Honey Rose Water Pie
This recipe
recently helped me to win second place in a local pie baking contest.
(The first place winner owns a bakery so I felt pretty good about my
second place standing.) While trying to decide what kind of pie to
make, I followed my intuition and chose a unique pie to enter.
I tried
this recipe out a week or so before the contest and really liked it.
Unfortunately, the morning of the contest I used a different kind of
flour* and something about it made the crust puff up and crumble like
crazy. In my opinion, the outside crust looked terrible but I didn't
have time to do anything about it so I had two choices – either
back out of the contest or enter a hideous looking pie. As I had
many friends already coming to this contest and had told countless
people that I was entering, I felt that I couldn't back out. So, I
entered my homely looking pie. The competition was fierce and I was
really nervous but in the end, everyone seemed to overlook the
appearance of the crust and instead focused on the unusual flavor
combination of honey and rose water in the filling. Despite my
emotional roller coaster that day, I had a great time and tasted some
really amazing pies made by the other contestants. I would like to
thank Louis Wigen-Toccalino, proprietor at Decade, for hosting this
spectacular event.
* jovial
brand Organic Einkorn All-Purpose Flour. I LOVE using this flour
because it is made from the original wheat that has never been
hybridized. I have successfully used it in breads but when I add it
to cookies or pies, it causes the puffiness and texture changes that
I described above. Bottom line: I would recommend this fabulous
flour for some, but not all, of your baking needs.
Crust
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups
flour
2
tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon
salt
¼ teaspoon
cinnamon
1 cup
butter, very cold and cut into small pieces
1
tablespoon rose water**
4-6
tablespoons ice water
**My local
food co-op sells the Heritage Store brand of rosewater so that's what
I used. Although the bottle doesn't specify, the website confirms
that it is food grade. Also, the only ingredients are water and Rosa
Damascena (Rose) Flower Oil. One can usually find rose water in
Mediterranean food stores and on-line. Before purchasing, look at
the ingredient list and/or confirm that the product is safe to use
for culinary purposes.
Stir the
dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Toss in the butter pieces
and squish them between your fingers until they are no larger than a
pea. You want to complete this step quickly because the colder your
butter, the flakier your crust will turn out. Sprinkle the dough
with the rose water and four tablespoons of the ice water, then mix
in gently. If you can pick up a handful of dough, squeeze, and the
mixture sticks together then you don't need more water. However, if
the dough crumbles apart, you will need to add another tablespoon or
two of ice water. This is a very moist dough so I would suggest
rolling it out to a 1 cm thick circle between two pieces of waxed
paper or parchment paper. Peel off one sheet of paper, place the
crust in the pie pan, and then remove the second sheet. Trim off the
excess dough and either a) use it to cut out designs with a very
small cookie cutter to place around the edge of the crust, or b)
place it back between the two sheets of paper, roll it out to another
circle 1 cm thick, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake until
the edges turn golden brown for a simple snack. (I'm impatient and a
minimalist when it comes to decorating so I always choose option b.)
Use a fork to prick the dough all over the bottom and up the sides of
the crust. Crimp the edges and place in the refrigerator to chill
while you make the filling.
Rose Water
and Honey Filling Ingredients:
½ cup
butter
3 eggs
½ cup
cream
¾ cup
sugar
3
tablespoons cornmeal or flour
¼ teaspoon
salt
2 teaspoons
rose water
2 teaspoons
white vinegar
¾ cup
honey
1 teaspoon
vanilla
1 egg (for
glaze)
1 teaspoon
water (for glaze)
Sea salt
for garnish, amount depends on how salty you want it
Preheat the
oven to 350 degrees. While the butter is melting, whisk the eggs and
cream together in a medium bowl and set aside. Measure the sugar,
cornmeal/flour, and salt into a large bowl and mix in the melted
butter until well blended. Add the rose water, vinegar, honey, and
vanilla; mix until combined. Stir in the egg/cream mixture.
Whisk
together the egg and water in a small bowl. Remove the pie crust
from the refrigerator and brush the glaze in a thin layer over the
entire surface. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 45 to
60 minutes, until the top is golden but the filling is still slightly
wiggly. Sprinkle sea salt to your taste over the top of the pie and
chill for at least two hours. Serve the pie cold or let it come to
room temperature, depending on your preference. Keep in mind that
this is a custard pie so it should not sit out of the refrigerator
indefinitely.
Comments
Post a Comment