Strawberry Galette with Basil Whipped Cream

This springtime stunner is gorgeous to behold—and very enjoyable to eat. Thinly sliced strawberries are laid in a concentric pattern atop a large round of pastry dough. Although the galette needs no embellishment, basil-infused cream lends a sophisticated touch to each slice.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Ingredients:
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• ⅓ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, patted dry and chopped
• ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
• ¾ cup mascarpone cheese
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• Pâte Brisée (do not divide into 2 disks)
• 1 pound strawberries, hulled (about 3 cups)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg yolk, for egg wash
• 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preparation:
1. Combine cream, basil, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over (not in) a pan of simmering water, and stir until sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 2 hours, for more pronounced basil flavor). Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Add mascarpone, and whisk until medium peaks form. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 hours.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough ¼ inch thick. Cut out a 10-inch round, and transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, cut strawberries lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick slices. Reserve end pieces for another use. Gentlytoss slices with ¼ cup sugar and the cornstarch, and immediately arrange in concentric circles on dough. Start 1 inch from edge, overlapping slices slightly. Fold edge of dough over berries. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Dot berries with butter.

4. Whisk together egg yolk and the water. Brush dough edge with egg wash, and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until crust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve galette warm with basil cream.

This Free Form recipe was published in 'Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites by Martha Stewart Living Magazine'.

Classic Lattice-Top Blueberry Pie

A woven lattice makes a striking top for a fruit pie, especially colorful fruit, such as blueberries; the open weave allows a peek at the filling and lets steam escape as the pie bakes. The process of weaving the top is easy to follow—cut the dough into strips, preferably with a fluted pastry wheel, and arrange them on top of the filling. This pie and many others with juicy berry fillings are thickened with cornstarch, which has stronger thickening properties than flour (a more appropriate choice for less juicy apples or pears). You may want to adjust the amount of thickener if the berries are particularly juicy, or if you prefer a firmer or looser pie filling.

MAKES ONE 9-INCH PIE

Ingredients:
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• Pâte Brisée
• 2 pounds (about 7 cups) fresh blueberries, picked over and rinsed
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 large egg yolk, for egg wash
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream, for egg wash
• Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a 13-inch round, about ⅛ inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate.

2. In a large bowl, toss together berries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and lemon juice until combined. Pour mixture into pie plate, piling in center.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining disk of dough as in step 1. To make lattice, cut dough into ten 1-inch-wide strips using a fluted pastry wheel. Lightly brush edge of dough in pie plate with water. Carefully arrange dough strips on top, weaving to form a lattice. Trim dough to a 1-inch overhang. Fold edges under as desired, and crimp with a fork. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and cream for egg wash; brush on top of dough strips and edge of pie shell. Generously sprinkle with sanding sugar. Refrigerate or freeze pie until firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Transfer pie plate to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, and bake until crust begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F. Continue baking until crust is deep golden brown and juices bubble, 55 minutes more. (If crust browns too quickly, tent pie with foil.) Transfer pie to a wire rack; let cool completely, at least 3 hours, before serving.

This Classic recipe was published in 'Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites by Martha Stewart Living Magazine'.

Classic Apple Pie

Apple pie is the best-known example of a fruit pie, and for many, it serves as an introduction to doublecrust pie-making. To begin, you’ll need a big bowlful of tart, firm apples; use a mix of varieties for the best flavor. The apples are tossed with lemon juice, sugar, spices, and flour, the last of which thickens the juices. Keeping the dough cool as you work is crucial; refrigerate it between steps and before baking to promote a flaky crust and help the pie maintain its shape. A few vents in the top crust will allow steam to escape. For shine and sparkle, brush the top with an egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Flute or crimp the edges as desired, and feel free to embellish the top crust with cutouts made from scraps of dough. Finally, resist the temptation to cut into the pie before it has completely cooled (about 3 hours); otherwise it will not have time to set properly.

MAKES ONE 9-INCH PIE

Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting Pâte Brisée
• 1 large egg yolk, for egg wash
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream, for egg wash
• 3 pounds assorted apples, such as Macoun, Granny Smith, Cortland, Jonagold, and Empire, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• Coarse sanding sugar, for sprinkling
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Preparation:
1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a 13-inch round, ⅛ inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate (do not trim overhang). Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

2. Adjust an oven rack to lowest position. Preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk together egg yolk and cream for egg wash.

3. In a large bowl, toss together apples, flour, lemon juice, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until combined; pour mixture into chilled pie shell, piling in center. Dot mixture with butter.

4. Roll out remaining disk of dough as in step 1. Using a sharp paring knife, cut slits in top of dough. Brush rim of bottom crust with egg wash. Center dough on top of pie plate, and trim with kitchen shears, leaving 1-inch overhang. Tuck dough under bottom piece, and crimp edges as desired. Brush pie with egg wash, and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

5. Transfer pie plate to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake on lowest rack until crust begins to turn light brown, about 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F, and bake until crust is golden brown and juices bubble, 60 to 75 minutes more. (The high initial temperature helps the crust set quickly, keeping it from becoming soggy. Reducing the heat allows the apples to cook through without burning the crust; if top crust or edges are browning too quickly, tent pie with foil.) Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

This Classic recipe was published in 'Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites by Martha Stewart Living Magazine'.

Classic Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon meringue pie is a perfectly balanced dessert marked by swirling peaks of sweet, nearly weightless meringue atop a rich mouth-puckering filling. A few tricks are in order, however, to help prevent common mishaps, such as a soggy crust or runny filling. First, the crust must be fully blindbaked so that it gets crisp and firm. A half-utter, half-shortening crust like the one used here has a pleasantly crumbly, tender texture. (Substitute an all-butter crust, if you prefer.) The stove-top custard filling is thickened with egg yolks and cornstarch. It must come to a full boil and then cook for several minutes in order to activate the cornstarch and thicken properly.

MAKES ONE 9-INCH PIE

Ingredients:
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• ½ recipe Pâte Brisée, Shortening Variation
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 cup sugar
• 1½ teaspoons finely grated lemon zest plus ½ cup fresh lemon juice (from 4 lemons)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups water
• 4 large egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• Mile-High Meringue Topping

Preparation:
1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 13-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Tuck overhang under, flush with rim, and crimp edges. Pierce bottom of shell all over with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line shell with parchment, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges begin to turn golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove weights and parchment. Bake until crust is golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

3. Combine the cornstarch, sugar, zest, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk in the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until bubbling and thick, about 7 minutes (about 2 minutes after it comes to a boil).

4. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks until combined. Pour in cornstarch mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking until completely incorporated. Return mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it returns to a boil, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until each piece melts before adding the next. Let custard cool in saucepan on a wire rack 10 minutes, whisking occasionally.

5. Pour custard into crust. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of custard. Refrigerate until custard filling is chilled and firm, at least 6 hours or up to overnight.

6. Heap meringue on top of filling, making sure it extends to edge and touches crust (to prevent shrinking). Use a kitchen torch to lightly brown meringue peaks. Alternatively, place pie under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes; watch carefully to ensure meringue doesn’t burn. Serve immediately.

This Classic recipe was published in 'Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites by Martha Stewart Living Magazine'.

Classic Pumpkin Pie

Making a single-crust pie is a natural next step after a free-form galette. Here, the filling—a custard of pumpkin purée, eggs, and evaporated milk—is quickly mixed by hand in one bowl. The pie’s simple construction offers an excellent opportunity to experiment with embellished edges, such as a wreath of autumn leaves (pictured), made with a one-inch leaf cutter, or a wheatlike braid (pictured; you will need one whole recipe pâte brisée for the shell plus the braid). The key to a great pumpkin pie is to partially bake the crust—called blind baking—before adding the filling. The twice-baked crust stays firm and crisp beneath the creamy custard.

MAKES ONE 9-INCH PIE

Ingredients:
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• ½ recipe Pâte Brisée
• 2 large whole eggs, lightly beaten, plus 1 large egg yolk, for egg wash
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1½ cups unsweetened pumpkin purée, canned or fresh
• 1½ cups evaporated milk Whipped Cream, for serving (optional;)

Preparation:
1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a 13-inch round, ⅛ inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim excess dough flush with rim (reserve scraps). Pierce bottom of shell all over with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll out scraps. Using a 1-inch leaf-shaped cutter, cut out 40 leaves from dough. Transfer cutouts to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Using a paring knife, etch veins in each leaf. Refrigerate until ready to use.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and the water; lightly brush one side of each leaf with egg wash. Arrange leaves, slightly overlapping, around edge of crust, making sure they do not extend over edge, to prevent them from browning too quickly. Lightly brush bottom of each leaf with egg wash as you work. Refrigerate shell 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line pie shell with parchment; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 20 minutes. Carefully remove weights and parchment, and continue to bake until golden brown, 10 minutes more. Let cool on a wire rack. (Keep oven on.)

5. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin, and 2 eggs. Add evaporated milk, and whisk to combine. Pour filling into partially baked crust.

6. Place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until edges are set but center is still slightly wobbly, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer plate to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

This Classic recipe was published in 'Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites by Martha Stewart Living Magazine'.

Classic Peach and Berry Tart

Making a pie, or in this case a tart, can be remarkably simple—as easy as baking a batch of cookies, in fact. Pâte sablée is essentially a cookie dough. Here it’s pressed into a springform pan before baking. In this recipe, cornmeal stands in for some of the flour; its flavor works well with summer fruits, but if you don’t have it, you can certainly use all flour. To make the filling, toss fresh fruit with sugar, add it to the partially baked tart shell, then finish baking. Peaches and berries are pictured, but if you have apricots or cherries on hand, feel free to use them instead; this low-key recipe takes kindly to improvisation.

MAKES ONE 8-INCH TART

Ingredients for the Crust:
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg yolk
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Filling:
• 3 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced into ½-inch wedges
• ¾ cup assorted fresh berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar


Pressing The DoughPreparation:
1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 400°F. In a food processor, pulse flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, butter, egg yolk, and vanilla until dough just begins to come together. Press dough evenly into the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of an ungreased 8-inch springform pan or tart pan with a removable bottom; set pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden and slightly puffy, about 15 minutes. Using an offset spatula, gently flatten bottom of crust. Reduce heat to 350°F.

2. Meanwhile, make the filling: In a medium bowl, toss together peaches, berries, and sugar.

3. Arrange fruit in crust. Bake until peaches are juicy and tender, 30 to 35 minutes more. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room emperature.

This Classic Peach and Berry Tart recipe was published in 'Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites by Martha Stewart Living Magazine'.

Classic Chocolate Cream Pie

With its foolproof crust and easy custard filling, this pie is a breeze to put together, and a good place to start if you’re a novice baker. Instead of rolling out dough, you press a ground-cookie mixture into a pie plate and bake for ten minutes or so. The chocolate filling is a cinch, as are the cream topping and chocolate garnish. The only hard part is waiting for the pie to chill thoroughly, preferably overnight, before savoring the end result. Because of the cornstarch, the filling sets up quite nicely and slices well; nevertheless, if you prefer something with a firmer texture, you can add gelatin (see step 3, below).

Makes One 9-Inch Pie

Ingredients for the Crust:
• 25 chocolate wafers (6 ounces), or 1½ cups wafer-cookie crumbs
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar Pinch of salt

Ingredients for the Filling:
• 2½ cups milk
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 61 percent cacao), chopped
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin (optional)
• 2 tablespoons cold water (optional)
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Topping:
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
• Chocolate curls, for garnish

Preparation:
1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a food processor, pulse wafers until fine crumbs form. Add butter, sugar, and salt, and process until combined. Press mixture firmly into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Bake until crust is fragrant, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

2. Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, heat milk and chocolate over medium-high, whisking occasionally, until chocolate is melted. In a small bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add 1 cup of milk mixture and whisk until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan; whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thick, 4 to 5 minutes (about 2 minutes after it comes to a boil).

3. If using gelatin, sprinkle 1 teaspoon over the 2 tablespoons cold water in a small bowl; let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks. Slowly whisk hot milk mixture into yolks. Return mixture to saucepan, and continue cooking custard over medium heat, stirring constantly, until custard is thick and bubbles appear in center, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add softened gelatin, if using, and whisk until dissolved. Stir in vanilla. Let cool about 10 minutes, whisking 2 or 3 times.

4. Pour custard into baked and cooled crust. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on surface of custard. Refrigerate until filling is firm, 4 hours or up to 1 day.

5. Make the topping: With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk cream just until soft peaks form. Add confectioners’ sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream over custard. Garnish pie with chocolate curls just before serving.

This Classic recipe was published in 'Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites by Martha Stewart Living Magazine - p'.