I don't know about you but pie is not the first sweet its-not-good-for-you-butit-tastes-like- heaven sweet treat that comes to mind. But think about it. It's the staple of your childhood memories.
And seriously, pie right out of the oven is something to behold. We've done the cookies, the whoopie
pies and the cupcakes and even the cronuts (haven't tasted that one yet) so it was inevitable that the pie (hopefully not the hunble variety) is our next foodie trend.
We have the Pie Junkies in our hometown.....but this recipe is from a Brooklyn. Enjoy!!!
Salty Honey Pie
Serves eight to ten
For the 9-inch double crust
Ingredients
1¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour
½ tsp. kosher salt
1½ tsp. granulated sugar
¼ lb. (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ c. ice water
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
½ c. ice
1. Stir the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a bench scraper or spatula.
2. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to overblend).
3. Combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice in a bowl or large measuring cup.
4. Sprinkle 2 tbsp. of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or spatula until it is fully incorporated.
5. Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tbsp. at a time, using the bench scraper or your hands (or both) to mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining.
6. Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with small drops of the ice water mixture, if necessary, to combine. Shape dough into a flat disc.
7. Flour a flat surface, then roll out dough into a 12- to 13-inch circle. Carefully place dough in 9-inch pie pan, trim hanging edges, and crimp. Wrap pan in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give crust time to mellow. (Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.)
For the filling
Ingredients
¼ lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
¾ c. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. white cornmeal
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla paste (Nielsen-Massey makes a readily available one)
¾ c. honey
3 lg. eggs
½ c. heavy cream
2 tsp. white vinegar
1 to 2 tsp. flake sea salt, for finishing
1. Have ready the frozen or refrigerated pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan.
2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°.
3. In a medium bowl, stir the melted butter, sugar, cornmeal, salt, and vanilla paste.
4. Stir in the honey and the eggs one at a time, followed by the heavy cream and vinegar.
5. Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator or freezer, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and strain the filling through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the pie shell (or strain it into a separate bowl and then pour it into the shell).
6. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45-50 minutes, rotating 180 degrees when the edges start to set, 30-35 minutes through baking.
7. The pie is finished when the edges are set and puffed up high and the center is no longer liquid but looks set like gelatin and is golden brown on top.
8. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, 2-3 hours.
9. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
10. Reheat or serve at room temperature. (The pie will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator or at room temperature for 2 days.)
The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book
is available at amazon.com, $19.
Too lazy to bake? Taste the real thing at Four & Twenty Blackbirds, 439 Third Avenue, at 8th Street, Gowanus (718-499-2917 or birdsblack.com).birdsblack.com
