Pie and Pastry Bible (50 page)

Spread little dabs of the pulp evenly onto the baked pie crust.

MAKE THE CUSTARD FILLING

Chill a small bowl for the whipped cream.

Have ready a fine strainer suspended over a small mixing bowl near the range.

In a small heavy nonreactive saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, gelatin, salt, and honey.

In another small saucepan (or a heatproof glass measure, if using a microwave on high power), scald the milk.
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Stir a few tablespoons into the yolk mixture; then
gradually add the remainder, stirring constantly. Heat the mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk and scraping the sides, to just before the boiling point (170° to 180°F.). Steam will begin to appear and the mixture will be slightly thicker than heavy cream. It will leave a well-defined track when a finger is run across the back of the spoon. Immediately remove it from the heat and pour it into the strainer, scraping up the thickened custard that has settled on the bottom of the pan. Stir the mixture until it is uniform in color. Set it aside.

SERVES: 8
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
	VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
Sweet Cookie Tart Crust for a 9-inch pie (page 56), prebaked, or Vanilla Nut Crumb Crust, made with walnuts, for a 9-inch pie (page 68), pressed into the pan and chilled	1 generous cup	10.75 ounces	307 grams
Apricot Filling and Glaze apricot preserves	¾ cup	9 ounces	255 grams
Honey Chiffon 4 large egg yolks (1 egg white reserved)	2 full fluid ounces	2.6 ounces	75 grams
gelatin	2¼ teaspoons	0.25 ounce	7 grams
salt	a pinch	•	•
wildflower honey	cup	4 ounces	115 grams
milk	1 liquid cup	8.5 ounces	242 grams
heavy cream	¾ liquid cup	approx. 6 ounces	174 grams
1 large egg white (reserved)	2 tablespoons	1 ounce	30 grams
cream of tartar	teaspoon	•	χ
Optional Honey Ganache Bees bittersweet chocolate	one 3-ounce bar	3 ounces	85 grams
cream	liquid cup	2.75 ounces	77 grams
honey	2 teaspoons	0.5 ounce	14 grams
white chocolate, chopped	of a 3-ounce bar	1 ounce	28 grams
16 unblanched almond slices	•	•	•

A MAXIMUM OF 20 MINUTES BEFORE USING IT, MAKE THE MERINGUE

In the chilled bowl, beat the heavy cream until it mounds softly when dropped from a spoon. Chill.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg white until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised slowly. Set the meringue aside briefly.

Chill the honey mixture by placing the bowl in a bowl of ice water with a tablespoon of salt added to speed chilling. Stir occasionally for the first 10 minutes and then slowly but constantly for about 10 minutes longer. (If you prefer, you can refrigerate the mixture, stirring occasionally for the first 10 minutes and then every few minutes.) When a small amount dropped from the spoon mounds very slightly on the surface before disappearing, immediately remove the bowl from the water bath and, using a whisk, fold in first the egg white, then the whipped cream. The mixture should be well incorporated but still streaky. Fold in the reserved
cup of whole apricot preserves until streaky but not fully incorporated. Finish by using a rubber spatula to reach the bottom of the bowl, as the heavier part tends to settle. (You will have about 4 cups of filling.) Pour it at once into the prepared pie crust and press the bubble wrap against the surface, bubbles down. Freeze for at least 3 hours, or until the bubble wrap can be removed without sticking to the cream.

Stir the apricot glaze topping until smooth. It should be very thick but still fluid. If it is not fluid, add a tiny amount of water but do not heat it. Brush or spoon it on the filling while the surface is still frozen solid, to maintain the honeycomb design. Refrigerate the pie for at least 1 hour, to thaw, before serving. If desired, decorate with honey ganache bees.

MAKE THE OPTIONAL HONEY GANACHE BEES

Break the chocolate into pieces and process it in a food processor with the metal blade until very fine.

In a small saucepan, heat the cream and honey to the boiling point. With motor running, pour it through the feed tube in a steady stream. Process for a few seconds or until smooth. Scrape the ganache into a bowl and allow it to cool until it is thick enough to pipe.

Spoon the ganache into a pastry bag or plastic bag fitted with the number 12 tube and pipe eight 1-inch-long bees (see illustration; you will only need about a quarter of the mixture): On a sheet of waxed paper, pipe a round ball for the head and, leaving the tube in place, continue piping a teardrop shape for the body, pulling the tube toward you gradually so that it tapers to a point. In the upper container of a double boiler, over hot water, stirring often, or in a microwave oven, stirring every 10 seconds, melt
the white chocolate. Scrape it into a parchment cone or plastic bag and cut off a very small piece of the tip. Pipe 3 narrow horizontal lines on the ganache body. Attach an almond slice to each side of the body, pointed end down, to form the wings. If the ganache is too soft to hold them in place, freeze or refrigerate the bees for a few minutes first. Slip the waxed paper with the bees onto a flat surface (a plate or piece of cardboard) and place the finished bees in the freezer until firm enough to lift with a small metal spatula. They will stay flexible even when frozen solid, so the pointed tail end can be curved down slightly, using your fingers. Place the bees evenly around the edge of the pie so that the bodies rest on the crust and the heads touch the glazed chiffon filling, or place them randomly on top of the filling.

STORE

Refrigerated, 3 to 4 days; frozen, up to 3 weeks.

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

The type of honey used in the filling will determine the flavor. Experiment and use your favorite one (see page 650).

UNDERSTANDING

The usual amount of gelatin, 1
teaspoons per cup of liquid, is used, taking into consideration the 2 tablespoons of egg white and the 1 tablespoon of liquid contained in the
cup of honey. The substitution of honey for sugar calls for decreasing the liquid in the recipe by one fourth, which indicates that the honey will be contributing in this case 4 teaspoons of liquid that needs to be taken into consideration for jelling.