Psst! Want to know a secret? About 3 weeks ago, on a total whim, I applied for Season 5 of The Great Canadian Baking Show. I did it while my kids jumped on me, threw toys around me, and tugged on my sleeve. It was not an ideal environment to put my heart and soul into an online application. I thought I’d NEVER hear back.
Fast forward to last Wednesday.
I’m in my Home Ec lab preparing for the day when my phone starts ringing. “Who’s this calling from Toronto?!” I mumbled to myself and silenced the phone. Voicemail. “Probably just a spam call.” Email alert. Same name. Casting producer from The Great Canadian Baking Show. My heart stops. “Call me back when you have a chance to chat all things baking and go over your application” is the gist of the email as I frantically read and reread the email. WHAT?! Me?!
Fast forward to 11:30am that same day.
We chat. We laugh. We talk baking. I think that’s as far as this conversation will go. “Are you free on Monday to meet on Zoom?” WHAT?! Me?! “Yes!” I manage to get out, trying not to spurt out my coffee. “Great! Bake something that is you on a plate to present at the meeting.” My mind starts to spin. “Me on a plate?! Where do I even begin with that? Cake? Too sweet. Cookies? Too simple. Choux pastry tower? Ok, now we’re just panicking.”
Fast forward to today (Saturday).
I chose to bake an apple streusel pie with my homemade canned apple pie filling. First of all, apple pie brings back so many fond memories of my Nana. She was the queen of apple pie, so this is my way to pay homage to her. Check! My mum and I made the apple pie filling together using the apples from the tree in my backyard. I love community and being out in nature. Check! Apple pie is such a warm and inviting dessert. I consider myself to have a warm and inviting personality. Check! I also added toasted pecans on the bottom of the pie as a little surprise crunch. I have a sense of humour and a zest for life, so the pecans were my way of inserting that part of my personality. Check! I also chose pie in general because of the all the “hats” (toppings) they wear. I am a wife, mom, teacher, baker, friend. Check!
Now all that remains is keeping my cool and being myself at 11:00am tomorrow. No big deal.
I don’t know if I’ll make it past this round (I’m amazed I made it to this point!), but I count it as a very cool experience and am grateful for the opportunity.
So without further ado, here is the recipe I followed for “Me on a Plate.” The pie crust and streusel recipes are from Anna Olson’s “Back to Baking” cookbook and the pie filling is from this blog.
Double Crust Pie Dough
Ingredients for Pie Pastry:
1 cup cold unsalted butter
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg, directly from the fridge
2 Tbsp cold water
2 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice
Ingredients for Streusel Topping:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cool unsalted butter, cut in pieces
Instructions for Pastry:
1. While it’s cold, cut the butter into small pieces and then leave it out of the fridge for 30 minutes. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter to the flour, mixing it until the dough is a rough crumbly texture.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, water, and vinegar or lemon juice, and add it to the dough all at once, mixing it until the dough comes together. Shape dough into 2 logs or discs, wrap them each in plastic wrap, and chill them for at least 1 hour before rolling.
3. Pull the chilled pie dough out of the fridge 30 minutes before rolling. Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly dust the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate with flour and place it on a parchment - or foil-lined baking tray.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to just under 1/4 inch thick. Lift the rolled dough and line the pie plate with it. Trim away any excess dough that hangs more than 1 inch over the edge of the pie plate. 5. Sprinkle 3 Tbsp of rolled oats over the rolled pie pastry (this absorbs excess liquids and helps keep the bottom crust crisp, and chill it while preparing the rest of the filling and streusel.
Instructions for Streusel:
Stir the flour, 1/3 cup oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt to combine. Cut in the butter until the mixture is a rough crumbly texture. Sprinkle over pie filling.
Baking Instructions:
Bake the prepared pie in 375 oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and continue to cook the pie on a tray for 40-45 minutes more, until the outside crust is evenly browned and the apple filling is bubbling at the edges. Cool the pie for at least 3 hours before slicing, or chill to serve cold. The pie will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Here are more pictures of the finished product. I had to improvise and create some decorations for the crust after my curious 3 year old chipped away at the edges (face palm). But I happen to like this finished version even more than the original, so thanks E for forcing the creative problem solving!
And, of course, here are a couple pictures of the Zoom call with the producer! What a fun experience!
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