Virginia Apple Pie
I’m a full-fledged fall fan. It took me a while, but watch out… I’m so in it now… I’m loving your fallen leaves, your crisp mornings and scarf-worthy breezes, your sweat pant hugs, your apple picking.
The apple picking. Virginia, do you ever have some apple picking.
Branches heavy hanging. Children laughing, running through rows, sitting under trees, sneaking little nibbles. Carefree, family outing, dogs curiously sniffing, bags overflowing, enthusiastic fruits, ground covered, harvest tables, so inviting. So lovely, apple pie.
APPLE PIE.
Because there’s comfort food, and then there’s apple pie.
…And I just felt like there was one thing that needed to happen after picking: APPLE PIE.
I have played around with this recipe for years, and I think I’ve finally reached my version of apple pie perfection. The cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and dash of cayenne combine into an earthy richness that add a subtle warmth to the sweetness and a balance to the tartness.
A few little tips: 1) Cook the apples in advance. The apples cook down so you can really create a jam-packed apple experience. I’ve made plenty of apple pies without cooking the apples first, and the results don’t even come close. 2) Use an apple wedger (buy one, just do it). 3) Use a great quality pie plate. I use a stoneware pie dish that browns the crust perfectly. And, it just looks cute… I used a mix of Idared and York apples because, well, that’s what was on the trees. Result: fantastic. I’m also a fan of Braeburn apples for pie. Ultimately, though, you’re the artist and it’s your (pie) palette.
“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the Universe.”
Carl Sagan gave a tall order, but I think you’ll find this recipe within the realm of the earthly possible. At the very least, you’ll end up with a little slice of heaven…
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup + 6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 10 - 12 apples
- 1/2 fresh lemon (to squeeze over apples after slicing)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 dashes of cayenne pepper
- 1/8 cup all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt with a fork. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry knife. Alternately, you can cut the butter into the flour mixture with a food processor. With either method, mix the butter into the flour until you have a crumb-like mixture.
- Mix the vinegar, egg and water with a fork and combine the liquid mixture into the dry mixture until all ingredients are moist. With your hands, mold the dough into a ball and tightly cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 days. Don't you just love a pie crust that will let you wait until the last minute or plan ahead...
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Peel, core and slice 10 - 12 apples. Don't be intimidated. You're going to cook the apples, so they will cook down a bit and allow you to really pack your pie full of apples. If you have an apple wedger--perfect! If not, slice apples into 1 inch wedges after peeling, cut out the core, and then cut the wedges into half pieces (the apples will pack into the pie crust easier). Place the apples in a large glass mixing bowl. Squeeze lemon over the cut apples to keep them from turning brown. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, cayenne pepper, and flour in a bowl; then sprinkle the mixture over the apples and thoroughly toss the apples in the sugar and spice mixture.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator right before you cook the apples.
- In a very large skillet (I actually use a wok), cook the apples for about 10 minutes until they are fork tender, but not mushy. Much of the water from the apples will fill the skillet--you want this to happen. Remove the apples from the skillet and place back in the large mixing bowl. Continue to cook the remaining liquid over medium heat until it reduces and thickens (another 5 - 7 minutes). Remove the reduced liquid from heat.
- Cut the dough in half. Take one half and roll out thinly so that it will hang over the edge of your pie dish by 1/2 inch. With a large spoon, place the cooked apples into the pie shell in the pie dish. Drizzle the reduced apple and spice liquid over the apples. Dot the apples with 3 tablespoons of butter cut into small pieces. Roll out the other half of the pie dough and place over the apples in the dish. Fold the overlapping crusts together and crimp the edges all around the pie dish edge (a fork works well for this).
- Place the pie on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. Check the pie at the halfway point, if the crust starts to brown too quickly, you can loosely cover the top or edges with aluminum foil to control the browning.
Tomato Galette with Goat Cheese, Honey & Thyme
Sometimes it’s hard to decide what’s more perfect: a weekend morning strolling the farmer’s market or the post-market creations… Life is full of hard choices. But, making this tomato galette should not be one of them… Galette’s are so easy, so versatile, so lunch, brunch, dinner with a side salad, served hot, cold…so midnight snack.
This galette recipe caught my eye on Bloglovin. Tomatoes, goat cheese, thyme …and honey. Oh honey, does this ever magically come together with the honey. I had no idea why the author of Wry Toast spent so much time talking about the honey in this recipe. Until.I.Tried.It… Savory, sweet, the richness of the goat cheese, tangy tomatoes, and the honey unifies the flavors in a unique and delightful way. Do you have those dishes you just want to bury your face in? This is it.
This galette was lovingly filled with yellow, orange and red tomatoes I picked up from the Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market this weekend. Ahhh, a tomato rainbow. I felt like their beauty deserved to be framed, wrapped in love. What better than a galette. Summer’s gift in a light and crispy pastry. Now, that’s a gift worth giving.
Bon appetit mon amour….
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
- pinch of salt
- pinch of sugar
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 4 shallots, diced (approximately 1 cup)
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling
- 8 ounces goat cheese
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 – 4 heirloom or variety of tomatoes, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Start first by preparing the dough. Using a cheese grater, grate the butter into a small bowl and freeze for 10 minutes. While butter freezes, combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the cold grated butter into the flour mixture until a mealy texture forms, then slowly add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough takes shape. Form the dough in a ball, transfer to a lightly floured surface, and shape into a flattened round. Tightly wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 45 minutes until the dough is firm and cold.
- While the dough chills, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the diced shallots until lightly caramelized (approximately 10 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly sprinkle with flour. With a floured rolling-pin, roll out the chilled dough into a 1/8″ thick round and transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet. It's easiest to transfer the dough by rolling it onto the pin and then lifting it onto the baking sheet.
- Crumble the goat cheese over the rolled-out dough, leaving a 2-inch border along the edges. Drizzle a heavy serving of honey over goat cheese (don't be shy), then evenly top with caramelized shallots.
- Next, season the sliced tomatoes with salt & pepper and layer over the goat cheese and shallots. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes and, finally, sprinkle with fresh thyme.
- Fold the 2-inch border of the dough over the edges of the tomatoes, then brush the crust with beaten egg.
- Bake the galette for 45-60 minutes until the crust is golden and the tomatoes have begun to char.
- Cool for a few minutes before serving.
Sweet Potatoes with Spiced Chickpeas & Ginger Lime Tahini Sauce
Sweet Potatoes with Spiced Chickpeas & Ginger Lime Tahini Sauce
There’s a running list of recipes that scrolls through my head. There’s a lot of chatter up there. Thank gawd much of it is food related. This is one of those recipes I’ve waited a long time to make. Suddenly, it became one of those “must make now” recipes. Detour on the drive home from work. In Whole Foods snatching up sweet potatoes, cilantro, limes, tahini, chickpeas with all too much enthusiasm.
I burst through the door, straight into the kitchen, cranked up my fave Pandora channel (ohhh you love Chill Loungers Radio too?!), and got right to work. Don’t stop, won’t stop, oh no…forgot to take pictures…last ditch smartphone shot right before serving. Close call. Glad I can give you a little Samsung Galaxy 4 kickin-it-old-school snap.
This is one of those dishes that highlights what I love about cooking. Simple to make; perfect mix of flavors; separate components of a dish that stand alone wonderfully, but come together perfectly; results exceed expectations. What’s not to like…?
So, in a string of “I’m not vegan” vegan recipes: Just.Make.This.One.
Another beautiful recipe from a favorite website, The First Mess.
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 teaspoons olive or coconut oil
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce or other hot sauce
- 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 lime, juiced (approximately 2 tablespoons)
- 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce or other hot sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons water (to thin sauce after mixed)
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
- Sesame seeds
- Sriracha sauce
- Lime wedges
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking dish with 2-inch sides with parchment paper. Set the sweet potatoes, flesh side down, onto the parchment. Bake sweet potatoes until they are tender all the way through, about 25-30 minutes.
- While sweet potatoes bake, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. In a glass bowl, mix the garlic powder, cumin, ginger, coriander, maple syrup, tamari, and hot sauce. Then toss the chickpeas in this sauce.
- Transfer the chickpeas to the skillet. Sauté chickpeas until visibly browned and lightly dried. The spices should form a golden “crust” on the outside of the chickpeas. This should take about 5-10 minutes with intermittent stirring.
- Using the same bowl that you tossed the chickpeas in, whisk together the tahini sauce. Mix the ginger, tahini, lime juice, tamari, maple syrup, and hot sauce. When the sauce is smooth, add hot water to get the sauce to pourable consistency. Whisk thoroughly and set aside.
- Place the baked sweet potatoes on a platter. Top the sweet potato halves with tahini sauce, the cooked chickpeas, green onions, cilantro, basil, sesame seeds, and sriracha sauce. Serve with lime wedges on the side. Enjoy immediately.
Spicy Harissa Chili with Merguez Sausage
Day 5 of Blizzard2016. When I went to Whole Foods well into Day 1 of Winter Storm Jonas, I wasn’t the only one who had chili on the storm survival menu. In fact, I wasn’t sure if we were headed into the worst storm in 50 years or a city-wide chili cook-off. Turns out it was the former… While, the spice section was completely clear of cumin, cayenne and paprika (really!), I had something different in mind: Spicy Harissa Chili with Merguez Sausage. Chili with a Mediterranean kick…and I mean KICK! Another inspiration from a new cookbook, “Balaboosta, Bold Mediterranean Recipes.”
Harissa is a hot chili pepper paste that originates from North Africa. Merguez, popular in North Africa and the Middle East, is a lamb or lamb/beef sausage that is spiced (often with cumin and harissa). Whole Foods carries harissa (both dry spice and a paste) and merguez sausage. I opted for the harissa paste, which I found tucked in between the hummus and baba ganoush in the refrigerated section. If you can’t find it locally, you can always order it online (you Amazon Prime junkie you…).
This chili has an interesting twist with the harissa and merguez sausage, and it’s really quite easy to make. I had it prepped in no time, grabbed my mug of hot cocoa, snuggled up in my oversized chair, and stared out the window watching my neighbors dig through 3 feet of snow as my chili simmered away…
- 2 cans 15.5 ounce dark red kidney beans, thoroughly rinsed
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound merguez sausage, casing removed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons harissa paste
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons oregano, finely chopped
- 4 cups water
- Meat.
- Saute the ground beef and merguez sausage over high heat until browned. Season the meat with a little salt and pepper. Drain excess liquid/fat and set the browned meat aside.
- Veggies and spice.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and saute until soft and slightly caramelized (about 7 minutes). Add the garlic and saute one minute. Add the tomato paste, stir into the veggies, and then sprinkle the sugar over the mixture. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the meat mixture to the large pot. Stir in the harissa paste, salt, cumin, chipotle powder, pepper, and oregano. Add 4 cups of water. Finally, add the kidney beans.
- Boil, then simmer.
- Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce the heat to very low, cover the pot, and simmer the chili for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Stir occasionally and add water if it starts to get dry.
Marinated Eggplant Salad with Tahini Sauce
What’s a gal to do during Snowzilla? Blizzard2016…? Snowmageddon2…? Well, play around with a new cookbook, “Balaboosta, Bold Mediterranean Recipes” by Einat Admony. Just back from New York City, an absolute eating adventure. The choices. The pressure! But in the abounding intensity of Manhattan eating options, I found a gem in SoHo: Combina. Small plates…Spanish Israeli fusion…pure delight. Merguez slider, fried halloumi, harissa honey drumsticks, clams in heavensauce (quite honestly, I can’t remember what these little clams were swimming in….but it tasted like heaven). It was the marinated eggplant dish that stood out though. Tangy. Garlicy. Unassuming in presentation; bold in execution. Perfect. You can imagine my delight when our waitress, Emmy, handed me a cookbook when I sweetly asked, “The chef wouldn’t mind sharing this recipe, right? RIGHT!??” The tahini sauce– a perfect finishing on this salad.
Dare I tell you the story of the 4-wheel adventure, well into Winter Storm Jonas, to TWO different grocery stores to find the last three eggplants? Nah, I’ll leave that for another time…
- 3 large eggplants
- Kosher salt
- Canola oil for frying
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 5 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (approximately 1 large lemon)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Prepare.
- Trim the end off the eggplants and slice into 1-inch thick rounds. Sprinkle with salt and place in a colander to drain for one hour. This will drain excess water and take away any bitterness from the eggplant. After one hour, pat the slices dry with a paper towel.
- Fry.
- Heat 1 inch of canola oil in a large skillet (temperature should be around 375 degrees). Fry the eggplant until golden brown (about 6-7 minutes). Drain the eggplant on paper towels.
- Marinate.
- Whisk the vinegar, garlic, dill, sugar and pepper flakes in a large glass bowl. Slice the fried eggplant into 1-inch cubes. Add the eggplant to the vinegar mixture and coat evenly. Place the salad in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or (preferably) overnight.
- Tahini sauce.
- Combine the tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a food processor. Puree the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- The flavors continue to marry. Enjoy this salad for up to a week!
