With the temperatures finally cooling I decided my Pie Break was over and it was time to start baking again. As a statement of the change of seasons it seemed appropriate to pick both squash and apples and combine them. So that’s what I did.
I always use two kinds of apples, Granny Smith for tartness and their ability to maintain their shape and another variety for sweetness and softness. I had a couple of Fujis in the frig. I bought a small butternut squash with a long neck so it would be easy to peel and slice. I used 4 apples and one small squash. Looking at the combo in the bowl I decided to add a small onion and a little rosemary. In order to pull out the juices of the apples I added a bit of sugar, then more salt than I would for a sweet pie, about 2 teaspoons. I let the fruit – vegetable combo sit in the bowl for an hour or so for the juices to collect then I added a couple of tablespoons of flour.
I had some savory dough already made in the freezer but not enough of either to make a double crust. But who would want to completely cover the filling anyway with it’s beautiful combination of deep orange squash and white apple slices?
So I decided to use the cornmeal dough for the bottom crust and cut some lattice strips from the cheddar dough. I popped the pie in the oven and waited. I knew the dough would color faster than the filling would cook so I placed a piece of foil loosely on top of the pie. After about 40 minutes I checked the pie’s progress and discovered that it was dry….too dry. But I had just made some chicken broth…hmmm, what would happen if I spooned in a bit of the broth through the lattice sections? I decided to try and boy am I glad I did. I let the pie cook for another 30 minutes. By this time the broth mixed with the filling to created a very tender, savory, slightly thickened mass. It smells heavenly. Mom got the first slice and the rest is coming with me to KCRW this morning.