Apple Pie - Plain and Fancy

Plain and Fancy Apple Pies for Father's Day

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We are celebrating Father's Day with friends today, and I have been working with what feels like an orchard's worth of apples for the occasion. I'm toting two pies and holding back a third. The Silver Fox requested I make his special Golden Cream and Apple Tart - it's actually a French tart created by Patricia Wells - for the two of to enjoy when we are alone this evening. Because our friends are basic eaters, I made two of the plain pies I used to make for the children for them. They, too, are delicious, but lack the visual panache of the French pie. I've always been a "In for a penny, in for a pound" kind of gal, and it takes more than 10 pounds of apples to make me blink. So, we have an all-American and a French version of apple pie to share with you this evening. I think we've made Johnny Appleseed proud. Here are the two recipes. Both are winners.

Raspberry and Frangipane Tart

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From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been working my way through the raspberries we picked last weekend. Earlier in the week, I used a portion of them to test tonight's featured recipe, which comes from Family Circle magazine. It's pretty good and if you are a fan of berries I think you'll like the tart. Raspberries, lightly tossed with lemon sugar, are piled into a buttery pastry shell and then covered with frangipane, an almond flavored pastry cream. While I liked the tart filling, I found the pastry detailed in the recipe below to be tough. Next time I make this, and I'll do that soon, I'll use my favorite pie crust to line the tart shell. If you are looking for something a bit different to serve on Father's Day, you might want to give this tart a try. It is not hard to make and the freestanding shell gives the dessert a decidedly European air. The tart should be chilled before eating, so make sure to have it ready and in the refrigerator several hours before you plan to serve it. It unfortunately, is not a good keeper, so it should be made the day it will be eaten. If you use your favorite pie crust recipe rather than the one below, I know you will be pleased. Here is how the tart is made.