Free Form Mini Rhubarb and Raspberry Galettes

Rhubarb paired with raspberries may not be as common a pie filling as rhubarb and strawberries, but the combination is just as delicious (or even more so, depending on who you ask). Here, the two are simply tossed with cornstarch and sugar, then centered on small rounds of pâte brisée to create individual galettes.

MAKES 8

Ingredients:
• Pâte Brisée (do not divide into 2 disks)
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1½ pounds trimmed rhubarb, cut into ¼-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
• 8 ounces (about 1½ cups) fresh raspberries
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• Coarse sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Preparation:
1. Divide dough evenly into 8 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece to a 7-inch round, ⅛ inch thick. Transfer rounds to 2 large parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, arranging several inches apart. (If rounds become too soft to handle, refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.)

2. In a large bowl, toss to combine rhubarb, raspberries, cornstarch, and granulated sugar.

3. Cover each round of dough with a heaping ½ cup rhubarb mixture, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold edges over rhubarb filling, leaving an opening in center; gently brush water between folds, and press gently so that folds adhere. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush edges of dough with water, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until crusts are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F, and bake until juices bubble and start to run out from center of each galette, 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely 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 Plum Galette

A fresh-baked fruit galette is proof that you don’t need specialty equipment—or even a pie plate—to successfully bake a beautiful dessert from scratch. Here, sliced plums are arranged on an irregular round base of pâte brisée (ground almonds are sprinkled over the crust first). The dough is then simply folded over the filling to make a rough border. There’s no crimping or embellishment required; the unfinished edge is a big part of the appeal.

SERVES 8

Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting Pâte Brisée (do not divide into 2 disks)
• ¼ cup whole raw almonds, toasted
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 5 to 6 plums, halved, pitted, and sliced ¼ inch thick (keep sliced halves together)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream, for brushing

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. On a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll out dough into an approximate 16-inch oval, ¼ inch thick. Transfer dough (on parchment) to a large baking sheet.

2. Pulse almonds, 3 tablespoons sugar, and the flour in a food processor until ground to a coarse meal. Sprinkle almond mixture over dough. With a spatula, transfer plum slices to dough, spacing close together and leaving a 2-inch border; press lightly to fan out. Fold edge of dough over fruit. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

3. Brush dough with cream; sprinkle galette evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until crust is deep golden, and plums are juicy and bubbling, about 70 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

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'.