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You are here: Home / apple / “Martha is always right. Martha is always right. Martha is always right…”

“Martha is always right. Martha is always right. Martha is always right…”

November 2, 2011 by Suzie the Foodie 8 Comments

Martha Stewart's Double-Crust Apple Pie

I am writing penance for once again, not following Martha Stewart’s recipe to a tee. This time it is because of changes I made to her Double-Crust Apple Pie from her massive new book Martha’s Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations published by Random House Canada.

I decided to make an apple pie for Jamie and Justin’s visit and I wanted everything to be perfect and I dared question Martha’s recipe! I just did not want anything to go wrong for this important visit and I questioned Martha’s wisdom. Will I ever learn?

Martha Stewart's Double-Crust Apple Pie

I began innocently enough by making her Pâte Brisée. In a food processor I added 2 1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar. I pulsed everythin together.

Martha Stewart's Double-Crust Apple Pie

I added 1 cup of cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes.

Martha Stewart's Double-Crust Apple Pie

I pulsed sparingly until the mixture was crumbly.

Martha Stewart's Double-Crust Apple Pie Martha Stewart's Double-Crust Apple Pie

I added around 1/2 cup of ice water very slowly, pulsing gradually until the mixture was still crumbly but could hold together.

Martha Stewart's Double-Crust Apple Pie

I brought the dough together on a floured board and then cut in half. You could see the pastry layers, I love that!

I shaped each piece into a disk, covered with plastic wrap and chilled in the fridge for an hour.

Martha Stewart's Double-Crust Apple Pie

Here is where I changed the recipe… Sigh…

You were supposed to peel and core 3 lbs of a variety of apples. I used green and MacIntosh. You were supposed to cut them into 1/2″ slices. Um… that seemed kind of thick to me. I hate crunchy apple pies and hesitated. Then I stupidly decided to cut them into 1/4″ slices instead and tossed with 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice. Oh Suzie…

Martha Stewart's Double-Crust Apple Pie

In a small bowl I stirred together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger and 1/2 tsp coarse salt. I added this to the apples and tossed to evenly distribute.

Martha Stewart's Double-Crust Apple Pie

I was looking at that bowl of all those apples and I thought to myself, those are never going to fit into a regular pie plate. I cleverly thought to myself that I would use a springform pan instead because the sides would be tall enough. I rolled out the dough and sure enough, there was more than enough pastry to go up the sides. I greased and floured the pan and got to work.

Martha Stewart's Double-Crust Apple Pie

I moved the bottom layer to the pan, filled with the apples and dotted the top with butter. I felt vindicated at this point. I rolled out the other disk of dough and draped over the filling.

Martha Stewart's Double-Crust Apple Pie

I folded the edges over the bottom dough underneath and then pressed to seal and added a kind of decorative edge. I added an eggwash to the top and sprinkled with natural sugar.

I cut five slits on the top to allow for venting, baked in a preheated 400F oven for ten minutes. Then I reduced the heat to 375F and baked until golden brown. Martha suggests 60-75 minutes but mine was getting too brown around 50 minutes.

Martha Stewart's Double-Crust Apple Pie

Remember the Baker Street Handcrafted Apple Pies I reviewed in May? How they were domed on top and the apples reduced way below the crust? That is exactly what happened to my pie! And the apples, because they were sliced so thinly, got a tad mushy. Ugh!!!

But! Wow, it was still delicious! The spicing and seasoning were perfect and, despite the oddness of my pie that was entirely my fault, we loved this apple pie. In fact I think flavour-wise, it is one of the best I have ever had. So yes, I will make it again and this time cram it into my small pie plate and not mess with the recipe at all.

Martha’s Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations is not just a cookbook though. It is an updated version of her original book on entertaining that is divided up according to the time of day you want to have a get together. From blueberry breakfast to picnic at the sea to Thanksgiving at Bedford. Filled with information about holidays and stories about Martha’s own parties, this appears to be the book on celebrations. I look forward to sharing more of her ideas with you soon and yes, I promise to follow the recipes 100% from now on!

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Filed Under: apple, baking, Martha, Martha's Entertaining, pie, Random House of Canada

Comments

  1. AvaDJ says

    November 2, 2011 at 1:30 pm

    Oh my, that is one stunning pie! I’m sure Martha would be proud. How do you find Martha’s all butter crust in texture? Is it flaky or more “cakey”. I’ve been doing 1/2 butter, 1/2 shortening because it seems my all butter crusts were coming out a bit tough (bring out the chainsaw kind of tough LOL).

    Reply
  2. Suzie Ridler says

    November 2, 2011 at 1:49 pm

    I hope she would be proud Ava! The crust was a bit tougher than one that has half shortening but after this experience, I did not want to mess anymore with the recipe. The 50/50 ratio is always a good one. A 100% butter pie crust tends to really darken too and quite quickly which is why I was worried the apples would not cook in time.

    Oh no! Sorry to hear your are that tough. It suggests that you may be overworking the dough, adding too much water and/or not letting the dough rest long enough. If you use to food processor, I add quite a bit of water right away because it’s really dry here. Working in the water over time increases the changes of a tough dough. I hope that helps!

    Reply
  3. AvaDJ says

    November 2, 2011 at 2:17 pm

    Thanks Suzie, very helpful 🙂 I think I’m adding food processor to my wish list this year, let’s hope Santa pulls through. I’ve had successful pie crusts with the 50/50 ratio but really want to master the all butter, they just taste so darn good!!!

    Reply
  4. Suzie Ridler says

    November 2, 2011 at 3:58 pm

    You’re welcome Ava! Oh you don’t have a food processor? That makes me wonder if you are over kneading the dough. Remember, pies are the opposite to bread. You just barely want it to come together. It’s true, the all butter crusts are the most flavourful. I tend to put foil on top to make sure the crust doesn’t darken too much but the filling cooks through. But Martha did not mention that with this recipe so I held myself back for once!

    Reply
  5. Kim with a K says

    November 2, 2011 at 5:26 pm

    Your pie looks incredible!
    I’m sure it still tasted great but a wonderful excuse to perfect another one!

    Reply
  6. Island Vittles says

    November 2, 2011 at 6:19 pm

    The top crust looks amazing – I could just eat that without the filling. I have known Martha to be very, very, wrong and have found myself cursing her and her recipe minions early in the morning as I’m remaking a fail that came straight from one of her books — so, I don’t think you were all that out of line to question the instructions — it’s just too bad they were right this time! Theresa

    Reply
  7. Suzie Ridler says

    November 3, 2011 at 12:45 pm

    Thanks so much Kim!

    Theresa, it’s true, I could just eat the crust myself. You know, I have often wondered about Martha’s savoury recipes which I have been quite skeptical of which is why I keep using her baked goods recipes. I am sure that there are some issues eventually so thank you for the heads up!

    Reply
  8. Helene says

    November 3, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    What a beautiful pie, I’ll have to try it. I ordered the book and can’t wait to get it.

    Reply

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