Raspberry Nectarine Slab Pie Food

RASPBERRY-NECTARINE SLAB PIE

Steps:

• Make crust: Get out your 9x13 baking pan and reserve. In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt. Using the large holes on a grater, grate the vegan butter or coconut oil into the mix, tossing every few strokes to coat the bits of fat with flour. in a measuring cup, whisk the vinegar and ice water. Stir gently into the flour mixture and use your hands to mix to form a dough. If needed, add a little bit more water. Form into a rectangular block about 2 inches thick on a counter sprinkled with a little flour.
• Cut off one third of the dough for the top crust; wrap each rectangle in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 F. In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour and arrowroot. Add the sliced nectarines, raspberries, and crystallized ginger and toss gently to coat the fruit. Let stand while you roll out the crust.
• On a floured counter, roll out the larger rectangle to make the bottom crust. To judge the size, place the 9x13 pan over the dough and continue rolling until the dough is 2 inches wider and longer than the pan. Use a metal spatula to carefully remove the crust from the counter, folding it gently in thirds. Transfer to the pan and press the crust up the sides of the pan, trim any extra dough and press to make a neat edge.
• Roll out the smaller portion of dough to the length of the pan. Use a fluted pastry cutter wheel or a knife to slice the dough in 3/4 inch wide strips. I used decrative cutters to cut the scraps into little hearts and flowers, which I placed on a small sheet pan.
• Fill the pie with the prepared fruit, spreading it to make an even layer. Place the strips of dough across the pie in a lattice pattern. In a cup, stir the agave and water and brush the top crust and the decorative dough scraps, if you are making those. Sprinkle with Turbinado sugar.
• Bake for 25 minutes at 425, then reduce the heat to 375 and bake for 25 minutes longer, then raise the heat to 400 F and bake for 20 minutes. If the top crust is getting browned, cover loosely with foil. Bake for 10 minutes, until the center of the pie is bubbling. Cool on a rack.

BLUEBERRY SLAB PIE

Steps:

• In a large, flat-bottomed bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter cubes and toss to coat with the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour; do not smash or smear the butter. Scrape butter off the pastry blender during the mixing process and continue mixing. (If butter is softening too fast, put the bowl in the refrigerator until butter firms up, 2-5 minutes.) Continue cutting, working quickly, until butter is broken down and looks like a coarse crumble with only a few larger pieces.
• Combine vinegar with water and ice; you'll use up to 1½ cups of this liquid in the pie dough, a tablespoon at a time. Begin by sprinkling about 8 tablespoons of liquid over the flour mixture; use a bench scraper or your hands to incorporate until the mixture begins to come together. Sprinkle in 8 more tablespoons of liquid and continue the mixing process. Squeeze a fistful of dough: if it holds, like wet sand, it's ready. If it falls apart, add 1-2 more tablespoons of liquid at a time, squeezing the dough to check if it holds. Bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of liquid as necessary; dough will look shaggy. Knead in the bowl just until incorporated.
• Turn dough onto a work surface and use a bench scraper to divide dough into two equal pieces. Shape into flat disks and wrap in plastic; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen up to 1 month, tightly wrapped.
• Generously butter a baking sheet and line with parchment paper. Dust a large work surface and tapered French rolling pin with flour. Roll out 1 disc of chilled pie dough into a rectangle by rolling it in an "X," diagonally, for even stretching. (If dough is softening too fast at any point in the rolling process, chill in the refrigerator until firm, 2-5 minutes.) Once the dough has been thinned out, switch to a straight French rolling pin and continue rolling the dough until it's a rectangle of even thickness, 3-4 inches larger than the baking sheet. Fit the dough into the baking sheet by gently folding in half, then in half again. Align the creases squarely in the middle of the pan, then unfold the dough so it's centered in the pan. There should be a 1-inch dough overhang on all sides. (If necessary, it's okay to stretch the dough gently.) Repeat the rolling and shaping process with top crust dough to a 17" x 13" rectangle. Invert a rimmed baking sheet and spread the dough on top. Refrigerate both sheets while assembling the filling, 20 minutes.
• Filling: Taste your blueberries first. They can vary from really sweet to really tart which will affect how much sugar is added; add or take out up to ¼ cup sugar to adjust sweetness. In a small bowl, mix shredded apple with lemon juice. In a large bowl, combine both sugars, Angostura bitters, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, and ground arrowroot. Add the blueberries, crushing about half of them with your hands; mix well to combine, making sure no spices remain at the bottom of the bowl.
• Preheat oven to 425 F. Remove the chilled dough sheets; set the top dough aside. Transfer the filling into the dough-lined baking sheet, patting it down to make sure there are no gaps. Use the round pastry cutter to punch random holes into the top dough, 2-3 inches apart, to create a polka dot effect; don't get too close to the edges. (Save the pastry circles to make crust cookies!) Place the top dough sheet squarely over the filling, then seal the top and bottom crusts by tucking and pinching excess dough under the bottom crust. Seal again by pressing circumference of crust with your thumbs.
• Brush egg wash evenly over the top crust, and sprinkle with raw sugar. Pie will bake for a total of 1 hour. Bake on the lowest rack of the oven until crust is set and beginning to brown, 20-25 minutes. Lower heat to 375 F, move the pie to the center oven rack, and continue to bake until crust is a deep golden brown and juices are bubbling throughout, about 30-35 minutes longer. Allow pie to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into it, 1-2 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

NECTARINE-RASPBERRY PIE

Steps:

• Make the dough:
• Remove the dough for the bottom crust from the refrigerator. If necessary, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes or until it is soft enough to roll.
• On a floured pastry cloth or between two sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap, roll the bottom crust 1/8 inch thick or less and large enough to cut a 12-inch circle. Transfer it to the pie pan. Trim the edge almost even with the edge of the pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 3 hours.
• Make the filling:
• Place the sliced nectarines in a large bowl and sprinkle them with the lemon juice. Sprinkle on the sugar and salt and toss them gently to mix evenly. Allow to macerate for a minimum of 30 minutes and maximum of 1 hour.
• Transfer the nectarines and their juices to a colander suspended over a bowl to capture the liquid. The mixture will exude a full cup of juice.
• In a small saucepan (preferably lined with a nonstick surface), over medium-high heat, boil down this liquid to 1/2 cup, or until syrupy and lightly carmelized. Swirl the liquid but do not stir it. (Alternatively, spray a 4 cup heatproof measure with nonstick vegetable spray, add the liquid, and boil it in a microwave, about 12 minutes on high). Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes or until warm.
• Meanwhile, transfer the nectarines to a bowl and toss them with the lemon zest and cornstarch until all traces of the cornstarch have disappeared. Stir the Kirsch into the cooled syrup and pour it over the nectarines, tossing gently. Transfer the nectarine mixture to the pie shell and top with the raspberries.
• Roll out the top crust large enough to cut a 12-inch circle. Use an expandable flan ring or a cardboard template and a sharp knife as a guide to cut out the circle.
• Moisten the edges of the bottom crust with water and place the top crust over the fruit. Tuck the overhang under the bottom crust border and press down all around the top to seal it. Crimp the border using a fork or your fingers and make about 5 evenly spaced 2-inch slashes starting about 1 inch from the center and radiating toward the edge. Cover the pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour before baking to chill and relax the pastry. This will maintain flakiness and help to prevent distortion.
• Preheat oven to 425°F at least 20 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating. Place a large piece of greased foil on top to catch bubbling juices.
• Set the pie directly on the foil-topped baking stone and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the juices bubble thickly through the slashes and the nectarines feel tender but not mushy when a cake tester or small knife is inserted through a slash. After 30 minutes, protect the edges from overbrowning with a foil ring. cool the pie on a rack for at least 3 hours before cutting.
• Store:
• Room temperature, up to 2 days.
• Pointers for success:
• - The nectarines should be ripe but firm so they maintain their texture in a pie. If squishy, they lose their character.
• - As you slice the nectarines, toss them occasionally with the sugar mixture to coat to prevent them from turning brown.
• - The liquid must not be hot when added to the nectarines because it could cause the cornstarch to lump.
• - Be sure to put a sheet of foil under the pie pan, as there is always a little spillover with this much fruit.
• - For a truly crisp bottom crust, bake the pie directly on the floor of the oven for the first 30 minutes.