This article is very interesting and gross all at the same time. I am a food lover. I love to cook it and then eat it. But the level that some people go to is unbelievable. I understand the logic that everything fried is delicious but a Cadbury Egg? Hot dog Twinkies? I also if you look at the gallery in the article, the smoked pig creature is frightening!
I am not a huge apple pie lover. I mean it is ok but I am mainly on board for the whipped cream that is served with the pie. Anyway, after my pumpkin pie someone at work offered me money to make an apple pie. I was like of course I’ll do that. I have made this apple pie for BPII before and it was pretty amazing. However, I used store bought pie crust and puff pastry. This time around I wanted to perfect my pie dough making skills.
I used the same recipe as my pumpkin pie post but doubled the recipe to accommodate the top portion of the pie. I also used half warm butter and then half frozen butter that was grated. I am still a little unsure of exactly how much ice water I should be using. I don’t want to use to much and have this sticky mess but I also so not want a dry floury dough. The result was still a little dry and when I was making the lattice work, the dough was falling apart on me a bit. I remedied the problem by piecing it back together. Definitely not perfect but it worked and tasted great.
This was a home run at work. Everyone loved it. I definitely recommend trying it out.
Grandma’s apple pie
Ingredients:
1 Pie Crust
1 sheet of pie dough
4 Apples, peeled
1 TBL of lemon juice
½ cup of granulated sugar
½ cup of brown sugar
¼ cup of water
3 TBL of flour
½ cup of butter
Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 450º
2.) Arrange peeled apples in pie crust. Sprinkle with lemon juice. (This keeps the apples from browning when exposed to air)
3.) Take sheet of pie dough and cut with a knife into strips. I used 6 wide strips. Place pie dough strips on to apples and make a lattice formation. ( Video Below)
4.) On medium-high heat melt butter in a sauce pan. Add flour and combine. Essentially you are making a roux.
5.) Add granulated sugar, brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil and lower heat. Simmer for 5 minutes.
6.) Pour the caramel colored mixture through the lattice work and on to the apples.
7.) Place on baking sheet and bake at 450º for 15 minutes, then at 350º for 35 minutes or until the dough starts to brown.
I have had this apple crumble recipe for awhile now and keep meaning to try it out. The time finally came this weekend when it was cold and rainy here in the city. I had no intentions of leaving my apartment and decided to make a dinner and dessert for BPII and myself. For dinner I made an Asian salmon dish my old roommate used to make. So yummy and so easy to make. I recommend coating the salmon with some oil on both sides before placing in a hot pan. It is such a delicate fish and has stuck to the pan and fallen apart on me many times. Also, if the heat is too high and the skin is brown but the fish is not done yet, just pop it into the oven for 5 minutes. It should be flaky and moist.
KLamp Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
¼ cup honey
¼ cup soy sauce
3 TBL lime juice
2 TBL of water
1 tsp of Dijon
2 tsp of vegetable oil
Directions
Heat pan to med-high heat and add vegetable oil
When pan is hot, add salmon and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until brown
Very carefully remove salmon from pan and place on a plate and cover with foil
Combine honey, soy sauce, lime juice, water and Dijon into a bowl and whisk
Pour mixture into the salmon pan and cook until a glaze like consistency. Be sure to get the browned bits from the pan.
Pour over salmon and serve
Now for the crumble. OMG so good. I got this recipe from and old Bon Appetit article. BP II was nice enough to whip up some home made whipped cream for us.
Filling
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 Pippin or Golden Delicious apples (about 2 3/4 pounds), peeled, quartered, cored
Lightly sweetened whipped cream
Directions
Topping
Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until small moist clumps form. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Filling
Preheat oven to 375°F. Stir sugar and butter in large skillet over medium heat until smooth sauce forms. Add lemon juice and cook, stirring, until caramel is deep brown, about 5 minutes. Mix in salt, then apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated, about 1 minute. Scrape apples and caramel into 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish; spread evenly. Sprinkle topping evenly over.
Bake crisp until apples are tender, sauce is bubbling thickly, and topping is golden, about 50 minutes. Let crisp cool 15 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.
I have never been a huge fan of red sauce on my pasta. I am not sure why, I mean I love tomatoes. When I was younger, I would ask my mom to just put a little sauce on, enough to make it pink. As I got older, I started putting olive oil and garlic salt on my pasta. I know it sounds like the grossest thing ever put it tastes so good. BPII is not this biggest fan because well you know what happens with garlic. Anyway, I saw this recipe from bitten.com about a quick ragu. I thought that would be a great way to spice up a bla weeknight pasta. It turned out really yummy, even though I do not like red sauce. The recipe calls for milk but instead I used 1 part heavy cream and 1 part water.
One day soon though, I want to make a real ragu that you have to simmer on the stove for hours. That sounds like a Sunday project.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 pound Italian sausage, removed from casing if necessary
1 cup milk
1/4 cup tomato paste
Salt and pepper
1 pound pasta
At least 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup white wine
Directions
Set a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Put the oil in a 10-inch skillet, and turn the heat to medium; a minute later, add the onion. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage in bits, and turn the heat to medium high; cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is nicely browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
Add a cup of white wine to deglaze the pan. Reduce until wine has evaporated.
Add milk and tomato paste, along with some salt and pepper; stir to blend, and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until thickened but not dry. Keep it warm if necessary, and if it becomes too thick, add a little more milk or water.
Meanwhile, salt the water and cook the pasta. When pasta is tender but not mushy, drain it. Toss with sauce and Parmesan; taste, adjust seasoning and serve.
So after an entire week of telling people I was going to make a pumpkin pie, I finally did. I found the elusive pumpkin puree at Whole Foods (or as some would call it Whole Paycheck). It is amazing how much better run that store is then my local Food Emporium. Employees asked if I needed help finding items and located my free environmentally friendly shopping bag for me (Thanks Food and Wine Festival). Too bad I don’t shop there more often; I might have a satisfying shopping experience. I am telling you I was so close to roasting a pumpkin for this puree. Lord knows the amount of havoc that would have caused.
Anyway, back to the pie. I have never made my own pie crust before and wanted to try it out. The problem is I do not have a food processor. How did grandmas make pie dough before the food processor? Well they do it with a fork. I found a video on YouTube and it was easy enough. Simply, mash butter into a flour and salt mixture, then add spoonfuls of ice water until it turns into a ball of dough. The end result was successful. Next time though I want to freeze the butter and then grate into little butter pieces. I think this would make the mashing easier and keep the butter cooler for a more flakey crust.
The recipe for the dough and pumpkin pie are from FoodandWine.com
All-Butter Pie Dough
INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/4 cup ice water
DIRECTIONS
1. In a food processor, pulse the flour with the salt. Add the butter and pulse until the size of peas. Drizzle in the water and pulse until the crumbs are moistened; turn out onto a work surface. Gather into a ball, flatten, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Classic Pumpkin Pie
INGREDIENTS
All-Butter Pie Dough
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
Pinch of salt
One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough to a 13-inch round a scant 1/4 inch thick. Fit the dough into a 9-inch glass pie plate and trim the overhang to 3/4 inch. Fold the dough under itself and crimp decoratively; refrigerate the pie shell for 10 minutes.
2. Line the pie shell with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the center of the oven until nearly set, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until the crust is pale golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, cloves and salt until smooth. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, then the cream. Working near the oven, pour the filling into the crust. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the custard is set. Let the pie cool on a rack.
Everyone at work seemed to enjoy the pie. I must say this is a very classic recipe and with that there was no WOW factor. It was good but not OMG.
On another note, I entered a cooking/baking contest in the 5th grade and decided to make a pumpkin pie. I have always loved pumpkin pie and I guess I thought I could make it. I called my Aunt Pat up and asked her for her recipe. My Aunt Pat has always been the best cook. She gave me detailed instructions and believe it or not, I won 3rd place with that pie. I was so proud. I think that was the start of my love for cooking.
I have been trying to make a pumpkin pie for quite some time now. The problem is that there is no pumpkin puree in New York City. I have searched every grocery store only to be told that I am the 15th person in the last hour to ask for it. I thought New Yorkers ate out, they are not supposed to be at home making pumpkin goodies. It is not even Thanksgiving for goodness sake.
The thing is, I told people at work that I was making this pumpkin pie and everyday I come in with empty hands. I am beginning to feel like an empty promise maker.
However, I did find out how to make pumpkin puree. It seems to easy to be true.
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.) Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds
3.) Place in baking pan with 1 cup of water
4.) Roast for 90 min
5.) Scoop out flesh and blend
That’s it! So I am sure tomorrow I will have a pumpkin pie post for you.
The above chart is from bitten.com (http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/) and shows the best-selling grocery items for the 52 weeks ending June 14, 2009. I can not believe that the best selling item in grocery stores is carbonated beverages. I like my soda too people (please see: I’ll have a coke) but the number one selling item. Don’t they sell food items at grocery stores? The only perishable foods on this list are milk, bread and cheese. I do not eat the healthiest, I mean I ate sweet potato fries last night for goodness sake but at least they were natural and grown from the earth. In the time is takes to heat up a frozen dinner, you could have made some grilled chicken and a steamed veggie. My parents divorced when I was young and worked very hard to support my bother and I; however, we always had a family dinner no matter how late they would return home. My dad would make kielbasa or my mom and her hamburgers. There are lots of items that you can make quickly that are still good for you without taking something out of the freezer with preservatives.
I am trying to think what my top grocery store items are. I spend the majority of my money on protein. In the city it is just so expensive. Then a dairy items, either butter or cream, maybe a cheese. Veggies come third and starches come 4th. OOOOOOOOOO wait. I forgot about the wine. Wine/beer is up there. Maybe it would be after protein? I am such a lush!
Anyway, I guess to each there own when buying items at the grocery store. It is a little interesting, don't you think?
