Sunday, October 11, 2009

Pie... as a Side Dish?!?


As you may have caught at the end of a recent post, I recently went apple picking with some friends (Kerstin, Lauren, Elina, Kelly and Nicole to name a few). The weather, which threatened rain, cleared up for us and it turned out to be a fantastic afternoon. I was extremely excited, and had a smile plastered on my face the entire time we were there :) Fall is my favorite season, and I have totally been eating 3 apples a day when they're in season!

the loot

I came home with a bag full of Granny Smith, MacIntosh and Macouns, and I knew the first thing that I would make with some of them... PIE! I have actually made one apple pie from scratch, a couple years before I started a blog. I actually still have the picture I took to show my mom :) What can I say, I was proud!


After my last pie disaster, I knew I had to jump back in and not be afraid of pies. This time, I actually remembered to use the apple peeler-corer that my mom had given to me! Nice to use when you're peeling more than an apple or two :)


Of course I had to put some pressure on myself, this couldn't be just any apple pie ;) Morphing an idea from Simply Organic, I used a Rosemary-studded crust and added some cave-aged gruyere to a crumb topping. It smelled heavenly in my apt while it was baking, and I thought it was pretty incredible!! To prevent myself from eating the entire pie in an embarrassingly short amount of time, I sought out the opinions of some friends. I was humbled when it got top marks across the board... hearing how much they enjoyed it made my day :) Rebecca thought it was up there as one of her favorite of my baked goods, up there with her birthday cake! Daryl (who's an excellent cook I might add) had the brilliant idea of eating a slice of this pie with pork chops or a roast. Umm, apple pie for dinner? Sign me up! He certainly has the right idea :)



Without further ado... here's the recipe. Anyone else like to play with the lines of savory and sweet??

Apple Pie w/Rosemary Crust & Gruyere Crumble
Recipe by Shannon, adapted from two recipes (on Enlightened Cooking and in Simply Organic)



Crust:
1 1/2 c white whole wheat (WWW) flour
1/4 t salt
4T cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2oz Nufatchel
2T neutral-flavored oil (I use a Smart Balance Blend)
3T tablespoons ice water
~1t fresh rosemary, chopped (I eyeballed this, fresh or dried thyme would also work)

Filling:
~2.5lbs of apples (I used a mix of Grannys, MacIntosh, and possibly Macouns)
3/4c brown sugar, NOT packed
1T cornstarch
1/4t fresh nutmeg

Crumb Topping:
2/3c WWW flour
2T ground flaxseeds
2/3c turbinado sugar (or brown sugar, but I was out)
1/2t fresh ground pepper
2T cold butter
2-3T neutral-flavored oil
4oz cave-aged gruyere (Cheddar or Asiago are other good options)


Whisk together flour and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender (or 2 forks), cut in butter and cream cheese until crumbly (you want it to look like pebbles). Add oil and stir until moistened. Sprinkle rosemary and water over flour mix and toss with a fork to combine. Knead dough in the bowl a few times, then press together into a disk and wrap in 2 layers of plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 min (I made mine a day ahead).

Roll out dough in between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Have your pie plate out to make sure the circle is larger than the dish. Peel one sheet of parchment off your dough and invert over pie plate. Peel off the back piece of parchment, then press dough into the pan. Crimp the edges with your fingers, then prick the dough. Refrigerate the crust again while the oven is preheating.

*I prebaked my crust for 15min at 375deg in the lower third of the oven, but I thought my crust got a little dark. I might cut this back to 5-10min or not prebake at all next time* If prebaking, let crust cool before assembling.

Preheat oven to 350deg. In a large bowl, combine filling ingredients. To prepare the topping, combine flour, flax, sugar, pepper and cheese in a medium bowl. Grate butter into mix and add 2T oil. Using a fork, mix topping, adding more oil until the mixture is moistened. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Add filling to prepared pie crust and and spray the edges of the crust with nonstick spray. Bake (in middle of oven) for 20min, then add crumb topping and continue baking for 40min, or until crust is browned and apples are soft. Cool on a rack before slicing (the longer you wait, the better it sets up. I had to leave the house :)). Enjoy slightly warmed or at room temperature. Pick your side/topping!

31 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

A sweet & savory success, if you ask me! :)

Anonymous said...

Gruyere on the pie? That sounds very very good.

Erica said...

I LOVE apples too! I eat massive quantities in the fall (I've already had two today). The pie looks like heaven. The crumb topping=incredible! Nice work chicky

Kerstin said...

I love your additions of rosemary and gruyere! Your pie looks absolutely incredible!

vanillasugarblog said...

you are really getting creative here. what a perfect flavor combo. I am so loving that crust. I bet extra of that crust would make fabulous cookies.

Emily said...

Fall is also my fave season. I haven't been apple picking but would absolutely LOVE to go!

I love that you added gruyere and roesemary to your pie! I'm bookmarking this recipe because it is waay too good not to make!

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

Pie sounds really good! It's got allergens for me so I couldnt partake but still yum sounding.

Did you ever try the date by hand with almond meal to see if it would work?

And that Top Health Blogger award on your blog? Tell me about that. You can email me privately so I make sure to see if it you get a free minute. I'd love to hear about it!

Kelly said...

Yum. I love the savory sweet combo of this.

Cate O'Malley said...

sounds like the perfect way to use up your haul. I still have half a bag on the counter that I need to decide what to do with ... apple crisp, more applesauce, apple pie .. decisions, decisions.

Elina said...

What a creative idea! And yes, I could definitely be "convinced" into having apple pie for dinner ;)
I love the apple peeler too :)

Emily said...

That pie looks incredible. I'm dying to go apple picking too!

brandi said...

I've heard of using cheese in apple pies, but I've never tried it myself.

the mix of rosemary + cheese sounds AMAZING! and it looks beautiful.

♥peachkins♥ said...

this pie is extra special!

stephchows said...

oh WOW this sounds fantastic!! I love the play on sweet and savory :)

Anonymous said...

What a terrific apple pie - I'm loving your combination of sweet and savory flavors! The rosemary in the crust and the cheese in the crumble sound excellent, can't wait to try this!

Reeni said...

This looks amazing!! I love the sweet and savory!

Esi said...

Nice, I did something similar last year. Apple picking sounds fun!

Jess said...

Oh wow, can I eat it as a MAIN dish?

Maria said...

I love my apples. They are so good right now. Great pie!

Joanne said...

Have I mentioned lately that you are a genius! I love this twist.

Apples are my favorite fall fruit. I think I ate one every day last year. At least. Sometimes two. I am also dying to go apple picking. So much fun!

GF Gidget said...

Now THAT is creativity at its finest! Way to go!

Hannah said...

Hm, I like the way you think! Pie should definitely be considered part of a balanced meal. ;)

Michelle @ Find Your Balance said...

That sounds amazing! I made all sorts of apple concoctions this year, but didn't do pie. Yet.

alexandra said...

What interesting ideas! I love the idea of adding rosemary to the crust, and I have been meaning to for years make an apple pie with a cheddar or (gruyère) crust. Yum!

Nicole Chow said...

So this is what you did with our apples?! You made a complete masterpiece! WOOT! This sounds so good. I am a huge fan of sweet & savory foods. I love the fact that there's gruyere on the pie - so much more sophisticated than using cheddar. I'm so glad that you took on your fears and faced the challenge head-on. You totally won!

Delicious Dishings said...

Ooh... I love this savory take on apple pie. I'll eat pretty much anything with gruyere!

Juliana said...

Oh! Your apple pie looks very nice, like the pictures as well....indeed it is nice to make apple pie since apples are in season :-)

We Are Not Martha said...

I LOVE savory and sweet and that crust and topping sounds sooooo good!!! Nice job!!

Sues

Diana said...

Oh my GOSH does that not sounds like just the most incredible combo?! That had to be amazing, many props to you ma'am. Love blurring the line between sweet and savory. :)

healthy ashley said...

My gosh the pie is gorgeous! I'm jealous of the pie- and your apple-picking trip!

I love Fall foods!!

Ranjani said...

Thanks for the link to this post - it looks/sounds awesome! I'm totally on board with pie as a side dish. (oh, and it was nice to meet you the other day!)

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