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How to: Apricot Pie Seattle pie guru Kate McDermott teaches students how to make a flaky crust and perfect fruit filling in her intimate workshops.
About the fats: McDermott keeps them chilled. She cuts high-fat, unsalted butter into tablespoon pieces.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
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The chilled leaf lard goes into the bowl with the butter, flour and salt.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
Working quickly with cool hands, McDermott begins to break up and incorporate the fats into the flour.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
Don’t overwork the dough -- the mixture should not really hold together when pressed. It should be the size of almonds, peas or cracker crumbs.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
McDermott adds 6 to 8 tablespoons of ice water in increments, using just enough to form a dough that holds together, with visible pieces of the butter and lard.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
Fun: McDermott divides the dough in half, forming two "chubby" pucks of dough that she sometimes refers to as "Princess Leia pods." (See why?) They are wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for at least 30 minutes.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
About 2 pounds of ripe apricots, or here, a mixture of apricots and raspberries, will work for a 9-inch pie. The fruit is mixed in the same bowl used to make the dough; the leftover bits help to "snug up" the pie filling, along with flour, sugar, lemon juice and nutmeg.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
McDermott watches student Barbara Kahl of Bethesda begin to roll out the dough for her bottom crust; again, she's working quickly, with a light touch.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
It's good to give the dough a quarter turn after each forward and backward pass of the rolling pin, on a well-floured surface. Kahl will use a brush to wipe away any excess flour on the dough.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
She uses the rolling pin to transfer and unroll the dough to the pie plate.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
McDermott likes to turn up the edges of the bottom dough to create a seal with the top crust. Crimp the edges of the pie as you like. She uses an egg white instead of a whole egg as a wash for the crust, to help keep the crust tender.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
A sprinkle of sugar goes on top.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
McDermott uses a knife to cut slits for the filling's steam to escape. Even if the dough is patched in places, the pie will look fine once it's baked: at 425 degrees for the first 15 minutes, then at 375 until it's done.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
While the students' pies are in the oven, they get to eat the ones McDermott and workshop host Catherine Gewertz made in the morning.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
And how to tell when the workshop pies are done: McDermott advises an audible, rather than visual cue. Listen for the sizzle of the filling, followed by a soft "whump" of the filling as it rests.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
McDermott posts "graduation" photos from each class on her site, ArtofthePie.com. From left: McDermott, Kahl, Susan Merriam and Ann Sun.
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
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Section:/lifestyle/food
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