First things first, if you live in the United States please VOTE today! Make your voice heard and exercise your rights people. It feels good and you might even get a fun sticker to wear. Then, maybe make a pie to calm your nerves while you wait for the election returns to roll in tonight. You could also just bookmark this one for Thanksgiving and go to your neighborhood watering hole for a pint instead. I won't judge.

Apple, Cranberry and Quince Pie

The combination of sweet apples, tart cranberries, and floral quince is a new favorite of mine and this pie would be a perfect addition to any holiday table. If you can't find quince, just replace it with another apple, but I encourage you to seek it out and give it a try!

For the Crust

This crust comes to you from Brandi Henderson of I made that! and The Pantry at Delancey

where she teaches a class called "How to be a Pie Ninja" and she is not messing around. This

crust is made with a technique called fraisage which creates long sheets of buttery flakes

throughout the dough instead of little pockets of butter.

12 ounces pastry flour

8 ounces cold butter

4 ounces ice water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Mix the flour and salt together, then pour the whole lot on a large cutting board or countertop.

2. With a bench scraper, cut in half of the butter until it is the size of lima beans, then cut in the

other half of the butter until it is the size of quarters. Add the apple cider vinegar to the water.

3. Using your fingers, flick the water on to the butter flour mixture and gently fold it in with your

bench scraper. You have added enough water when you can pick up a handful of the dough

and squeeze it together without it falling apart.

4. Then, you smear the butter into the dough. With the heel of your hand push a section of the

dough down and away from you. Scrape your sheet off of the board and place it in a bowl to

the side. Repeat until you have worked through all of the dough, pushing it down and away

from you in sections. Once you've gone through all of the dough gently remove it from the bowl,

press it together, then split it in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and form into a disk.

Chill the dough for at least one hour before using. I like to chill mine overnight.

For the Filling

4 large apples (about 2.5 lbs) I like mutsus, jonathans, golden delicious, and cortlands

1 large quince

1 cup fresh cranberries

1/2-3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

zest and juice of one small lemon

zest and juice of half of an orange

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

Peel and core the the apples then cut them into 1/2'' chunks. Peel and core the quince and cut it into 1/4'' pieces. Place the apples, quince and cranberries in a large bowl then add lemon

and orange juices and zests, stir gently to combine. Add the rest of the filling ingredients (except

the butter) and stir gently to combine.

For the Topping

1 egg, beaten

A few teaspoons of coarse sugar like turbinado or light demerara

To Assemble and Bake

Preheat oven to 400º

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of the dough into a 12’’ circle 1/4''-1/8'' thick

and place it into a 9 or 10 inch pie pan. Place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the pie.

2. Roll out the other piece of dough into a 12'' circle about 1/4''-1/8'' thick and place it in the

fridge to chill while you prepare the filling.

3. Fill the prepared pie shell with the apple mixture, dot with the 2 tablespoons butter, and top

with the second crust, trim the edges so there is about 1/2’’ of overhang then crimp the edges

and cut a few vents in the top. If you'd like to make a lattice top (like the pie pictured), here is a really great step-by-step slideshow from

Bon Appetit.com

4. If the crust seems soft or warm, slide the whole pie into the fridge or freezer for about 15min

before you bake it. When you are ready to bake brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg and

sprinkle with a healthy dose of coarse sugar.

5. Put the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 15 minutes on the lowest rack

of your oven, then lower the oven temp to 350º and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is

deep golden brown and the fruit juices bubble. For extra shine, glaze the pie with another coat

of egg wash 10 minutes before you take it out of the oven, but keep a close eye on it to prevent burning.

Every year my parents send me a box of gnarly quince from a friend's tree. You can see last year's box here along with a recipe for some killer tartlets. They are hard and smooth, with hardly any fuzz and a sweet floral fragrance. I like to keep them out in a bowl on my coffee table for a few days because they smell so, so good. I also like to keep them around to remind me that my family is thinking about me even when they are climbing trees and foraging for fruit.

I have declared my love for quince again and again on this blog and I have a few new quince recipes up my sleeve this year. The first is for this amazing custard cake that I bookmarked ages ago. I know custard cake sounds a little complicated (and maybe a little weird), but if you have the time and patience to poach the quince, this cake comes together so easily. You can even mix it all in one bowl if you are feeling rebellious and don't want to whisk together your dry ingredients first (but I didn't tell you that was ok, ok?).

The result is crispy on the outside, dense and custardy on the inside and packed full of my favorite fall fruit, lightly poached with simple flavors. It's one of those desserts that is delicious served with a bit of creme fraiche or whipped cream and equally good as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea, and who am I kidding, it's great for breakfast too.

On a very different note, I'm sure many of you have heard about the devastating hurricane that blew through the Northeast this week. My household, was very, very lucky and we are so thankful that we were hardly affected at all, but others have not fared as well. If you are in NYC please consider signing up to volunteer by emailing nycservice@cityhall.nyc.gov with your name, email address and borough. Also, support local businesses as much as possible. Even one day without sales can be devastating for them, especially restaurants and other food businesses. If you are far away, keep the coast in your thoughts and consider donating to theRed Cross or other relief organizations. Here is a list of other ways you can help relief efforts from theWall Street Journal. Here is another great list of ways to help, divided by borough from Opening Ceremony via Brian Ferry. Be safe and take care of each other out there.

Update 11/5:

Jenna at Sweet Fine Day compiled a list of NYC based organizations providing direct relief to people affected by the hurricane & The Occupy Sandy Relief Facebook Page is another excellent source of information if you want to help or volunteer directly. They've also set up an amazon registry if you are far away and would like to donate goods that will get to the folks who need them most. Occupy Sandy Relief Registry

Quince Custard Cake

adapted from Brandi Henderson

3.75 ounces all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

6 ounces sugar

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons quince poaching liquid

4 ounces butter, melted

1 lb poached quince, drained well and chopped (about 3 medium quince, poaching instructions below)

1 tablespoon crunchy sugar like turbinado or light demerara

a few tablespoons of confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350º. Butter an 8'' or 9'' round pan or springform pan and line it with parchment paper.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds until foamy. Whisk in the poaching liquid and melted butter.

3. Gently fold in the flour mixture, followed by the chopped quince. Pour the mixture into the pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with crunchy sugar. Slide into the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely before removing from the pan. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream or creme fraiche if desired.

Poached Quince

This recipe makes enough for the cake, plus some extra for snacking or maybe use the extra to make this Buckle.

5 cups water or half water and half white wine

2 cups sugar

1/2 lemon, cut into 1/4'' wedges

1 strip orange zest

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped or 1t vanilla extract

4 medium quince, peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges each

Over medium heat, combine the sugar and water (or water and wine) in a medium saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon, vanilla bean seeds and pod and quince and stir gently to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook the quince gently until they are soft and fork tender, but not mushy. This can take from 20-40 minutes depending on how ripe your quince are and how thickly they are sliced

Store the quince in their syrup until you are ready to use them and save the syrup for soda or cocktails. Serve the extra with yogurt or ice cream, or enjoy them as they are.