Chai Apple Pie — A Collaboration
Creativity and collaboration are my passion. Often I find it strongest in the context of my art practice, however, when I stop to pay attention, I find it spilling over into all areas of my life, and it’s delicious.
Take last night, for instance. My best friend and I were sitting under my apple tree, sampling the juicy and sweet fruit. I mentioned that I was unsure about cooking with these apples, as they weren’t very tart.
Within the context of that one doubtful thought, Apple Pie came to mind, and we began picking a huge basketful of fruit.
Back in her kitchen we discussed our recipe over the peeling and slicing of fresh picked apples. In the true spirit of creative collaboration, without expectation of outcome, we brainstormed additional flavors that would make our pie unique. She suggested hazelnuts and I suggested cardamom. Voila — Chai Apple Pie was born.
Filling:
lightly toss all ingredients together in large bowl
10 cups thin sliced apples
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice sprinkled on apples
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon each: ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon
10 cardamom pods, pod removed to extract seeds, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup hazelnuts, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons cold butter, chopped
Crust:
2&1/2 cups flour
2 ice cold sticks butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup hazelnuts, finely chopped
7-8 tablespoons ice water
Cut butter into small cubes.
Mix with flour using a fork.
Add salt and continue cutting butter into flour with fork.
Add ice water in small amounts and continue to mix.
Form ball and divide in 2.
Using as much flour as needed to keep from sticking, roll out crust.
Roll out second crust.
Move crust to pie pan, add filling, cover with second crust.
Crimp edges.
Baking:
Cover edges with foil to prevent from over browning.
Bake in preheated 375 oven 1 hour (remove foil at 50 minutes).
Cool and Enjoy!
September 1st, 2008 at 7:36 pm
YUMMY STILL! The girls weren’t so enthralled with it, but more for me!