First taste of Autumn

Black Raspberry Apple Pie

I realize I am probably jumping the gun a little bit, but I am so ready for the cool, brisk days of autumn to arrive. So, being in a Fall frame of mind, I set out today to make one of my favorite desserts of the season: Black Raspberry Apple Pie.

I started with the apples: 5 Granny Smith, 2 McIntosh, 1 Fuji, and 1 Royal Gala. A nice combination for flavor and texture. To the peeled, cored, and sliced apples I added a spritz of lemon juice, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, and roughly 1/2 tsp nutmeg. Next came 5 Tbsp of tapioca, and finally a 12 ounce package of frozen black raspberries I purchased at Trader Joe's.

The crust is my mom's recipe, which calls for 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup cold butter, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp sugar, plus a few tbsp of ice water. I made the crust this morning so it would be easier since it was forecast to be a pretty warm afternoon (86*f). It's pretty basic, cut the butter into the dry ingredients, then add the water until you have pastry dough :) I rolled it between sheets of wax paper for easy storage and transfer. I took it out about 15 minutes before I was ready for it, so it wouldn't be too cold to fit into the pie pan. I cut apples into the top crust for venting, placing them on opposite quarters for decoration, as seen in the pictures. Then, I brushed the top with a little cream and sprinkled with turbinado sugar.

Before putting in the 375* oven, I wrapped the edges in foil to prevent them from over-browning. I baked the pie for 25 minutes, removed the foil and baked for 35 minutes more. When I pulled it out, the aroma just washed over me, fruity and spicy and yummy! The little pastry apples had turned a crisp golden brown, and the juices bubbling around the edges smelled and looked wonderful. I couldn't wait to try it!

I let the pie cool for about an hour, then served it with vanilla bean ice cream. The berries had turned the apples into a gorgeous shade of garnet, and added just the right amount of tart-sweet flavor to compliment the apples nicely. The crust was crisp and flaky and buttery good, everything I could have hoped for, since I love pie crust! I would have loved cinnamon ice cream, but we couldn't find any and the vanilla did just fine in it's stead. Manga!