Apple-raspberry pie

Well hello friends, I'm sorry it's been a little longer than usual between posts. We've had a bit of upheaval over the last few weeks, and I guess it finally caught up with me! I won't give you the whole long sob story, but suffice it to say that we haven't yet closed on our new apartment, but we had to leave our sublet... so Mark and I scrambled to find a short-term furnished sublet in Brooklyn that we could inhabit while the real estate gods decide to let us off the hook for whatever karmic infraction we committed (we're sorry! Really!).

So here we are in this little apartment, waiting waiting waiting for the planets to align so we can come to a stop and settle in in a real, permanent home. When all is said and done, it will be nearly a year since this particular adventure started! Needless to say, I can't wait to cook my first dinner and bake my first treats in our real home, whenever that is...

So anyway, let's talk about more fun things, shall we? Like pie! Pie, pie, pie -- yum. As I mentioned a while back, I got to contribute some pies to my pal Jayna's wedding. My assignment was 3 fruit pies. Originally I thought two of them would be peach and peach raspberry, since Jayna and I first began planning at the beginning of the summer, when it felt like summer fruit would be around forever. But as the wedding date appraoched, it started to feel more and more like fall, so I switched to apple-raspberry and ginger-apple-crumb. The third was a plum tart, as we planned all along.

The apple-raspberry was particularly fun to make and came out so pretty. It's such a perfect Indian summer pie, combining the crunchy, sweet apples of fall with the tart, ruby raspberries of summer. Of course, you can use frozen berries if there aren't any fresh ones left by you. As most pies do, this one takes a little doing, but it's worth every minute.

Please excuse the funny photo -- Mark rushed to snap it after it had been cut but before it got too destroyed :)

Enjoy!

Apple-Raspberry Pie

Serves 8 to 10

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

Crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, frozen
1/4 cup vodka, ice cold
4 to 6 Tbsp. ice water

Filling:

2 3/4 lbs. baking apples (I used half Gala and half McIntosh)

6 oz. fresh raspberries (or frozen, partially thawed)

3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 Tbsp. for sprinkling

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Pinch of salt

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk

1 Tbsp. heavy cream

1. Make crust: Pulse flour and salt in food processor. Add butter pieces and pulse just until butter is incorporated and there are no pieces left that are larger than a pea. Add vodka and pulse to combine. Add water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, pulsing just until mixture is still crumbly but just beginning to clump (squeeze some between your fingers; it should hold together). Dump it out onto a countertop and knead it just enough to bring it together. Divide it in half, shape both halves into disks, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Remove 1 dough disk from fridge and let stand at room temperature until it's soft enough to roll (about 5 to 10 minutes). Roll it out (on a lightly floured countertop or in a pie crust bag -- the greatest invention ever!) to a 12-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate and trip edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Refrigerate.

3. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place a rack on bottom third of oven and put lined baking sheet on rack. Make filling: Stir apples, raspberries, granulated sugar, flour, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl. Transfer to pie plate; dot with butter.

4. Roll out remaining disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into a 12-inch round. Drape over filling. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Press edges to seal. Fold overhang under, and crimp as desired. Make five 3-inch slits in top crust. Refrigerate 20 minutes. 

5. Whisk egg yolk and cream in a bowl; brush over top crust. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Place foil on rack below to catch juices. Tent pie with foil if browning too quickly. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 4 hours (up to overnight).

Comments

[Avanika (Yumsilicious Bakes)]

That pie looks absolutely gorgeous!! I love a good pie :)

[Cheri]

I love apple and raspberry combo. The pie looks wonderful. Hope you get to settle in to "home" soon!

[Rachel (S[d]OC)]

Vodka in a pie crust? I've never seen that before and now I know I must try it. It's fall and I'm craving those cinnamony desserts now. The juxtaposition of fall and summer fruits is a winner too.

[Summer]

I hate moving, and I did a lot of it before we bought our house 2 years ago. I totally feel for you, but hang in there!

This pie looks great and combines two of my favorite all time pies - apple and raspberry - what's not to like?

[Eliana]

The pie looks super delish Beth. And good luck with the closing. I will say a little prayer to the real estate gods on your behalf.

[ShawnsPlate]

The pie looks gorgeous...I am so intrigued by vodka in a crust! Hopefully I'll give it a try soon. Good luck with the purchase. If you're that close settlement, any kinks can be worked out:)

Also, beyond happy that I happened upon your site!

[Ashley]

Your crust looks so good! My crusts are always a mess. I hope you guys have settled into a new apartment by now. :)

[Paula]

This pie looks awesome as does all the food on your blog! Cheryl at Tidymom is hosting a pie link-up on Monday Nov. 15th. You really should think about linking up with either this or another pie. I have the feeling your pie crusts turn out all the time :)