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Recipe Detail Page
Fresh Apricot Slab Pie with Thyme & Honey
Summer 2015
A floral-tasting honey and a little fresh thyme make this apricot pie taste just a little more sophisticated without being obviously different. Serve with lightly sweetened crème fraîche or scoops of sweet cream ice cream.
Makes 16 servings
Slab Pie Pastry for 2 slab pie crusts (recipe follows)
FILLING
3 lbs (1.5 kg) fresh firm-ripe apricots
2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh lemon juice
¼ cup (60 mL) wildflower honey
1 tsp (5 mL) roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
⅓ cup (80 mL) tapioca flour/starch
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp (5 mL) whipping cream
2 tbsp (30 mL) sugar
1 Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
2 Line the bottom of a 13 x 17-inch (33 x 43‑cm) rimmed baking sheet (jelly-roll pan) with parchment paper. Working with 1 piece of pastry at a time, place on a flour-dusted counter and roll the first into a rectangle about 15 x 19 inches (38 x 48 cm) and fit into prepared baking sheet making sure that the pastry overhangs evenly on all sides. Chill. Roll out the second piece of pastry to a similar size, transfer to a sheet of parchment and use a variety of small round cutters to cut decorative vents in the pastry (if desired, glue some of these to the top of the pastry with a little water). Place on a baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes or until firm.
3 Cut apricots in half, remove stones, then cut halves in half again. Toss with lemon juice, honey, thyme and salt, and let stand for
10 minutes or until they look juicy.
4 Add tapioca and stir gently until it coats the fruit and is completely moistened. Spoon apricots and all juices into bottom pastry in
an even layer. Remove top crust from freezer, and carefully transfer it over top of apricot layer. Let stand a few minutes to soften, then use a little water to seal the layers of pastry together where they meet. Trim pastry, roll edge, and crimp decoratively. Brush pastry with egg wash and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn oven down to 375°F (190°C) and bake for 20 minutes longer or until fruit juices are bubbling and thickened and pastry is golden and cooked through.
Makes 16 servings
SLAB PIE PASTRY
Making large quantities of pastry can be tricky as it’s too large a quantity to fit in your food processor. Grating sticks of frozen butter allows you to work it in without overworking the dough. Buy butter pre-wrapped in sticks, or cut 1 lb (454 g) lengthwise into 4 sticks and freeze for at least 2 hours or overnight.
5 cups (1.25 L), or for 1 crust: 2½ cups (625 mL)all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10 mL), or for 1 crust: 1 tsp (5 mL) kosher salt
1 tbsp (15 mL), or for 1 crust: 1½ tsp (7 mL) sugar
2 cups (500 mL), or for 1 crust: 1 cup (250 mL) frozen unsalted butter
1½ cups (375 mL), or for 1 crust: 3/4 cup (175 mL) cold water
2 tbsp (30 mL), or for 1 crust: 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1 Combine flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Working with 1 stick of butter at a time, coarsely grate into flour mixture. Toss to coat, then repeat until all the butter has been incorporated.
2 Combine water and lemon juice. Drizzle into the flour mixture a little at a time, stirring or kneading gently until all the flour has been incorporated and you can bring dough into a ball (you may need to add slightly more or less liquid depending on how much the butter has worked through the dough). Cut ball of dough in half if you have made enough for 2 crusts; wrap in plastic, and flatten into rectangular discs. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.
Makes either 1 double or 1 single slab pie crust
