Sweet cherry Pocket Pies

 

 

Recipe: Sweet cherry pocket pies

Recipe source: Emmy in her Element

 

What you'll need:

1 can cherry pie filling

1 batch homemade pie dough or store bought dough

{For homemade dough you will need: 2/12 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup Crisco shortening, 1 teaspoon salt, and about 8 tablespoons ice water}

1 beaten egg

 

A heart shaped cookie cutter

 

French Apple Galette AKA easy free form apple tart

 

   By now you know by now how much I love apple pie.  I have shared many versions... salted caramel apple pie, sweet cinnamon apple pie turnovers, mini apple pies, 2 tips to change the look of your pie crust and my most recent (and possibly favorite) post on homemade apple blossoms. Today I am going to break away a little from a full on apple pie, and switch over to something a little more simple, but still beautiful none the less. We can be fancy and call this a "French apple galette", galette meaning "free form" aka no stress over fitting the dough just perfect or making pretty edges, or we can be real and call it what it is. A simple no fuss, elegant to the eye and delicious to the taste dessert. It's easy, fun and when the scent of buttery crust and warm sweetened apples hits your senses you will find yourself wandering around your kitchen aimlessly until the timer beeps FINISHED! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have. I found myself twirling in my apron dreaming of a fall day when I have a basket of freshly picked apples from a neighbor and warm quilt to wrap up in... ah fall, how I love you.    

Recipe for French Apple Galette

Slightly adapted recipe from here

 

Dough ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon  sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter cubed into small pieces
3 1/2 tablespoons chilled water

 

 Filling:
2 pounds about 8  apples (Granny smith, pink lady or any tart firm apple) peeled, cored (save peels and cores), and sliced
2 tablespoons butter  melted
 3-4 tablespoons sugar

 

Glaze:

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

peels and cores of apples

cornstarch (optional)

 

Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl; add 2 tablespoons of the cold cubed butter. Blend in a mixer or food processer until dough is chunky and butter resembles large peas.

Slowly add  in water, stir or pulse and then add remaining cubes of butter until dough just holds together. 

 Remove dough from food processer and flatten into a 4-inch-thick disk; refrigerate. After at least 15 minutes.  On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Flour your rolling pin as well to resist sticking. 

Place your dough in a lightly greased 9-inch round tart pan, OR if you are going free form, roll dough up on your rolling pin, and unroll on to your baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Heat oven to 400 F. 

Slice apples thin and neatly arrange on your dough in a ring 2 inches from edge if going galette-style, or up to the sides if using the tart pan or pie dish. Continue inward until you reach the center. Fold any dough hanging over pan back onto itself; crimp edges at 1-inch intervals.

Brush your melted butter over apples and onto dough edge. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar over dough edge and 2 tablespoons over apples.

Bake in center of oven until apples are soft, with browned edges, and crust has caramelized to a dark golden brown, 40-45 minutes.

To make glaze: Put reserved peels and cores in a large saucepan, along with sugar and lemon juice. Pour in just enough water to cover; simmer for 25 minutes. Strain syrup and add back to pan. Use cornstarch to thicken if desired. (One recipe of glaze made a jar extra that I kept in my fridge for up to 1 week to use on other tarts.

When tart is finished baking, remove from oven, and slide off parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 15-20 minutes.

Brush the glaze over tart, slice, and serve.

   

 

 

If you do not have a pie dish or a tart pan, go ahead and place dough on parchment paper on a baking sheet and build the apple tart galette style (free form), see pics below.

 

 

Free form option:

   

   

Homemade Apple Blossoms and my favorite pie dough recipe

  I am so excited to share this "sculptural" recipe with you. It is a product of pure experimentation in the kitchen, mixing my passions for baking and artistry. I thought it would be so fun to make something a little different than the traditional turnovers, although we love those too as you can see HERE.   These apple blossoms are so fun to make for a family breakfast or a delicious dessert. This is also a great recipe to make with your kids! If the apple blooms "blossom" open in the oven, no worries that is part of what makes them fun!  

2 simple tips that will change the look of your pie crust

 

I love to make pies and find so much satisfaction in sharing something beautiful that I put love into and made myself. I'll tell you though, pie making did not come naturally to me. It has taken practice and patience... and yes a few tear drenched crusts have been tossed in the trash...

So today, I want to share with you a couple of tips I have learned to make a beautiful top crust on my pies. The best part, they are easy tips that will make for a much prettier end result.

 

 TIP 1: Instead of exposing the top crust to the hot oven for the total time of baking, try cutting a small piece of tin foil and lightly placing it on the top of your pie. Bake for 1/2 the time, open the oven and pull it off (use a hot pad). Toss the foil and let your top crust beautifully brown for the other half of the bake time. Its a small tip that makes a big difference.

 

TIP 2: Always add a wash on top of your pies to help them be golden. Without the wash, your crust will stay a whitish color, the same as your dough looks. My Grandmother has always used a cream and sugar wash, and I always go with the traditional egg wash. It's easy just crack 1 egg in a cup, and add about a teaspoon of water. Whip with a fork until fluffy. Brush this wash onto your crust, and then sprinkle sugar over the top. The wash helps the sugar stick. Keep sprinkling all over the crust as a little will dissolve into the wash. Bake your pie and when you pull it out, you will see pretty parts of it where the sugar sparkles. It adds a wonderful rusticity to the pie.