pie

Make the dough

• Stir together the flour and salt. Use a knife to dice up butter. Use a fork and fingers to break the butter down to small pieces, coated in flour.
• Add 1 Tablespoon of the water and stir in. Add tiny increments, mixing between each addition, just until the dough can form clumps when pressed. Form into a cohesive ball.
• Place down two long pieces of plastic wrap. Use the food scale to divide dough in half. Compress each lump into a small disk. Encase each in plastic wrap and chill until firm, for at least 30 minutes or as long as a day or two.

Make filling

• Begin by preparing the apple or apples. Peel, core, and halve. Cut one half into thin slices. Transfer these slices to a bowl and toss with 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Reduce the other half of the apple(s) to small pieces by either finely dicing or grating on the large holes of a box grater. Place pieces in bowl. Toss with other 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon sugar. Stir in the flour, pumpkin spice, and salt.
• On a lightly-floured piece of parchment, roll each chilled dough disk into a rounds about 6-inches in diameter. Divide the diced/grated apple mixture between the rounds; this will be about 1/4 cup in each. Spread out apple bits to form even layers in the center, leaving a 1-inch ring of bare dough around the edge.
• Arrange apple slices on top of the grated apple, overlapping in circles.
• Cut 1-inch slits in dough edge, each about 2-inches apart. Fold flaps in toward center, overlapping them. Press lightly to seal.
• Use the parchment to move galettes onto a baking sheet. Chill uncovered for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Start preheating oven at 425.

Add topping

• Crack egg into small bowl. Lightly beat in half & half, milk, or water. Use a pastry brush to coat the folded-over dough crust on each galette. Sprinkle the maple or turbinado sugar over the crust.
• Bake the apple tarts for about 20 to 25 minutes. If desired, drizzle caramel over the apple center of each galette. Place back in oven to bake another 5 minutes. Apple slices in center will be fork-tender when the tarts are done.
• Remove from oven. Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve.

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Make the crust

• Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Use a food processor to process the graham crackers to fine crumbs; there should be about 1 1/3 cups. Pulse in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse to combine. (Wipe out the food processor–no need for a deep clean yet.)
• Transfer everything to a 9-inch pie plate. Press crumbs evenly up the sides and along the bottom of the pan.
• Bake until the crust is set and the edges have just started to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Make the filling

• Transfer the dulce de leche to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring, until softened just enough to stir easily. This will take about 1 minute. Set aside 3 tablespoons dulce de leche for topping.
• Into the food processor, add the majority of the dulce de leche, pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Process just until smooth–don’t overdo.
• Pour into the crust. Place the crust on a baking sheet and bake until the filling is just set with a slight wobble in the very center, 35 to 45 minutes.
• As the pie finishes up baking, warm the reserved dulce de leche in the microwave until you can drizzle it. As soon as the pie comes out of the oven, drizzle with the dulce de leche.
• Let cool completely. Serve with Cool Whip or canned cream. Store pie covered in fridge; it keeps for at least 4 days.

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Preparing the crust

• Let pie dough sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out dough into a 14-inch round. Wrap it around the rolling pin to transfer it to a pie dish. Shape it into pan, cutting back overhang and crimping edges as desired.
• Set on a rimmed baking sheet and prick bottom and sides all over with fork tines. Freeze for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
• Preheat oven with a rack in the lower third of oven. Line the frozen pie crust with parchment paper and filled to brim with pie weights. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes; check part way and cover edges with foil if they brown too quickly. At the end, the edges should look set and dry.
• Use parchment to lift out the pie weights onto another cookie sheet to cool. Put pie back in oven for another 20 to 25 minutes, monitoring it. If the crust puffs, use a flat metal measuring cup or similar device to press crust down. By the end, the bottom crust should look golden and dry. Let crust cool on baking sheet.

Assembling pie

• Reduce oven temperature to 350-degrees.
• Place pecans on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes to roast, stirring halfway through. They should be dark and fragrant.
• Place 5 ounces dates and 1/2 cup boiling water in food processor. Let sit for 10 minutes. Process until smooth, about a minute. Add eggs, brown sugar, bourbon, butter, kosher salt, vanilla bean paste/extract, and cinnamon. Process until smooth, about a minute.
• Remove bowl and blade from food processor. Stir in pecans and remaining dates. Scrape the filling into the crust.
• Bake pie for 45 to 55 minutes, rotating halfway through. If the crust is getting too dark, protect edges with foil. At the end, the filling should no longer look shiny but be dry and set. Cool pie on wire rack and then chill at least 2 hours.
• Store covered with foil in fridge. Keeps well for days.

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Make the crust

• In a food processor, pulse together the flour, espresso powder, sugar, vinegar, and salt. Add the butter and pulse until everything forms pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons water and pulse the dough. If it comes together, great, but if not, add another tablespoon, pulse, then add another tablespoon if necessary. The dough should look crumbly but become cohesive when squeezed.
• Put dough on a strip of plastic wrap and pat into a disc shape. Encase in wrap and chill at least an hour, or a day or two.
• Sprinkle flour on a work surface then roll dough into a 12-inch round. Use the rolling pin to lift it onto a pie plate. Press into place, folding over extra at edges to crimp. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork. Cover with plastic wrap (such as the one just used to chill dough) and freeze for at least an hour, or overnight.
• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line the crust with foil. Fill pie with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights–such as lifting them onto a rimmed baking pan to cool–and continue baking crust for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is golden all over. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Make the filling

• Whisk together heavy cream and espresso powder in a large bowl until the powder has dissolved. Add the pumpkin puree, white sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla paste and salt. Scrape the bottom a few times to incorporate everything.
• Pour filling into the cooled crust and smooth out the top. Bake until filling is set at edges but still slightly jiggly in center, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 3 hours.
• Store at room temperature, covered by foil. Slice and top with whipped topping. Pie is best eaten within 3 days.

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• Place oven racks at the middle and bottom positions. Preheat oven at 375 degrees.
• If working with unshaped pie dough, use some flour on a clean surface to roll out dough to 12 inches. Place it in a 9-inch pie plate and shape to fit, crimping the crust at the rim. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Freeze crust for 20 minutes.
• Set out a baking sheet. Line with aluminum foil.
• Line the crust with foil or parchment paper. Fill interior with pie weights, pressing in to make sure there are no gaps along the sides.
• Set pie crust on baking sheet. Bake it on bottom rack for 20 minutes. Carefully use foil or parchment to lift out pie weights onto another baking sheet or a large bowl. Bake crust again until the edges are golden brown and the bottom is dry, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Set the crust to cool on a rack while continuing to make the filling.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350.
• In a blender, place the flour, maple syrup, butter, heavy cream, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Blend on high until the contents are smooth. Pour into pie crust.
• Bake on middle rack in oven for 40 to 50 minutes; the filling should be puffed with only a slight jiggle in the middle. Cool on a rack.
• Store at room temperature, covered with foil. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or Cool Whip on top. Keeps for at least 4 days.

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• Place the flour and salt in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse to combine. Cut the butter into cubes and add, pulsing until the pieces are pea-sized.
• In a liquid measured cup, combine the ice water and vinegar. With the processor running, pour in the liquid until the dough comes together. It will look crumbly but should come together if squeezed between fingers.
• Turn out the dough and divide it in half. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours. Store in fridge for a few days or freeze for later.

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the prepared pie dough to be about 1/8-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch cutter, cut dough, reforming scraps to roll out again.
• Dollop about a teaspoon of lemon curd into the center of half of the dough rounds.
• In a small bowl, beat together the egg and water. Brush the egg mix around the edges that surround the curd; do not discard egg wash. Top each with a remaining dough circle, stretching them slightly to cover. Press edges firmly to seal, then apply the tines of a fork to bind the halves. Chill hand pies in fridge for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven at 425-degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place hand pies on parchment. Brush tops with remaining egg wash, then use the tip of a knife to cut a small x in each to vent steam during baking. If desired, sprinkle coarse sugar over the tops.
• Bake for 13 to 16 minutes, until pies are golden. Move to a rack or different sheet to completely cool. Store in a covered container. Best eaten within a day or two.

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