Winning Pie Recipes from MacQueen Orchards

Pie Crust:

Prepares 9” 2-crust pastry

2 Cups all purpose flour 1⁄2 teaspoon Salt 1 teaspoon sugar

2⁄3 Cups plus Crisco shortening (regular or butter flavor) 5-6 T ice water

Make Crust:

• Make crust by mixing together flour and salt in a large bowl.
• Cut in shortening with two knives in a scissor like motion (it takes awhile but this generally works better than a pastry blender. You want to cut into pea sized particles of shortening coated with flour, NOT mix into a dough. The idea is to make a crumbly mixture without actually mixing it into a dough.
• Add the ice water to the dry ingredients, a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork (not mixing).
• When just moist enough to hold together, form into a ball (Do NOT ever knead pie crust!) and put onto 2 slightly overlapping sheets of plastic wrap on a counter.
• Press into a disc, then cover with 2 more overlapping sheets of plastic wrap.
• Roll out between plastic until it is about 2 or more inches larger than the pie pan (measure by turning pan upside down on top). Remove top plastic wrap.
• Place pie pan upside down, centered over dough, then turn dough and pan over. Push down dough into pan, using fingers over the bottom layer of plastic wrap, then remove the bottom wrap. Fold under edges, and use fingers to flute, to make high fluted edges.
• Sprinkle fluted edges with turbino or granulated sugar if desired.
  

Toast the pecans:

• Put the pecans on a sheet pan and put into a 325 degree oven for 8-10 minutes to toast.
• Set aside to cool. Set aside in a bowl until you are ready to assemble the pie.
  

Caramel:

1⁄4 Cups plus 2 T heavy cream 1 t cinnamon 1⁄4 t salt 1⁄4 cup water

2 T light corn syrup 1 1⁄4 cups granulated sugar 2 T butter 1 t vanilla extract

Directions:

• Mix the cream, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.
• Combine the water and corn syrup in a medium saucepan.
• Pour the sugar in the center of the saucepan, taking care not to let sugar crystals adhere to the sides of the saucepan. Gently stir with a clean spatula to thoroughly moisten the sugar.
• Cover the pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, covered and without stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the liquid is clear, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Uncover and continue to cook, without stirring but gently swirling the saucepan occasionally, until the caramel is a pale golden color, 3 to 5 minutes more.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook (swirling occasionally) until the caramel is light amber colored and registers about 360 degrees on a candy or instant-read thermometer, about 1 to 3 minutes longer.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the cream to the center of the saucepan, and stir with a whisk until the bubbling subsides, being sure the your hand isn't directly over the pan because the mixture will bubble vigorously.
• Stir in the butter and vanilla, and transfer the caramel to a microwave safe bowl.
• Cool.

Pie Filling:

1 t lemon juice 1 t vanilla extract 1⁄2 cup chopped pecans, toasted 1⁄3 cup packed light brown sugar 3 T white sugar

7 cups Ida Red and/or Northern Spy apples, peeled, cored, & sliced 2 t ground cinnamon 2-3 T cornstarch or 1⁄4 cup flour 1⁄3 cup caramel topping, room temperature 1⁄4 cup boiled and reduced cider

Struesel Topping:

3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour 1⁄4 cup light brown sugar 6 tablespoons cold butter

2⁄3 cup chopped pecans 1⁄4 cup caramel topping, room temperature