pie

Sweet Potato Pie with Toasted Marshmallow Meringue

November 17, 2020 By Ashley 3 Comments

It’s hard to imagine this time of year, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, and not think of pies. Or really anytime of the year. Even though many of us are participating in small get togethers, or celebrating with just immediate family this year, my sweet potato pie with toasted marshmallow meringue is the perfect dessert to serve along with Thanksgiving dinner, or really any event that needs a pie. Drop off one of these pies to your friend in quarantine. Bad break up, make this pie. Feeling crummy during quarantine, make this pie. There’s always time for a good pie.

This sweet potato pie is made with my perfect all butter pie dough, and filled with a spiced, creamy roasted sweet potato custard filling, topped with thick and silky toasted marshmallow meringue. It’s creamy and velvety with a crispy, flaky crusty and toasted, marshmallowy meringue. So, so good, and dare I say, better than pumpkin pie.

What’s the difference between sweet potato and pumpkin pie?

The main difference between sweet potato and pumpkin pie is really just those two ingredients. I also find that sweet potato pies tend to be more velvety and thick whereas pumpkin pie is a bit more custardy. Sweet potatoes pack a lot more flavor, and sweet potato puree is thicker as well. They don’t have as much water as pumpkins do. So, sweet potatoes have more of a concentrated flavor. But, in most recipes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and butternut squash are interchangeable with some minor tweaks to the recipe.

How to make sweet potato pie

The pie crust for this recipe needs to be par baked, or blind baked, so that the crust doesn’t get soggy during baking. This ensures a crisp bottom and a golden brown crust. Also important because this pie is baked at a low temperature to prevent cracking and to make sure the filling is baked slow and evenly and the low temperature doesn’t contribute to much browning.

Roasting the sweet potatoes gives them the best flavor. The smell is absolutely amazing. They caramelize, deepen in flavor, and get super tender. After the potatoes are roasted, and cooled until warm enough to handle, they’re pureed with sugar, maple syrup, molasses, spices and salt until smooth. Half and half, eggs and vanilla are whisked together in a large bowl until well combined, then added slowly added to the sweet potato mixture. The mixture will be smooth, velvety and a vibrant orange color.

This recipe calls for half and half, which contributes to the sweet potato mixture setting while baking and gives it a luxurious, silky texture. You can use evaporated milk or whole milk in place of half and half, but note that pies made with whole milk takes longer to bake and set due to the higher water content. I’ve tried this recipe with all three and they all work well, but the half and half is my favorite.

How to make toasted marshmallow meringue

I could literally eat this toasted marshmallow meringue off of a shoe, it’s that good. Ok, that’s gross and I wouldn’t eat it off a shoe, but I’d be sad I couldn’t. You get the idea. This meringue is amazing on all sorts of pies and tarts, on brownies, on cake and so much more. The meringue is made by cooking egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar until heated to 160F, then whipped until fluffy, thick and glossy. Vanilla and salt are added for flavor, and the pie is topped with the meringue and toasted.

I hope you love this sweet potato pie with toasted marshmallow meringue as much as I do! If you make it, let me know! Leave a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your bakes!

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more pie recipes, check out these posts:

Chai Spiced Apple Cranberry Pie

Honey Cardamom Peach Galettes

Brown Butter Stone Fruit Tart

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Sweet Potato Pie with Toasted Marshmallow Meringue

Flaky all butter pie crust filled with a spiced roasted sweet potato custard filling and topped with thick and silky toasted marshmallow meringue

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time2 hrs

Course: Dessert

Ingredients

1/2 recipe All Butter Pie Dough

Sweet Potato Pie Filling

2 large sweet potatoes
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ½ cups half and half
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Toasted Marshmallow Meringue

3 large egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Roast the sweet potatoes

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Place the sweet potatoes onto the baking sheet. Use a fork to prick a few holes into the potatoes to allow the steam to escape.
Bake the potatoes for 50-60 minutes until super tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and leave to cool until they're cool enough to handle.

Bake the pie crust

Line the chilled pie crust with scrunched up parchment paper. Scrunching up the paper first will help it fit into the pan better.
Fill with pie weights or dried beans, making sure they're evenly distributed around the pie dish.
Bake the crust on a rimmed baking sheet for 12-15 minutes, until the crust is set and the edges are starting to brown. Remove pie from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the pie.
Return the pie crust to the oven, and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the bottom is lightly browned. Remove the pie and the baking sheet from the oven and cool while making the filling.

Make the sweet potato filling

While the potatoes are still warm, remove the peels. Measure out 2 cups of sweet potato.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sweet potato, sugar, maple syrup, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Purée the mixture until smooth. Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a large bowl.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the half and half, eggs, egg yolks and vanilla extract until well combined.
Slowly whisk the half and half mixture into the sweet potato purée until fully incorporated and smooth.
Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Return the pie plate to the baking sheet and bake at 400F for 10 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 300F. Continue baking the pie for an additional 45-60 minutes, or until the edges are set, the pie has a slight wobble and the internal temperature reads 175F.
Transfer the pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 3 hours. The pie continues to cook with resident heat so be sure to cool at room temperature.

Make the marshmallow meringue

Make the meringue right before serving the pie. Place the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a saucepan filled with two inches of simmering water, making sure the bowl isn't touching the water.
Whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved, the mixture has thinned and an instant read thermometer reads 160F.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment. While still hot, whisk the mixture on high speed until thick, glossy and stiff peaks form.
Spread the meringue onto the pie. Use a culinary torch to toasted the meringue. Do not bake or put under the broiler as it will melt.
Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes

Pie without meringue can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Pie with the meringue topping can be refrigerated overnight.

Blackberry Pie Bars

August 26, 2020 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Blackberries are easily the prettiest berry in my opinion, but strangely the most under utilized berry in my house. We don’t eat them enough, and it’s a shame because they’re so, so good. This past weekend when I was in the mood for a sweet treat, with blackberries on my mind, I made these blackberry pie bars. Ripe, juicy blackberries sit on top of a buttery shortbread style crust, topped with an almond crumb topping, and baked until golden brown and bubbly. Buttery, and crumbly, with a deep sweet tart blackberry flavor, these bars are super delicious and highly addictive.

The crust

The crust for the blackberry pie bars is similar to a shortbread crust. The flour, sugars, salt, lemon zest and butter are combined in the food processor to make a crumbly dough. The dough will stick together if you remove a handful of the mixture out and give it a light squeeze. That’s how you know your butter is cut in properly, and the dough can be pressed into the pan. Before pressing the dough into the pan, reserve a cup of the flour/butter mixture for the topping.

I like to use the bottom of a measuring cup to evenly press in my dough. Once it’s evenly distributed, I use an offset spatula to make it super neat and level. I can’t help myself, I like to make a pretty crust before baking. It’s just one of my baking quirks. The crust gets baked until it’s golden brown, then cooled before adding the blackberry filling.

The topping

Remember that cup of the flour mixture we reserved when making the crust? That is also being used as the topping. Add a little bit of spice by adding some cinnamon, then use your fingertips to work the mixture together a bit to form some larger clumps. You can toss in the toasted almonds at this point, or wait to just sprinkle on after sprinkling on the crumb topping.

The blackberry filling

While the crust is baked, and is cooling, make the blackberry filling. I like to macerate the berries for just a little bit while the crust cools so that the filling is a bit more jammy. I used fresh blackberries, but you can use frozen. Defrost and drain them before using. Cut the berries into halves, or quarters if they’re huge, toss them with a bit of sugar, and lemon juice and let them rest, stirring occasionally. When the crust has cooled, and is just warm, combine the cornstarch with the berries and pour onto the crust. Bake the bars until the blackberries are bubbling around the edges and the topping has baked to golden brown.

The blackberries create this thick and juicy deep purple jam when they bake. The crust is buttery, crumbly, and a bit caramel-y from the brown sugar. The blackberries make the crust around edges of the bars sticky and chewy from the juices seeping down the sides before setting up – easily my favorite part. So, so good. And that almond crumb topping just makes these bars. Buttery and crunchy, with a hint of spice, these bars are the perfect way to use up those summer blackberries.

For more summer treats, check out these posts:

Brown Butter Stone Fruit Tart

Strawberry Rose Buttermilk Cake

Honey Cardamom Peach Galettes

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Blackberry Pie Bars

Ripe, juicy blackberries are baked on top of a buttery shortbread style crust, topped with an almond crumb topping, until golden brown and bubbly.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Course: Dessert

Servings: 2x2 squares

Ingredients

Crust and Topping

2 ¼ cup (312g) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup (32g) sliced almonds, toasted

Blackberry Filling

2 1/2 cups fresh blackberries, halved
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 ½-2 tablespoons cornstarch, use the higher amount if the berries are really juicy

Instructions

Heat the oven to 375F. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Pulse to combine.
Add the butter cubes to the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture starts to clump together but is still sandy.
Remove 1 cup of the mixture, and turn out the remaining mixture into the prepared pan.
Lightly press the dough evenly into the pan. Bake the crust for 20-25 minutes, or until light golden brown.
Add the cinnamon to the reserved 1 cup of the flour mixture and combine. Use the tips of your fingers to squeeze the dough together to make clumps for the topping. You don't want this part to be sandy.
Add the almonds (or you can wait to sprinkle them on at the before baking), and place the crumbs into the refrigerator to keep chilled.
Place the blackberries, lemon juice, and sugar in a medium bowl. Toss to combine. Let the blackberries sit and macerate while the crust cools.
When the crust is just warm, add the cornstarch to the blackberry mixture and mix until combined.
Pour the blackberry filling onto the crust.
Evenly sprinkle the crumbs and almonds on top of the blackberry filling.
Bake the bars for 35-45 minutes, until the blackberries and juices are bubbling around the edges and the topping is golden brown.
Allow the bars to cool completely before serving.

Brown Butter Stone Fruit Tart

August 7, 2020 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Oftentimes, I’ve heard the phrase, “It’s just too pretty to eat.” I mean, it is food after all, and meant to be eaten, right? And then I finished decorating this tart, and thought to myself, how can I cut this? It’s just too pretty to eat. But, admittedly, totally worth the destruction in order to do so. This brown butter stone fruit tart is as delicious as it is beautiful. It’s rich and creamy, slightly sweet, fresh and flavorful. It’s the perfect end of summer tart to use up those juicy, sweet in season stone fruits.

My brown butter stone fruit tart is easy to prepare, and all the components can be made in advance and assembled before serving. Thick and silky brown butter pastry cream is spread into a crisp and crumbly sweet tart crust and topped with ripe juicy peaches, red plums and cherries. The tart is sprinkled with toasted almonds and Demerara sugar for extra crunch and sweetness right before serving. It’s simple but complex in flavor from the vanilla flecked brown butter pastry cream and the combination of ripe fruits.

For the tart crust, I used my go-to Sweet Tart Crust. It’s easily prepared in a food processor and bakes up beautifully golden brown. It’s buttery, tender and slightly sweet – a perfect crust for holding all types of fillings. The tart crust for this recipe is baked until golden brown and cooled completely before the pastry cream is added.

How to make brown butter pastry cream

Pastry cream is similar to vanilla pudding in how it’s made and it’s consistency. Pastry cream is a custard, thickened with egg yolks and cornstarch, while pudding is thickened with fewer or no eggs, and cornstarch. To make the brown butter pastry cream, start by making the brown butter first, and allowing it to cool just slightly. You want it to still be warm, but not boiling hot. This will be added to the custard still warm. The milk, sugar and salt are combined in a saucepan and heated until simmering. While the milk is heating up, egg yolks, additional sugar and cornstarch are beaten together to make a thickened, homogenous mixture. Once the milk is heated, it is slowly whisked into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs. This ensures that the eggs are being heated gradually, and won’t seize when cooking. Then the mixture is returned back to the saucepan to cook until bubbling and thickened.

The pastry cream is strained to catch any potential egg bits that might have cooked or curdled, and to keep it smooth and silky. The brown butter and vanilla are whisked in, and the pastry cream needs to chill for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. You want the pastry cream to be super cold before adding it to the tart crust.

Assembling the tart

Assemble the tart before serving so that any liquid from the fruit doesn’t make the pastry cream watery or the tart soggy. Spread the pastry cream into the tart crust, and top with your favorite fresh stone fruits. Peaches, red plums and cherries are some of my favorites so I chose to use them here, but apricots, nectarines and blackberries (yes, they’re stone fruits) would be delicious as well.

The sweet crust and the pastry cream aren’t super sweet, to allow the ripe, seasonal fruit to really shine. Ripe fruit will be the sweetest and most flavorful.

Slice the peaches and plums into thin slices, and fan them out over the pastry cream in little sections. Place some pitted and halved cherries, as well as some whole, stemmed cherries on the tart, down the center, or off to the side. Sprinkle some toasted almonds to fill in any gaps. Finish the tart by sprinkling with Demerara sugar. The sugar will cause the fruit to get juicer so be sure to add the sugar just before serving.

For more fruity recipes, check out these posts:

Honey Cardamom Peach Galettes

Chai Spiced Apple Cranberry Pie

Spicy Pineapple Margarita Granita

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Brown Butter Stone Fruit Tart

Thick and silky brown butter pastry cream is spread into a crisp and crumbly sweet tart crust and topped with ripe juicy peaches, red plums and cherries and sprinkled with toasted almonds and Demerara sugar.

Prep Time35 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Chill3 hrs

Total Time4 hrs

Course: Dessert

Servings: servings

Ingredients

1 recipe Sweet Tart Dough, fully cooked
1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter
2 cups (480ml) whole milk
1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed, divided
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons pure vanilla paste (or vanilla extract)
3 peaches
3 red plums
1/2 cup (80g) cherries
Toasted almonds, for sprinkling
Demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

Brown Butter Pastry Cream

Place the butter into a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook the butter until deep golden brown, and the butter stops popping. Set aside to cool until warm.
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the milk, salt and 1/4 cup of sugar and bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and egg yolks and whisk until fully mixed, about 30 seconds.
Whisk in the cornstarch until thickened, for about a minute.
When the milk mixture is simmering, remove the saucepan from the heat. Carefully and slowly, whisk the milk into the egg mixture.
Pour the egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium heat, whisking continuously until the pastry cream thickens and slow bubbles pop on the surface.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any curdled bits, and to smooth out the cream.
Whisk in the brown butter and vanilla bean paste.
Cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap so that a skin doesn't form. Allow the pastry cream to cool to room temperature.
Chill the pastry cream in the fridge until completely chilled, about 3 hours, preferably overnight before using.

Assembling the Tart

Assemble the tart just before serving. Slice the peaches and plums into thin slices.
Pit and halve the cherries, leaving a few stemmed and uncut. Set aside.
Stir the chilled pastry cream. Pour into the cooled, fully baked tart crust.
With an offset spatula, spread the pastry cream out evenly in the tart crust.
Place the peaches and plums over the pastry cream. Top with cherries.
Sprinkle the toasted almonds over the tart, filling in some of the gaps where the pastry cream is can be seen.
Sprinkle the tart with Demerara sugar. Serve immediately.

Chai Spiced Apple Cranberry Pie

November 18, 2019 By Ashley Leave a Comment

I love, love, love apple pie. There’s never a Thanksgiving when I don’t make an apple pie. It’s a Thanksgiving dessert staple. I’m always experimenting and creating new variations on the classic apple pie and this chai spiced apple cranberry pie does not disappoint. It is just SO GOOD.

If you’ve read any of my posts, you know that I love my coffee. But, in the fall and winter, I love a good chai tea or chai tea latte. So comforting on a chilly day. This chai spiced apple cranberry pie is perfect chilly weather comfort food, with the perfectly spiced flavors of chai and orange, with sweet and tart apples, and a tart pop of cranberry. I used a variety of warm spices that can be found in chai tea blends – cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Cardamom, to me, is so quintessentially chai and a must-have in this recipe, so definitely don’t skip out on it.

My favorite apple to bake with is granny smith apples, so in this recipe, I used a mixture of granny smith and honey crisp apples. Honey crisps taste amazing – they’re a bit sweeter than granny smith apples and they are great to bake with as they retain their texture well. I used fresh cranberries since they are popping up in stores this time of year, but you can use frozen if you can’t find fresh. The cranberries add a juiciness and tartness to the pie, and they just go so well with apples and the chai spices.

My chai spiced apple cranberry pie starts with a foundation of an amazing tender, flaky and flavorful crust. I used my all butter pie dough for this pie, so for all things pie dough, check out my recipe here. Not up to making your own, or trying to save some time? Store bought works just fine here too.

To optimize the flavor for this pie, I mix the apples with the orange juice, zest, spices, sugars and salt and leave them in a colander over a large bowl to macerate, or drain off the juices for about 40 minutes. This drains the apples of excess liquid, which helps keep the apples from getting too soft and mushy when baking. The reserved liquid gets boiled down to thicken slightly and become more concentrated in flavor. The apples are then mixed together with the concentrated liquid, cornstarch and cranberries before being layered into the pie crust.

Apples tend to shrink a bit when baking, which can leave a gap between the crust and the apples when the pie is cooling. Macerating the apples helps shrink them and reduce their water content which helps with reducing the gap. Layering in the apples with the cranberries also help reduce any excess space. Mounding the apples and overfilling keeps the pie more full once baked.

Brushing the pie with a mixture of egg and water helps the crust bake up to be perfectly golden brown. I sprinkle demerara sugar over the crust for extra crunch and sweetness. The best way to tell when a fruit pie is done baking, is to bake until the juices are bubbling. This ensures that the pie is fully cooked and also has activated and cooked the thickening agent.

I like to start baking my fruit pies at a higher temperature first to help “set” the crust. This allows for the pie dough to bake a bit faster, and not become soggy from just stewing in the fruit juices. It also allows for the crust to start to brown as well, so when the pie is finished baking, it’s a deep golden brown. The temperature is then reduced to allow the pie bake the pie fully, without the potential for the crust to burn.

When the pie comes out of the oven, the filling will be bubbling and your kitchen will smell incredible. As difficult as it may be, it’s important to let the pie cool for a few hours in order to thicken up and set the filling. The chai spiced apple cranberry pie is best served slightly warm, and as Matt prefers it, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Chai Spiced Apple Cranberry Pie

This chai spiced apple cranberry pie is layered with sweet spiced, orange scented apples and tart, juicy cranberries inside a tender and flakey all butter pie crust.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chai Spiced Apple Cranberry Pie

Ingredients

1 recipe, All Butter Pie Dough
8 apples (about 3 lbs), peeled and sliced to 1/4" I used half granny smith and half honeycrisp apples.
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Zest of a orange
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

Prepare the pie crust:

On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough, keeping the other disk refrigerated. Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter.
Place the dough onto the pie dish. Ease the dough, without stretching, into the pie dish. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare the lattice:

On a floured work surface, roll out the second disk of dough, also to a 12" diameter.
Cut 10-12 evenly sized strips using a pizza cutter or a knife. Lay the strips on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Prepare the filling:

Position the baking rack in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 425F and place a large baking sheet on the center of the rack.
In a large bowl, combine the apples, orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and salt and mix to combine.
Transfer the apples to a large colander and place over a bowl. Let the apples macerate and release their juices for at least 40 minutes or for as long as two hours.
Pour the drained liquid into a small saucepan along with the butter over medium low heat. Place the apples back into the bowl.
Cook the liquid until slightly thickened and reduced to about 1/2 cup. Set aside to cool slightly.
Add the cranberries, cornstarch and liquid to the apples and mix to combine.

Compile the pie:

Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator. Layer the apples and cranberries into the pie crust, creating a mound in the center.
Remove the lattice strips from the refrigerator. Lay 5 to 6 strips, evenly spaced over the pie.
Weave the remaining strips over and under, perpendicular to the first set of strips to create a lattice. Adjust the strips to ensure they are evenly spaced.
Trim any excess dough over 2". Fold and tuck the dough on the edges to create an outer ridge and to ensure the lattice and bottom crusts are adhered.
Flute the edge, or crimp with a fork.
Whisk together the egg and the water. With a pastry brush, brush the lattice top and the edges with a thin layer of the egg wash.
Lightly sprinkle demerara sugar over the lattice crust.
Place the pie on the baking sheet in the center of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
Let the pie cool for 3 hours to allow the filling to set, or until just warm.

Notes

Pie can be made in advance and left at room temperature for a day. To keep the pie longer, cover the pie tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

All Butter Pie Dough

November 11, 2019 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Pie dough is one of those foundational recipes, that once mastered, opens the door to all sorts of bakes – pies, tarts, galettes, and even scones and biscuits. The process of making this all butter pie dough is actually called the biscuit method, but no matter what it’s called, the process to make them both is relatively the same.

SCIENCE OF PIE

The science of pie dough making is simple. Cold butter (or fat) is cut into flour (including any flavor mix ins – sugar, salt, herbs, etc.) in order to disperse little pieces of the butter throughout the dough. The flour coats the butter, and when baking, the water in the butter evaporates, creating steam. The steam causes the dough to puff up and create pockets which results in flaky layers. A small amount of cold liquid (usually water) is added to help bind the dough, making it easier to work with. Also, for gluten formation. Gluten is actually needed for pie crust but only very little, which is why so little water is called for in pie recipes. Too much water can equal too much gluten formation resulting in a tough crust.

WHY BUTTER?

Why do I use all butter? What about shortening, lard, or even oil? Really, you can use any of these fats you prefer. Or you can use a combination of them. But, I prefer all butter because the flavor is just unbeatable. Sure, shortening won’t melt while you’re working with it in a dough. And of course it’ll create a flaky tender crust. But it’s flavorless. I also prefer to not use shortening in baking if I don’t have to. Personal preference. Another win for butter? It helps aid in the browning process. There’s an insane amount of amazing flavor in a golden brown all butter pie crust.

HOW TO MAKE PIE DOUGH:

One of the most important things to keep in mind while making your all butter pie dough, is to ensure that your butter and liquid stays super cold. Warm and melting butter can react with the gluten in the flour which could make for a tough crust. It won’t react in the oven to create steam pockets. It also makes the dough hard to work with and unable to keep its shape.

Combine the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor. I love using a food processor to make pie dough. I always struggled with doing it by hand with a pastry blender and I found that using a food processor cuts the butter into the flour perfectly, and also a lot faster. Once the flour, sugar and salt are in the bowl, pulse a few times to make sure everything is mixed together well. Add the chunks of cold butter to the bowl, and pulse until the butter is evenly distributed, with pieces about the size of peas. You should be able to squeeze some of the mixture together and it forms a solid clump.

Once it is at this stage, pour out the mixture into a large bowl. I know, it’s a bit annoying to have to dirty up another dish. You can continue to finish the pie dough in the food processor if you wish. Your pie dough will still come out amazing, delicious and flaky. But, once you get the butter to pea size pieces, that’s when it is ideal to add the water. Those pieces of butter continue to get smaller if you continue to use the processor to mix in the water, which means less lofty flaky layers. So, I like to continue to finish the dough by hand. I also I feel like I have a bit more control over the water when doing it by hand as well.

Use a spatula or your hands to mix in a tablespoon of water at a time until it starts to form large clumps, with no large pockets of dry flour remaining. Here’s the thing, the amount of water varies, and it’s something you have to gauge by eye here, not by the perfect measurement of water. The dough needs to just be able to come together to form a ball. The dough should not be very sticky, or wet.

Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a disc about an inch tall. Wrap tightly with cling film. The dough needs to relax, absorb the water and firm the butter back up, so leave it to rest in the refrigerator for an hour before rolling out the pie dough.

ROLLING AND SHAPING:

You will need to bring your dough up to working temperature before rolling out. If your dough is too firm, it’ll crack when rolling. Too soft and it will get sticky and be hard to roll. One of my favorite tips – before removing the plastic wrap, roll out the dough as much as you can while wrapped. This helps give you clean edges, a perfectly round shape and a head start. Remove the plastic and place the dough on a lightly floured surface or non-stick mat. Take it easy with the flour – too much and it can make the dough tough, dry and begin to crack.

Roll the dough out to a 12″ diameter, or to about 1/8″ thick. When rolling, take care to not roll the pin over the edges of the dough. This flattens and tapers off the edges. Roll from the inside of the dough round outwards. I generally just loosely roll up the dough on my rolling pin and lay the dough into my pie pan. It’s important to note that you shouldn’t stretch your dough as this can cause shrinking when baking. If the dough cracks, use extra dough to patch the cracks rather than trying to stretch the dough back together. At this point follow the pie recipe for crust directions. Regardless, after rolling, the pie dough needs to firm up and chill again. The longer the better. I like to freeze mine if possible. Super cold dough helps prevent shrinkage and allows that butter to adequately do it’s thing while baking.

If you make this all butter pie dough, use it to make these Honey Cardamom Peach Galettes!

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All Butter Pie Dough

My favorite all butter pie crust is easy and fast to make, and bakes up perfectly flaky, tender and delicious.

Prep Time10 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Perfect All Butter Pie Dough

Servings: crusts

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed
1/2 cup ice water

Instructions

Place the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine the ingredients.
Add the butter to the flour mixture in the bowl and pulse for 4-second increments until the butter is cut in to the flour and there are pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
Pour the flour/butter mixture into a large bowl. Using either your fingers or a spatula, stir in the water, a tablespoon at a time. Stop adding water when the dough begins forming large clumps. The dough should be moist and slightly sticky, but not wet, with no big pockets of dry flour remaining.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. With floured hands, fold the dough onto its self until all flour is incorporated, forming the dough into a ball. Use a light hand to keep the butter from melting and to prevent too much gluten formation.
Divide the ball in half. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate the dough for two hours or for up to three days before using.
When ready to roll out the dough, let the dough rest on the counter to warm up a bit before using. The dough should still be cool when working with it. You want to be able to roll it out without cracking but not be too warm to melt the butter and become sticky.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface or a non-stick rolling mat. Roll from the center outward, rotating the dough 180 degrees, with your hands, every so often. This helps keep its round shape and prevents sticking. Add a little more flour if needed to prevent sticking.
Roll the dough to about 1/8" thick and about 12" round. Lightly roll the dough up with your rolling pin, about halfway.
Lay the dough onto the pie dish. Ease the dough, without stretching, into the dish.
If making a double crust or lattice pie, refrigerate before proceeding with your recipe. If you're using the bottom crust only for your recipe, crimp or decorate the edges, then refrigerate.
Refer to your pie recipe on how to proceed.

Notes

Recipe makes enough for two crusts, or a for one double crust pie.

Pie dough can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen up to two months.

Honey Cardamom Peach Galettes

August 7, 2019 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Oh, hey there! We’re back from our last summer vacation. We headed up to Seattle for the week to visit with family, see the sights, and of course eat some amazing food. I had to stop by Dahlia Bakery when I was there (absolutely love the cookbook) and it was amazing as expected. We tried the banana bread, the fig bar and a lemon bar – all of which were delicious. We drank lots of fabulous coffee from some small, local coffee shops, hit up Trophy for some cupcakes and ate at quite a few farm to table restaurants that were super yummy.

Obviously, when I got home, I was really inspired to bake. So, I made these crazy delicious honey cardamom peach galettes and they certainly did not disappoint. Make these for your next outdoor BBQ. Maybe for labor day festivities. Make these just because they’re so good.

I’ve been wanting to create a galette recipe, or a freeform pie, for the blog for a while now and I knew peaches would make the perfect filling. I could smell these giant peaches when I walked into the grocery store. Really, have you seen the size of some of these peaches? Being a huge fan of peaches, I never need an excuse to bake with them. Especially when they’re in season. I spiced them up with some cinnamon and cardamom, brush the finished galettes with honey and finished them with a sprinkle of crushed pistachios. The flavor combination is SPOT ON. Peaches, cardamom and honey are made to be together – a match made in baking heaven.

For my honey cardamom peach galettes, I used my go-to all-butter pie crust recipe. It’s super easy to make (food processor for the win) and produces a buttery, flaky crust every time. I made a full batch of dough to create 6 individual galettes. A full batch of the pie dough will make two full size galettes, half the recipe for one full size galette. I rolled out the dough and used a 6″ cake board to cut rounds out of the dough. You could also use a cake pan or a bowl instead, just something with a 6″ diameter will work.

It’s important to always be working with cold pie dough. Be sure to refrigerate your dough rounds while preparing the peach filling. Just like with any fruit, taste the peaches to see how sweet they are. This will help you determine if you will need more or less sugar for the filling. My peaches were perfectly ripe and sweet, so I didn’t use as much brown sugar. Don’t forget that there will be honey brushed on top that will also add additional sweetness. Mix together peeled, sliced peaches (I like to slice mine 1/4 inch thick), lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla bean paste, and brown sugar. The peaches will naturally start to macerate a bit but don’t get rid of that flavor syrup. It will be added to the galettes before baking.

Distribute the peaches onto the dough rounds, about a 1/2 cup of peaches per galette. Leave about a 1 1/2 inch border around the perimeter of each. Fold the dough up and over the peaches, section by section to create a circular shape, pressing lightly to seal at the edges of each intersection. There’s really no right or wrong way to fold over the dough. You just want the pie dough to fully encase the peaches and form a barrier so all the juices won’t seep out.

Place the galettes back in the fridge to firm back up before baking. Doing this will ensure that they keep their shape while baking. Once the dough has firmed up a bit, they’re ready to be baked. Distribute the reserved peach syrup over the galettes, avoiding the crust. To get that golden brown crust color, brush the crusts with an egg wash. Sprinkle the crusts with some turbinado sugar for some extra crunch and sweetness. Bake the galettes until they are golden brown and bubbling. Baking at a higher temperature also ensures that the crust browns and retains it s shape while baking.

Melt the honey for a few seconds in the microwave or in a saucepan and brush a liberal amount over each of the galettes. The honey adds delicious depth of flavor but also gives them an appetizing glossy finish. Sprinkle the honey cardamom peach galettes with some chopped pistachios and they are ready to be served. Husband prefers his with vanilla bean ice cream. I like them without – they don’t need anything else, they’re perfect on their own.

If you try my honey cardamom peach galettes, let me know! Leave a comment in the comment area below and be sure to snap a photo and tag it #littlevintagebaking on Instagram. I love seeing your Little Vintage Baking creations!

For more summery treats check out these recipes:

Roasted Peach Crisp Ice Cream

Meyer Lemon Ginger Tart with Toasted Honey Meringue

Print Recipe

0 from 0 votes

Honey Cardamom Peach Galettes

Spiced peaches encased in a flaky all-butter pie dough baked until golden brown and bubbly, then brushed with honey and sprinkled with chopped pistachios

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Honey Cardamom Peach Galettes

Servings:

Ingredients

All-Butter Pie Dough:

3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
2 tsps granulated sugar
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup (226g) unsalted stick butter, cold, cut into cubes
7-10 tbsp ice cold water

Peach Filling:

3 cups (1.5 lbs) peeled and sliced peaches - I used 4 large peaches
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 egg
1 tbsp heavy cream or milk
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp chopped pistachios
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

Make the pie dough:

Place the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
Scatter the cold butter cubes over the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture is coarse, with some pieces of butter about the size of peas.
Pulsing in 5 second bursts, drizzle in the ice water. Pulse until the mixture starts to form large clumps and begins to come together into a ball.
Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half and shape into disk. Wrap each piece with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for an hour. Pie dough can be refrigerated for three days or frozen for three months.
Once the dough is chilled, lightly flour your work surface. Roll the dough out, about 1/8 inch thick, about 12" round. I like to lay parchment paper on my dough before rolling out to keep the dough from sticking.
Using a 6" cake round, cut out three 6" rounds out of the dough. Place the dough rounds on a parchment lined sheet pan.
Repeat steps 5-6 for the second disk of pie dough. You should have six 6" disks. Place the disks back into the refrigerator to keep cold while preparing the peach filling.

Preparing the galettes:

Preheat the oven to 425F.
In a medium bowl, combine the peeled and sliced peaches, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla bean, cinnamon, cardamom and brown sugar. Stir to combine thoroughly.
Place 1/2 cup of the peaches into the center of each dough round, laying the peaches flat and leaving an inch and a half or so around the perimeter of the dough rounds. Reserve the syrup left over from the peaches macerating.
Fold the edges of the dough over, overlapping slightly. Gently press where the dough intersects to help the dough keep it's shape while baking.
Place the galettes into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
When ready to bake, evenly distribute the reserved syrup over the galettes.
Mix the egg with a tablespoon of milk or cream. Brush the mixture onto the galette edges. Sprinkle the edges with turbinado sugar.
Bake for 23-26 minutes or until the crust has turned golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Microwave the honey for 10 seconds or heat in a small saucepan until just warmed through and thinned.
Brush the honey over the peaches. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios over the peaches and serve warm or at room temperature.

Sweet Tart Dough

February 6, 2019 By Ashley 2 Comments

One of the many fundamental recipes every baker needs in their repertoire is a recipe for a sweet tart crust, or pate sucree’. Similar to a pie dough, sweet tart dough creates a buttery, sturdy crust perfect for filling with curds, custards, fruit, and much more. Sweet tart dough differs a bit from pie dough as tart dough is sweeter and more cookie-like, reminiscent to a sable’ cookie, while pie dough has a small amount, if any, of sugar and is more flaky and crisp in texture.

Pie dough and tart dough are very similar, using many of the same ingredients – flour, sugar, butter and salt but with sweet tart dough containing an egg or egg yolk. All purpose flour is used in this recipe, helping to create a perfectly tender crust. Not too delicate and not too tough. Confectioner’s sugar is used here because it provides more of a melt-in-your-mouth, fine grained crust than granulated sugar would. Salt is added for flavor. An egg yolk is added for structure, and also contributes to browning. Cream is used to help bind the dough together and allow the dough roll out easier. You can skip the cream and use a full egg if you wanted to, though the crust will not be as tender. I have done this plenty of times and it’s still perfectly delicious.

I always make pie dough in a food processor and my sweet tart dough is no exception. I love the ease of it and it comes together much faster than doing it by hand. You’ll want to make sure you don’t overwork your dough. Just as with hand mixing your dough, be sure not to over process your dough in the food processor. Pulse just to combine.

Cold ingredients are key to a good pastry dough. I like to grate my super cold butter on the large grates of a box grater before adding it to my dry ingredients. Using grated butter ensures that the butter is uniform and evenly distributed in the flour mixture. Once the butter is added and combined, the mixture will look like coarse meal. Next, process in the egg yolk, cream and vanilla and pulse to form large clumps and curds. The photo above is what your dough should like when you’re done processing it.

Allow the dough to chill before rolling out. This relaxes the dough and makes it easier to roll. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. If you would like, you can also roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment. For a standard tart shell, roll the pastry out to a 12″ round, about 1/8 inch thick. You can certainly roll your dough a bit thinner or thicker, depending on your preference. I find that I prefer to use a slightly thicker tart shell for tarts made with curds, and fruit.

Place the rolled dough into the 9.5″ removable bottom tart pan. I use this traditional fluted tart pan. I find that the best way to do this is to take the removable bottom from the tart pan and slide it under the dough. Center the dough over the pan bottom, pick up and place into the tart pan. Ease the dough into the pan, taking care not to stretch the dough and making sure the dough is flush to the pan. Trim off the excess, then it’s off to the freezer to firm up before baking. Freezing the pastry completely will help prevent the tart shell from shrinking.

Once the tart shell is chilled completely, it’s lined with oiled or buttered aluminum foil and filled with pie weights (or uncooked rice, dried beans, etc.). This is to allow the tart to cook weighed down to prevent the crust from puffing up and distorting while baking. After the tart’s initial bake, the foil and weights are removed and it’s baked for a bit longer. For a partially baked shell, for tarts that will be baked further with their fillings, only a few more minutes of baking are required to dry out the pastry a bit more before filling. For a fully baked tart shell, bake until a light golden brown. I like to bake mine a deeper golden brown. Where there is browning, there is flavor.

Sweet tart dough can also be made in advance. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. It can also be frozen for up to a month. Just thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using. It can also be baked, cooled and stored at room temperature in a ziptop bag for up to two days.

If you make a tart using my sweet tart dough recipe, let me know! Leave a comment in the comment area below and be sure to snap a photo and tag it #littlevintagebaking on Instagram. I love seeing your Little Vintage Baking creations!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Sweet Tart Dough

Buttery, tender sweet tart crust perfect for any filling

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Chilling1 hr 30 mins

Total Time45 mins

Servings: servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (180g) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (56g) confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 stick (113g) unsalted butter, very cold and grated on a box grated
1 egg yolk
2 tsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Place the flour, confectioner's sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a couple times to combine.
Scatter in the cold, grated butter over the flour mixture. Pulse a few times to evenly distribute. The mixture will be clumpy, resembling coarse meal.
Whisk together the egg yolk, cream and vanilla in a small bowl. Add the egg yolk mixture while pulsing. Pulse the mixture until it starts sticking together, forming large clumps. It's ok if there is still some flour that hasn't been fully incorporated.
Pour the mixture out onto your work surface. With a light hand, knead just a few times to incorporate all of the flour and to ensure everything is thoroughly incorporated.
Flatten dough into a disc, about an inch thick and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Place your chilled dough on a lightly floured surface. Let the dough sit for a 5-10 minutes until pliable. Roll out your dough into a 12" circle, about an 1/8 inch thick.
Place the dough over your tart pan and quickly ease the dough into the pan. Avoid stretching the dough. Use the tips of your fingers to ensure the dough is flush with the bottom and sides of the pan.
Trim the excess dough off the top of the pan. Take another look at your tart dough, checking for any tears, gaps or uneven edges, Use the excess dough to fill in those spots.
Place the tart shell into the freezer for at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly spray a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Press the foil into the tart shell, covering the edges. Fill the shell with pie weights.
Place the tart shell into the oven and bake for 22-25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and pie weights.
For partially baked shell, continue baking for 5 minutes more. Proceed to your recipe for further instructions.
For a fully baked shell, continue baking for 10 minutes longer or until golden brown. Be sure to keep an eye on the edges of the tart so they don't burn. Place on a wire wrack to cool completely.