The Kitchen
Foundational recipes made properly. Not quick — considered. The recipes worth learning by heart.
Everything starts here. Before the apple pie, before the cherry, before the peach — there is this. A good pie crust is not difficult, but it requires that you understand a few things about cold butter and how it behaves. Once you understand that, the rest is patience. Make it once and you'll make it for the rest of your life.
Whisk together flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Everything should be cold — chill the bowl if your kitchen is warm.
Add the cold butter cubes. Using your fingertips, work the butter into the flour, flattening each piece into thin, irregular sheets. You are not trying to achieve a uniform texture — visible pieces of butter are what create flakiness. Stop when the mixture looks shaggy and there are pea-sized pieces of butter throughout.
Sprinkle in ice water, one tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork after each addition. Stop adding water when the dough just holds together when you press a handful. It should not be wet.
Turn out onto a clean surface and gather into two equal discs without overworking. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to two days.
When ready to use, let the dough rest at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before rolling. Roll from the center outward on a lightly floured surface, rotating the dough as you go.
Every October I go to the same orchard. I come home with a bag of mixed apples — some tart, some sweet, whatever they have — and I make this pie. I've been making it the same way for twelve years. The recipe does not change because it does not need to. Apple pie in New England in October tastes the way a season is supposed to taste.
Heat oven to 425°F. Peel, core, and slice apples into ¼-inch slices. Toss with sugar, flour, spices, and salt. Let sit 15 minutes — the apples will release some juice.
Roll out one disc of pie crust and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim to leave a 1-inch overhang.
Pile in the apples, mounding them higher in the center. Dot with butter pieces.
Roll out the second crust and lay it over the filling. Trim, fold under, and crimp the edges. Cut several vents in the top crust.
Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes, then reduce to 375°F and bake 35–40 minutes more, until the crust is deep golden and the juices are bubbling. Cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before cutting.
Cherry pie has a short window. The sour cherries come in July, briefly, and then they are gone. You can use frozen — and the result is good — but if you can get fresh sour cherries even once, make this pie. The color alone, that deep crimson beneath a golden lattice, is worth the pitting.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, almond extract, and salt in a bowl. Stir gently and let sit 10 minutes.
Line a 9-inch pie plate with one crust. Add the cherry filling and dot with butter.
Make a lattice top: cut the second crust into strips, weave over the filling, and crimp the edges.
Brush lattice with egg wash and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar.
Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes, then reduce to 375°F for 30–35 minutes, until bubbling. Cool completely before slicing — at least 3 hours.
Blueberry pie rewards patience in two ways: the patience to let the filling set, and the patience to wait for August blueberries when they are fat and full of flavor. A slice the next day, cold from the refrigerator, is not the same as a warm slice — it is better.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Gently toss blueberries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, zest, cinnamon, and salt.
Fit one crust into pie plate. Pour in filling.
Top with second crust (or lattice), seal, and crimp. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and cut vents.
Bake 50–55 minutes until crust is golden and filling is bubbling through the vents. If the edges brown too quickly, cover with foil.
Cool completely on a rack — at least 4 hours. The filling thickens as it cools.
Peach pie is summer in a dish. The window for good peaches is narrow — you want them ripe enough to be soft and fragrant, but not so ripe they collapse. Taste one before you bake with it. If the juice runs down your chin, it's the right peach.
Peel peaches (score with an X, blanch 30 seconds, slip skins off). Slice ⅓ inch thick and toss with sugar. Let macerate 30 minutes, then drain excess juice.
Toss drained peaches with cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line pie plate with bottom crust, add filling, and dot with butter.
Add top crust, crimp, brush with egg wash, and sugar. Cut vents.
Bake 20 minutes at 425°F, then reduce to 375°F and bake 35–40 minutes more. Cool 2–3 hours before cutting.