Looking forward to a wedge of mile-high apple pie at your Thanksgiving dinner? Make your own. I have included my winning flaky pie crust recipe in addition to the ultimate traditional apple pie recipe. I'll be using a mix of local tart and sweet apples. I will be making a few apple pies since one is never enough. Enjoy!

George Hirsch Apple Pie as featured in Celebrate Magazine

Q & A with George:

Why do you consider pies a strong technique of yours?

My mother and grandmother were both excellent bakers. Plus, the early stage of my professional cooking and baking practical experience required baking a pie to perfection. Most European chefs I trained with were not about giving a second chance if it did not come out well.

Why are people hesitant to make their own pies?

Baking can be intimidating. If someone has experience with set baking skills, sometimes it just comes down to the available time one has to spend in the kitchen. Mixing the dough, allowing it to rest, preparing the filling, assembly, and baking takes time. And the hardest part of all is the after-baking waiting, letting the pie cool down so the filling sets. Have you ever stared at a well-baked pie and not wanted to dig in?

Premade pie crust versus homemade pie crust?

Acceptable to use a premade crust for efficiency on time and for someone who is just beginning to bake because it’s a good way to gain pie-making experience. However, I encourage giving from scratch a try, as making a pie crust is easy and should be attempted. The worst thing that can happen—is you eat and start again.

What is the most common mistake people make when making a pie?

–Underbaking the bottom crust. 99% of pies have a bottom crust that is not baked.

–Tough and chewy pie crust.

–Runny fillings.

What are the must-have tools for pie baking?

A good rolling stick, a heavy-gauge metal pie pan—and I love rolling dough on marble to keep the crust cold.

as featured in Celebrate Magazine

Apple Pie Recipe

Makes 8 servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

1 recipe pastry for George’s Favorite Pie Crust, see below
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6 medium-sized Granny Smith apples; peeled, cored, and sliced
2 medium-size Rome, gala, or a sweeter apple; peeled, cored, and sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of fresh ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar, and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer for two minutes—cool and mix with sliced apples.

Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, and mound slightly. Cover with a top crust or a lattice crust. To add a richer color to a double-crust or lattice-topped pie, brush the top crust with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with a teaspoon of water) before baking.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425, and reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

For a nice shine, mix a quarter cup of light corn syrup with a couple of Tablespoons of water as soon as the pie is removed from the oven. Boil for 3-5 minutes. When the pie is done, brush the thinned syrup over the top of the crust.

Optional:
Add 1/4 cup of plump raisins, cranberries, or walnuts to the apple filling.

*George’s Favorite Pie Crust

Makes 1 pie or 2 bottom crusts

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup cold milk

Chill the butter and milk before you begin. Chilling keeps the pie crust flaky and prevents the fat pieces from melting into the flour and becoming tough.

Next, mix the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Cut the chilled butter into the dry mixture using a pastry cutter, or pinch the fat into the mixture with your hands. The mixture should have fat lumps no larger than the size of raisins. If making pie crust in the summertime, cool off the flour by measuring your flour and refrigerate it one hour before making the dough.

Pour in the chilled liquid until the milk is absorbed, mixing gently with a fork. You should be able to press the dough into a ball gently. Mix the dough as little as possible: you don't want to cream the butter's lumps into the flour. A crust without lumps of butter will be dense, not flaky. Note that humidity will affect how much liquid the flour will absorb.

Split the dough into two parts: 2/3 and 1/3 (2/3 for the bottom and 1/3 for the top). Pat them into balls, flatten them slightly, and wrap them in plastic. The dough needs to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Overnight is preferred. Chilling lets the flour absorb all of the liquid, lets the dough relax, becomes more elastic, and keeps the fat in separate pieces, giving the crust a lighter texture when it is baked.

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George Hirsch's Rosé Peach Pie

Makes 8 servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

1 recipe pastry for George’s Favorite 3, 2, 1 Pie Crust, see below

There are three main ingredients in a Pate Brisee basic pie crust: 3 parts flour, 2 parts fat, and 1 part liquid. Flour forms the structure of the crust, and fat adds flavor and a flaky texture while the liquid binds the dough.

Fresh peaches as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle

Chill the fat (butter, margarine, shortening, or lard) and liquids (milk or water) before you begin. Chilling keeps the pie crust flaky, preventing the fat pieces from melting into the flour and becoming tough. Next, mix the flour, cut the chilled fat into the dry mixture using a pastry cutter, or pinch the fat into the mixture with your hands. The resulting mixture should have fat lumps no larger than the size of raisins. If making pie in the summertime, cool off the flour by measuring your flour and refrigerate one hour before making dough.

Pour in the chilled liquid until the flour is absorbed, mixing gently with a fork after each addition. You should be able to gently press the dough into a ball. Mix the dough as little as possible: you don't want to cream the lumps of fat into the flour, as a crust without lumps of fat will be dense, not flaky. Note that humidity will affect how much liquid the flour will absorb.

Split the dough into two equal parts. Pat them into balls, flatten them slightly, and wrap them in plastic wrap. The dough needs to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes but overnight is preferred. Chilling lets the flour absorb all of the liquid, let the dough relax and become more elastic, and keep the fat in separate pieces, giving the crust a lighter texture when baked.

To make the pie shell:
Dust a clean, dry surface with flour; avoid using too much flour, as this will dry out the crust. Remove and unwrap one of the discs of dough from the refrigerator. Flatten the dough slightly with your hands and dust lightly with flour before rolling it out with a rolling pin. Start rolling at the center of the dough and work outwards.

Working quickly, roll the dough into a circle a quarter-inch thick. The size of the dough round should be wider in diameter than your pie pan; the amount will vary depending on the depth of your pie plate. Use a dry pastry brush to sweep away any excess flour.

Gently roll the dough around the rolling pin and roll it out over the pie plate. Press the pastry firmly into the pan without stretching the dough, and trim any excess dough from the edge. Leave a one-inch overhang to make a decorative fluted edge, or trim it to a half-inch if you add a top crust. If the dough cracks a little during this process, press it back together with your fingers or patch the cracks with a bit of dough from the outer edges.

Place filling in the bottom crust and unwrap the second dough ball. Repeat the above step to roll out the pie dough. Brush the bottom pie dough around the edges lightly with water to seal the edges of the crust. Carefully lay the top piece of pie dough over the filled pie. Tuck the edges of the top crust under the lower crust and press together lightly. Using the rim of the pie plate as a guide, create a fluted edge with your fingers or the back of a fork.

For the peach pie, cut a small hole to vent the top, allowing excess steam to escape during baking. Brush the surface with egg wash, made of one egg and one teaspoon of water, and bake as directed.

This recipe made with butter will result in a lighter and more flavorful crust.

George’s Favorite Pie Crust Recipe
Makes one pie or two bottom crusts

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cold milk

Chill the butter and milk before you begin. Chilling keeps the pie crust flaky, preventing the fat pieces from melting into the flour and becoming tough.

Next, mix the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Cut the chilled butter into the dry mixture using a pastry cutter or pinch the fat into the mixture with your hands. The mixture should have fat lumps no larger than the size of raisins. If making pie crust in the summertime, cool off the flour by measuring your flour and refrigerate one hour before making dough.

Pour in the chilled liquid until the milk is absorbed, mixing gently with a fork. You should be able to press the dough into a ball gently. Mix the dough as little as possible: you don't want to cream the lumps of butter into the flour. A crust without lumps of butter will be dense, not flaky. Note that humidity will affect how much liquid the flour will absorb.

Split the dough into two equal parts. Pat them into balls, flatten them slightly, and wrap them in plastic wrap. The dough needs to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Overnight is preferred. Chilling lets the flour absorb all of the liquid, lets the dough relax and become more elastic, and keeps the fat in separate pieces, giving the crust a lighter texture when baked.

To Make Peach Filling with Rosé Simple Syrup: In a small saucepan, add 3/4 bottle of Rosé wine and ¼ cup pure cane granulated sugar. Simmer and reduce to about 1 cup. Chill. Pour rosé reduction over 8 sliced peaches and marinate overnight, covered in the refrigerator.

Drain the rosé simple syrup after the 8 sliced peaches have marinated in rosé overnight. *Reserve the peach-flavored rosé syrup. Add the additional 2 sliced peaches.

8 medium-sized fresh ripe peaches, cut into 1-inch slices

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 medium-sized fresh ripe peaches, cut into 1-inch slices

½ cupcake crumbs; use pound cake, sponge cake, etc.

Mix flour and brown sugar, add to peaches, and toss until fully combined.

Roll out the pie dough and place the bottom in a 9-inch pie pan. Cover the bottom with cake crumbs.

Fill with peaches, mounded slightly. Roll out the top pie dough and cover it with a top crust or a lattice crust. To add a richer color to a double-crust or lattice-topped pie, brush the top crust with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with a teaspoon of water) before baking. Refrigerate peach pie before baking for 1 hour to slightly chill the dough.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Bake directly on the oven rack; do not use a sheet pan. After 15 minutes at 425 degrees F, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue baking for 30 additional minutes or until done. To test doneness, tap the edge of the crust lightly with a finger, and you should hear a hollow sound.

Chefs Note: *The drained marinated peach syrup can be added to Prosecco or club soda for the best Bellini or peach mimosa!