Two types of pies

Sometimes, when I have trouble deciding, because I just need to have both, I make both. Simple as that. The hard question of who is going to eat all of that I leave for the next day. The problem comes, and eventually it comes because I need just one piece of each pie, the same as the rest of my family. I love to have that excitement of the first bite that starts with a light crunch, continuing with a beautiful marriage between pastry and filling. That is the beauty of every pie – the marriage between buttery crust and succulent filling. That’s it, that’s the beauty. 

Ingredients

base:
150 g high quality wheat flour
30 g polenta
30 g Demerara sugar
pinch of sea salt
90 g butter
20 ml sweet cream
1/3 vanilla bean, seeds only
10‒15 ml water
1 tbsp lemon juice

apple and fig filling:
420 g sliced unpeeled apple
200 g fig jam
1 organic orange peel, finely grated

apple and cloudberry filling:
240 g sliced unpeeled apple
320 g cloudberries
3 tbsp corn starch
1 vanilla bean, seeds only
140 g Demerara sugar
1 organic lemon peel, finely grated

crumble topping:
20 g wheat flour
70 g Demerara sugar
40 g oat flakes
pinch of ground ginger
1/3 lemon peel, finely grated
pinch of vanilla bean seeds
35 g butter

Prepare

For the crust, place the flour, polenta, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Grate the butter into the flour. Rub it into the flour with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. You can also prepare the pastry in a mixer with the paddle attachment – place all the ingredients in a bowl and process on a medium speed until crumbs form. Then add the cream, vanilla, and a bit of water mixed with lemon juice and mix lightly (if it seems to need more water, add just a bit) until a smooth dough forms, but don’t over mix or it will be hard and not moist and crumbly. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Make the filling – choose the one you prefer.

For the crumble topping, mix the flour, sugar, oats, ginger, lemon, and vanilla in a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in until it resembles breadcrumbs, but still has some larger pieces.

Heat the oven to 200°. Cover the rack with paper to prevent drips from hitting the bottom of the oven. Butter a 23 cm pan. Roll out the dough, place in the pan, and prick with a fork. Line the dough with baking paper and add baking weights (you can use rice, barley, or beans) and bake in the middle of the oven for 12 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake for another 7 minutes.

Remove the pie shell and fill with the filling. Sprinkle with the crumble topping covering everything (especially the edges) and bake in the centre of the oven for 45‒50 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

If you don’t want to make crumble, you can decorate the top of the pie with the same dough that is left over. Roll our the remaining dough and press out various shapes and create your own design. Brush with sweet cream or a mixture of milk and water (1:1). Place the pastry shapes on top of the filling and continue as stated in the recipe.

Recipe and pictures: Signe Meirane
Camera: Sony Alpha 7s