Apple Berry Twist Pie Food

APPLE-BERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out one crust, and place in a 9 inch pie plate. Roll out top crust, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, tapioca, and cinnamon. Add blackberries and apple slices. Toss gently to coat without mashing the berries. Let stand for 20 minutes.
• Spoon filling into pastry lined pan. Dot with butter. Moisten the edge of the pastry with water. Cover with top crust; trim and crimp edge. Cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape during baking. Cover edge with foil to prevent over-browning.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

APPLE BERRY PIE

Steps:

• Combine the apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and 2 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the apples release their juices, 4 to 5 minutes.
• In a small bowl, stir the cornstarch into 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the simmering juices in the saucepan until smooth. Simmer just until the juices thicken, about 1 minute. Stir in the blackberries and blueberries, return to a simmer, and then remove the pan from the heat. Let cool while you roll the dough.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Set an oven rack in the bottom position.
• On a floured work surface, roll out 1 disc of dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate with about 1 inch of overhang. Roll out the second disc and cut strips or shapes. Pour the filling into the bottom crust. Top with a lattice or cut-out design. Brush the crust with the egg wash.
• Bake on a baking sheet (to catch any drips) until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes. (Check halfway through; if the top crust is browning too quickly, loosely cover with foil.) Let cool.

APPLE PIE TWISTS

Steps:

• Sprinkle some flour onto a large piece of parchment paper on a work surface and lay out one piece of the puff pastry. Spread the apple butter over the entire surface of the pastry. Place the other piece of pastry on top.
• Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry out until it is pressed into a flat, cohesive square sheet. A little apple butter will squeeze out; just make sure not to press it all out!
• Use a large jar lid or measuring cup to score the center of the pastry square to keep an uncut center. Make 4 cuts from the center (keeping the lid in place); there should be 4 even quadrants. Cut each quadrant into 4 equal strips, all making a sunburst pattern from the center. Twist the strips twice around, bringing the tips back to their original position.
• Transfer the parchment to a baking sheet. Remove the lid from the center and place a stencil in the center (if using). Brush the puff pastry with the egg and sprinkle it evenly with the turbinado sugar. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the stencil if using. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

APPLE PIE WITH A TWIST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cut the apple slices into halves or thirds; you're looking for apple pieces that are about 1-inch square.
• Place the apples in a shallow, microwave-safe bowl and microwave them, uncovered, for 5 to 6 minutes, until they've softened but still retain a bit of "bite.".
• Remove them from the microwave, transfer the apples (leaving any juice in the bowl) to a medium mixing bowl, and stir in the sugar, spices, salt, vanilla, and lemon juice.
• As you stir, the mixture will become syrupy. Add the butter and flour, and stir until everything is well blended.
• Set it aside.
• Pour filling into prepared crust.
• Spoon the filling into the crust.
• Roll the top crust into a 10-inch circle, and place it over the filling.
• Fold the edge of the bottom crust up over the edge of the top crust, squeeze them together, and crimp nicely.
• Cut a slit in the center of the crust, for steam to escape.
• Place the pie pan on center rack and then place a cookie sheet on a lower rack (to catch any spills), and bake the pie for 30 minutes.
• Gently place a sheet of aluminum foil atop the pie, covering its entire surface, and continue to bake for an additional 90 minutes, for a total of 2 hours, till the top crust is golden brown and the filing is bubbly.
• Yes, that's right; the pie won't burn, because the filling insulates the bottom crust, and the top crust is protected by the foil.
• Remove the pie from the oven, and allow it to cool for 1 1/2 to 2 hours before serving. If you cut into it too soon, the filling will be watery, and will ooze out.
• Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

BERRY APPLE-BUTTER PIE

Steps:

• Make the apple butter: In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the apples, sugar, ginger, cider vinegar and apple cider. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to soften and break down, 25 to 30 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary to prevent scorching.
• Add the raspberries and blackberries and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute, stirring to prevent scorching, then turn off the heat. Use a potato masher or immersion blender to break the mixture down to a coarse purée, being careful not to turn it into a paste.
• Return the pot to medium heat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until it thickens, 15 to 20 minutes; the apple butter is ready when you can dip a spoon into the pot and lift it out without any of the mixture dripping. You should have about 5 cups of apple butter. If you have too much, return it to the pot and continue to cook until you reduce it to 5 cups. Cool completely.
• On a lightly floured surface and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out a disk of dough into a circle about ¼-inch thick. Starting at one end, gently roll up the dough onto the rolling pin. Unfurl the dough over a 9-inch pie plate, preferably ceramic, and press it in lightly, making sure it's lining the plate.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the egg into the cooled apple butter until well combined. Pour into the prepared crust and smooth into an even layer. Refrigerate while you prepare the top crust, about 15 minutes.
• Roll out second disk of dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out triangles with 1-inch sides, or other similarly sized shapes, from the middle portion of the crust, leaving a 3-inch border. (You don't want cutouts on the portion you're going to crimp.) You can use a cutter, trace from a paper stencil or cut the shapes freehand with a paring knife. Place the cutouts at least ¾ inch apart. Remove and discard the cutouts, or egg wash them and use the same day to decorate another pie.
• Remove the pie from the refrigerator. Starting at one end of the top crust, gently roll up the crust onto the rolling pin. Gently unfurl the top crust onto the pie, aiming the portion with cutouts over the center of the pie. Trim away any excess crust with scissors, leaving ½ inch all the way around the outside rim of the pie plate. Pinch the edges together to seal, tuck them under, and crimp as desired. Return the pie to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
• While the crust chills, place a rack on the bottom shelf of the oven, and place a baking stone, if you have one, on the rack. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Transfer the pie to the baking sheet, and egg wash the top crust. (Don't egg wash the crimped edges; they'll brown on their own.)
• Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and transfer the baking sheet to the oven, placing it directly on the baking stone if using. Bake until the top crust is evenly golden brown and the filling has puffed up slightly, 40 to 45 minutes. If the crust is browning too quickly, you can tent it with foil in the last 10 to 15 minutes.
• Cool pie on a rack at least 40 minutes before slicing and serving. The pie is best the day it is baked; store leftovers at room temperature covered tightly with plastic wrap.