I DID IT!!!
I consider myself a fair, experienced home cook. I have knife skills and can do that TV chef flip thing with a saute pan without splashing hot oil in my eyes. I can poach an egg and bake with yeast. But I have always had a serious hole in my skills set. My pie crust have always sucked. I tried. I have three recipes that I followed to the letter. yuck always.
Until yesterday! Carla Hall and the good folks at The Chew made and posted a recipe for an Apple Cranberry Pie. While on the show, Carla shows a premade pie crust with just a toss away line that should you prefer, you are welcome to use a store bought. I was very disappointed as I really wanted a lesson on pie crust.
But, when I looked up the recipe on the website, click HERE, I was frightened to see that Carla had added a recipe for a pie crust. Well, in for a pound and all that (and besides, I had the ingredients in my pantry, no need to go to the store), I decided once more into the breach dear friends, once more.
AND I DID IT! Just as good as any restaurant or grandma pie crust and MUCH better than the store bought cardboard!
I do have one issue with the recipe. Carla has us divide the dough into two balls. She then never refers to the balls. The pie on the show (and in the photo on the website) does not show a top crust. But, with all due respect to Carla and the website editors, the photo is ugggggggggly. Click HERE and see what I mean.
Now, had I known that the crust would be so good, I probably would have done a lattice top. Instead I used a cut out form that my wife had bought at a local Cider fest.
Not as pretty as a lattice top, but certainly prettier than Carla's pie.
I made another BIG change in Carla's recipe, but somewhat with her permission. During the commentary on the show she mentioned other options besides cranberries. Dried Cherries or raisins were what she mentioned. But I had fresh Peaches...
So, again... I had everything and did not need to go to the store if I used peaches. I chose fresh fruit that I had over dried cranberries that I would have needed to buy. So, as you can see, it was a matter of layers. Layer half the apples on the bottom, all of the peach slices next (I used 4 apples and 2 peaches) and the remaining apples on the top...
See...
And finally, a word about the crumblies on top! GREAT. It is a combination of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans and flour. Just perfect. When I make this recipe, I am planning to add some of the crumblies in between the layers of fruit. But not this time...
I then topped with the second pie crust and baked as explained in the recipe.
And so, Carla, Great recipe. And I certainly must thank you for the pie crust recipe...
BUT, mine is prettier
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