Out & About #1044 | Thanksgiving Baking Feat. Apple Pie, Pecan Tarts + Marbled Banana Bread

For all the times I've conjured the image of autumn in my mind, warm-toned foliage, brisk weather that nips at one's nose, apple cider, and pies are elements that appear without fail.

1) Pecan Tarts

Last year, we bid farewell to The Apple Factory. As such, the quest for the perfect jug of cider continues. Pies, on the other hand, are now well within my realm of expertise. Since having perfected pecan pie and, more or less, attained confidence in combining fresh fruit with flaky crusts, my Thanksgiving baking ventures took a turn for tarts this time. In particular, I was eager to try my hand at Pecan Tarts.

Despite having attempted handheld portions previously by scaling SK's pecan pie recipe, the current trial would mark my first foray into true "tart" territory, for I'd be using a tart crust as opposed to pie dough. The foundation for SK's Pear & Almond Tart had seen success before and generally easy to work with. Shrinkage was less of a concern than burning the shell during par-baking, as the recipe did not utilize water (ie. no fear of evaporation and loss of volume by moisture) and used egg yolk both to stabilize and add a rich, sandy texture.

​The tart shell was fairly straightforward to assemble. However, portioning the dough after 90 minutes plus of refrigeration was not the easiest task. Toasty kitchen conditions could result in tackiness, while inadequate thawing time would lead to cracking due to low gluten content. One hour is the ideal chill time, though not always possible due to other operations happening in parallel.

SK's recipe yields a 9-in tart crust:

• 190 g AP flour
• 60 g icing sugar
• pinch of salt
• 130 g unsalted butter
• 1 egg yolk

​For my purposes, the tarts could either be baked in a standard muffin pan or individual foil moulds. Given that a few projects would be happening in parallel, I opted for the latter as to enable flexibility to bake in the toaster oven or standard oven. My chosen aluminum moulds were intended for egg tarts, transitioning from a base diameter of 4 cm to surface diameter of 7 cm, with a height of 2 cm. The tart dough would rolled out to 0.5 cm thickness, though inevitably made thicker afterwards through patching of cracks and extending the rim above the mould.

The total yield was 17 mini tart shells, each with an approximate volume of 62π or 194.78 cm3.

I'd adhere similarly to SK's pecan pie formula, but was required to modify accordingly upon discovering the scanty amount of golden syrup remaining in my cupboard.

The swaps involved:

• -  ̶1̶6̶8̶ ̶g̶ ̶(̶3̶/̶4̶ ̶c̶u̶p̶)̶ ̶g̶o̶l̶d̶e̶n̶ ̶c̶o̶r̶n̶ ̶s̶y̶r̶u̶p̶  → 120 g white/clear corn syrup + 35 g molasses
• -  ̶2̶2̶5̶ ̶g̶ ̶(̶2̶ ̶c̶u̶p̶s̶)̶ ̶p̶e̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶h̶a̶l̶v̶e̶s̶  → 200 g pecan halves, toasted

​Given the small size of my tarts, the 25 g reduction in pecans was hardly noticeable. Surprisingly, the substitution of white corn syrup and molasses for golden corn syrup did not alter the profile at all! The tarts were still as nutty and delectable as ever! 
Swapping Kirkland vanilla extract for a homemade, vodka-containing rendition further improved its olfactory impact.

The total yield for the pecan pie filling is approximately 8830.66 cm3, as measured from my go-to Pyrex pie dish with dimensions of: 10 in upper diameter, 8.5 in lower diameter, and 2 in in depth.

Unfortunately, the pie filling yield did not align with that of the quantity of tart shells. It provided enough to fill 22 mini tarts, thus resulting in five standalone pie filling cups.

In other words, the recipe yield can be interpreted as follows:

• SK Pecan Pie filling: 24 servings (considering that dough contributes volume and the moulds cannot be filled to the top)
• SK 9-inch Tart Shell: 17 servings

Reduction factors can be concluded as follows:

• 17/24 = 0.708  for aluminum tart moulds
• 2/3 = 0.667 for muffin tins

The tart shells were returned to the fridge until the oven was ready. They were then par-baked for 15 minutes at 350 F, then removed to let cool slightly before filling and baking again. In hindsight, up to 17 minutes of par-baking would be acceptable, for the undersides of some tarts emerged relatively pasty. After filling, the tarts were baked for another 25 minutes, rotating once at the 20-minute mark.

In summary:

• 9 in tart shell recipe yields 17 servings of mini tarts, assuming dough thickness of 0.5 cm
• Pecan Pie filling yields 24 servings of mini tarts - reduce by 2/3 next time, as with muffin tins
• Par-bake tart shells at 350 F, 15-17 mins. Remove when edges and base are lightly coloured
• Continue baking tarts at 350 F, 25-27 mins. Rotate once at the 20-minute mark. Watch carefully at the 25-minute mark to ensure pecans are not burning
• Optionally, chop pecans into smaller pieces for level tart surfaces.

2) Apple Pie

Ginger Gold prevails as my go-to baking apple. Unfortunately, the assortment offered by Albion Orchards failed to meet person QC criteria. Mutsu and Idared were procured as alternatives. While the green-skinned Mutsu was sturdy, tart, and oxidized minimally, it lacked character. Unlike Ginger Gold, sweetness had been kept at bay at the cost of floral aromas. Idared's pinkish, marbled visuals rendered it comparable to dusty Ambrosia, though its white-fleshed interior was reminiscent to Cortland. Truthfully, it was similar to neither for the interior was bland, not at all fragrant, and oxidized rapidly. This specimen also featured a greater number of bruises versus its larger, sturdier counterpart.

After assembly of the pie dough, these varieties were sliced into segments measuring about 1 cm in thickness. Without a firm guideline for apple pie, I combined a mix of Mutsu and Idared to form about 1 lb of apples. This is about half the portion normally used, thus leading to materialization of a thinner (flatter) pie overall.

Ingredients:

• 250 g Mutsu
• 200 g Idared
• 30 g lemon juice
• 140 g dark brown sugar
• l0 g glutinous rice flour *
• 5 g cornstarch
• cinnamon
• ground ginger
• pumpkin pie spice
• nutmeg

​The glutinous rice flour had been a last-minute swap, executed strictly out of curiosity. This substitution did not contribute better stabilization properties compared to cornstarch, and rather incited the flowing juices into the underlying crust. Sogginess did not prevail, though the bottom was much stickier than desired.

I had rolled my pie crust too thin, as extended period of chilling had caused the edges to crack, limiting the surface area of continuous dough. Attempts to compensate flakiness via a lattice cover had also ended in vain: My Temu roller was absolute garbage. Initially persuaded by Sunday Baking's Mini Apple Pies, the apparatus had been added to my cart with the intention of being summoned for Thanksgiving baking. Instead of boosting productivity, it was learned to hinder the overall process by creasing the dough without making prominent incisions, and further snagging and tearing adjacent strips of dough if rolled too thin. About ten minutes was spent going over each cut with my pastry cutter. Even then, results were non-uniform and, therefore, disheartening.

Throughout the process of compiling secondary/tertiary portions of dough, gluten formation was unavoidable. The surface would bake to a stiff but crunchy and somewhat crumbly consistency, eradicating the coveted flakiness of creations past.

​Mutsu and Idared were passable for use in pie, but hardly showcased the admirable attributes of in-season apples. They retained a mild tartness and held their shape well - almost too well, for obtaining a clean slice was challenging in the face of a friable crust. Overall, I was not particularly impressed with the pie, even if it did indeed pair well warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

3) Marbled Banana Bread

These loaves need no introduction, nor description.

4) Mini Apple Pies + Apple Tarts

Resulting from the experimental items above were 5 mini apple pies (lattice dough + finely diced Ambrosia) and two mini apple tarts. Perhaps the issue lay with the apple mixture, but, again, these were passable but not memorable.

Ambrosia was a sweeter variety that required reduced amounts of brown sugar. The mini pies also affirmed that pie filling should not stray from cornstarch as a stabilizer.

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​Total Yield:

• 2 Marbled Banana Bread
• 5 mini apple pie (Ambrosia)
• 2 mini apple tart
• 1 9in tart = 17 mini tart shells
• 15 mini pecan tart
• 5 pecan pie filling
• 1 apple pie (1.5 Mutsu: 1 Idared)

​Let it be known that fitting tart shells are not for the artistically inept. The entire undertaking (including dishwashing!) spanned about 2.5 h, encompassing baking times along with active and passive labour efforts.

​Excess was brought to the office, naturally. Feeling uncertain - as one does when they are me - I braced myself for lukewarm feedback, only to have my productions devoured within record time and be told that my standards were "high" and that I should "keep bringing (your) 'mediocre' creations! We'll eat them!". The reassurance was provided when needed most and, suffice to say, deeply appreciated.