Sherried Fruit n' Berries Vanilla Custart Tart

1. Make crust using my pie crust recipe.  Only need half the dough as you would for a two crust pie.
2. While dough is cooling in fridge, prepare fruit.  You can be creative.  Berries and kiwi taste best in my opinion.  Blueberries add more color.
- Slice fruit and place together in bowl that has a lid
- Pour 1 cup of sherry in a saucepan with 1/2 cup sugar.  Stir and Bring to med boil and whiff the steam.  If the alcohol smells nauseating, cook more.  When the steam smells like a pleasant scent of sherry, remove and pour on fruit.
- Cover bowl with lid and macerate until you are ready to put on tart.  Can be refrigerated.
3. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare quiche ramekin or pie dish with butter followed by a coat of granulated sugar. 
4. Roll out dough with flour and place and work in dish.  Cover with butter using pastry brush.  Coat with granulated sugar.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until slightly golden brown.  If while baking you see the middle rise, break down to make flat.  A few minutes before it's done, you can brush on an egg wash along the rim if you prefer, then sprinkle more sugar.  (If you plan to take pictures or having guests, this extra step looks impressive.)  Cool on rack completely.
5. Make custard using only the directions for the custard in this recipe: Banana Cream Pie
Follow directions closely and stir with wooden spoon.  Drain fruit at some point during this.
6.  As soon as it's done, pour custard onto crust.  You won't be using all the custard, spread as much as you like and save the rest in the fridge.  Spoon drained fruit onto the custard and cool in fridge.
Enjoy!
Hint:  If you can resist, let the tart sit in fridge overnight.  The next day it tastes the best! 

How to make the best classic Apple Pie

Ingredients:

Double Pie Crust
3 Grannysmith Apples
3 Golden Delicious Apples, both peeled and sliced
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar
3 Tbls All Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/4 cup Water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425. Prepare one crust in buttered pie dish. Cut off edge with scissors. Brush with melted butter.

2. Arrange apple slices in dish and mound slightly.

3. Melt butter on medium heat in sauce pan. Add flour and mix. When boiling, add both sugars, water and allspice. Whisk together and let heat to boil. When boil appears, reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for about 3-5 minutes.

4. While waiting for filling to simmer, prepare lattice work by rolling out second crust onto floured surface to about 13-14 inch round. Cut 14-1 inch strips using a ruler or hard edge.

5. When filling is ready, should be a thick syrup-like mixture. Slowly drizzle directly over apples, being careful not to let run off the sides. Filling will fall through the apples.

6. Lay the strips of dough over the apples by first laying 4 in one direction, skipping every other space. Then lay 3 going in the opposite direction. Then lay 3 following the first direction, filling in the spaces left. Finish by laying the remaining 4 in the opposite direction, again filling in the remaining spaces.

7. Leaving about and inch around the dish, cut the excess off the strips. Then fold the edges of the strips under themselves. Pinch dough together to close the edge using your thumb and forefinger on your left hand and your forefinger on your right hand to pinch it in.

8. Brush top with melted butter.

9. Place in oven at 425 for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 for the remaining 40-45.

10. At about 20 minutes prior to the pie being finished. Brush with an egg wash all over and sprinkle granulated sugar evenly coating the top. Return to oven. Pie is finished when top is golden brown and apples are soft. For egg wash, I recommend using 50/50 egg yoke and milk or cream.

Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream. Enjoy!

How to make the best Pie and Tart Crust

This recipe is for a double pie crust. Please note to halve the recipe if you only need a single crust.

Ingredients:

2.5 cups All Purpose Flour
2 heeping Tbls Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 cup softened Unsalted Butter
1/4 - 1/2 cup Iced Water

Directions:

1. Combine dry ingredients with a whisk in a mixing bowel, being sure to fluff up flour.

2. With clean hands, drop teaspoon sized dollops of butter into and throughout the flour mixture. Then, gently, separate and crumble the butter apart, distributing into the flour as evenly as possible. You should end with a nice crumble, making sure the butter pieces are separated and with no chunks.

3. Place the mixing bowel into a mixer with a dough attachment and start on the lowest setting, stir. Take your water and slowly begin to pour into the center of the flour. Only begin with a little water, then wait to see how it mixes. Proceed to slowly pour in the water just until the dough comes together. Pinch dough, it should be not too dry or crumbly and not wet. Not all the water should need to be used.

4. Separate the dough in two balls and place them in plastic wrap, in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Any longer and the dough will be too hard and need to sit out for some time.