Apple Pie with Oat Crisp Topping
Desserts aren’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when reminiscing about classic seafood shack meals. Maybe it’s because the menus are so often a hit parade of American nostalgia: pies, cobblers, brownies, cookies, shortcakes, and bread puddings. These are some of the most ubiquitous and well-loved desserts in the country, and although mass-produced facsimiles can be found everywhere, including many seafood shacks, the best New England spots make their own.
Like savory seafood shack fare, these common desserts aren’t meant to break new culinary boundaries. Cutting-edge technology isn’t typically deployed, and abstract flavor combinations are not typically sought. As such, we always knew we wanted to have a really stripped-down set of dessert options at Eventide. However, true to our whole approach, we wanted to bring together that classicism with a touch of our team’s refinement, creativity, and whimsy.
Kim Rodgers was our last hire before we opened Eventide. An art school graduate with very little kitchen experience, she got the job as a prep cook mostly out of our panicked desperation that we hadn’t hired enough people. Headline: Kim was the best hire we ever made. Seven years later, she heads up the baking and pastry department for all our restaurants magnificently.
We’ve charged Kim with creating a wide range of desserts and baked goods, from fussy and abstract plated creations at the progressive Hugo’s, to bánh mì buns and steamed bao at The Honey Paw, to, right in the middle, the Maine classics that make up the Eventide dessert menu. Kim and her team absolutely nail the whole spectrum. For Eventide in particular, they are adept at taking familiar forms or flavors and, by dint of stubbornness, creativity, and relentless organization (and maybe some masochistic tendencies, because this work is exacting!), reimagining them as the best versions of themselves, nostalgia intact.
In the recipes that follow, you’ll find some cool tricks for boosting flavor and new methods that are widely applicable to what are very likely some of your favorite desserts. You’ll notice that we include the weight of ingredients in this chapter. Pastry and dessert-making is such a precise form of cooking, and we believe the best results come from weighing ingredients. You can buy a cheap and reliable digital food scale online for around twenty dollars. If you don’t want to use a scale, we’ve also provided the volume measurement for every recipe.
Here are some pro tips to help you along:
-
For cookies and whoopie pies, spray cooking spray around the edge of your baking tray before lining with parchment to help keep the parchment in place.
-
When making cookies or cakes, pay attention to the bottom of the mixing bowl when you are scraping it down. Butter likes to hide there, which can cause streaking and uneven baking.
-
Make sure all of your refrigerated ingredients are brought to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before making cookies or cakes. For pies, you want cold ingredients straight from the refrigerator.
-
In a pinch, you can quickly temper eggs by placing them in warm water until they reach room temperature. But leave them in the shell!
-
To soften butter in a hurry, dice 1 cup (2 sticks) into ½-inch cubes and microwave it in a glass bowl in 10-second increments until soft but not fully melted. But it’s best to just leave it out on the counter overnight.
ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
Ice cream sandwiches have become the cornerstone of our Eventide dessert menu but were borne out of necessity in the beginning. We didn’t have a proper ice cream machine when we opened, and our baking space was miniscule, so we scrambled for something that was delicious, easy, and efficient to make ahead and store. Ice cream sandwiches were the perfect answer.
Fast-forward to today: our ice cream sandwich production line would make a PhD materials-handling engineer proud. We have engineered a system that is legendary for its elaborateness, involving silicone and ring molds, winter parkas, and individual smoothing of each sandwich with a gloved finger. If you want to chase the Platonic ideal of ice cream sandwiches, give the restaurant a call. For the rest of you content with feasible and delicious, read on.
The workhorse vanilla ice cream we provide is a good match for all the cookies to follow, but we encourage you to try out different ice cream combinations of your own. We push the limit of sugar content in our cookies but balance the flavor out with a generous amount of salt and dark chocolate. The higher the sugar content, the softer the cookie will be when it freezes. That, along with slight underbaking, has proven to yield the best textured sandwich once frozen. —Kim Rodgers
MAKES ABOUT 9 ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
1 quart vanilla ice cream, store-bought or homemade (recipe follows)
18 cookies of your choice (recipes follow)
Pair the cookies by size, scoop a generous ⅓ cup of ice cream onto one of them, then top with the matching cookie and lightly smoosh the whole thing together. Using a butter knife, smooth the ice cream around the edges so that it is flush with the edges of the cookies. Place the cookies on a baking sheet or in a large ziplock bag and freeze for 2 to 3 hours until frozen solid.
If you’re not serving the sandwiches within a day or two, wrap the sandwiches tightly in parchment paper and put them back in the freezer in the ziplock bags or a covered container for longer keeping. The sandwiches should keep for up to 1 month in the freezer.
VANILLA ICE CREAM
MAKES 1 QUART
1 cup (189 grams) whole milk
1 cup (189 grams) heavy cream
⅛ vanilla bean, or ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon (55 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon (4 grams) nonfat dry milk powder
¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
3 egg yolks
Special equipment:
Ice-cream maker
Fill a large mixing bowl with a good amount of crushed ice and a little bit of water, and set aside.
In a small pot, combine the milk and cream. Split and scrape the vanilla bean and add both the pod and seeds to the pot. Heat over medium-low heat as you prepare the dry ingredients.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, milk powder, and salt until completely combined. Then whisk the dry ingredients into the warm milk and cream mixture in the pot. Place the bowl the dry ingredients were in over the prepared ice bath. Increase the heat in the pot to medium and continue to whisk until you see the tiniest bubbles around the rim of the pot and bits of steam curling off the surface. Remove from the heat immediately.
Put the egg yolks in a bowl. Whisk about ¼ cup of the hot liquid into the yolks. Repeat, adding ¼ cup liquid at a time, until you have added enough of the hot liquid to the yolks that the outside of the bowl feels hot to the touch. Then pour the yolk mixture into the pot and whisk thoroughly to combine. Return the pot to medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until the liquid reaches 185°F (the mixture should coat the back of a spoon), then immediately pour it through a fine-mesh strainer into the bowl over the ice bath. Using a spatula, stir the mixture until cool.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing it down to contact the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and chill completely, for at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours. Freeze the mixture in your ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream needs to freeze hard enough that it will hold its shape but still be scoopable. It will keep in the freezer for 1 month.
Note: Mixing the nonfat dry milk powder with the larger granules of sugar ahead of time will help prevent the milk powder from clumping on the surface and allow it to dissolve more quickly.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
MAKES ABOUT 18 COOKIES
½ cup (1 stick/110 grams) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
2½ tablespoons (31 grams) maple sugar or brown sugar
⅔ cup (130 grams) packed light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
Heaping ½ teaspoon (3.5 grams) kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon (0.5 grams) vanilla extract
1⅓ cups (181 grams) all-purpose flour
⅔ teaspoon (3.2 grams) baking soda
⅔ teaspoon (2.7 grams) baking powder
⅔ cup (125 grams) dark chocolate chips
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl with a spatula halfway through.
Turn the mixer speed to low and add the egg; mix until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Add the salt and vanilla and mix on medium-high speed for 10 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and the paddle again.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Sift them into the stand mixer bowl and mix on low speed until everything is almost combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix on low speed until they are distributed throughout the dough (don’t overmix!). Use a spatula to fold the mixture a couple of times to make sure there are no streaks and everything is incorporated. Cover the dough and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a baking sheet(s) with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
Scoop 2 heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet(s), about 6 inches apart. Flatten the dough balls slightly with the heel of your hand. Bake one sheet at a time for 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the cookies are starting to lightly brown on the edges but remain soft and slightly underbaked in the center.
Transfer the cookies to a rack and let cool to room temperature, then pair the cookies by size on a sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze (if you’re hurting for room in your freezer, you can also pair the cookies up and freeze them in large ziplock bags).
HONEY-ROASTED PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE
MAKES ABOUT 18 COOKIES
½ cup (1 stick/110 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅔ cup (170 grams) creamy unsweetened peanut butter
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (49.5 grams) honey
⅔ cup (130 grams) packed light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
Heaping ½ teaspoon (3.5 grams) kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon (0.5 grams) vanilla extract
1⅓ cups (181 grams) all-purpose flour
⅔ teaspoon (3.2 grams) baking soda
⅔ teaspoon (2.7 grams) baking powder
¼ cup (30 grams) chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, peanut butter, honey, and brown sugar on high for 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl with a spatula halfway through.
Turn the mixer speed down to low and add the egg; mix until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Add the salt and vanilla and mix on medium- high speed for 10 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and the paddle again.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Sift them into the stand mixer bowl, and mix on low speed until everything is almost combined. Add the chopped peanuts and mix on low speed until they are distributed throughout the dough (don’t overmix!). Use a spatula to fold the mixture a couple of times to make sure there are no streaks and everything is incorporated. Cover the dough and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a sheet pan(s) with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper.
Scoop 2 heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared sheet pan(s), about 6 inches apart. Flatten the dough balls slightly with the heel of your hand. Bake pans one pan at a time for 7 to 8 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges, but still soft and slightly underbaked in the center.
Transfer the cookies to a rack and let cool at room temperature, then pair the cookies by size on a sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze (if you’re hurting for room in your freezer, you can also pair the cookies up and freeze them in large ziplock bags).
Note: We make our own peanut butter so that we can control how much sugar and oil we add to our recipes, which we found allowed us to get a better and more consistent cookie. If you aren’t able to find a no-sugar-added peanut butter, you should cut the brown sugar in the recipe below down by one-third to one-half.
BROWN BUTTER SUGAR COOKIE
MAKES 14 COOKIES
1 cup (2 sticks/220 grams) unsalted butter
½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
2½ tablespoons (31 grams) maple sugar
⅔ cup (130 grams) packed light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon (15 grams) whole milk, at room temperature
⅔ teaspoon (4 grams) kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon (0.5 grams) vanilla extract
1⅓ cups (181 grams) all-purpose flour
⅔ teaspoon (3.2 grams) baking soda
⅔ teaspoon (2.7 grams) baking powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (221 grams) turbinado sugar
Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat until fragrant and lightly browned. Immediately remove from heat (be careful not to overcook, as it will continue to brown off the heat). Allow the solids to settle and decant the clarified butter off the top with a ladle. Let this re-solidify before using.
In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the room-temperature brown butter, granulated sugar, and maple sugar on high for 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle halfway through. Add the egg, mixing for a minute or so on low speed to fully incorporate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Add the salt and vanilla extract, mix on low, stream in the milk, and then beat for another minute to incorporate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and beat on high for 10 minutes.
In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder; then sift into the stand mixer bowl. Pulse or mix on low speed until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and the paddle and mix on low speed until everything is homogenous, no more than 60 seconds. Use a spatula to fold the mixture a couple of times to make sure there are no streaks and everything is incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a baking sheet(s) with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
Scoop 2 heaping tablespoons of the dough and gently press the top of the dough ball into the turbinado sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet(s) about 6 inches apart. Flatten the dough balls slightly with the heel of your hand.
Bake the pans one at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cookies are set but slightly underbaked in the center.
Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool at room temperature, then pair the cookies by size on a sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze (if you’re hurting for room in your freezer, you can also pair the cookies up and freeze them in large ziplock bags).
VARIATIONS:
To turn these cookies into snickerdoodles, press the dough into a mixture of cinnamon and sugar instead of turbinado sugar just before baking. To make funfetti cookies, press the dough into sprinkles instead of turbinado sugar just before baking.
TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIE
MAKES ABOUT 18 COOKIES
10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks/ 137 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
2 heaping tablespoons plus 1½ teaspoons (51 grams) maple sugar
1 cup (200 grams) packed light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon (6 grams) kosher salt
Dash of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (30 grams) buttermilk, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (145 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (36 grams) cocoa powder
⅔ teaspoon (3.2 grams) baking soda
⅔ teaspoon (2.7 grams) baking powder
⅓ cup (63 grams) dark chocolate chips
⅓ cup (63 grams) milk chocolate chips
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars on high for 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl with a spatula halfway through. Turn the mixer speed down to low and add the egg; mix until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Add the salt and vanilla and, with the mixer on low speed, stream in the buttermilk, then beat for another minute to incorporate. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 10 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and the paddle again.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Sift the mixture into the stand mixer bowl and mix on low speed until everything is almost combined. Add both chocolate chips and mix on low speed until they are distributed throughout the dough (don’t overmix!). Use a spatula to fold the mixture a couple of times to make sure there are no streaks and everything is incorporated. Cover the dough and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a baking sheet(s) with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
Scoop 2 heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets(s), about 6 inches apart. Flatten the dough balls slightly with the heel of your hand.
Bake the pans one at a time for 9 to 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges, but still soft and slightly underbaked in the center.
Transfer the cookies to a rack and let cool at room temperature, then pair the cookies by size on a sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze (if you’re hurting for room in your freezer, you can also pair the cookies up and freeze them in large ziplock bags).
WHOOPIE PIE
Whoopie pies are usually found among the curiosities that live on the payment counter at every convenience and general store in Maine. With such cultural cache in Maine, I knew that we had to have whoopies on the opening menu at Eventide. We match a fairly traditional cake with a classic Italian buttercream, which makes the dessert pretty decadent. Italian buttercream can be used for all manner of cookies, pies, and pastries. It has been said that this buttercream disappears rapidly in spoonfuls if it’s left around too long. —Andrew
MAKES 15 WHOOPIE PIES
Heaping ¼ cup (50 grams) chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips
½ cup (1 stick/110 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (220 grams) packed light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1⅔ cups plus 2 tablespoons (243 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (4.8 grams) baking soda
1½ teaspoons (6 grams) baking powder
⅔ cup (50 grams) cocoa powder
⅛ teaspoon (0.5 grams) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (6 grams) kosher salt
1 cup (225 grams) buttermilk, at room temperature
5 cups Italian Buttercream (recipe follows)
Put the chocolate in a small bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted, then set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the egg; then increase the speed to medium and mix for 1 minute, until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and the paddle with a spatula, then turn the mixer down to low and slowly pour in the melted chocolate. Once incorporated, stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl and paddle, and then beat again on medium speed for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer off.
Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
Add the cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt to the butter mixture, then pulse the mixer on low until just incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and beat for another 5 minutes. Turn the mixer down to low again, add one-quarter of the flour mixture, and mix until almost incorporated, 30 to 60 seconds. With the mixer still running, add one-third of the buttermilk and mix until almost incorporated, 30 to 60 seconds. Continue alternating the two until everything has been added, scraping down the bowl and paddle in between additions. Once finished, use a spatula to make some final folds of the mixture to ensure there are no streaks and everything is incorporated.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
Spoon 2 tablespoons of the batter onto the prepared sheet pans for each cake, leaving 6 inches in between them. Bake the sheets one at a time for 10 minutes, rotating halfway through. Test for doneness by gently pressing on the center of a cake. It should bounce back immediately. If it doesn’t, return the pan to the oven for another minute and then test again.
Let the cakes sit on the sheets at room temperature until they are cool enough to handle, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. These cakes can be used immediately or stored in a covered container at room temperature for 3 days or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 month.
To assemble the whoopie pies, pair the chocolate cakes by size. Put the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip. If you don’t have piping tools, you can fill a ziplock bag and then cut a corner off. Flip half of the cakes over so the bottoms are facing up. Pipe a circle, following along the inside edge of the bottom of the cake, and then fill in the center. Each cake should take about ⅓ cup of the buttercream. Top with the other halves and gently press them together. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. If you’re worried about the pies sticking together, wrap them individually in plastic wrap.
ITALIAN BUTTERCREAM
MAKES ABOUT 5 CUPS
2 egg whites (from extra-large eggs; or 3 whites from large eggs), at room temperature
3 tablespoons plus ½ cup (138 grams) sugar
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons (40 grams) water
⅛ teaspoon vanilla bean seeds plus a small length of pod, or ⅛ teaspoon (0.5 grams) vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks/220 grams) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
Vanilla extract as needed
In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low speed until they are nice and frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer still running, gradually sprinkle in 3 tablespoons (38 grams) of the sugar and a pinch of salt, then turn the mixer up to medium speed and whip until medium-soft peaks form, 4 to 5 minutes. Test this by stopping the mixer and lifting the whisk attachment out of the meringue: the peaks should mostly hold their shape, and the point of each peak should fold back on itself. If your meringue comes to medium-soft peaks before your sugar syrup reaches the proper temperature (see next step), leave the mixer running on low speed until it does.
While the egg whites and sugar are being whipped, in a small pot, combine the remaining ½ cup (100 grams) sugar and the water in a small pot and stir together gently, taking care to not leave any sugar granules on the side of the pot (they will burn). Add the piece of vanilla bean pod. Heat over medium heat until the mixture reaches 245°F or has just begun to bubble toward a boil. Remove the pot from the heat and use tongs to discard the vanilla pod.
Turn the mixer to medium speed and gradually pour a thin stream of the hot sugar syrup into the bowl, taking care to not hit the whisk to avoid splatter. After all the sugar syrup has been added, increase the speed to high and whip until the mixture cools down to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla bean seeds and ½ stick (55 grams) of the butter, mixing just until incorporated (this will help to pull the meringue off of the whisk’s wires into the bowl). Stop the machine, gently tap the whisk against the side of the bowl to knock off any remaining meringue, and replace with the paddle attachment.
Turn the mixer to medium speed and begin adding the remaining 1½ sticks (165 grams) butter, about a spoonful at a time, making sure each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. When all the butter has been added, stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle. Then start the mixer again on medium-high speed and beat until the buttercream is white in color and light and fluffy in texture, about 2 minutes. If it looks shiny or waxy with a yellow tinge after 2 minutes, keep beating!
Taste the buttercream, and add small amounts of salt and vanilla extract to taste, beating to incorporate after each addition, until you get the flavor you desire. Be careful! A little can go a long way, but the right amount of salt should balance the sweetness.
Use immediately or make this ahead of time and hold it in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 1 week. Just pull it out an hour or two before you want to use it and beat it for 30 to 60 seconds with the paddle attachment until it looks creamy instead of grainy and stiff.
Note: Timing is everything! We recommend measuring out all of your ingredients and gathering all of your equipment/tools before you begin. It will make following this recipe a whole lot easier. If the meringue turns into a broken mess once all of the butter has been added, it means your butter was too cold. Don’t worry! Let it keep beating and the friction will slowly warm the mixture, bringing it back together. Alternatively, if it becomes soupy, the meringue might have been too warm when you added the butter. Just pour the mixture out onto a baking sheet in a thin layer, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until it re-solidifies. Then break it into chunks, put it back into the stand mixer bowl, and beat with a paddle again.
BLUEBERRY LATTICE PIE
Maine’s sweet little wild blueberries are one of the world’s greatest products, so it would be criminal negligence not to include this pie in the book. Served warm, with the vanilla ice cream (this page) on top, it is an incredible taste of summer. Almost every restaurant in Maine will have some form of this (and apple pie) pie on the menu, so who are we to buck the trend? —Andrew
MAKES ONE 9-INCH PIE
5 cups fresh wild Maine blueberries or cultivated blueberries
1⅓ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (43 grams) fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon (6 grams) kosher salt
Pie Dough (recipe follows), doubled batch
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
¼ cup (30 grams) cornstarch
1 egg, beaten
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling
In a large nonreactive bowl, mix the blueberries with 1 cup (200 grams) of the sugar, 2 tablespoons (29 grams) of the lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon (3 grams) of the salt. Let sit for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into a colander and let drain for 10 to 15 minutes, until the berries are clumped in a mass and not swimming in liquid.
Spray cooking spray in a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate and generously flour a work surface. Divide the pie dough in half, and re-wrap one half and return it to the fridge. Roll out one half into a circle about 1 inch wider than the rim of the pie plate. Center the dough over the plate and lay it down, gently pushing down in the center first, then moving to the corners, and finally up the sides of the dish, pressing it firmly to avoid trapping any air bubbles underneath the crust. Drape the excess dough over the edge of the pie plate, wrap the whole thing tightly with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Dust the work surface with more flour and roll out the second portion of dough to the same size as the first. Transfer to a baking sheet, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Using a fluted pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut the dough into 1-inch strips. Transfer the pieces back to the baking sheet, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator again for 1 hour.
Place a baking sheet in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F. (The pan will catch any pie filling that might bubble over the edge.)
In a mixing bowl, combine the drained blueberries with the remaining ½ cup (100 grams) of sugar, 1 tablespoon (14 grams) of lemon juice, ½ teaspoon (3 grams) of salt, and the lemon zest. Taste a bit of the filling and adjust the seasoning as needed. Sift the cornstarch over the berries and stir well to thoroughly incorporate.
Remove the pie plate with the dough from the refrigerator and pour in the filling, leaving a little bit of space between the top of the filling and the top of the plate (you may have some filling left over). Brush some of the beaten egg onto the edges of the dough hanging over the edge of the plate (to act as glue for the lattice strips), then lay half of the strips out evenly in one direction on top of your filling, leaving ½ inch between strips. Rotate the pie plate 90 degrees and weave the remaining strips through the first ones by lifting up the strips and laying them down, spacing them the same distance apart as the first.
Trim the overhanging bottom dough and lattice strips to a uniform length, leaving ½ inch beyond the edge for crimping the edges. Starting in one spot, use your fingers to crimp the bottom dough edge and lattice edges together. Work your way around the edge of the pie plate. Then go back around and, using a fork or your fingers, crimp or flute the edges to make the edge look even and uniform. Brush the remaining beaten egg over the top of the lattice and the crust and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.
Place the pie plate on the preheated baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, until the edges of the crust are light golden brown. Tear a piece of aluminum foil slightly larger than the diameter of the plate and place it on a cooling rack. Remove the pie from the oven and place it in the center of the foil, then carefully roll the foil up and over the crust to help prevent it from getting too dark. Return the pie to the oven, lower the temperature to 350°F, and bake for another 45 to 60 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and thickened (or the center of the pie reads 200°F).
Remove the pie from the oven and let cool to room temperature completely before serving. Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Note: We use a combination of butter and shortening in our pie dough to achieve a light, flaky, and rich (but not too rich) crust. Feel free to play around with the ratio of butter to shortening to find out what you like the best. We’ve found that macerating and draining the fruit before making the pie filling helped to make a more consistently set filling. Double this recipe for the blueberry lattice pie to make the lattice top.
MAKES 1 PIE SHELL
1½ cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
⅔ teaspoon (4 grams) kosher salt
1 teaspoon (4 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons (13.3 grams) vegetable shortening
8½ tablespoons (1 stick plus ½ tablespoon/121 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 tablespoons (30 grams) ice water
In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the shortening and rub it into the flour mixture between the palms of your hands until you have a crumbly, sandy texture, around 3 minutes. Add the butter, toss to coat in the flour mixture, and then use your fingers to break up the butter into pea-size or smaller pieces. Make a small well in the center of the bowl and add the water a little at a time, gently mixing and tossing until the dough just holds together when squeezed. You may end up not using all of the water.
Press the dough together into one piece, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then flatten it into a disk and chill for at least 1 hour. You can make this ahead and hold it in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 1 month, thawing completely before using.
APPLE PIE WITH OAT CRISP TOPPING
Blueberries in the summer, apples in the fall. While many more types of fruit grow in Maine, these are the two big crops. From early September to early November, the smell of apple pie and cider donuts hangs thick in the air once you get a couple of miles outside Portland. We love our apple pie with this oat crisp, but you can make a lattice or closed top as well. —Andrew
MAKES ONE 9-INCH PIE
OAT CRISP TOPPING
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (110 grams) all-purpose flour
1 heaping tablespoon (13 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (51 grams) light brown sugar
⅓ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
Pinch of ground cinnamon
3½ tablespoons (50 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus 1½ tablespoons (22 grams) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup (51 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
PIE FILLING
8 large firm apples (like Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and either chopped or sliced
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
Pie Dough (this page)
To make the oat crisp topping, in a large bowl, mix the flour, sugars, salt, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter and rub handfuls of the mix between the palms of your hands until you have a crumbly, sandy texture. Add the melted butter and oats and toss everything together by hand until combined. Cover and chill while you prepare the filling and pie shell.
To make the pie filling, in a large nonreactive bowl, toss together the apples, 1 cup of the sugar, the lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Let sit for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, then pour into a colander and let drain for 10 to 15 minutes, until the apples are clumped in a mass and not swimming in liquid.
Spray cooking spray in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and generously flour a work surface.
Roll out the pie dough into a circle about 1 inch wider than the rim of the pie plate and lay it centered over the plate. Gently push down in the center first, then move out to the corners, and finally up the sides of the dish, pressing it firmly to the plate to avoid trapping any air bubbles underneath the crust. Carefully trim any dough overhanging the rim of the pie plate if it isn’t generally a uniform length. Starting in one spot, roll the overhanging dough up under itself to the rim of the plate and press together, and work your way around. Then go back around and crimp or flute to the edges. Wrap it up well and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Place a baking sheet in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F. (The pan will catch any pie filling that might bubble over the edge.)
In a large bowl, mix the drained apples with the remaining ½ cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and the cinnamon and nutmeg. Taste an apple and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Sprinkle the flour over the apples and mix until evenly distributed.
Take the shaped pie crust out of the fridge. Pour in the filling, mounding it slightly in the center but leaving a little bit of space between the top edge of the filling and the top of the plate (you may have some left over). Sprinkle the oat crisp topping over the filling until you cannot see any of the apples below.
Place the pie plate onto the preheated baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, until the edges of the crust are light golden brown. Tear a piece of aluminum foil slightly larger than the diameter of the plate and place it on a cooling rack. Remove the pie from the oven and place it in the center of the foil. Carefully roll the foil up and over the crust to help prevent it from getting too dark. Return the pie to the oven, lower the temperature to 350°F, and bake for another 45 to 60 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and thickened (or the center of the pie reads 200°F).
Remove the pie from the oven and let cool to room temperature completely before serving. You can make this ahead and hold it in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 1 month, thawing completely before serving.