CAN YOU BAKE A PIE??

YES I CAN!
One of the things I have been wanting to cross off my Life List, is going apple picking in New York, and then making an apple pie... after 6 years of living here, I have finally done it! Jay just got a motorcycle(!), so I hopped on the back with a backpack to bring home the goods, and off we went.
It was, literally, the perfect weekend for a ride. The sun was shining, and the leaves were at their peak- the colors were amazing! I maintain that the best way to see the fall foliage is on the back of a motorcycle. It was so nice to get out of the city for a day and get some fresh air. Check me out playing Biker Chick:


We ended up about 75 miles north of the city at Fishkill Farms.


The PERFECT apple:




They give you a big bag and you can fill it for $20! We (ok I) may have gotten a little carried away...


Note to self- 20lbs of apples is kinda heavy- especially on the back of a motorcycle.
But we made it home and I got to work!
Prior to this I had made 2 pies in my life, both pumpkin for Thanksgiving, and I was super happy with the Martha Stewart crust or- if you are fancy- Pate Brisee recipe I used, so that's the first place I went. Martha has never let me down when it comes to baked goods...
For the filling, I found her Classic Apple Pie Recipe, which I modified a little: I did a traditional top instead of the leaf cutouts, and I eliminated the egg wash (egg yolk and heavy cream), and used a little water on top instead.
I also used a technique I found on this video (still Martha) for the bottom crust. Instead of rolling out the bottom crust you press it in the pie pan a little at a time. It cuts the dough rolling in 1/2, plus it makes an awesomely rustic and thick bottom. I will do pies like this from now on. **I didn't use the recipe from the video, so feel free to just skip ahead to the crust pressing part.


The first one was so good (And we had enough apples for 4 pies), I decided to make another one!
This time I got a little fancy and went for some leaves.

I found a star cookie cutter from Christmas and turned it into leaves by making the veins. Worked like a charm! I could feel myself channeling Martha!


Of course we didn't get any after it was baked because we were just too excited to eat it. I am sure there will be many more pies in our future, though... and many more Pilates workouts to counteract that butter crust!