Helen Kents Apple Pie With Quince Food

HELEN KENT'S APPLE PIE WITH QUINCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the quinces in a saucepan, cover with water and place over high heat. Boil until they begin to soften, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain. When cool, core and cut them into thin slices.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Using a fork, gently blend the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Combine the egg white, water and vinegar and add to the mixture. Blend gently with a fork until the ingredients just hold together.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal balls. On a floured surface, roll out one ball of the dough to about 16 -inch thick. Ease the crust into a 9-inch dish and trim the edge with scissors. Repeat with another ball of dough and a second pie dish. Refrigerate the remaining dough.
• In a bowl, combine the sliced apples with the remaining sugar and the cinnamon. Place the apples into the pie crusts. Lay the slices of one quince on top of the apples of each pie. Roll out the 2 remaining balls into 10-inch circles for the top crusts and cover the apple mixture, pinching along the perimeter to seal the edge. With a sharp knife make 8 small cuts in the top crusts. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the middle of the oven until the crust is golden and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm with cheddar cheese.

APPLE AND QUINCE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Peel, core and slice the apples, then peel, core and grate the quince. Fill a pie pan with the fruit, sprinkling sugar over each layer, and mounding it up toward the center of the pan. Pour the water into the pan to come halfway up to the fruit.
• Roll out the dough. Cut off a thin strip and attach it to the rim of the pan, brushing the rim with water first. Brush the strip with water and cover the pan with the sheet of dough, cutting off all the overhanging bits. Crimp the edges, brush the top with eggwash, and strew over the demerara sugar. Bake for 20 minutes before turning the temperature down to 375 degrees F and cooking for a further 20 minutes. Eat warm or hot with heavy cream.
• Use approximately twice the weight of all purpose flour (preferably organic) to unsalted butter. Some recipes call for half butter, half lard.
• Sift the flour and a pinch of sea salt into a food processor, then cut the cold butter into small pieces on top of it. I process it for 20 to 30 seconds, then add ice-cold water through the top, a tablespoon at a time, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes should be enough for about 10 ounces of dough, with the machine running. If the paste is still in crumbly little bits after 1 or 2 minutes, add a tablespoon more water, but remember, the more water you use, the more the crust will shrink if you bake it blind. One solution is to use a bit of cream or egg yolk instead of water. The moment the dough has cohered into a single ball, stop, remove it, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
• If you're making pastry dough by hand, sift the flour into a large bowl with the salt, add the chopped butter, and work as briskly as you can to rub the fat into the flour. Use the tip of your fingers only, rather like running grains of hot sand through your fingers. Add the water bit by bit as above; wrap and chill the dough.
• If you're making a double-crust pie, divide the dough into roughly 2/3 and 1/3. Then scatter a bit of flour on your work surface, roll your rolling pin in it, dust the palms of your hands, and start rolling. Always roll away from yourself, turning the dough as you go, and keep the rolling pin and work surface floured to prevent sticking.
• Preheat the oven to 375 to 400 degrees F.
• Line your greased pie pan with dough. Never stretch it; it will stretch back. Try to leave at least 30 minutes for the unbaked dough to commune with the inside of your fridge. Or put it in the night before you need it.
• Tear off a piece of waxed paper a little larger than the pie pan and place it over the dough. Cover the paper with a layer of dried beans; the idea is to prevent the pastry from rising up in the oven. When the dough is nearly cooked (the timing depends on the rest of the recipe), remove the paper and beans and prick the bottom of the pie shell to let out trapped air that would otherwise bubble up. Return the tart to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to dry the bottom. Brushing the partly baked pie shell with a light coating of beaten egg or egg white ensure a crisp finished tart.
• Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Rub in 2 tablespoons of the butter, as for shortcrust pastry dough, or use a food processor. Mix in the water and then gently knead the dough on a floured surface, preferably marble. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Keep the rest of the butter out so that it softens, then flatten it into a rectangle 1 inch thick. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into the same size as the butter. Place the butter in the center of the pastry and then fold over the top and bottom of the dough to cover the butter.
• With the rolling pie, press down on the edges to seal in the butter, then give the dough a quarter turn clockwise. Now roll the dough out so that it returns to it's original length. Fold over the ends again, press them together with the rolling pin, and give a further quarter turn clockwise. Repeat the process once more, then rest the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, remembering which way it is facing.
• Repeat the rolling and turning process twice more, then refrigerate for a final 30 minutes before using or freezing. If the dough gets warm and buttery at any stage during the process, put it in the fridge to chill.
• If you prefer not to make your own, you can buy ready-made puff pastry, but try to find the very best available.

QUINCE-APPLE PIE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine quinces with reserved peel, wine, vanilla pod and seeds, 1/4 cup sugar, and enough water to cover. Place cheesecloth or a round of parchment over fruit to keep it submerged; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until quinces are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove fruit with a slotted spoon. Continue cooking liquid until syrupy and reduced by two-thirds, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. In a medium bowl, cover raisins with reduced poaching liquid. Let cool.
• Peel and core apples, and cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges. Transfer to a large bowl with lemon juice, and toss to coat. Add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, the flour, and cinnamon; toss to combine. Drain raisins (reserve poaching liquid), and add to apple mixture. Using a melon baller, remove core from poached quinces, cut fruit into 3/4-inch-thick wedges, and add to apple mixture.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 14-inch round, 1/8 inch thick, and fit into an 8-inch cast-iron skillet, leaving overhang. Fill with apple-quince mixture, dot with butter, and fold edges over fruit, overlapping as needed and leaving center open. Brush dough with water, and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake until crust is golden brown and juices bubble over, about 1 hour, 25 minutes. If fruit in center appears dry, brush with reserved poaching liquid. (If fruit or crust browns too quickly, tent with foil.) Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

APPLE AND QUINCE TART

Steps:

• Make the shell: in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter, chop the butter into the flour mixture until pea-size and coated with flour. Add 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water and toss lightly with a fork. The dough will not come together at this point. Transfer the crumbly dough to the counter and, using the heel of your hand, smear the dough to marble the butter into it. Scrape up the dough and repeat this process one or two times until the dough comes together. Once the dough forms a ball, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and press into a flattened disk. Refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• On a surface lightly dusted with flour, roll the dough into a 14-inch circle, 116-inch thick. Line an 1112-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom with the dough and place in the freezer.
• Prepare the filling by combining the quince, 4 tablespoons butter and 12 cup sugar in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan set over medium heat. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every 3 to 5 minutes. Uncover, reduce the heat to low and cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the quince is tender and darker in color, about 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
• Adjust the rack to the bottom third of the oven. Preheat to 375 degrees. Peel, core and quarter the apples. Using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, slice the apples as thinly as possible and set aside.
• Remove the tart shell from the freezer. Scrape the cooked quince into the shell and distribute it evenly. Layer the apples over the quince around the outermost edge of the tart with about 15 of the apple hanging over the rim of the pan. Each slice should overlap the preceding by half. Once you have made a full circle of apples around the outer edge, make a new circle closer to the center, overlapping the outer circle with about 14 of the apple slice. Continue layering until the quince is completely covered with apples.
• Make a brown butter by melting the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden brown and nutty-smelling. Drizzle the brown butter over the apples and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
• Place the tart on a sheet pan and cook for 70 minutes. Lower the oven to 350 degrees and bake until the apples have caramelized, the filling is bubbling and the crust is brown, another 20 minutes. Allow the tart to cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack; remove the tart pan. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche.

HELEN KENT'S PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Have ready two 9-inch pie pans. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a pie pan; gently press dough into pan. Trim dough 1/2 inch larger than pan; tuck excess under, forming a thick, rolled crust. Crimp edges in a decorative pattern. Chill 20 minutes. Repeat with remaining disk of dough and pan.
• In bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, lightly beat eggs on low speed. Add pumpkin puree, milk, ginger, sugar, salt, and lemon zest; combine on low speed. Divide filling between two crusts.
• Bake pies until crusts just begin to turn brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, and bake until crusts are browned and filling has set around the edges, about 35 minutes; the filling with appear loose in the center, but will set as pies cool. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve.

APPLE QUINCE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450-degrees F.
• Roll out one half of the pastry and place in 9-inch pie dish.
• In a bowl, combine next 6 ingrediens (apples-vanilla).
• In another bowl combine dry ingredients (salt-flour). Add flour mixture to fruit and toss to combine.
• Spoon filling into pastry-lined pie dish. Drizzle with butter.
• Roll out remaining crust and place over filling. Crimp edges and cut slits in pastry. Place on cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375-degrees F. Bake for an additional 45 minutes or until crust is golden.

APPLE AND/OR QUINCE TARTE

Steps:

• Cut together flour, shortening and salt until it resembles small peas.
• Combine the egg, water and vinegar and gradually add to flour mixture.
• Stir just until moistened.
• Roll out.
• Combine sugar, flour, butter, lemon zest, cinnamon, allspice and cloves in a food processor.
• Process until well blended.
• Spread the sugar mixture over an unbaked pie crust.
• Arrange apple and quince slices, in an overlapping pattern.
• Spread the confectioner sugar.
• Bake on 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes, until crust is lightly browned (heat and timing are basing it on convection oven).
• Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

APPLE QUINCE PIE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the quinces and apple juice. Place cloves on a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with string to form a bag. Add to pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until quinces are crisp-tender., Uncover; simmer 8-12 minutes longer or until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons. Discard spice bag. Cool for 5 minutes., Line a 9-in. pie plate with pastry. Trim to 1/2 in. beyond edge of plate; flute edges. In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Gently stir in quince mixture. Spoon into crust. , For topping, in a small bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over filling. , Bake at 375° for 50-60 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

FIVE-SPICE APPLE QUINCE PIE

Steps:

• For crust:
• Blend flour and salt in processor 5 seconds. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until coarse meal forms. Add 6 tablespoons ice water. Using on/off turns, blend until moist clumps form, adding more water by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball. Divide in half and shape into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic; chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• For filling:
• Combine first 5 ingredients in large pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until fruit is tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl. Mix in flour and spices. Cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.)
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Line 9-inch-diameter pie dish (not deep-dish) with dough. Spoon filling into crust; dot with butter. Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Drape dough over filling. Roll up overhang of both crusts together to form edge and crimp. Cut hole in center of crust to allow steam to escape; brush top (not edge) with glaze.
• Bake pie 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake pie until crust is golden, about 55 minutes longer. Cool pie on rack 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream.
• *A blend of ground cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, star anise, and peppercorns, sold in the supermarket's spice section.