The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living: A Novel by Louise Miller
“When Olivia Rawlings—pastry chef extraordinaire for an exclusive Boston dinner club—sets not just her flambéed dessert but the entire building alight, she escapes to the most comforting place she can think of—the idyllic town of Guthrie, Vermont, home of Bag Balm, the country’s longest-running contra dance, and her best friend Hannah. But the getaway turns into something more lasting when Margaret Hurley, the cantankerous, sweater-set-wearing owner of the Sugar Maple Inn, offers Livvy a job. Broke and knowing that her days at the club are numbered, Livvy accepts.
Livvy moves with her larger-than-life, uberenthusiastic dog, Salty, into a sugarhouse on the inn’s property and begins creating her mouthwatering desserts for the residents of Guthrie. She soon uncovers the real reason she has been hired—to help Margaret reclaim the inn’s blue ribbon status at the annual county fair apple pie contest.
With the joys of a fragrant kitchen, the sound of banjos and fiddles being tuned in a barn, and the crisp scent of the orchard just outside the front door, Livvy soon finds herself immersed in small town life. And when she meets Martin McCracken, the Guthrie native who has returned from Seattle to tend his ailing father, Livvy comes to understand that she may not be as alone in this world as she once thought.
But then another new arrival takes the community by surprise, and Livvy must decide whether to do what she does best and flee—or stay and finally discover what it means to belong. Olivia Rawlings may finally find out that the life you want may not be the one you expected—it could be even better.”
Though I prefer my previous Book Bites selection, any book where a city dweller heads to the country to work at a bed & breakfast is prime reading material for me! I love the country and I love bed & breakfast inns nestled in a picturesque landscape. Many years ago, my extended family would sit around on the occasional family gathering and romanticize about moving to the mountains and opening up a family bed & breakfast. We mused on who would be in charge of which jobs. I was always the one in charge of the breakfasts! My imagination would swirl with images of scrumptious blueberry muffins, delicious pancakes, and warm and buttery scones! Come to think of it, it was always about the carbs. Anyway.
It’s an enjoyable read. You, of course, will root for the main character and learn to love her prickly boss at the inn. There will be a romance to be impatient about blossoming. (No big surprise there, right?) A baking contest that you just know is in the bag this time! And lots and lots of drooling over all the delicious foods (not just carbs) that Olivia makes for the guests and townspeople. All in all, The City Baker’s Guild to Country Living: A Novel is a cozy read.
The Apple Pie Recipe
Now, I love me a good apple pie. It’s my very favorite of all the fruit pies, truth be told. So I was really looking forward to trying this one out. While this Blue Ribbon Apple Pie not my personal favorite (I prefer a crumb top crust), my family really enjoyed it. The author recommends a mixture of Cortland and McIntosh apples with a couple of Granny Smiths. No Cortlands in my neck of the woods so it was mostly just McIntosh with two Granny Smiths.
I do love the trick of brushing beaten egg white onto the bottom crust before filling it; that really seemed to help the crust avoid becoming soggy. Also, partially cooking the apples helps you avoid the shrinking of the fruit and consequent “crust bubble dome” that can happen with baking an apple pie.
If I make Blue Ribbon Apple Pie again, I will definitely opt to brush the top crust with an egg wash so it’s a little prettier. Pies with a beautiful golden brown to them always look so much prettier to me. But the author’s preference was to leave it plain, so that’s what I did. It was still a good pie; but my sweet tooth wanted just a touch more sweetness. (I guess that’s why I love crumb top pie!) Need some ideas on how to crimp a pie crust?
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Book Bites: Blue Ribbon Apple Pie
Description
A recipe from Louise Miller’s book The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living.
Ingredients
Double Crust Pie Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 12 Tbsp. unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)
- 3 Tbsp. solid vegetable shortening (like Crisco)
- 6 or more Tbsp. ice water
Filling
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 4 pounds apples—peeled, cored, and sliced into ¼” wedges (Cortland, McIntosh mix with a couple of Granny Smiths for tartness and texture)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. nutmeg
- 1 egg white, beaten (for crust bottom)
Instructions
For the dough
- Using a food processor, pulse together all the ingredients EXEPT the water until the mixture resembles “coarse cornmeal,” according to the author.
- Pour this mixture into a large bowl and, while fluffing the mixture with your fingers, add the ice water one tablespoonful at a time. Do this just until the mixture comes together. Test it by taking a small amount in your hand and squeezing; it should hold together.
- Form the dough into a ball, divide into two pieces, flatten each piece into a disc, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill these discs in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- When directed in the filling directions, take remove dough from fridge. When prompted in the filling instructions, roll out each piece. A couple of tips here: Don’t use too much flour; use just enough to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling surface. You can rotate the dough every so often to discourage it from taking up residence on your rolling surface. Another tip: always roll from the center out, otherwise you may overwork the gluten.
- Place one crust lining the pie pan and slide a cookie sheet under the other. Place both back in the fridge to rest.
For the filling
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- At this point, you should take the dough discs (not rolled out yet) from the fridge and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet till it starts to sizzle. Then add the apples and toss them to coat them in the butter. Cook over medium to medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. (Medium for 10 minutes was too much on my stovetop; you’re not trying to completely cook them.) I rolled out the dough during this apple-cooking time.
- Remove the apple wedges (but leave the juices behind) to a large bowl and sprinkle with the sugar, cornstarch, and spices. Gently toss with a spoon to coat. Set aside.
- Brush the inside of the bottom crust with the beaten egg white. Pour in the apple mixture. Top with the remaining crust. Use a paring knife to trim the excess edges of the crust and crimp the edges to seal (see the recipe post for link). Use the paring knife to cut a couple of air vents in the top crust.
- At this point you can use a pastry brush to brush an egg wash or milk on the top crust. You may also leave it plain, as is the author’s preference.
- Turn the oven down to 375 degrees and place the pie on a cookie sheet (in case it bubbles over). Bake until the top crust is a deep golden brown, about 50-60 minutes.(Mine never got browned on top.);Let it cool completely before serving or you’ll have a soupy mess!
