TH E A-LIS T
what ONE PERFECT DISH LILLIPIES
BAKERY ’S
APPLE
Trying to honor her young son’s birthday request while cringing at the thought of a horde of sticky kindergarteners, Jennifer Carson came up with the brilliant idea of baking cupcake-size apple pies for the class treat. Their diminutive size still offered up big fruit flavor and plenty of flaky crust, but without the commitment of a full-size pie, and thus, the “Lillipie” was born. With a degree from the International Culinary Institute under her belt, Carson began baking for Small World Coffee and became a popular stop at farmers’ markets, building a faithful following that now visits her at Lillipies Bakery, her bricks-and-mortar shop at the Princeton Shopping Center. Lillipies celebrates seasonality, the bounty of local farms, and fresh N.J. flavors with the titular delicious little pies, artisanal breads and pastries, and a constantly changing menu—food that has won Carson a very impressive 2018 Garden State Culinary Award for Pastry Chef/Baker. She takes it all in stride, continuing to get up before the sun to bake one small, delectable batch at a time. Her first pie: “Growing up, cooking and baking with family was a rite of passage. When I was five years old, I was allowed to sit alongside my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother while they made apple pie. While playing with buttery scraps of dough, I asked my mother if I could make my own pie. Though it baked into a hockey puck because of all the playing I did with it, we still served it with a scoop of ice cream. I could tell they were proud of me, and I was proud to become one of ‘the ladies.’”
PIE WITH
STREUSEL
TOPPING
Her food P.O.V.: “We source from many farmers we’ve worked alongside at local farmers’ markets over the years. Not only do we get the best fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meats available, but it also feels good to support our local farmers who are caring for their land, crops, and animals in such careful and thoughtful ways. Some of our local favorites: Lima Family Farm, for eggs and pork roll; Abe’s Acres Farm, for seasonal veggies; Griggstown Farm’s turkey for our house-made turkey sausage patties; and Terhune Orchards fruit for our pies. And don’t forget Tico’s juices, Small World coffee, and Bent Spoon ice cream!” Her work ethic: “I used to wake up at 3 a.m. every day, but now, thankfully, I only do that on the weekends. It’s early, but I love what I do, so it feels good. When I do feel tired, I remember how hard my grandfather used to work at his butcher shop in Newark. Every morning without complaint, he would get up early, work harder than anyone I’ve ever known, and come home late—but not so late that he couldn’t ask us kids about our day. Then he’d wake up and do it all over again.” Vanilla or chocolate? “Yes and yes!”
Lillipies Bakery, Princeton Shopping Center, 301 N. Harrison Street, Princeton; lillipies.com.
APPLE PIE WITH STREUSEL TOPPING “I love to bring a pie to a dinner party. It’s always appreciated, never feels fussy, and can be made with whatever fruit is in season and flavorful. Making this pie is not difficult; it just requires a number of steps.” —Jennifer Carson FO R T H E P I EC RU ST:
FOR THE APPLE FILLING:
FOR THE STREUSEL:
2 cups all-purpose flour ¼ cup granulated sugar ½ tsp. salt 2 sticks (1/2 lb.) unsalted butter, ice-cold and cubed (1/2-inch dice)
6 baking apples (Stayman, Granny Smith, or Golden Delicious) 2 Tbsp. butter ¼ cup granulated sugar 3–4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour Juice of half a lemon 1 tsp. ground cinnamon ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ cup all-purpose flour ½ tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. ground nutmeg 4 Tbsp. butter, cubed ⅛ Tbsp. salt ½ cup brown sugar
• First, prepare your pie dough. In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, salt, and butter. When butter pieces are the size of small peas, add 4–6 tablespoons of ice-cold water. Pulse until combined. Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Back to the piecrust: On a well-floured surface, roll out the pie dough into a round, about ⅛-inch thick. Lay the pie dough into an ungreased 8- or 9-inch pie pan. Tuck the edges under and crimp as needed. Chill the pie shell until ready to bake. • For the streusel topping, pulse all of the streusel ingredients until combined. Keep the streusel topping chilled until ready to use. • Finally, preheat your oven to 400°F. “Blind-bake” your pie shell: Line the prepared piecrust with parchment. Fill the cavity with dried beans, uncooked rice, or pie weights. Bake 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and pie weights, and fill your pie shell with the partially cooked apple filling. Top with streusel. (Squeeze the crumbly streusel into clumps if possible; clumps are delicious!) Place the pie back into the oven for another 30–35 minutes, or until the crust and streusel have browned, and the filling is bubbling. Enjoy!
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C A L L AWAY H E N D E R S O N . C O M
Photograph by Chiara Goldenstern.
• Now, for the apple filling: Peel, core, and dice apples, then add to a large sauté pan with the butter, sugar, all-purpose flour, lemon, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook just until the butter is melted. Take the apples off the heat and allow mixture to cool completely before filling and topping the pie.