Making Over Martha Month: Pâte Sucrée Meets Deb's Magic Plum Pies

From Making Over Martha

I've often seen Martha Stewart's recipes for Pâte Sucrée and Pâte Brisée in all manners of pies, tarts, and things pie-like. However, I've been too intimidated to ever try to make them because I'd have to adjust too much due to the agave nectar substitution. And, to be perfectly honest, I already have a great pie crust recipe.

But, in the spirit of Making Over Martha Month, I dove in to a recipe for Pâte Sucrée in the August issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. My intent was to make hand pies -- small, fruit-filled pies I could hold in a single hand.

From Making Over Martha

I knew I'd have some challenges with the dough, and I did, but the resulting crust was flaky, buttery, and light -- just as you'd expect of a good pie crust. Most of the directions ended up being pretty similar, but I'll include the way I made it work because there are some important differences.

For example, I used whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour. It's a great flour and allows you to add more fiber to your diet (even if it's ensconced in 8 oz of butter). I also used agave nectar for the sugar, dividing the amount in half, as well as cutting the amount of water by half. I also omitted an egg yolk in favor of using the whole egg.

From Making Over Martha

As far as the filling goes, I kept it really simple, using just the fruit, a little corn starch, lemon juice, and agave nectar. The resulting pies were a big hit at the co-op and a gathering last Sunday that my friend Thom hosted. The sweet/tart flavor of the plum filling did a fine job of showcasing the buttery crust. On the other hand, I'd probably fiddle with this a bit more to make the crust more sturdy, yet pliable for hand pies. But, my guess is that it would make an excellent apple pie crust.

Here's the recipe as I made it.

Deb's Magic Plum Handpies, featuring Pate Sucree, inspired by Martha Stewart Living's August 2008 issue.

Makes 12-14 pies, depending on size and shape.

Ingredients:

Crust
1 egg
1 oz cold water
1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
Pinch of salt
2 sticks very cold, unsalted butter

Filling
4 plums peeled and chopped
3 pluots (a new variation on the plum bred with apricots, if your store doesn't carry them, use more plums) peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon agave nectar

Egg Wash
1 egg
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon agave nectar


Directions

1. Make crust:
a. Beat together the egg, water, and agave nectar in a small bowl.
b. In your food processor, process the flour, salt, and butter until you see a crumbly texture.
c. While the processor is running, add the liquid to the mixture and process just until the dough forms a ball.
d. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic, forming a rectangle as you go. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.

2. Make filling:
a. In a large bowl, mix together all the filling ingredients until they are
well combined.

3. Make egg wash:
a. Beat together all the egg wash ingredients in a small bowl.

4. Make pies:
a. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
b. On a well-floured surface, roll out the pie crust dough until 1/8 inch thick.
c. Cut either 5-inch ovals or squares, depending on the shapes you want your pies to take.
d. Spoon a small amount of the filling (about a teaspoon or less) into the center of each cut-out.
e. Using a small pastry brush, lightly brush the egg wash along the edge of the top surface of your pie so it can act as a glue when you make your folds.
f. Fold up the edges of your cut-out so that you have an enclosed pie. You may need to crimp your edges if you choose to use an oblong cut-out. Using a sharp knife, make two slits in the top of your pie for steam to escape.
g. Lightly brush the top of your sealed pie with the egg wash until the entire top has a light coating.
h. Repeat steps d - g for each pie.
i. Place each pie on the lined baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes.
j. After 20 minutes, turn down the heat in the oven to 325 degrees F, rotate your pans, and continue to bake for 35 minutes.
k. Let the pies cool on their baking sheets for 5 minutes before gently moving them to racks to cool completely.
l. Enjoy!

From Making Over Martha