Lessons learned

• Relax. A pie doesn’t have to be made all at once. Stretch out the steps to fit your schedule. I’d make the dough Friday, roll it out and pre-bake the crust Saturday, fill and bake the pie Sunday.

• Chill. Keep your dough ingredients cold. The dough will be easier to work with, and the finished crust flakier. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes — an hour or more is even better — so it will relax and be easier to roll. If the dough gets warm and sticky, toss it in back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill. If you can, chill any equipment or utensils used in making the dough too.

• Roll right. Rotating the dough on your work surface every couple of rolls will help keep it circular; use gentle but firm movements to roll the dough outward evenly.

• Size matters. Don’t think you can make a pie dough designed for an 8-inch pan fit into a 9-inch pan by rolling it that much thinner. Cracked, raggedy pie crusts result.

• Size matters II. A shallow tart baked in a 9- or 10-inch ring looks so elegant with its thin wedges, but most of the guys dived first into whatever pie sported the heftier-looking slices.

• Whip it. Men love homemade whipped cream even more than homemade pie. The key is chilling the bowl and the wire whisk or beaters in the refrigerator or freezer. Pour in cold whipping cream, sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of sugar and beat until soft, fluffy peaks form.

Bill Daley

Dessert

Apple Tart

This French-style tart is one of my go-to pies. I’ve made it with sliced apples and sliced pears. I’ve glazed it with apricot preserves and orange marmalade. I’ve painted the bottom crust with chocolate or lined it with minced fresh cranberries. Play with it as you will. Do pre-bake the pie crust; I think it has more flavor. For the dough, I use a recipe from “A Year of Pies” by Ashley English, adapted for a food processor. The pie filling combines elements from Julia Child’s “The Way to Cook” and Benjamin Darling’s “Easy as Pie.”

Crust:

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, frozen

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water

1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:

3 large Granny Smith apples

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 cup apricot preserves

2 teaspoons cinnamon (optional)

For the crust, cut butter into cubes. Place butter and flour in the chilled work bowl of a food processor with a chilled metal blade. Pulse to cut the butter into the flour; the mixture should look like coarse meal. Pulse in the ice water. Place the loose, crumbly dough on a cutting board or counter. Using the heel of your palm, work the flour-butter mixture together, pushing it into a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly flour work surface and rolling pin.

Begin rolling the dough, slowly rotating it every couple of rolls to help it spread out evenly. When desired size and thickness is reached, fold the dough loosely into fourths; position it in a 9-inch tart or pie pan. Unfold the dough and press gently into pan. Trim off excess dough, leaving about a 1/2-inch margin. Fold over or push the extra dough down to build the sides of the tart crust.

Prick the dough with the tines of a fork; line the crust with aluminum foil topped with pie weights or dried beans or even a smaller pie pan. Bake until the crust firms and colors lightly, about 15 minutes. Remove the weights and foil; allow crust to cool.

Meanwhile, for the filling, peel, core and slice the apples. Spritz with lemon juice to prevent browning.

Mix apricot preserves, cinnamon and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Heat to a boil over medium high heat; boil until a light syrup is formed. Remove pan from heat; let cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Paint inside of crust with some of the apricot glaze. Arrange apple slices over the glaze in concentric rings. Bake until the apples are just tender, 50 minutes.

Remove tart from oven; paint top with a thin layer of apricot glaze. (Reheat the glaze if needed to make it more spreadable.) Work gently so as not to disturb the pattern of apple slices. Let the pie cool. Top with homemade whipped cream, if you like. Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 271 calories, 12 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 30 mg cholesterol, 41 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 75 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.