Dorie Greenspan/ Fruit/ pastry/ Sweet

Apple Pielettes

How do you like eating the beloved apple pie as finger food? Or if you like to touch and taste food in your hand, the way kids enjoy their food, this recipe embraces that. For sure, you’d make these tiny pies and present them as a small dish or a dessert sampler. These delicate and dainty pielettes win out hands-down with their miniature and tactile quality. Visit Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) to see how this recipe is received by other bakers.

Another feature I like about this recipe is the ease and pleasure in working with this specific dough, a galette dough. (Dorie said it has become her go-to pie dough for this purpose.)

Mix 204 grams (1 1/2 cup) of all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, sprinkle of salt, a stick (113 grams) of cold butter and 60 ml (1/4 cup) of ice water until they come together in a food processor.

It feels like receiving another gift from Dorie Greenspan. The dough does not tear as it is rolled out. Tender and crispy to the bite.

No special pan is needed other than a generic muffin tin. With juices bubbling over and caramelized sugar dripping to the sides, the pielettes managed to pop out of the pan with no resistance. I used a silicone pan and every pielette came out perfectly. Those are the little things that delight the baker and sooth the nerves.

It may take extra time to shape the dough in those tiny spaces inside the muffin mold. In the end, you are rewarded with some delicious and charming little apple pies. I’d make them again when time allows.

Postscript — The next morning, I saw these leftover scraps of galette dough and apple fillings hanging out in the fridge, looking a little lost. They were taking up too much valuable real estate in the fridge. I took them out and, mindlessly, put them in a ring mold. Fired up the oven. This was what I got: a freeform apple tart. Without consciously finding or making the time to bake it, I had the best time letting it all happen serendipitously. I like the freeform a lot with greater proportion of fillings to crust. And it’s effortless, almost!

 

Freeform apple tart

 

 

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13 Comments

  • Reply
    Cakelaw
    October 27, 2015 at 6:19 am

    Your pies are cute, and I like your freeform tart. I had leftover filling and no dough, so I made a galette with store bought puff pastry.

  • Reply
    Nicole
    October 27, 2015 at 10:24 am

    I did have leftovers of both and thought for a moment of making a free form galette too but was done with trying to figure out the assembly of the tops so I didn't (unusual for me). Yours look lovely!

  • Reply
    Nicole
    October 27, 2015 at 10:25 am

    I did have leftovers of both and thought for a moment of making a free form galette too but was done with trying to figure out the assembly of the tops so I didn't (unusual for me). Yours look lovely!

  • Reply
    Ryan
    October 27, 2015 at 3:46 pm

    I like your freeform apple tart! I also agree that Dorie's galette dough is really easy to make and work with!

  • Reply
    steph- whisk/spoon
    October 27, 2015 at 9:06 pm

    yes–the galette dough was great! both your tart and your pielettes look scrummy!

  • Reply
    Zosia
    October 27, 2015 at 11:19 pm

    I loved the galette dough too – very easy to work with. Your small tart was a great way to use up the leftovers.

  • Reply
    Nana
    October 28, 2015 at 12:09 am

    Great idea for leftover dough, that tart looks adorable. These were a big hit at our house and a definite recipe to repeat.

  • Reply
    Teresa
    October 28, 2015 at 1:55 am

    Your pielettes look wonderful and I love your freeform tart idea – I have some galette dough leftover. It's in the freezer for now, but I may take it out and use it as you did. As for the pielettes, I was thrilled with how easy they were. I used a metal muffin pan and they were easy to remove and there was little to clean up.

    I agree with you about the galette dough. It IS a gift! I can think of many ways of using it.

  • Reply
    tricia s.
    October 29, 2015 at 11:46 pm

    Love how you phrased the galette recipe as "another gift from Dorie Greenspan" – could not agree more. These were so lovely, no ? And your photos, as always, are gorgeous and beautifully styled !

  • Reply
    jane of many trades
    October 30, 2015 at 12:52 am

    That dough was very easy to work with. After seeing your freeform tart, I am thinking I need to make this recipe again!

  • Reply
    Approaching Food
    October 30, 2015 at 3:49 am

    Your pies look identical to Dorie's — way to go! And your little galette/pie is adorbs!

  • Reply
    Diane Zwang
    October 31, 2015 at 7:04 pm

    I like your free form pie and using up those leftovers. We agree that these little pies needed more moisture.

  • Reply
    TeaLady
    November 4, 2015 at 5:25 pm

    These were fun to make. "Funner" to eat. Like the 'leftover' pie.

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