Mr. G and I joke about, what I refer to as, my “Three Day Lasagna”. The week I came home from the hospital with my son, it took me three solid days to cook one dinner. I’d finish one or two steps of prep before I’d just sputter out, cover everything in plastic wrap and try again the next day.
So, without further ado, let me introduce you to my “Two Day Pie” (progress!). While it’s certainly doable in just an afternoon, feel free to take your time and enjoy a glass of wine while you work. Then, perhaps, take a nap (I would).
The recipe for the Blue Ribbon Apple Pie is available through America’s Test Kitchen website. You’ll need to establish a free account to view it, but it is so worth it (it is copied in its entirety in a million places online, but go to the source for this one, all of their recipes are amazing!). The recipe for the pie crust was published in the New York Times and is reproduced below. Vodka makes it the flakiest crust you’ll ever eat.
Christopher Kimball’s Fool Proof Pie Dough
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (121/2 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (11/2 sticks), cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1/2 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
- 1/4 cup vodka, cold
- 1/4 cup cold water
Preparation
- Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage-cheese curds, and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
- Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
xx, mg
Mrs G 