keljonma
Epicurean Goddess
Hungarian Apple Pie
aka Almas Pite (pronounced ahl-mahsh pee-tay).
The pie crust is a short dough or 1-2-3 dough, so called because the original proportions, by weight, are 1 sugar to 2 fat (usually butter) to 3 flour. The dough is difficult to handle at first, but an experienced cook will acquire the knack quickly. The main point is to keep everything cold and to work fast so as not to melt (burn is the phrase used) the butter in the dough.
A pite can be made over a period of days: the dough will keep tightly wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator, and a half-baked shell can be made in advance, loosely wrapped and stored in a cool dry place until it is time to fill it. Always make the filling just before baking the pite, as neither will store well for long periods of time.
Although pite-type cakes are usually rectangular and rather flat, they are often made square or round at home. The following recipe gives the right amounts for a home-style pite, 1-inches high by 9-inch round or 8-inch square, which would serve 6 people quite generously. To fill a standard jelly roll pan (about 15x10x1-inch in size) double the entire recipe.
The alternate cheese filling makes a cake that falls somewhere between a sweet quiche and a light cheesecake. It is supposed to be a closed cake but the upper crust is sometimes omitted. Follow the same steps for the dough but substitute the cheese filling for the apple filling.
The Dough:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
teaspoon salt
teaspoon double-acting baking powder
cup vanilla sugar [I mixed cup sugar + teaspoon vanilla]
cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 egg yolks (cold)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder either into a large bowl or onto a large clean floured surface or board. Stir in the vanilla sugar and make a well. Drop in the butter, egg yolks and lemon zest. Using your floured fingertips or a pastry knife, work all the ingredients together as quickly as you can until they are rather evenly mixed. Then try to squeeze all the pieces and crumbs together into a smooth ball. This can take some doing, and you may have to resort to sprinkling some ice-cold water on the dough to bind it. Work as quickly as possible to avoid burning or over-working the dough by causing the butter to melt. Flatten the ball with the heel of your hand by pushing from the center out in all directions. Fold the edges in to make a ball again, wrap it in plastic wrap or waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (The dough may be kept refrigerated for 3 or 4 days.) [I put the dough balls into quart-sized plastic zipper bags and squeezed the air out of them while sealing.]
When you are ready to make the pastry shell, take the dough out of the refrigerator and give it about hour to come to room temperature. Divide the dough more or less in half; put the smaller portion back into the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 400. Roll out the larger portion of dough to -inch thickness, shaping it for the pan you intend to use. Butter the pan and line it with the rolled dough; prick the dough with a fork in several places. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling. [To speed cooling, I placed the baked shell in the refrigerator for 15 minutes after it had cooled a bit.]
Remove the remaining dough from the refrigerator so that it can come to room temperature while you make the filling.
Apple Filling:
3 medium-sized cooking apples (about 1 pound) [I used 12 small]
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
cup sugar, divided
teaspoon ground cinnamon
cup (2 oz) finely chopped walnuts [I pulsed them in food processor]
2 egg whites
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons dry unseasoned bread crumbs
1 whole egg, slightly beaten
Peel the apples and grate them using the large holes on a grater. (You should end up with 3 cups of apple matchsticks.) Immediately sprinkle with the lemon juice to keep the apples from browning. [I put 3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl and stirred the apple pieces and juice together after each apple was grated.] After all the apples are grated, add the lemon zest, cinnamon and cup of the sugar. Stir in the walnuts.
Roll out the remaining dough to -inch thickness, shaping it to the appropriate shape. Preheat the oven to 400.
Quickly beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt. Gradually add the remaining cup of sugar and continue beating until stiff. Fold the whites into the apple mixture.
Sprinkle the bread crumbs into the bottom of the baked pastry shell. Fill the shell with the apple filling. Carefully put the upper crust in place, seal the edges, and prick the top with a fork in several places. Paint the crust with the beaten whole egg and place the pite in the middle rack of the oven to bake for 20 minutes, or until the top crust is shiny golden brown.
Alternate Cheese Filling:
1 pound pot cheese or small-curd cottage cheese
4 egg yolks
1 cup vanilla sugar [1 cup sugar + 1 teaspoon vanilla mixed together]
1 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Press the cheese through a potato ricer. Some milky liquid will come through the ricer first; wipe this off and throw it away. Lightly mix the riced cheese with the egg yolks and vanilla sugar. Stir in the lemon zest. Fill the shell with the cheese filling. As mentioned above, this pite can be baked with or without the top crust. Follow the baking instructions as for the apple pite.
aka Almas Pite (pronounced ahl-mahsh pee-tay).
The pie crust is a short dough or 1-2-3 dough, so called because the original proportions, by weight, are 1 sugar to 2 fat (usually butter) to 3 flour. The dough is difficult to handle at first, but an experienced cook will acquire the knack quickly. The main point is to keep everything cold and to work fast so as not to melt (burn is the phrase used) the butter in the dough.
A pite can be made over a period of days: the dough will keep tightly wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator, and a half-baked shell can be made in advance, loosely wrapped and stored in a cool dry place until it is time to fill it. Always make the filling just before baking the pite, as neither will store well for long periods of time.
Although pite-type cakes are usually rectangular and rather flat, they are often made square or round at home. The following recipe gives the right amounts for a home-style pite, 1-inches high by 9-inch round or 8-inch square, which would serve 6 people quite generously. To fill a standard jelly roll pan (about 15x10x1-inch in size) double the entire recipe.
The alternate cheese filling makes a cake that falls somewhere between a sweet quiche and a light cheesecake. It is supposed to be a closed cake but the upper crust is sometimes omitted. Follow the same steps for the dough but substitute the cheese filling for the apple filling.
The Dough:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
teaspoon salt
teaspoon double-acting baking powder
cup vanilla sugar [I mixed cup sugar + teaspoon vanilla]
cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 egg yolks (cold)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder either into a large bowl or onto a large clean floured surface or board. Stir in the vanilla sugar and make a well. Drop in the butter, egg yolks and lemon zest. Using your floured fingertips or a pastry knife, work all the ingredients together as quickly as you can until they are rather evenly mixed. Then try to squeeze all the pieces and crumbs together into a smooth ball. This can take some doing, and you may have to resort to sprinkling some ice-cold water on the dough to bind it. Work as quickly as possible to avoid burning or over-working the dough by causing the butter to melt. Flatten the ball with the heel of your hand by pushing from the center out in all directions. Fold the edges in to make a ball again, wrap it in plastic wrap or waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (The dough may be kept refrigerated for 3 or 4 days.) [I put the dough balls into quart-sized plastic zipper bags and squeezed the air out of them while sealing.]
When you are ready to make the pastry shell, take the dough out of the refrigerator and give it about hour to come to room temperature. Divide the dough more or less in half; put the smaller portion back into the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 400. Roll out the larger portion of dough to -inch thickness, shaping it for the pan you intend to use. Butter the pan and line it with the rolled dough; prick the dough with a fork in several places. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling. [To speed cooling, I placed the baked shell in the refrigerator for 15 minutes after it had cooled a bit.]
Remove the remaining dough from the refrigerator so that it can come to room temperature while you make the filling.
Apple Filling:
3 medium-sized cooking apples (about 1 pound) [I used 12 small]
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
cup sugar, divided
teaspoon ground cinnamon
cup (2 oz) finely chopped walnuts [I pulsed them in food processor]
2 egg whites
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons dry unseasoned bread crumbs
1 whole egg, slightly beaten
Peel the apples and grate them using the large holes on a grater. (You should end up with 3 cups of apple matchsticks.) Immediately sprinkle with the lemon juice to keep the apples from browning. [I put 3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl and stirred the apple pieces and juice together after each apple was grated.] After all the apples are grated, add the lemon zest, cinnamon and cup of the sugar. Stir in the walnuts.
Roll out the remaining dough to -inch thickness, shaping it to the appropriate shape. Preheat the oven to 400.
Quickly beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt. Gradually add the remaining cup of sugar and continue beating until stiff. Fold the whites into the apple mixture.
Sprinkle the bread crumbs into the bottom of the baked pastry shell. Fill the shell with the apple filling. Carefully put the upper crust in place, seal the edges, and prick the top with a fork in several places. Paint the crust with the beaten whole egg and place the pite in the middle rack of the oven to bake for 20 minutes, or until the top crust is shiny golden brown.
Alternate Cheese Filling:
1 pound pot cheese or small-curd cottage cheese
4 egg yolks
1 cup vanilla sugar [1 cup sugar + 1 teaspoon vanilla mixed together]
1 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Press the cheese through a potato ricer. Some milky liquid will come through the ricer first; wipe this off and throw it away. Lightly mix the riced cheese with the egg yolks and vanilla sugar. Stir in the lemon zest. Fill the shell with the cheese filling. As mentioned above, this pite can be baked with or without the top crust. Follow the baking instructions as for the apple pite.
Thanks!
