Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Mountain 3.14

Happy PI week everyone! Yup, all us eggheads and apron-wearers can finally claim a day for our own. March 14 is of course perfect timing for the creation of the delicious dessert known as pi(e)... especially around here, where it's still bloody cold outside and nothing is more sought after than some hot pastry with a scoop of slowly melting ice cream alongside it.

Am I making you hungry yet? Good, because I've got one MOUNTAIN of a pie to share with you today, and all things considered, it isn't all that bad for you either! Plus, it's got a funky, new type of apple in it too, that I can't wait to tell you about!

Let me introduce you to the star in my Mountain Pie's filling... the PiƱata Apple. According to Stemilt, the "brand name" generators of this particular apple, it's a cross between Golden Delicious, Cox’s Orange Pippin and the Duchess of Oldenburg varieties. In a sense, it reminds me of a Pink Lady apple, but with the crunch factor of a Honeycrisp... my personal favourite! These are BIG apples, and even though the photo's not too great you can see how white they are inside too! Apparently, they are highly resistant to browning once cut, too, but I never let mine sit around long enough to find out! Chop n' drop, right into the giant pie crust I had to make for them, coated with a bit of sugar-free syrup (since the recipient, my future MIL, is diabetic), maple extract, cinnamon and a touch of fresh ginger, then topped with more pastry and into the oven it went! To go along with Kitchen Parade's Pi Day Event I even created a new crust for me, using oatmeal and oat flour along with whole-wheat for a completely whole grain crust! I just got the verdict back from the family, who enjoyed it for said MIL's birthday and said it was absolutely incredible. Guess I'm in with them like a dirty shirt as far as being accepted goes (though I was from pretty much the second I started dating Andrew), especially if I keep making pies!

Oat-Maple Apple Pie
Serves 6 (1 6" pie)
Crust
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup quick oats, uncooked
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
4 tablespoons cold water mixed with 1 tsp white vinegar
  1. Combine flours and oats in a large bowl.
  2. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal.
  3. Stir in water with a fork until a dough-like mixture forms.
  4. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 3-4 times to make the dough come together.
  5. Divide dough in two (make one ball slightly larger) and set the larger dough ball aside.
  6. Roll out the other dough ball to fit inside a 6" pie pan, place in pan and set aside while preparing the filling.
Filling
3 large or 4 medium apples (any type for "cooking" will do)
2 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup
1 tsp maple extract (optional)
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
  1. Peel, core and chop the apples roughly. Place in a large bowl.
  2. Combine the syrup, extract, and ginger. Pour over the apples.
  3. Sprinkle cinnamon over mixture.
  4. With your hands, toss everything together until all the apples are well coated.
  5. Pour into pie shell.

Baking

  1. Preheat oven to 450F.
  2. Roll out larger ball of dough and drape over the large pile of apples (and it will be large!).
  3. Cinch edges with a fork or crimp them if you're feeling fancy.
  4. Brush outside of dough with a little water and poke crust 3-4 times for ventilation.
  5. Bake 10 minutes at 450F, reduce oven temperature to 350F.
  6. Continue to bake for 35 minutes, cool completely on a rack.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 315.4
Total Fat: 18.7 g
Cholesterol: 9.6 mg
Sodium: 34.4 mg
Total Carbs: 36.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.8 g
Protein: 3.8 g

Speaking of birthdays, I have to remember to take a shot of my most recent birthday cake creation to post soon, as it's going in for a surprise party for my Mom tomorrow and I know it will be demolished within a few seconds of it's arrival! I won't tell you it's name, but I will tell you this: it's chocolate, and it's a pretty "high-test" cake and frosting!

7 comments :

  1. Hi Sarah ~ Your pie is certainly well-named, what a mountain of apples! And I love that you played with a whole-grain pie crust is well, love the addition of the oatmeal. And a new apple as well? Swoon ...

    Thank you so much for participating in Pi Day! Your recipe is live, now!

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  2. Holy kick-butt~ I use pink lady and honeycrisp when I bake so this apple sounds absolutely divine! Thanks for the amazing info. Love the mountain high pie as well, very fun.

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  3. That's one big pie! I'e never tried a whole wheat crust but you've got me thinking...

    Happy Pi Day!

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  4. Super! I like using whole wheat pastry flour in my crusts too. Love the mountain appearance. :)

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  5. Looks amazing; sounds delicious! Do you think coconut butter would work in the crust?

    I've been browsing your blog (highly enjoyable!) and have a question about your Thai coconut cake: where did you find coconut flour? I have been on the lookout for this for months here in Toronto and can't find any!--any info much appreciated. :)

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  6. This is a spectacular looking apple high pie - and the addition of maple is terrific.

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  7. Hi Sarah!
    What a wonderful pie! I like the addition of the oats to the crust, and the mountain looks like a lot of fun to make. Thanks for sharing it!
    Libby

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Thanks for the feedback!