Move each cut piece to one side,
alternating sides with each cut.
Repeat at ½-inch intervals along
each rope.5.Bake torte until golden brown
and bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes.
Let cool completely on a wire
rack. Remove from tart pan and
serve, with whipped cream.
Torte can be stored in refrigera-
tor, covered, up to 2 days.PRO TIP
With pies, color equals flavor:
We can spot a pale, underbaked
one a mile away! Look for
deep golden-brown top and
bottom crusts, and major
bubbling action in the center.CINNAMON-SWIRL
APPLE SLAB PIEActive Time: 1 hr.
Total Time: 3 hr. 40 min.,
plus cooling
Serves: 16Extra cinnamon-swirl dough slices
like cookie dough—and becomes
crisp and caramelized in the oven,
much like palmiers. Bake it on a
parchment-lined baking sheet until
very golden, about 12 minutes.
You’ll be thankful you did at your
morning coffee break.3 tablespoons unbleached
all-purpose flour, plus more
for dusting
2 recipes Test Kitchen’s
Favorite Pâte Brisée (see
recipe, page 136), each
shaped into a rectangular
disk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter,
room temperature, plus
2 tablespoons, refrigerated
and cut into small cubes½cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½teaspoon kosher salt
4 pounds assorted apples,
such as Jonagold, Cortland,
Granny Smith, and Empire,
peeled, cored, and cut into
¼-inch slices
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Fine sanding sugar,
for sprinkling1.On a lightly floured piece of
parchment, roll one disk of dough
into a 12-by-17-inch rectangle.
Transfer crust to a 10½-by-15¼-
inch rimmed baking sheet or
jelly-roll pan and press into bot-
tom edges and up sides. Fold
overhang under and around edge.
Refrigerate 30 minutes.2.In a small bowl, combine
room-temperature butter, brown
sugar, cinnamon, and ¼ tea-
spoon salt. On a lightly floured
piece of parchment, roll second
disk of dough into a 12-by-16-
inch rectangle. Evenly spread
butter mixture over dough all
the way to ends, then, starting
at a long edge, tightly roll into
a log. Transfer to a baking sheet
and refrigerate until firm, about
30 minutes.3.Preheat oven to 425° with a
rack in lower third and a foil-lined
baking sheet on a rack below.
In a large bowl, toss together
apples, lemon juice, granu-
lated sugar, flour, remaining
¼ teaspoon salt, and vanilla.
Fill piecrust with apple mixture
and dot with cold butter.4.Cut dough log into ¼-inch
slices, rotating with each slice
to keep slices round. (You’ll
need 63 slices total.) Arrange
slices over apple mixture,
slightly overlapping, in nine rows
of seven. Refrigerate until firm,
about 30 minutes.5.Brush top of pie with egg
wash and sprinkle with sanding
sugar. Bake until top crust is
just set, 20 minutes. Reduce tem-
perature to 375° and continue
baking until crust is golden
brown and juices are bubbling,
about 1 hour. Let cool com-
pletely on a wire rack. Slab pie
tastes best the day it’s made.PRO TIP
Pie dough freezes beautifully
but needs to thaw in the
refrigerator overnight to defrost
evenly. If you pull it out and
let it sit on the counter at room
temperature, the outer edges
will soften too much before
the center is pliable. ( The same
holds true for puff pastr y.)PUFF-PASTRY POACHED-
PEAR PIEActive Time: 45 min.
Total Time: 2 hr. 20 min.
Serves: 8 to 10This pie takes its inspiration from
a classic French pithiviers. Use the
scoring method described here
and on page 97 as a jumping-off
point to make any design you’d
like. The pears can be made up to
five days ahead and stored in their
poaching liquid, covered, in the
refrigerator. For even deeper flavor,
try replacing half of the sugar with
pure maple syrup.1 bottle (750 milliliters)
dry white wine, such as
Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 star-anise pod
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
and seeds scraped, pod
reserved
4 to 5 Bosc pears (1¾ pounds),
peeled, halved, and cored
Unbleached all-purpose flour,
for dusting
2 packages (14 ounces each)
all-butter puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Vanilla ice cream, for serving1.Combine wine, sugar, cinna-
mon sticks, star anise, and va-
nilla seeds and pod in a medium
saucepan; cook over high,
stirring, until sugar is dissolved,
1 to 2 minutes. Add pears; if
not completely covered in liquid,
add water as needed. Bring to
a boil, then reduce heat to low
and cover with a piece of parch-
ment, pressing it directly on
surface of pears; simmer until
tender to the tip of a knife,
20 to 30 minutes. Transfer pears
to a heatproof bowl, then in-
crease heat to high and boil liquid
until reduced to 2 cups. Pour
liquid over pears; refrigerate
until cool, about 30 minutes.2.On a lightly floured piece of
parchment, roll out one piece of
puff pastry about ⅛ inch thick.
Using an inverted bowl or cake
pan, cut out a 10-inch round
with a sharp knife or pastry wheel$25,000 SWEEPS CONTEST DETAILS $25,000 Sweepstakes NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Subject to Official Rules available at http://www.marthastewart
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THE HANDBOOK Recipes