Recipe: Blueberry Apple Lattice Pie

BLUEBERRY APPLE LATTICE PIE
"I like to mix other fruits with apples in my lattice-top pies, in part because with plain apple, the crust and filling are essentially the same color, so the lattice effect is not too striking. Berries and other colorful fruits provide a darker background and accentuate the lattice look.

Even though there's a gap between fresh local blueberries and apple season in most growing areas, at the urging of my better half, Bev - a diehard blueberry lover if ever there was one - I mixed the two in this pie, using juicy Granny Smith apples and the first of the fresh blueberries coming out of New Jersey. The combination made for a delicious pie whose filling is tinged a gorgeous light blue. Be sure you take the time to do as instructed, arranging some of the blueberries on top of the apples. Otherwise, they may all get buried underneath, and you won't get the full effect of their pretty color."


1 recipe All-American Double Crust Pastry, refrigerated (recipe follows)
FOR THE FILLING:
7 cups peeled, cored, and sliced Granny Smith or other apples
1 pint fresh blueberries, picked over
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
FOR THE GLAZE:
Milk
Sugar

TO PREPARE THE PASTRY DOUGH:
Prepare the pastry as directed, making half of the pastry just slightly larger than the other. Shape the larger half into a disk and the other half into a square; both should be about 3/4-inch thick. Wrap the pastry as usual and refrigerate it until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.

On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the disk of pastry into a 13 1/2-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Center it, and then peel off the paper. Gently tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the over- hang into an upstanding ridge. Refrigerate.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Prepare the filling by combining the apples, half the blueberries, the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl; toss well. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

TO MAKE THE LATTICE CRUST:


On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the remaining pastry into a 12x10-inch rectangle. With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the pastry into 8 lengthwise strips, each 1 1/4 inches wide. (In other words, you should have 8 strips measuring 12 inches long by 1 1/4 inches wide.) Set aside.

Turn the filling into the refrigerated pie shell, moistening the rim of the shell slightly. Smooth the top of the filling, and then scatter the remaining blueberries on top.

Lay 5 pastry strips vertically across the pie, evenly spaced, as shown in figure 1. Fold back strips 2 and 4, and lay another strip directly across the center of the pie, as shown in figure 2.

Unfold the folded dough strips, then fold backs strips 1, 3, and 5. Lay another perpendicular strip across the pie as shown in figure 3.

Unfold strips 1, 3, and 5, then fold them up the other way as shown in figure 4.

Place another perpendicular strip across the pie, as shown in figure 4, and then unfold strips 1, 3, and 5. Trim the strips, and then pinch the ends of the strips into the edge of the pastry. Lightly brush the pastry strips with milk and sprinkle the pie with sugar.

Place the pie directly on the center oven rack and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven and place it on a large, dark baking sheet that has been covered with aluminum foil; set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

Return the pie on the baking sheet to the oven and bake at 375 degrees F just until the top is golden brown and any visible juices bubble thickly, another 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
ALL-AMERICAN DOUBLE CRUST PASTRY
Makes enough pastry for one 9-inch deep-dish double-crust pie or two 9-inch deep-dish pie shells

"To my mind, an all-American crust should include butter, for great flavor; vegetable shortening, for tenderness and flakiness; and white flour, not whole wheat. The recipe also must be generous enough to make a top and bottom crust, because a big double-crust pie is what I believe most people envision when they think of the classic all-American apple pie. This recipe meets all of those criteria. You can make this pastry by hand (directions follow), but I nearly always make mine in a food processor. This is about as large a pastry recipe as I would recommend preparing in a food processor, for the simple reason that an overcrowded processor will not mix the pastry evenly, likely resulting in a tough crust. To prevent this from happening, whenever I stop the machine, I "fluff" the ingredients with a fork to loosen anything that may have begun to compact under the blade.

If you've made other pastry with vegetable shortening, you may have noticed that it doesn't firm up quite like a butter pastry does; it remains softer, which can make the pastry slightly more difficult to roll, especially in warmer weather. To counter this tendency, I like to put the fully refrigerated pastry in the freezer for about 10 minutes before I roll it. It makes a difference."

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening cut into pieces
1/2 cup cold water

Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor; pulse several times to mix. Remove the lid and scatter the butter pieces over the dry ingredients. Pulse the machine 5 or 6 times to cut in the butter.

Remove the lid and fluff the mixture with a fork, lifting it up from the bottom of the bowl. Scatter the shortening pieces over the flour and pulse the machine 6 or 7 times. Remove the lid and fluff the mixture again.

Drizzle half of the water over the flour mixture and pulse the machine 5 or 6 times. Remove the lid, fluff the pastry, and sprinkle on the rest of the water. Pulse the machine 5 or 6 times more, until the pastry starts to form clumps. Overall, it will look like coarse crumbs.

Dump the contents of the processor bowl into a large mixing bowl. Test the pastry by squeezing some of it between your fingertips. If it seems a little dry and not quite packable, drizzle a teaspoon or so of cold water over the pastry and work it in with your fingertips. Using your hands, pack the pastry into 2 balls, as you would pack a snowball. Make one ball slightly larger than the other; this will be your bottom crust. Knead each ball once or twice, and then flatten the balls into 3/4-inch-thick disks on a floured work surface. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling. About 10 minutes before rolling, transfer the pastry to the freezer to make it even firmer.

OR, TO MIX BY HAND:
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Toss well, by hand, to mix. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients; toss. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour until it is broken into pieces the size of split peas. Add the shortening and continue to cut until all of the fat is cut into small pieces. Sprinkle half of the water over the dry mixture; toss well with a fork to dampen the mixture. Add the remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to toss and mix, pulling the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl on the upstroke and gently pressing down on the downstroke. Pastry made by hand often needs a bit more water, so add it 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time-if it seems necessary-until the pastry can be packed. Form the pastry into balls, as instructed above, then shape and refrigerate as directed.

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie, 8 to 10 servings
Source: Apple Pie Perfect by Ken Haedrich