Dried Apricot Pie Baking Sheet XIII.1

[rottiedogs]

Dried Apricot Pie Baking Sheet XIII.1
Submitted by rottiedogs on April 16, 2011 at 8:34 am

DESCRIPTION
Reader Maxine P. Stewart of California says, "Nothing can compare with a pie made from dried apricots. Especially when it’s made from the dried apricots available in my part of the country, the fruit and nut-growing center of California. The best dried apricots are packaged as ‘slab apricots.’ They are so ripe and so sweet they won’t hold their shape. But they’re delicious!"
We couldn’t find "slab apricots" to make this pie with, so we used dried apricots from the bulk food section of the local co-op grocery store. They’re very sweet and moist, and we’re VERY pleased with this sweet-tart, smooth and toothsome pie; we can only imagine how good it would be with even more flavorful apricots.

SUMMARY
Yield 1 pie Source King Arthur Flour Baking Sheet XIII.1 File under dried apricots, pie

INGREDIENTS
Crust
Use your favorite pie crust recipe, or try one of ours.
1 3/4 cups (7 1/2 ounces) Mellow Pastry Blend or unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 ounces) lard OR 1/4 cup each butter (2 ounces) and vegetable shortening (1 5/8 ounces)
2 teaspoons white or cider vinegar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Filling
18 ounces dried whole pitted apricots (about 4 cups), sliced in half or chopped
2 cups (16 ounces) water
1 1/2 cups (10 3/4 ounces) sugar
1 tablespoon Instant ClearJel® OR cornstarch
1 tablespoon orange zest OR 1 to 2 drops Fiori di Sicilia OR orange oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier liqueur OR orange juice
Topping
2 teaspoons milk or beaten egg white
2 teaspoons sugar mixed with 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon OR 2 1/8 teaspoons Sparkling White Sugar (coarse white sugar)

INSTRUCTIONS
Crust: Optional first step: Chill all of the ingredients (and your utensils, for that matter) for 30 minutes; this will help make the crust extra-flaky. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Using a pastry fork, pastry blender, your fingers or a mixer, cut in the lard or butter and vegetable shortening, leaving some baby pea-sized lumps of fat.
Sprinkle the vinegar and milk over the flour mixture, tossing to combine, then add the beaten egg, gently tossing till the dough becomes cohesive (if it’s too dry to squeeze together, add a bit of water). Squeeze the dough together, divide it in half, shape each half into a flattened disk, wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for 30 minutes or longer
Remove the dough from the fridge. If it’s been refrigerated longer than 30 minutes, allow it to rest for 10 to 15 minutes, till it’s pliable. Roll out one piece to about 13 inches in diameter, and carefully transfer it to a 9-inch pie pan. (A giant spatula works well here; lacking that, fold the dough in half, and in half again, lay the point of the dough wedge in the center of your pie pan, and unfold.) Trim off any extra-long or ragged edges of the crust, and fold the trimmed edges under themselves and onto the lip of the pan.
Filling: Cut the apricots in half, or chop them coarsely. Rinse them under running water and drain. Place the apricots in a saucepan and cover with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn the temperature down and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the apricots to cool in the water.
In a small bowl, whisk the sugar and Clearjel® or cornstarch together with the orange zest, salt, and nutmeg. Drain the excess water from the apricots into a measuring cup; reserve 1/3 cup, and discard the rest. Stir the sugar mixture into the apricots; add the Grand Marnier or orange juice; the Fiori or orange oil, if you’re using them, and the reserved 1/3 cup apricot water. Stir well.
Assembly: Roll the top crust into a 10-inch circle. Pour the apricots into the pie shell, and top with the crust. Crimp the edge artfully, or press it flush with the rim using the tines of a fork. Brush lightly with milk or beaten egg white, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar or Sparkling White Sugar.
Baking: Bake the pie in a preheated 450°F oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F, and bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is medium-brown and the juices are clear and bubbly. If the crust appears to be browning too quickly, cover it with a pie crust shield, or strips of aluminum foil. Note: If you’re using a light or shiny pie pan rather than a dark one, be sure to bake the pie for at least a total of 60 minutes, to ensure that the bottom crust is done. Yield one 9-inch pie, 8 servings.
Nutrition information per serving (1 slice, 1/8 of pie, 170g): 523 cal, 14g fat, 6g protein, 58g complex carbohydrates, 37g sugar, 7g dietary fiber, 42mg cholesterol, 218mg sodium, 916mg potassium, 1052RE vitamin A, 3mg vitamin C, 4mg iron, 79mg calcium, 108mg phosphorus

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• This topic was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by rottiedogs.

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