I n my first column two weeks ago, I simplified cakes by making them small. Pies, too, have obstacles that make people shy away from baking them.

The crust can be difficult to roll out and when you finally do get it large enough, it can be a challenge to get it in the pie pan. Then you are faced with crimping the edges attractively and keeping the crust from shrinking. Let's not even get into pre-baking crusts using pie weights and foil. And we haven't even begun to talk about fillings! It's enough to give sporadic bakers nightmares.

However, it doesn't have to be that tricky, and again one of the keys is to think small. Using a muffin pan allows you to create individual pies with a great ratio of crust to filling. And with just a little extra effort, you can make these delicious mini-pies into beautiful roses.

To grate is great

One problematic part of pie crust is cutting the butter into the flour. Not everyone owns a pastry cutter, and using two knives just leads to a big, floury mess and unevenly sized butter pieces. Using the large holes on a box grater to grate frozen butter eliminates that problem.

Rolling out small pieces of dough is also a lot easier than trying to roll out and transfer a large crust, and small crusts also tend to shrink less. Although I really like a combination of butter and lard for pie crusts, I've used only butter in this recipe because it can be a challenge to find fresh lard (don't use the stuff that is shelf stable - it's full of preservatives).

The crispness in the morning air recently signals the start of baking season (at least for me). A natural for this time of year is apple pie, taking advantage of

the fresh apples that have hit the stores. Golden Delicious are great for pies and many are grown in West Virginia. Jonagolds are excellent, and if you can find them, Northern Spy and Winesap are also good choices. Any firm, crisp apple will do well in a pie. Granny Smiths will work, but will require additional sugar because of  their tartness.

Precooking the apples allows you to form them into the "petals" of the rose. Because the mini-pies don't bake as long as a traditional pie, the precooking is also necessary to ensure the apples become fully softened. Baking on the lowest rack allows the bottom of the crust to get browned without burning the top.

These mini pies will work with a variety of fillings - pumpkin, coconut and pecan come to mind. Use your favorite filling but remember that the baking time will be reduced.

Reach Darcie Boschee at bosch...@yahoo.com

Mini-Apple Pie 'Roses'

Makes 6

Crust

 1  cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour

 1/4  teaspoon salt (if using salted butter, omit)

 1  teaspoon sugar

 6  tablespoons butter, frozen

 4  to 5 tablespoons icewater

Filling

 1  pound baking apples (about 3 medium)

 2  teaspoons lemon juice

 1  tablespoon brown sugar

 2  tablespoons white sugar

 1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon

 1/8  teaspoon ground nutmeg

 1  teaspoon cornstarch

PREHEAT the oven to 425° and place oven rack in lowest position.

COMBINE the butter, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Grate frozen butter into flour, tossing butter and flour together occasionally to prevent butter from clumping. Transfer bowl to refrigerator.

PEEL and core apples. Slice apples in half vertically, then cut thin (1/8 inch) slices horizontally. (You should have half-moon shapes). Toss apples with lemon juice, sugars, spices and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Set aside while you finish the crust.

RETRIEVE flour from fridge. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of icewater over surface of flour and using rubber scraper, bring flour in from the sides and bottom of bowl and press down on the center in a folding motion. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough mostly comes together.

TURN out onto cutting board or counter and, using your hands to press dough together, form into a disk about 6 inches in diameter. No dry crumbles should remain - add icewater if necessary. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator while you finish the apples.

The apples should have released some juice. Toss apples and juice, and place in microwave.

COOK on high for 3 minutes. Stir apples and continue to cook until juices have thickened and apples have softened to the point where they are flexible enough to roll around your finger (caution - apples will be HOT), 1 to 2 more minutes. (You can also cook them in a saucepan on the stove.) Place apples into the fridge.

REMOVE crust from fridge and divide into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a circle about 6 inches in diameter. Using a large plastic lid or can (I used the lid from a container of sour cream), cut a circle about 5 1/2 inches in diameter.

PLACE circle over muffin tin hole, and pleat once or twice to fit dough in tin. You should have an overhang of dough around the edges. Press this overhang down onto the edges of the muffin tin. Combine the dough scraps, re-roll, and cut into decorative leaves, if desired.

Once you have formed all 6 crusts, place a couple of teaspoons of apples into the bottom of each one. Then take the remaining apple slices and arrange around sides of crust, overlapping edges, and continue until crust is filled.

PLACE one or two leaves on each pie (don't let them hang over the outside edge of the pan or they'll burn) and sprinkle with regular or turbinado sugar if desired.

BAKE pies until crust is golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Remove from tin and serve.

Step-by-step photos of making the crust and flower petals can be found on Darcie's blog, http://bakin-n-bacon.typepad.com.