Caramel Apple Pie with Streusel

This was my first attempt at working with dough, and it turned out fantastic. That's right, I said fantastic. It's super easy, makes the kitchen smell amazing, and, added bonus: people actually find the act of making pie crust from scratch more impressive than the pie-making overall. True story.

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup butter
1/3 cup ice water
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 egg, beaten

Filling:
6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter

Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter
4 ounces of toffee
4 ounces of chopped pecans

Directions:

Pie Crust:
Chill all ingredients, including the flour and vinegar. Combine the flour, salt and sugar. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles cornmeal. In another bowl, mix water and vinegar with the beaten egg. Add the liquid mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the flour mixture, tossing with a fork to form a soft dough. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 10 minutes.

To turn into pie shells, cover a surface with plastic wrap and lightly flour. Slightly flatten the dough out with your hand before rolling the dough out with a rolling pin. Working quickly, roll the dough into a circle ¼-inch thick or smaller. The size of the dough round should be about four inches wider in diameter than your pie pan. Gently fold the dough in half, and then into quarters. Carefully pick it up and place it into the pie plate so the center point of dough is in the center of the pan.

Carefully unfold the dough: it should be centered in the pan. Without stretching the dough, press the pastry firmly into the pan and trim any excess dough from the edge.

Filling:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Peel and slice apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and add apples. Toss to mix. Add vanilla and cream. Melt butter in heavy skillet. Add apple mixture and cook approximately 8 minutes, to soften apples. Turn into pie shell.

Streusel Topping:

Combine the flour and sugar. Mix in butter with fork until coarse crumbs. stir in the toffee bits and pecans. Sprinkle over pie. Add top crust. Seal, flute edge and vent top. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake 45 minutes longer.

Alternately, you can opt out of the top crust since the streusel does a pretty good job, and fill two 9" pie pans instead. I would suggest throwing in an extra apple for the two pie plan.

I didn't get a chance to take any pictures of my pies... but here's some Christmas cheer, until next time.

Paris

Maastricht

Prague

...home.

Wishlist:

A collection of really great stuff to give and receive, at Christmas or any other time ever, assuming that you have more money to your name than I do. so...about $223 dollars in your bank account, 1 miniature piggy bank, and 1 ziploc bag of pennies.


Top Row: Handpainted Suede Journals by Kreativlink $44 >> A Year of Mornings photo collection through Amazon and others $19.95 >> Icon Watch by & Design $89 >> Tord Boontje Garland Light $65 & up

Second Row: Rob Brandt Crushed Cup at Horne $10 >> Brooklyn Square Plate at Fishs Eddy $24.95 >> Hawthorne Chateau Bud Vase by KleinReid $88 >> Float Liqueur Glasses by Molo Design $69 (set of 2)

Third Row: Woodsland Bracelet by Lealand Eve $265 >> digital watch by Furni x RbW $28 >> Milky Major and Sugary Soldier by Jorine Oosterhoff $370 >> LEMONSTORY blouse by kimenna
(one of a kind and sold, but just go and see how pretty it is)

Last Row: Shot of the Day Pocket Polaroids Series #003 which can be found on Lord of the Lens $28.50 >> Snail Topiary by Todd Oldham $60 >> Wallpaper* City Guides box sets $49

Brandy Alexander

I've been meaning to make this since I started listening to Feist's "The Reminder" in Maastricht. I'm not a huge fan of any opaque cocktails, but "Brandy Alexander" has spent a noteworthy amount of time as Favorite-Song-of-the-Moment, so I needed to pay due homage.

True to form, I had 2 sips of my drink and finished off a whole pot of spiced cider with rum (recipe also to follow) instead, but it ended up being a big hit with the rest of the family.


Ingredients for a Brandy Alexander:
1 1/2 oz brandy
1 oz dark creme de cacao
2 oz half-and-half
a pinch of grated nutmeg

In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the brandy, creme de cacao, and half-and-half. Shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with the nutmeg. Serves 1.

Bonus!

Ingredients for Spiced Cider with Rum:

1 apple
2 teaspoons whole cloves
1 orange, thinly sliced
2 quarts apple cider
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Pinch grated nutmeg
1/2 - 1 cup dark rum (preference)
Cinnamon sticks, garnish

Stud the apple with the cloves. In a medium pot, combine the studded apple and remaining ingredients except the rum. Slowly bring to a simmer over low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the rum. Discard the apple. Ladle into mugs and garnish each with a cinnamon stick. Serve immediately.

Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar (I used about 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the bottoms of a muffin tin. In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add in the butter, bananas, eggs, and vanilla and mix well. Divide batter evenly between the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat all ingredients in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.

Spread the tops of cupcakes with the frosting and serve. Makes 24 mini-muffins.

Maple-Roasted Turkey with Sage Butter

Let it be known that I trussed and cooked my first turkey, Thanksgiving 2008, and it turned out to be honestly the best turkey I've ever had. This is not quite as impressive as it sounds, since my family is one of those that usually opts out of the whole dinner thing. We went to Marie Callender's last year. But all that is beside the point. This recipe really does make a moist (and I don't use that word lightly; it's on a short list of words I find very distasteful) and flavorful turkey. It would have been great for some cold turkey sandwiches, had my family spared me any leftovers at all.

(Recipe from Tyler Florence)...put it in your pocket for next year.

Ingredients:
1 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/4 bunch fresh sage, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (12 to 14-pound) fresh turkey, giblets, neck, and liver discarded
8 strips bacon
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons hot water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and remove the top rack of the oven.

Put the butter and sage in a mixing bowl and mash with a fork or spoon until the sage is well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.

Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels.

Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the turkey breast and slip the remaining seasoned butter under, massaging the breast meat as you go (It sounds unpleasant, but I found it to be a oddly soothing experience). Truss the bird by crossing the legs over one another and tying with a piece of kitchen twine. Shingle the bacon strips over the breast so it's totally covered.

Put the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan, cover the turkey with aluminium foil, and place in the oven.

In a small bowl, stir the maple syrup with 2 tablespoons of hot water to thin. Roast the turkey for 2 hours, basting with the maple glaze every 30 minutes. Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F. The thigh juices will run clear when pricked with a knife, about 3-4 hours total.

About 1/2 hour before you think the turkey is done, remove the foil so that it can brown. When done take the turkey out of the oven and put the roasting pan on the stovetop. Transfer the turkey to a serving tray to rest at least 20 minutes before carving.