Sour Cream Apple Pie with Dark Brown Sugar Topping

I made this pie for our second January pie race. Jessica, the pie race winner, gave me three options, and I picked one that sounded the best, and changed it around a bit to suit. This is pretty heavily based on a SimplyRecipes.com pie, but I shifted ingredients around a bit and used more vanilla and dark brown sugar instead of light.

Ingredients
Pate Brissee(All butter) crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar (increase to 1 1/2 teaspoons if for a sweet recipe)
2 to 4 Tbsp ice water, very cold

Filling
1 cup sour cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
4 cups peeled, sliced tart apples

Topping
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix together all ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Chill until needed in the recipe.

Method
Crust
• Start by cutting the sticks of butter into 1/2-inch cubes and placing in the freezer for at least 15 minutes (preferably longer) so that they become thoroughly chilled.
In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar, pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add water 1 Tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If not, add a little more water and pulse again.
• Remove dough from machine and place on a clean surface. Carefully shape into a disc. Do not over-knead the dough! You should still be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These bits of butter are what will allow the result crust to be flaky. Sprinkle the disc with a little flour on all sides. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Remove the crust disk from the refrigerator. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12 inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, use a metal spatula to check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. Add a few sprinkles of flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Gently fold in half. Place on to a 9-inch pie plate, lining up the fold with the center of the pan. Gently unfold and press down to line the pie dish with the dough.


• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Beat together sour cream, sugar, flour, salt, vanilla. Beat egg separately, then combine. Add apples, mixing carefully to coat well.
• Put filling into pie shell and bake at 400 degrees initially for 25 min.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle with Topping. Bake for 20 more minutes.

Banana Cream Pie

 

I made this one for a  family get together, and it seems to have been well received.  Either it was really good, or they were very hungry, but either way, it was gone in sixty seconds.  I took a recipe  from Ken Haedrich’s book, Pie, and changed it around a very little bit to suit my own tastes.

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crumb Crust
1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter.

Filling

¾ cup plus 2tbsp granulated sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

3 cups whole milk

3 large egg yolks

3tbsp unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

Topping

1 cup cold heavy whipping cream

¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

3 medium large ripe bananas

1 Butterfinger candy bar, finely chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray pan with Pam and lightly coat with flour.  Combine graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in food processor.  Pulse until graham crackers are crumbed.  Add butter and pulse until mixed.  Spread crumbs evenly and loosely in pan.  Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes.  Place in center rack and bake for 7 minutes.  Place on a wire rack for 10 minutes upon removing.  Refrigerate and let cool. 

Combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium size, heavy saucepan.  Whisk in the mile and egg yokes.  Place over medium heat and cook, stirring periodically, until the mixture thickens and bubbles, 7 – 10 minutes.  Continue to cook, whisking continuously, for about 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, and the vanilla.  Pour the filling into the chilled pie shell, and smooth out the top.  Gently press a piece of plastic warp against the filling to help keep a skin from forming.  Let cool to room temperature and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

Once the filling has chilled, cut the three bananas lengthwise into quarters, and slice into small chunks.  Spread evenly and press down into filling.  Using a chilled medium sized bowl and chilled beaters, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer until it won’t quite hold soft peaks.  Add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until it is stiff but not grainy.  Spread with spatula over bananas until covered.  Sprinkle with chopped Butterfinger.