Baker and mom of three Clemence Gossett runs a culinary school in Los Angeles where she and her teachers share foodie secrets in hands-on classes every day of the week. Here she shares her incredible seasonal fruit pie.
"Ah, the elusive pie crust! Flaky and buttery, it makes the perfect, delicate vessel for the bright flavors of early summer. If you’ve ever felt nervous about your crust, fear not," says Gosset. Use cold butter, handle your crust as little as possible and patch the dough if it tears instead of pulling and stretching it.
"Once you’ve mastered the crust, you can use it to highlight the best of what’s in season at the farmers market. You’ll be surprised to find out how much sweeter, less expensive and juicier the fruit is from your local farms and orchards. This recipe features two favorites from Whitney Ranch in Santa Barbara; they grow Meyer lemons and blueberries. Have a delicious time!"
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Flaky Pie Crust
Ingredients
3 cups flour (unbleached and organic when possible)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 ounces butter, very cold and cut into small squares
1/3 cup water, very cold
2 tablespoons vodka (optional, makes for a crisper, flakier crust)
Directions
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Place the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse 4 or 5 times.
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Add the butter and pulse just until small pebbles form. We like to "pan for gold" and see how our butter is sized. You want the pieces to be about 1/4 of an inch big.
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Add the ice water (and vodka, if using) and pulse just until a crumbly dough comes together. If needed, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the dough forms.
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Remove from the food processor (carefully) and form a flat disc. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour (or 20 minutes in the freezer).
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Flour your work surface liberally. Place your disc on the floured surface and begin rolling from the center of the dough up, then from the center down. Rotate your disc a quarter turn and repeat. This will help to keep your dough in a round shape and ensure that it isn’t sticking to your surface.
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Roll your dough in a shape 2 inches larger than your pie pan. Using the rolling pin, pick up and gently lay the dough into the pan. Cut, crimp or use the tines of a fork to create a decorative edge.
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Freeze your dough for 10 minutes. Take it out and place a sheet of parchment paper, foil or cupcake liners over the crust. Fill this with pie weights, rice or dried beans and bake blind (with pie weights and no filling) at 375 degrees until dark and golden on the edges.
Meyer Lemon Curd
Make sure that the bowl you are using is nonreactive. Stainless steel and tempered glass are best, but aluminum will oxidize and turn your lovely custard a shade of green.
Ingredients
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup strained meyer lemon juice
1/2 stick, or 2 ounces, unsalted butter
Directions
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Place a saucepot, 1/2 filled with water, on the heat and bring to a simmer.
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In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar.
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Whisk in the juice. Set the bowl above the pot and reduce heat to medium to continue the simmer.
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Whisk this mixture over heat until until a thick custard forms (this may take about 10 minutes).
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Remove from heat and stir in the butter until smooth. Spoon over the pre-baked crust.
Blueberry Filling
Ingredients
1 cup blueberries
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
1 teaspoon ginger (or cinnamon)
1 teaspoon flour
Directions
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Place blueberries and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer the berries for 3 to 4 minutes, until they are cooked and juicy.
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In a small bowl, mix the flour and remaining water until smooth.
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Add the flour mixture, sugar and spice to the sauce and stir until the sauce is thickened.
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Allow to cool and firm up before spooning over lemon curd.
Photo by Kara Frans Photography
