slightly before slicing.
Always,
Monet
Anecdotes and Apple Cores