Thursday, October 7, 2010

My apple pie was a work of art!

I bought these cutters last year and was very excited to use them this year!  I used to oak leaf cutter to make the top of my apple pie for Thanksgiving dinner....
I will be honest and admit I used pie crust from the grocery store (anyone who has a problem with that can come and do my laundry while I make crust from scratch because I just dont have time to dither about with something I can easily purchase and tastes just as good - in fact, people are always asking me for my pastry recipe lol!)  I let the crust warm up enough to take it out of the pan and roll it out.  This is important because when I assembled the crust it amounts to a few layers of dough so they should be thin to not make an inch of top crust.  I used 4 pie crusts to make this pie but it is worth it!


I cut out around 100 leaves and put them in a container between layers of waxed paper and put them in the freezer.  This is the kind of thing that can be prepped in advance so hours aren't spent on one pie in one day.  I filled a 3rd pie crust with my apple pie filling (apples, cinnamon, spices, brown sugar) and rolled out the 4th pie crust to make it thinner before putting it on top of the pie.

I used water to 'glue' the leaves onto the top crust and worked my way around until it was covered.

Ready to go in the oven!


I made a crust protector out of tin foil and put it on the pie halfway through baking to prevent burnt edges.

My finished pie!

Tips...

- Dont let the leaves hang over the edge very much
- Egg wash the top for a more dramatic look
- Pile the apples higher as they will sink a bit when baking


Have a fabulous day!

19 comments:

Associate Girl said...

Wow. That is beautiful. Like Gourmet cover beautiful. I miss Gourmet magazine. So, we'll say, Saveur cover beautiful. I am very impressed.

Madras and Pearls said...

I agree - this looks amazing! And I didn't even think about making the pie crust from scratch when I was reading your post :) No judgement here, I am planning on doing the same! Gorgeous pie.

Belle on Heels said...

so pretty!! i've always wanted to buy those pie crust cutters and now i think you've convinced me :)

Unknown said...

Wow! That looks so good! I've used the refrigrated pie crusts to do a few leaves on my pecan pie, but I love the look of the whole cover. I may have to make an apple pie for our Thanksgiving this year.

Cheryl said...

That's such a fabulous idea and it came out so well!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Martha Stewart would be envious!

Anastasia Schembri said...

Well aren't you a crafty young lady!!! It looks super, great idea! I am going to try this on the weekend!

Ms. Bake-it said...

It is gorgeous! I love to decorate the tops of my pies and years ago I used to carve the leaves by hand until I finally found leaf cutouts! Talk about time... Your pie looks fabulous and I am duly impressed!

~ Tracy

Southern Champagne Wishes said...

I have those same cutters, but I've only ever used a few around the edge and middle of a pumpkin pie.

I love this look! Such a great idea and it came out beautifully! Bet it tasted amazing, too!

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

Absolutely beautiful! Wherever did you find those cute little cutters?

MommyLisa said...

I hand cut some leaves for my pumpkin pie last Thanksgivign. I need to get a cutter like that!

Carole said...

So pretty. I use leaves on my pumpkin pie.

Unknown said...

How cute are you??!!! Your family must love having such a domestic diva!!

Town and Country House said...

We think alike--I would much rather use my time doing the "fun" part like cutting out and placing the leaves than actually making the crust! Your pie is stunning, and, yes, I will be copying your presentation this fall.

Whitney and the Preppy Puppies said...

WOW!! SP, you are so talented. If your pie tasted half as good as it looked, I know it was simply divine. Happy Thanksgiving! xo xo

Cool Gal said...

That looks amazing. Almost too pretty to eat! :)

Have an awesome weekend!

Gwen said...

Absolutely gorgeous!!! I wonder if you could have brushed on food coloring to make them fall colors. LOL!!! XOXO

Under the Sea with Friends said...

I love apple pie and that is just too beautiful to eat! What a great idea!
Hope all is well...it's feels like it's been forever since we've chatted ;(

Anonymous said...

This is beautiful! I've never seen a pie look so artistic, and the leaves are so intricately done..!