Eyes on the Pies—Three Recipes Featuring Autumnal Flavors

Ingredients:

• Pre-made pie pastry 
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar  
• 1 1/4 sticks salted butter, cubed 
• Pinch of sea salt 
• 7 tbsp creme fraiche 
• 7 oz semisweet chocolate 
• 2 large or 3 small medium-ripe bananas, sliced 
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 
• 3 tbsp finely chopped salted pistachios 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat.   
2. To make the filling, dissolve the sugar in 1/4 cup of water in a heavy saucepan or skillet over a low heat.  Increase the heat until the syrup turns a deep amber color.  Swirl the pan occasionally to cook the caramel evenly, but don’t stir or the sugar will crystalize.  Remove from the heat, leave to cool for 1-2 minutes, then stir in the stick of the butter with pinch pink of sea salt.  Whisk in 4 tablespoons of creme fraiche, beating until smooth and glossy.  Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool for 15 minutes until thickened. 
3. Heat the chocolate, the remaining creme fraiche, and the remaining butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water until melted and smooth.  Set aside to cool. 
4. Roll out the pre-bought pie pastry on a lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thick and 12 ½–inch diameter.  Use to line a 9-inch fluted tart pan leaving the excess pastry to overhang the sides.  Prick the base with a fork, line with parchment paper, and top with pie weights or dried beans.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.  Once chilled, place the tart pan on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove the paper and weights and bake for another 10-15 minutes until cooked through. Trim off the excess pastry and leave to cool.  Remove from the tart shell and cool completely on a wire rack.   
5. Once cooled, arrange the bananas on the pastry base.  Loosely swirl the caramel on top of the bananas, then top with the chocolate mixture. Whip the heavy cream, until soft peaks form.  Spoon into a pastry bag with a large star shaped tip.  Pipe swirls around the pie edge and sprinkle pistachios on the cream. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.  

Ingredients: 

• 3 1/2 tbsp butter 
• 1 2/3 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs  
• 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar  
• Pinch of salt  

Instructions:  

1. Crush cookies into a fine crumble.  
2. Melt butter in a saucepan.  
3. Combine cookie crumbs, brown sugar, and salt into a large bowl. With a metal spoon, mix until combined and ingredients are evenly distributed.  
4. Add melted butter to the dry ingredients. Mix with a spoon until thoroughly combined. Press into a (size?) pie pan to form the crust.  

Ingredients:  

• 4 1/2 cups frozen cranberries  
• 3/4 cup orange juice  
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp white sugar  
• 1 1/3 cup condensed milk 
• 6 egg yolks 
• ½ tbsp orange zest (about 1 orange)  

Instructions: 

1. Cook cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and orange zest (in a saucepan over medium heat?) until cranberries are bursting and sugar is dissolving.  
2. Blend and strain. Cool slightly. 
3. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk. Add in strained cranberry mixture.  
4. Pour into the gingersnap crust, filling to the top.  
5. Bake at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes, until the filling has puffed slightly, and the edges are set. (The center will still be slightly jiggly.) 

Ingredients: 

• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp white sugar 
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp water  
• 1/2 cup egg whites (room temperature) 
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 
• Pinch of salt 

Instructions: 

1. Whip egg whites in a stand mixer until soft peaks have formed.  
2. Cook sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat until it reached 240 degrees Fahrenheit. (Sugar will be dissolved, and syrup will be bubbly but not browned.) 
3. With the mixer running on high, slowly pour sugar into egg whites. Add in vanilla.  
4. Whip until stiff peaks form.  
5. Add meringue to a piping bag and pipe desired look onto the top of the pie. Torch lightly before serving. 

Ingredients:  

•  1 cup all-purpose flour, more for dusting 
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (can substitute all purpose) 
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 
• 1/2 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter) 
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar 
• 3-5 tbsp iced water 

Instructions: 

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flours, sugar, salt (if using), and butter.  Pulse several times until the mixture resembles wet sand. 
2. Remove ice from water.  While pulsing, slowly drizzle in very cold water one tablespoon at a time.  Pulse just until the dough begins to hold together. (All of the ice water may not be needed—if dough remains dry, add more ice water one teaspoon at a time until pastry dough comes together.) 
3. Remove dough from the food processor and shape carefully and quickly into a ball.  Place dough on a piece of plastic wrap, then fold plastic wrap over the top and flatten into a disk.  Seal plastic wrap around the pastry dough disk so that it is airtight.  
4. Refrigerate dough for a minimum of 1 hour, overnight is best.  (Dough can be frozen up to one week—additionally wrap in aluminum foil if freezing.) 

Ingredients: 

• 1/3 cup almond flour/almond meal (can substitute panko or plain breadcrumbs to make nut free) 
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar 
•  1 ½ pound (4-5 medium) plums, pitted, sliced ¼ inch thick, skins on 
• 1 orange, zest only (juice reserved for optional) 
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar 
• 1 tbsp brown sugar 
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• ½ tsp cardamom 
• ¼ tsp nutmeg 
•  1 egg, separated 
•  Optional: Raw or Demerara Sugar 1-2 Tbsp 
• Optional: Sliced Almonds ¼-½ cups 
• Optional: Plum or Apricot Jam with reserved orange juice ½ cup 

Instructions: 

DO AHEAD: If dough has been frozen, remove it to the refrigerator the night before making the galette to allow enough time to thaw. 

1. Remove dough from the refrigerator and lightly flour a work surface.  Roll dough into a roughly 12–13-inch circle, to a ⅛ inch thickness. (Edges may be a little ragged) 
2. Transfer to a sheet of parchment paper and place on a baking sheet.  Place the dough circle back into the refrigerator while preparing the filling.  
3. After 10 minutes, remove the dough from the refrigerator and brush it with egg white from the divided egg and place back into the refrigerator. Reserve egg yolk for brushing the edges of the crust before baking. 
4. In a small bowl, mix together almond flour (or breadcrumbs), all-purpose flour, and sugar. Set aside.  
5. In a small mixing bowl, place granulated sugar and orange zest. Rub orange zest and sugar together to release the oils from the orange peel.  Add brown sugar and spices, mixing well. Set aside.  
6. Pit and slice plums to ¼ inch thickness and add to a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and spice mix and allow to sit for a few minutes.  
7. Remove dough from the refrigerator.  Sprinkle almond/flour mixture over the crust, leaving a 2-inch border.  
8. With a slotted spoon, take plums from their bowl, leaving any remaining juices behind and top almond mixture with them. Leave a 2-inch border. Arrange as desired.  
9. Gently fold the pastry border over the filling, overlapping the edges of the dough as needed and leaving the center of the galette open.  
10. Place the galette in the freezer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. (Galette will retain the shape better during baking if it is very cold. If time is of the essence, a 10-minute chill in the freezer will do. Wait no more than 1 hour or galette dough will dry out.) 
11. 30 minutes before removing the galette from the freezer, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  
12. Make the egg wash by whisking (or stir briskly with a fork) reserved egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water until homogeneous. Remove the galette from the freezer and brush the pastry border with an even layer of egg wash. (You may not need to use all of the egg wash.) 
13. Optional: Sprinkle border with raw or demerara sugar or sprinkle with sliced almonds.  
14. Transfer the galette with the parchment paper to a sheet pan and place into the oven.
15. Bake galette until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbling and slightly thickened—about 40-50 minutes. (Some juices may run and caramelize on the parchment paper. Cut cooled juices away from the pastry edge before transferring the galette to a serving plate.)  
16. Optional: While the tart is still very warm, place ½ cup of jam into a small bowl and add 1-2 tablespoons of reserved orange juice, mixing slightly. Microwave jam for 10-15 seconds, until very warm and runny.  Brush the baked fruit with jam for a delicious and glossy finish.  
17. Let cool for 10-15 minutes and, with a wide spatula, carefully lift the galette from parchment paper and transfer to a serving plate. Best served warm the same day it is baked. Leftovers may be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerated for 3 days.