Makes 4 Belgian pies
IN THE SPIRIT OF CREATING NEW MIDWESTERN TRADITIONS, WE’VE ESTABLISHED a summertime vacation taking place the week right before school starts up again, a last hurrah giving us all something to look forward to in the dog days. Door County, Wisconsin, has been our destination, a quirky part of the state offering rich maritime history, old-school supper clubs, and gorgeous scenery.
Tucked in the southern portion of Door County is a sprawling rural area established during the Belgian settlement, which began with just four families founding Brussels, Wisconsin, in 1853. Southern Door County is still home to the nation’s largest Belgian American population, and the traditions continue, nearly 170 years later. During one trip, I happened to meet a woman named Gina Guth, well known in the area for making and teaching classes on Belgian pie, inspired by her generations-old family recipe, which she was very generous to share with me.
Belgian pie isn’t really a “pie” at all, it’s more like a shared pastry, with a yeasted dough as its base. The pies can have a number of different fillings (cherry, apple, prune, and a rice pudding–like cream are typical), with a sweet cheese topping made with a combination of regular and dry-curd cottage cheese (also known as farmer cheese). The spirit of the pies is one of celebration and abundance (and always made and served during the early-fall Belgian celebration of Kermiss), so many old recipes make at least a dozen pies or more. I riffed upon Gina’s recipe and scaled it down to make just four, which is enough for sharing with a few neighbors, instead of distributing to an entire village.
⅓ cup/75 g warm water (110° to 115°F/43° to 46°C)
1 tablespoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
⅓ cup/80 g warm heavy whipping cream (110° to 115°F/ 43° to 46°C)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
5 tablespoons/70 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly warm
3 cups/384 g unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Nonstick cooking spray or oil for bowl and pans
6 ounces/170 g dry-curd cottage cheese or farmer cheese
6 ounces/170 g small-curd cottage cheese
6 tablespoons/75 g granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks, beaten (reserve 1 white for egg wash)
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
4 cups Homemade Cherry Pie Filling (here) or 2 (21-ounce/595 g) cans high-quality cherry pie filling
1 large egg white
2 teaspoons water
Pinch of fine sea salt
Prepare the dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar. Allow the yeast to dissolve for a few minutes. Whisk in the remaining sugar, cream, eggs, and melted butter. Add the flour and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir until a shaggy dough forms. Fit the bowl onto the mixer along with the dough hook. Knead on medium speed for 6 to 7 minutes, until the dough is soft and shiny.
Spray a medium bowl with nonstick cooking spray or oil it lightly. Scrape the dough into the bowl and dust the surface of the dough with a couple of teaspoons of flour. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
To make the cheese topping, in the bowl of a food processor, blend together all the topping ingredients until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Spray four 9-inch/23 cm thin metal pie tins with nonstick cooking spray. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Press each portion of dough into a pan in an even layer. Cover each pan with plastic wrap and let rise a second time until slightly puffy, about 20 minutes.
Position racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat it to 350°F/180°C.
Top each crust with one quarter of the fruit filling and cheese topping. In a small cup, beat together the egg white, water, and salt. Brush the exposed edges of the crusts with egg wash. Bake the pies, 2 per rack, until the crust is golden and the filling bubbling slightly, about 15 minutes, rotating the pies from top to bottom halfway through the baking time.
Allow the pies to cool slightly in the pans before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
TIP > Old-fashioned, thin metal pie plates are the way to go for this recipe. I have a small stack of tins I’ve thrifted with Belgian pie-making as my excuse, but you can also use those disposable foil pie plates from the supermarket—all the better to gift them with.