Apple Cinnamon Crumb Pie

The Date: 24 November 2011 and 26 November 2011

The Occasion: Two Thanksgiving celebrations!

The Recipe: From this excellent book.

How it Went: Loved by all! An apple pie is pretty standard fare at a holiday gathering, and this one was traditional without being boring. Flavorful, juicy, spicy... Even Husband loved it. And he doesn't like any sweets. When I had such success with it on Thursday, I made it again for the gathering on Saturday. Excellent both times. I'm sure it would be really good with the homemade crust recipe that the cookbook suggests, but I cheated with a store-bought pie crust both times this week. Somebody be bold and make your own; let me know how it is.

What You Need:
apples (I used Empire. The book says Braeburn, Jonathan, and Newtown Pippin are also acceptable. I wouldn't use Granny Smiths in this. It's not quite that tart. A rustic slightly sweet apple is what you want.)
lemon juice (fresh squeezed is ideal, but I used it from the plastic lemon in my fridge)
sugar
cornstartch
cinnamon
nutmeg
cloves
salt
flour
brown sugar
butter

Your Turn:
If you're making the crust, do that first. Or just unroll your store-bought crust and press it into your pie plate. Set this aside.

Now, the recipe calls for "7 large, tart, firm apples." I used a 5-lb bag of apples. It was perfect. You don't want to skimp at all on this. The appleier, the better. 

Peel the apples. Then cut the cores out and dice them up.

Place the apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 T lemon juice and toss.

Mix up

• 1/3 C sugar
• 2 T cornstartch
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• pinch of salt

Sprinkle over the apples and toss to coat evenly.

Transfer to the dough-lined pie plate.

Now, time to mix up the crumb topping.

Blend

• 1/2 C flour
• 1/3 C firmly packed dark or light brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

After stirring this together, add 5 T cold butter, diced into cubes.

Blend with a pastry cutter (or a whisk or potato masher if you don't have one of those).

Sprinkle over the top of the pie.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden.

Let cool before serving.

This is Saturday's pie. The prep pictures were from Thursday.

Thursday's pie

Short Version
APPLE CINNAMON CRUMB PIE

Preheat oven to 350

5 lb apples (Empire, Braeburn, or Jonathan are good choices)
1 T lemon juice
1/3 C sugar
2 T cornstartch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch of salt

Peel, core, and dice apples.
Toss with lemon juice.
Mix up remaining ingredients and toss with apples.
Pour mixture into prepared pie crust in pie plate.

1/2 C flour
1/3 C firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
5 T cold butter, diced into tiny cubes

Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl.
Blend in the butter with a pastry cutter.

Sprinkle crumb topping over the pie.
Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, until filling is thick and bubbling, and crust is golden.

Caramelized Onion Apple Tarts

The Date: 6 November 2011

The Occasion: MomMom and PopPop's birthday celebration. I volunteered to do appetizers.

The Recipe: From RealSimple's website.

How it Went:
These are simple, yet just barely elegant. Some people seem to be a little put off by the concept of these tarts (apples and onions?), but once they're brave enough to taste one, they're hooked. I find them an easy appetizer that can be made ahead of time and transported fairly easily. If you're making them at home, they're also quite good warm, just out of the oven.

What You Need:
frozen puff pastry
onions
apples
olive oil
salt
pepper
sour cream

Your Turn:
Your puff pastry needs to be thawed. This is easy to overlook and then, when it's time to assemble the tarts to bake them, you'll pull the box out of the freezer only to realize you have to either wait 20 minutes for thawing, or zap the pastries in the microwave, which just seems wrong for something so delicate. So - be sure to pull your puff pastries out of the freezer before you start making your tart toppings. You need both sheets from one package of puff pastry (17.5 oz), found in the freezer section of your grocery store.

Heat about 2 T of olive oil in a medium skillet.

Cook 2 onions, chopped, in the oil about 15 minutes, until soft and golden brown.

Stir in 2 Gala apples, chopped, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook about 2 minutes, just until tender.

Place each sheet of puff pastry on a cookie sheet. Prick all over with a fork.

Spread each pastry with a 1/4 C sour cream (1/2 C sour cream in all), leaving a 1/2 inch border all the way around.

Divide the onion and apple mixture and spread half the mixture on each pastry.

I also made these tarts for Easter last year.

Bake about 30 minutes until pastry is crisp and browned. Cut each pastry into 16 squares.

To travel with this appetizer, let the pastry cool somewhat, then cut it into squares, and layer the squares between parchment paper or waxed paper in a large tupperware or ceramic container. Transfer to a platter when you reach your destination.

Chunky Applesauce

The Date: 25 October 2011

The Occasion: Home sick with a bad cold. I had some apples that I thought might be better as sauce, and a recipe I'd been wanting to try. Perfect combination to make some homemade applesauce.

The Recipe: From Taste of Home magazine.

How it Went: Perfectly. I wouldn't change a thing. It was incredibly easy and absolutely delightful. The only thing I'd do is make a bigger batch.

What You Need:
apples
brown sugar
cinnamon
vanilla

Your Turn:
Peel and cube apples. You need 8 cups of cubed apples.

Stir apples in large soup pot with 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed, and 1 tsp cinnamon.

Cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add 1 tsp of vanilla. Mash well.

Serve warm or cold.

The best medicine.