Cinnamon Crumble Apple Pie

Our fabulous summer intern, SBW, had a birthday this past Friday (7/16) and his "cake" request was for a fruit dessert, more specifically apple pie or cobbler. I honestly cannot remember having ever made an apple pie--maybe when I was younger with my mom but nothing within reach of my memory.

If you have the time, I am a big proponent of homemade crusts--it gives the finished product the rustic look of a homemade pie and the texture and flavor cannot be easily matched.

After work I had a girls night out event from 7-9:30pm and so I didn't end up even starting the pie until after 10pm (he's a really great intern, otherwise I might have just bought a pie Friday morning!). I didn't realize until after it was too late (i.e. the pie was baked and cooling on my counter) that I hadn't actually peeled the apples...whoops! It ended up not mattering all that much, besides the peel is nutritious, so I was really just adding nutrients to the pie...erg right?

I had left over apples because I feared stacking them too high but in actuality--stack em up--they cook down so much that it is really better if you have more of a mound in the center, don't be shy, but definitely use a catch pan because when the juices bubble over it will be quite sticky--I used foil on my baking sheet because I don't like scrubbing pans.

The pie was a big hit; definitely best when microwaved for a bit and topped with a scoop of Haagen Das Vanilla Bean on top.

Cinnamon Crumble Apple Pie

-Epicurious

CRUST:
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup frozen solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (mine was just "chilled) and it worked fine)
3 tablespoons (or more) ice water
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

FILLING:
3 1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

TOPPING:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes


CRUST: Mix flour, salt, and sugar in large bowl. Cut in butter/shortening until coarse meal forms. Mix the 3 tablespoons ice water and vinegar in small bowl to blend. Drizzle over flour mixture; stir with fork until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. (It it a lot easier to do this if you start with a flat ROUND disk and roll out from here--also a french style rolling pin is also helpful but not necessary). Transfer to 9-inch-diameter pie dish (if you have a "deep dish" this would work well here. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch; turn edge under and crimp. Refrigerate while preparing filling and topping.

FILLING:Mix all ingredients in large bowl to coat apples.

TOPPING:Blend first 5 ingredients in a food processor. Add chilled butter cubes; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles wet sand.

Toss filling to redistribute juices; transfer to crust, mounding in center. Pack topping over and around apples. Bake pie on baking sheet until topping is golden, about 40 minutes (cover top with foil if browning too quickly). Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until apples in center are tender when pierced and filling is bubbling thickly at edges, about 45 minutes longer. Cool until warm, about 1 hour. Serve with ice cream.

Blueberry "Thunder" Muffins

In college I worked at Kanakuk Kamps, a Christian Athletic Camp near Branson, Missouri. I absolutely loved kamp and every summer I miss going down. One food memory I have from camp are the Blueberry "Thunder" Muffins from Persimmon Hill Berry Farm (roughly 20 miles southwest of Branson). On change over days parents would bring muffins for the counselors and on days off we counselors would go to the farm to pick fresh berries for ourselves.

A surviving relic from my kamp days is the recipe for Blueberry "Thunder" Muffins from the little cookbook I bought my first summer from Persimmon Hill. These became one of my specialties in college--one could not make much in the small on campus apartments but muffins worked well.

Over the years I've tweaked the original recipe a bit but nothing really all that significant. With any baked good, you control the quality of the ingredients. I try and use fresh blueberries when they are in season because they are truly beautiful then--they have a sweet complexity in their peak--and even better straight from the sunny fields of a farm, that their grocery store cousins simply cannot match.

I love making these after I've had a rough day--baking is straight forward--if you use high quality ingredients and measure properly you will be rewarded with a beautiful product. Life is messy and unpredictable, baking is orderly and it makes me feel like everything is right again at the end of my day.

Blueberry "Thunder" Muffins

Adapted from Persimmon Hill Berry Farm

Muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk (original recipe calls for milk)
1 tsp. vanilla (I am generous with this)
2 to 2-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Topping:

1 Tbsp. sugar (sanding sugar or turbinano works best for this)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon + dash (I prefer ceylon)

Directions
1. Line a muffin pan w/ paper liners (I use an old tin called Muffinaire my mother-in-law gave Dan--it's not the best pan necessarily but it is a molded pan so it is SOOOOO easy to clean.) In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt (and dash of cinnamon for good measure); set aside.

2. Cream butter & sugar; add eggs one at a time (eggs need to be room temp) and vanilla (mixture will look slightly curdled). Alternate adding flour mixture and milk until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries.

3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups (I use a mini ladle for this step), filling each nearly full. In a small bowl, combine the 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle sugar mixture over batter. (I am very generous with my cinnamon sugar--a crumble type topping would also be tasty here)

4. Bake in a 350 degree F oven 25 to 30 minutes (standard) or 35 to 40 minutes (Texas sized) or until golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan; serve warm. Makes 16 standard or 6 jumbo muffins.

Remi plopped down on Dan's lap while I was baking...too cute, big dork.

Impromptu Lasagna

I've learned that my quarter Italian husband could pretty much eat pasta for any/every meal. So, when I have no creativity left on a weeknight, my go to dish is something related to pasta. In this vein I've also learned that when I make spaghetti sauce that I should make a giant batch so that I can stock my freezer with sauce.

This meal originated at the farmer's market (naturally). The Blue Ridge Dairy comes and sells fresh ricotta and mozzarella (along with a dozen other yummy varieties). So, In passing I noticed the ricotta. My half Italian mother-in-law has mentioned that when making lasagna the ricotta really does have a big impact....I remembered that I had pasta sauce in the freezer and my gorgeous basil on the counter and dried lasagna noodles in the pantry...decision made, ricotta and mozzarella purchased...we were going to do lasagna that week.

It turned out better than I expected. My "good lasagna" takes the better part of a day to make (I make the pasta from scratch--really easy to do--the sauce is what takes a while). The ricotta and fresh basil and mozzarella--this was fantastic!

SAUCE:

This is a really rough recipe and I change it all the time so do what you want.

1-2pds Bulk Sweet Italian Sausage--or links w/ casings removed (I use sausage solely because Dan prefers sausage--you can use what you like--a mixture of beef/pork/lamb is what I would use if Dan weren't particular...I like Dan, so I aim to please)

1/2 onion diced (yellow/white/vidalia)

1 shallot or 2 garlic cloves

1 28oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes

1 28oz can San Marzano crushed tomatoes

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup fresh julienned basil

tomato paste

sugar

kosher salt

shaved carrot

Basically, I wing this sauce pending on what I have in the pantry at the time. I saute the sausage with the onion/garlic/shallot--then I add the tomatoes--a little tomato paste--the butter and then taste from there. Mushrooms/Bell Pepper would be nice too, again, it's a mush of what you want. A bit of shaved carrot cuts the acidity of the tomato & I use sugar/salt as needed.

FILLING:

1 container Ricotta (12-16oz)

1 egg

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1/4 cup fresh basil julienned

I used the "no boil" variety of dried lasagna noodles (I was going for quick & easy weeknight meal here!)--sauce the bottom of a 13x9 pan and start layering with pasta/filling/sliced fresh mozzarella, parm, sauce, pasta, etc. until you reach the top of your pan--then basically cover with your remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes covered in foil (put it on a cookie sheet just in case)--then take off the foil and brown the top 15-20 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Homemade "Little Debbie" Oatmeal Cream Pies

I get cravings for things and if I don't satisfy the craving I will crave it for weeks (I feel bad for Dan when we decide to have kiddos, I can only imagine what my cravings will be like then!) A few weeks ago I got this taste for a Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie. I was never a fussy eater as a kid but when it came to snack cakes I only ever really cared for the oatmeal cream pie, the "zebra" cake also by Little Debbie and the butterscotch sponge cakes made by Tasty Kake (a northern thing my Aunt B would send to my dad from PA).




Each week as I passed the snack cake aisle at the grocery store I had to resist grabbing a box; I know it seems silly but after reading the ingredients on the back of the box I just couldn't bring myself to get them!!




Thus, I searched the web for a homemade version and I was not disappointed. I found a recipe on Recipe Zaar, which I typically do not trust and have rarely used anything from the site, but it was tested by many folks on the site, other food bloggers, etc. and all had rave reviews, so I figured why not give it a whirl.

I used Bob's Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats; as with all of their products, the quality is consistently good. Also, for this recipe, the rolled oats are far better than a quick oat (the quick oat just turns into mush whereas the rolled oat will give a better texture).

Call me old fashioned, but I get sastifaction out of making something from scratch; I can control the ingredients, use local, fresh items when available and know that though it's not "healthy" per say, it is also not chock full of mystery ingredients.

The filling is far from being healthy, with marshmallow cream, shortening and powdered sugar, however, Spectrum has a pretty decent shortening (I have their coconut oil too...looking to make a coconut cream pie soon...to be continued!)

On the whole these were a big hit with my co-workers and friends. I decided to individually wrap mine in plastic wrap for ease in transport, and it worked like a charm; I would highly advise this method if you do not want cream filling all over your container and all over the other cookies.

Oatmeal Cream Pies
Adapted from Recipe Zaar

Ingredients
1 cup butter (I used Plugra--it is my favorite)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp molasses (used "Grandma's" brand original, but blackstrap would likely work as well)
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp cinnamon (used Ceylon cinnamon and just eyeballed this using a pinch and a half)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats

Cream Filling
2 tsp very hot water
1/4 tsp salt
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow cream
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup powdered sugar (I used a heaving 1/3 cup, so basically 1/3 cup plus 2 or 3 tbsps)
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl.

2. In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add in eggs, beating after each. Finally beat in molasses and vanilla. (Keep in mind--butter and eggs should be at room temp before using--so throw these on your counter an hour or 2 before you plan on using).

3. Add to the flour mixture to creamed mixture and beat until just blended; mix in the oats with a wooden/plastic/silicone spoon.

4. Drop dough by tablespoons (they are apt to spread so be weary of this; I used a small ice cream scoop--it is PERFECT for cookies--a good investment if you bake cookies often) on parchment lined sheets, with plenty of space in between. Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 10-12 minutes, or until just starting to brown around the edges. They will look moist; don’t overcook...they will brown all around very quickly. Let sit on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

5. While the cookies bake prepare the filling. In small bowl, dissolve the salt in the hot water. Set aside and allow this to cool.

6. Combine marshmallow cream, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a bowl; mix on high until fluffy (roughly 3-4 minutes)

7. Add the cooled salt water and mix well (be careful not to add too much salt-I compensated with the extra few tbsps of powdered sugar-whatever floats your boat)

8. Spread filling on flat side of one cookie, press 2nd cookie on top.
Makes 1 1/2 – 2 dozen

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I've been trying to utilize all of the wonderful local farmer's markets we have around the DC area, so when I went last weekend they had these beautiful stalks of rhubarb and gorgeous strawberries so I had to bring some home. I've always liked Rhubarb pie but had never personally made one.

I definitely have purchase a quart of berries every weekend since strawberries have been on the market--I'm drawn in to the little red orbs and just cannot resist!

There is a spice shop in old town Alexandria that sells varieties of freshly ground spices; I never really new that there were such variations until visiting this shop and smelling all of the spices. Ceylon Cinnamon is a more mild cinnamon than we are typically used to finding in stores--it has a subtle flavor.

The smell from the tart rhubarb and the spicy cinnamon was absolutely fantastic, and I've heard rhubarb dipped in sugar is pretty tasty too, but I didn't try it--I was too hungry for pie!

I am impatient and did not wait for the pie to cool 100% before slicing up a piece (naturally), it was still fantastic, but it was much better the next day when it had time to really set, and vanilla bean ice cream on top is a must!

I know that many claim an all shortening crust is best but I am a big fan of the butter/shortening mix because you get the flaky quality that shortening gives with the flavor that butter gives--the perfect marriage.

Lattice Topped Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

-Epicurious

Crust:
3 cups all purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur)
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
10 tablespoons (about) ice water

Filling:
3 1/2 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices trimmed rhubarb (1 1/2 pounds untrimmed or 5 stalks)
1 16-ounce container strawberries, hulled, halved (about 3 1/2 cups or a quart container)
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I prefer the subtle flavor of Ceylon for this)
1/4 teaspoon salt (Fleur de sel might be nice here?)

Glaze:

1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water

2 Tbsps. Turbinado Sugar

Crust:

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl--either use a food processor or a dough cutter. I use the old fashioned stainless dough cutter and a mixing bowl--cut in the shortening and butter until coarse meal forms. Blend in enough ice water 2 tablespoons at a time to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; cut in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap separately in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (You can make the night before--the key to a flaky pie crust is keeping the dough cold so that when the "fat" melts in the oven air pockets are created giving that flaky crust...think croissants.)

Filling:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Toss gently to blend.
Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter pie dish. Trim excess dough, leaving 3/4-inch overhang.

Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Cut into fourteen 1/2-inch-wide strips. Spoon filling into crust. Arrange 7 dough strips atop filling, spacing evenly. Form lattice by placing remaining dough strips in opposite direction atop filling. Trim ends of dough strips even with overhang of bottom crust. Fold strip ends and overhang under, pressing to seal. Crimp edges decoratively. (It's really much easier than it sounds!)

Brush glaze over crust. transfer pie to baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake pie until golden and filling thickens, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely.

Super Easy Tomato Sauce

This sauce is easy...ridiculously easy...fantastically easy! I'm not even going to post a recipe because it's that easy. The ingredients are: 1 can of San Marzano Tomatoes (whole peeled--28oz) 1 stick of butter, and 1 onion cut in half (outer skin removed). You put these three elements in a dutch oven (or pan, whatever you have) and let them simmer for about 45 minutes or until the onion is nice and soft and you can mash the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon.

For the final sauce you remove the onion (you use it for the onion juice) and you can puree the sauce or do as I did and just manually mash the tomatoes for a more rustic sauce. It has this lovely richness from the butter but it is flavorful and has depth; I don't know why something so simple tastes so great but it does.

Remi went and hid under the hamper while I was cooking; I called him for a good 5 minutes trying to figure out where he had gotten to...then I found him...little nose peeping out from under the hamper...dork!

I used a rustic noodle that would hold the sauce nicely...I had Parmesan at the ready to top it all but I liked the rich tomato flavor so much that I didn't even use the cheese. Anyhow, a great weeknight easy homemade (*cheap!) meal.

The Ultimate Hot Chocolate

When it is cold outside, all I want to do is curl up with a nice cup of cocoa and a good book. It snowed most of the day yesterday, so cocoa just seemed appropriate.

For this recipe you will want to use good chocolate and not chocolate chips (they put a stabilizer in chocolate chips to keep their shelf life that they don't use in the bars. If you can find them, the chunks are best--these will be in the specialty foods area of your grocer--in whole foods it is by the wine). Keep in mind that this is a very decadent hot chocolate, so feel free to just use milk for a more thinner finished product.

We are spoiled living in DC and having access to so many amazing farms. We get our milk from a small dairy in Pennsylvania called Trickling Springs. As much as I love tomatoes...I love my milk. My grandma gave me a little chocolate milk blender when I was a kid because chocolate milk was a nightly ritual for me. Oddly enough, my sister is not so much a fan of milk--unless it's in her morning coffee in the form of a flavored creamer! Anyhow, Trickling Springs has the best milk bar none, so this is what we use.

HOT CHOCOLATE!

Ina Garten

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups half-and-half
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso or coffee powder (Williams Sonoma makes a nice espresso powder)

Directions
Heat the milk and half-and-half in a saucepan on medium heat to just below the simmering point. Remove the pan from the heat and add both chocolates. When the chocolates are melted, add the sugar, vanilla extract, and espresso and whisk vigorously. Reheat gently and serve immediately.

If you want an even more decadent hot chocolate make a vanilla bean whipped cream with a little chocolate shavings on top (just whip your cream--1/2 cup or so...add a little powdered sugar and scrape one vanilla bean and a splash of pure vanilla extract...I'll make some soon and post a picture...I just didn't have any heavy cream on hand :P)

Cream of Tomato Soup

Those of you who know me well know that I LOVE tomatoes...no seriously...raw, ketchup, canned...and especially in soup. I miss having neighbors who bring bushels of tomatoes over--my dad is now trying his hand at a garden; if Dan and I get any yard space I am all over that. Anyhow, I wanted to try making tomato soup from scratch instead of my usual Campbell's route.

This is a very delicious version; I'm not 100% satisfied with it yet, but it's close. I added french bread croutons on top--very easy--just diced up a day old loaf of french bread--coated it in olive oil and popped it into the already heated oven from roasting the tomatoes (about 8 minutes).

Roasting the tomatoes really brings out another depth of flavor. I added a splash of balsamic to the roasting--i just like the sweetness it adds.

Cream of Tomato Soup

Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen & Deb Perlman

2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice, drained, 3 cups juice reserved

1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Splash of Balsamic Vinegar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 large shallots, minced (about 1/2 cup)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Pinch ground allspice

2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups chicken stock, homemade or canned low-sodium

1/2 cup heavy cream2 tablespoons brandy or dry sherry

Salt and cayenne pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450°F. Lined rimmed baking sheet with foil. With fingers, carefully open whole tomatoes over strainer set in bowl and push out seeds, allowing juices to fall through strainer into bowl. Spread seeded tomatoes in single layer on foil. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar & Balsamic. Bake until all liquid has evaporated and tomatoes begin to color, about 30 minutes. Let tomatoes cool slightly, then peel them off foil; transfer to small bowl and set aside. (I actually did this on parchment paper).

2. Heat butter over medium heat in large saucepan until foaming. Add shallots, tomato paste and allspice. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds. Gradually add chicken stock, whisking constantly to combine; stir in reserved tomato juice and roasted tomatoes. Cover, increase heat to medium, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors, about 10 minutes.

3. Pour mixture through strainer and into medium bowl; rinse out saucepan. Transfer tomatoes and solids in strainer to blender; add 1 cup strained liquid and puree until smooth. Place pureed mixture and remaining strained liquid in saucepan. Add cream and warm over low heat until hot, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in brandy and season with salt and cayenne. Serve immediately. (I actually froze the remaining soup--I put half of the soup in freezer containers before adding the cream or brandy--so it would freeze better--worked like a charm.