Martha_Stewart_Living_November_2016

5.Working with 5 strips at a time,

gently press tops together to

adhere. Place 3 strips to one side

and 2 to the other. Make a fish-

tail braid by bringing outer-third

strip over to the center of side

with 2 strips. Repeat, with outer-

third strip always moving to

middle to join side with 2 strips.

Repeat fishtail-braiding with re-

maining strips of dough, so you

have 3 braids of 5 strips each.

6.Beat 1 egg with 1 teaspoon

water; brush piecrust rim with

egg wash. Place braids over

rim, cutting them as needed to

fit circumference of pie, and

press gently to adhere. Freeze

piecrust and decorative cut-

outs until firm, about 20 minutes.

Brush edge with egg wash.

7.Preheat oven to 400° with

racks in lower and upper thirds.

Line crust with parchment, keep-

ing it away from decorative rim.

Fill with dried beans or pie weights.

8.Bake piecrust on lower rack

until edges begin to turn golden

and bottom is dry, 22 to 25

minutes. Carefully remove parch-

ment and beans. Reduce oven

temperature to 375° and return

crust to oven. Place chilled cut-

outs on a separate parchment-

lined baking sheet and brush

with egg wash; place on upper

rack. Bake until both piecrust

and cutouts are golden brown

and dry, 10 to 15 minutes more

(smaller cutouts will bake more

quickly). Let cool slightly on

a wire rack.

9.Reduce oven temperature

to 325°. Whisk together 1 cup

squash purée and remaining

3 eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk

together brown sugar, corn-

starch, salt, and spices. Whisk

dry ingredients into squash

Test Kitchen’s Favorite Pâte

Brisée (see recipe, page 136),

divided into one round and

one square disk

4 large eggs, room temperature

¾cup packed light-brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

½teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground ginger

¼teaspoon freshly ground

nutmeg

½teaspoon pure vanilla

extract

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated

milk

Confectioners’ sugar and

lightly sweetened whipped

cream, for serving

1.Preheat oven to 400°. Cut

squash in half lengthwise

and scoop out seeds. Place, cut-

side down, on a parchment-

lined rimmed baking sheet and

roast until soft, 45 to 50 minutes.

2.When squash is cool enough

to handle, scoop out flesh and

transfer to a food processor;

process until smooth. Transfer

to a cheesecloth-lined colan-

der set over a bowl. Squeeze out

excess moisture and let stand,

covered with plastic, at least

2 hours or, refrigerated, up to

3 days. Return to room temp-

erature before using.

3.On a lightly floured piece

of parchment, roll out round disk

of dough ⅛ inch thick. Transfer

to a 9-inch pie dish. Trim dough

flush with rim, prick inside all

over with a fork, and refrigerate.

4.Roll square disk of dough

into an 11-by-14-inch rectangle

(between ⅛ and 1⁄16 inch thick).

Freeze until firm but pliable,

about 10 minutes. Use a knife

or pastry wheel and a ruler to

cut fifteen ¼-inch-wide strips of

dough along the short side.

(Use an assortment of cookie

cutters to cut out decorative

shapes for pie top from remain-

ing dough.)

refrigerate until chilled, 30 min-

utes. Repeat with second disk.

2.Remove first round from

refrigerator and spread with frangi-

pane in an even layer, leaving

a ½-inch border. Sprinkle evenly

with chocolate. Whisk egg

with 1 teaspoon water; lightly

brush border with egg wash.

Place second round over filling,

pressing edges to adhere.

Place a small cup upside down

in center of tarte (being care-

ful not to cut through dough).

Cut tarte into four equal sec-

tions, then repeat so you have

eight. Cut each eighth evenly

into thirds to create 24 equal

sections. Working with one at

a time, carefully lift a cut sec-

tion, then twist three times to

create a “ray.” Repeat with

remaining sections, making sure

to twist all in the same direction.

(If dough becomes too soft

during twisting, freeze until work-

able.) Freeze tarte until solid,

about 30 minutes.

3.Meanwhile, preheat oven to

400° with a rack in middle.

Brush tarte with egg wash and

lightly sprinkle with sanding

sugar. Bake until edges start to

set and top is lightly golden,

about 25 minutes. Reduce tem-

perature to 375° and continue

baking until tarte is golden brown

and firm at center, 20 to 25

minutes more. (If it’s browning

too quickly, tent with foil.) Let

cool completely on a wire rack

before serving. Tarte can be

stored, loosely covered, at room

temperature up to 1 day.

mixture, then stir in vanilla and

evaporated milk to combine.

Pour filling into piecrust; tent rim

with foil and bake until center

is just set, 50 to 65 minutes. Let

cool completely on rack.

10. Dust cutouts with confection-
    ers’ sugar and use to decorate
    top. When ready to slice pie, re-
    move cutouts. Serve, with a few
    cutouts and a dollop of whipped
    cream on top of each slice.

PRO TIP

To transfer dough to the

refrigerator or freezer with

ease, roll it on parchment,

and keep a cookie sheet or

an upside-down rimmed

baking sheet close at hand—

that way you can just

slide the parchment onto

it for moving.

CHOCOLATE-SESAME

TARTE S O LE I L

Active Time: 1 hr.

Total Time: 3 hr. 15 min.

Serves: 8 to 10

Use a serrated knife to finely chop

the chocolate: The finer it is, the

easier it will be to shape the tarte.

Unbleached all-purpose

flour, for dusting

Test Kitchen’s Favorite Pâte

Brisée (see recipe, page 136),

divided into two disks

Sesame Frangipane

(recipe follows)

4 ounces semisweet chocolate

(61 percent cacao), finely

chopped (¾ cup)

1 large egg

Fine sanding sugar,

for sprinkling

1.On a lightly floured piece of

parchment, roll out one disk

of dough to a roughly 14-inch

round (a scant ⅛ inch thick).

Use an inverted bowl or cake

pan to cut out an 11-inch round.

Transfer dough round (still on

parchment) to a baking sheet and

138

THE HANDBOOK Recipes