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Thanksgiving Apple Desserts by Gourmandise Bakery

Posted at 3:30 PM, Nov 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-20 17:30:10-05

Halle Hanssen, co-owner of Gourmandise Bakery, joined us with a recipe for Thanksgiving Apple Desserts.

Gourmandise is a wonderful family bakery filled with a rich history.

Gourmandise has two locations, at 250 South 300 East in Salt Lake City and in Draper at 725 East 12300 South (opening this Friday).

For more information, please visit:www.gourmandisethebakery.com.

For two nine inch crusts:

2 ½ cups all-purpose or pastry flour, divided (2 cups and ½ cup separate)
1 teaspoon sugar (for a sweet pie. Omit for a savory pie.)

1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup cold butter, cut into chunks
¼ cup cold shortening, cut into chunks

Ice water

Parchment paper (or wax paper in pinch)

Pie dish or sheet pan

Refrigerate butter and shortening for at least 4 hours before you begin making crust (or put them in the freezer for at least half an hour if you’re in a pinch).

Gently mix the 2 cups of the flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl or in the bowl of a food processor.

Add the butter and chunks into the flour one of three ways:

  • Pulse them in the food processor
  • Cut them using a pastry cutter or
  • Grate them using a cheese grater (hold with a folded paper towel to keep them cold and your grip steady).

The mixture should look like large crumbs and begin to cling together in clumps. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour and mix lightly or pulse the processor two or three times.

Do your best not to over mix this! It should just coat the clumps.

Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of the ice water over the dough and with hands or a wooden spoon mix in just until holds together.

Shape the dough into two discs.

Rolling Technique

Traditionally, pie dough was rolled out using plenty of flour to prevent ticking.  This can work, but as more and more flour is added, it can result in an overly dry, difficult-to-handle crust that is tough once baked.

My new favorite pie-rolling-method uses parchment paper and a small bit of flour to keep the crust workable but still tender when baked.

Place a dough disc between two pieces of parchment paper (at least 12” long and 12” wide).  If it’s sticky initially, sprinkle the parchment with a little flour.  Place your rolling pin in the center of the disc and begin rolling outward towards the edge, rotating your strokes around the dough so you begin creating a circle.  As your circle grows, flip the parchment pack over and loosen the other sheet.  Keep rolling until the dough is approximately 11” in diameter (or 1 ½” – 2” larger than your pie dish).  Check your size ratio by laying your pie dish upside down on your parchment-covered dough circle.

Now it’s time to free your perfect pie crust!  Loosen both parchment sheets from the crust and gently lay it back on the bottom one.  Lay your pie dish on top of the crust and gently flip the dish over so that the crust lays atop it.  Remove the parchment paper and voila!  Nestle your crust into the pie dish.  Refrigerate it if you’d like, or let it sit while you prepare the filling.  If you’re topping your pie with crust, utilize the same method after the filling is inside.

Crimp edges however you’d like and bake as instructed!

Apple-Filling-for-All

 

To make 1 traditional apple pie (or galette) and 1 All-Family Apple Crisp, you will need:

  • 12 cups peeled, cored & sliced Granny Smith apples (approximately 12-15 apples)

For traditional pie

  • 1 9-inch pie crust

 

Filling

  • 1/3 C. light brown sugar
  • ½ C. white sugar.
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. Cardamom
  • 1 1/2 T. flour

 

Crumb topping

  • ¾ C. flour
  • 6 T. light brown sugar
  • 5 T. white sugar
  • 6 T. butter

1 9-inch pie crust (click here for mine!)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

For crumb topping, stir to mix dry ingredients together well.  Cut butter into dry mixture using either a pastry cutter, your fingers, or pulse lightly in a food processor (until mixture has gravel-sized pieces of coated butter).

For apple filling, mix apples, flour, sugars, cinnamon, cardamom.

Follow these instructions for pie crust (link).

Pour apple filling into pie shell (in pie dish), including juices.  Fold and crimp edges of crust using whatever style suits you.

Heap crumb topping over apple mixture and spread evenly.

Cover pie loosely with aluminum foil.  Bake for 25 minutes and remove foil.  Bake for another 25-30 minutes or until apples are tender (sneak a small knife in one near the middle to check).

  

Simple Apple Galette (Flat Apple Pie)

Follow directions for Traditional Apple Pie Filling and Pie Crust.

Galette topping

  • 4 T. butter

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Roll pie crust into a 9” circle between two pieces of parchment.  Remove the top parchment and place dough on cookie sheet.  Pour about 3 – 4 cups of the apple filling onto crust, keeping it about 2-3” away from edges.  Fold the edges of the crust inward, covering about 2” of the apple mixture.  Cut 4 T. butter into small cubes and place them atop galette.

Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes.

 

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