Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook by Martha Stewart

Author:Martha Stewart
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780307885708
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2005-09-02T18:30:00+00:00

Pies, Tarts, Cobblers, and Crisps

INTRODUCTION

The calendar has twelve months of the year; the kitchen has four seasons of pies and tarts. Autumn calls for the warm layers of an Apple Crumb Pie. The holidays summon the fragrant spices of a pumpkin filling. And spring beckons a long-awaited Rhubarb Tart.

THEN, OF COURSE, there’s summer, the time of year when pies and tarts can flaunt nearly anything put forth by an orchard, a berry patch, or—in the case of our savory pies and tarts—a thriving vegetable garden.

Pie making almost always begins with the crust. If you haven’t made your own crust before, don’t be intimidated. Although the process requires precision, it’s not difficult. And how satisfying it is to transform four humble ingredients—flour, butter, ice water, and salt—into the wonderfully versatile pâte brisée, the basic dough for many pies. Make it a few times, and you’ll have tender, flaky crusts down pat. (And while you’re learning, you’ll no doubt discover that even pies that don’t turn out perfectly are still devoured.) Regardless of your level of expertise when you begin, you’ll soon be able to tackle any recipe in this chapter with aplomb.

For all the exactitude in making the dough, much of a pie’s or tart’s appeal lies in its homespun qualities: the free-form shape of a Cherry Galette, or the wine-dark syrup that bubbles up and over the sides of a Plum-Oat Crisp. And when it comes to filling pies, tarts, cobblers, and crisps, there is plenty of room for improvisation. You can add blueberries to an Apricot-Blackberry Galette, for example, or alternate piping lemon, lime, grapefruit, and passion fruit curds into multiple Fruit Curd Tartlets.

A crust or shell truly makes the perfect foundation, be it for a fanciful bouquet of fruit “roses” in a Nectarine Tart or an artful arrangement of nuts and pastry leaves on a Pecan Pie. Simply consider the bounty that the season offers, and take your pick.

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