Happy Friday and More October Baking!

Another sunny and crisp October weekend arrives today! Hooray!

This is the time of year when I start to think about pies; rolling out the dough, filling it with apples, pumpkin or pecan fillings, sprinkling sugar on the crust to make it shiny and sweet, and the warm aroma of cinnamon and spice filling the house.

I went on a second apple picking expedition over Columbus Day weekend - a special trip to get granny smiths and winesaps, which were not yet ripe when I took my nephews apple picking. I now have a plethora of apples to eat and bake with. So, last weekend, I made an apple pie. If you've never made a pie from scratch, I have to tell you that there is something immensely satisfying about it. So much of cooking these days is about quick and easy - semi-homemade, 1-2-3, Rachel Ray... Not that there is anything wrong with that. But it doesn't really give you the same sense of accomplishment and satisfaction of a pie that is made from scratch, with apples you picked from the tree and a crust you rolled out with your own hands. Pulling my piping hot pie from the oven gives me a similar sense of satisfaction as finishing a successful sewing project - that moment when you try it on and say "Yes! Perfect!"    

Apple Pie! Mmmmm....

About apple pie... There are several schools of thought, but most divide along the following lines: raw vs pre-cooked filling and 2 crust vs lattice vs crumb topping. It all comes down to preference, and some people have pretty strong preferences. My mom's apple pie uses an uncooked filling, which I do enjoy, but in the last few years I've come to favor precooking mine. Some of the Muses (my siblings) think this amounts to heresy, but I find it more reliable - no worries about al dente apples in the pie or a burnt crust and raw filling or too wet or dry a filling. It takes some of the variables out of the equation. This filling recipe from Williams-Sonoma is a good basic one. I use a mix of Granny Smith and Empire apples, which makes a filling that has the right sweet/tart balance and doesn't get mushy, even after a long baking.  I also tend to make either a 2 crust pie (my primer on pie crust here).

This pie did not last long at all. But, since Phineas has already started mentioning turkey and stuffing and all things Thanksgiving, and I seem to have Autumn on the brain, I am sure another pie is in my near future - maybe a pecan one this time.

Anyway, I hope you are enjoying excellent Autumn weather where you are and getting out there and making the most of it! 

Apple Episode Part 3: Apple Franken-Tart!

It's probably not entirely evident from my blog just how much I actually bake. At least one thing - and often more than one - comes out of my oven every week.

I don't re-post TNT recipes that I've already blogged - if I did you'd be seeing my brownies and chocolate chip cookies on a monthly basis. And I don't post so-so recipes. Why perpetuate mediocre baking? Lots of things are baked, but only the best recipes get blogged. Oh, and the kitchen disasters, too.

Apple crumb tart

So, it's a bit of a surprize that in 3 weeks I've had three recipes that I thought deserved posting. This week, it's a franken-tart: an apple crumb tart that I made utilizing parts from three different recipes.

First, I made the crust from my summer berry tart, which for some unknown reason I didn't post the recipe for. (It's below). It's a sweet, almost cookie-like crust, and very easy to make - no rolling out! just press it into the pan. 

Crust from berry tart +

Then, I used the filling from my apple pie, which I let cool while I made and rested the dough. One batch of pie filling generously filled a 10 1/2" tart pan.

Filling from Apple Pie +

And finally, I added a crumb topping, but not the one I used for last week's apple crumble. This crumb topping has walnuts in place of the oats. And actually, I think I like it even better than the oat one.  It stayed crispy even after refrigeration.

 

Walnut Crumb Topping = Apple Crumb Franken-Tart!

I loaded it all into my 10 1/2" tart pan and baked for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. The result is a thin and elegant apple crumb pie, which we ate with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Whipped cream would have been even better.

Franken-tastic!

Here are the recipes for the crumb topping and the tart shell.

Pate Sucree tart crust

1 1/4c flour (5 1/4 oz)
8 tbsp butter (1 stick)
1/4 c sugar (1 3/4oz)
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla

Pulse first 4 ingredients in Cuisinart to form a crumbly meal with pea sized lumps of butter. Whisk next three together and then pulse into the butter flour mix. Dough should hold together when squeezed. Turn out into your tart pan and press into all the corners and across the bottom to form the crust.Rest in fridge for 30 min. You can blind bake this crust after pricking it all over for 10-15 min at 375 if you want to fill it with a non-cook filling.

Apple crumb topping (from KAF Baker's Companion)
1/2 c plus 2 tbsp all purpose or pastry flour (2 5/8 oz)
2/3 c sugar (4 3/4 oz)
7 tbsp butter (3 1/2 oz)
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 c (4 oz) chopped walnuts

Pulse first four ingredients in a Cuisinart to form a crumbly meal with pea sized lumps of butter.  Add the nuts and pulse a few more times to combine all. Sprinkle over your tart. 

Enjoy! 

How ya Like them (Shabby) Apples? Give Away!

One of the things that seems to happen after you've been blogging for a while is that you receive offers for "free" products. Well, "free" if you will review them on your blog. I generally don't say yes.* BUT, this week I received an offer from Shabby Apple, a retailer I like very much, that I can pass on to my readers instead of benefiting from myself.

But first, here is what I like about Shabby Apple, in their own words...

"At Shabby Apple, we believe in both femininity and feminism. As feminine women, we create clothing that is artful in design and crafted with a vintage-style flare. Each piece is carefully constructed to both flatter a women’s figure and maintain her mystery. As feminists, we created a company that is women-owned and operated and that donates to help other women start their own businesses. With our old-fashioned style and modern ideals, we believe the best is yet to come!" (from their website)

How could I say no to vintage clothing for a reader from a retailer whose ethos is one that I can absolutely get down with? Also, on a more superficial note, vintage styling often translates into a longer hem length, which means that many more of their dresses and skirts are work-appropriate length for longer-limbed gals like me. I guess this is what they mean by "maintaining her mystery". This jives with my own style - I love clothing that flatters my figure without being overly revealing.

So, on to the goods! Shabby Apple has invited me to host a giveaway for one of their dresses or skirts. I got to pick which one; I hope you like my choice!

Hully-Gully Skirt

This is their Hully-Gully Skirt. It's a high-waisted pencil skirt with a fun bow detail at the waist (sizes 2-16). I think it has real charm. I can't decide if I think this falls into the cake or frosting category, so I've decided that I'm going to call it pie. Shabby Apple Pie, to be precise.

The fine print: sadly this contest is only open to US readers. Sorry, foreign readers. Those who want in, just holler Apple Pie in the comments by Tuesday, June 18 at midnight EDT. Also, since we haven't talked about dessert recently, feel free to tell me what your favorite kind of pie is for a second chance to win (all in one comment is fine)! Oh, and please do make sure I have a way of getting in touch with you!


*I have no affiliation with Shabby Apple and am not getting anything in return for this giveaway. I could have opted to get a free dress myself, if I would review it on my blog, or do a giveaway instead. I chose giveaway, since you all deserve cute skirts and I have no ambition to have sponsors or build a career or earn any money from sewing/blogging. I admire those who do - they add a lot to our community! But it's simply not for me, at least not at this point in my life. Sewing is something that I do for the love of it and am happy to bankroll. It's an investment in myself, which is the most important and significant investment that a person can make, IMHO. Next is investing in others, which Shabby Apple does and is what made up my mind to go ahead with this. 

Turkey, pecans and more...

Yesterday's Pre-Thanksgiving turned out to be a bigger deal than Phineas and I had planned. Usually, it is just the two of us and maybe a friend or two indulging in too much gravy. But when my MIL learned that we were cooking, the event mushroomed and the rest of Phineas' family joined in.

Phineas' turkey was perfect and his stuffing was delicious. He added some walnuts for crunch and some currants which were languishing in the pantry for sweetness. It was to good effect. He really has a way with roasts. This bird was treated to a butter and herb massage.

The apple-pecan tart was also a hit. Even Miss Julia ate two slices, although I suspect that she was in it for the home-made whipped cream sweetened with vanilla sugar. I had to chase her away from the bowl more than once before dessert.

Is there any aroma more heavenly than pie in the oven? Doubtful.

Anyway, this tart was definitely the love child of apple pie and pecan pie. It has some of the qualities of both - the sweet nuttiness of pecan pie and the warm perfume of apple. I ended up using some Lyle's and some maple syrup, which worked out well. I think next time I would saute the apples less so that they were firmer in the tart.

I used the tart shell recipe in the NY Times article. It was essentially pie crust but with the addition of an egg yolk, which made it a much softer and pliable dough. I didn't love it as much as my crust, but for the purposes of this tart, it worked well. So, I give the recipe two thumbs up with a dollop of whipped cream.

Double Trouble: Apple Edition

I was going to start this post with a happy little story about apple picking with my nephews last Sunday. But it's been that kind of week here at Clio & Phineas, and the week isn't even done.

At the same time some of you were emailing to say that my blog was setting off the malware alerts, I was in the kitchen baking with my annual apple picking bounty. I wanted to try a new-to-me recipe, and Phin selected the Bolzano Apple Cake from The Essential NY Times Cook Book - which is a fantastic compendium. (recipe below).

In truth, I should have known that something would go wrong when the recipe was described as a clafoutis. You remember my first attempt at clafoutis, don't you? The one that will forever be known as Zombie Pie? Well, there have been several more attempts to master clafoutis. All equally unsuccessful. Anyway, things were going just fine up through the first five minutes of baking. Then I started smelling something that reminded me of burnt pancakes. NOT good! When I checked the oven, it turned out that my spring form pan was leaking batter onto the bottom of the oven.

When good cakes go bad...

Seriously, what is it about clafoutis?!?!?  I did manage to get the pan out of the oven and onto a baking sheet, where it continued to ooze. Once the oven was clean and re-heated, and the cake had been transferred to a cake pan, I put it back in the oven. This is not a strategy that I endorse, but what choice did I have? I was not expecting good results.

But I was pleasantly surprised!

Look at how brown and lovely my cake is! And thanks to parchment paper and a very generous coating of butter and flour, I was able to get it out of the (non-spring form) pan without mutilating it.

Phin was pretty wild about this cake. It's actually much more tart-like than cake-like, with layers of thinly sliced apple held together with a minimum of lightly sweet, eggy, buttery crust-like cake. Right up Phin's alley. For me it was a bit eggy, but still enjoyable. And we both agreed that a dollop of whipped cream would be the perfect accompaniment.

Layers of apple..mmmmm....

I think Phin is already angling for me to make this again, since it's all gone. (If he is smart, a new spring form pan will magically appear in my kitchen.) And to be honest, this is exactly what I would make for family, company or just for myself if I wanted apple pie without the hassle of making a crust. Plus, the recipe seems to be fool-proof. So, two thumbs up, despite my equipment fail and near disaster.

Bolzano Apple Cake

8 tbsp butter plus extra for greasing pan
2 large eggs
1 c sugar
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out
1 1/4 lbs apples
1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c whole milk at room temp

Heat oven to 375. Melt butter in sauce pan and set aside. Beat eggs with half the sugar. Gradually add rest of sugar while beating. Batter should form a ribbon when dropped from a spoon. Add vanilla seeds to batter and bean to cooling butter. Peel, quarter, core and thinly slice apples. Remove vanilla bean from butter. Stir butter into batter. Combine flour and baking soda. Stir into batter alternately with milk. Stir in apples, coating every piece with batter. Pour into parchment lined, buttered and floured 8" spring form pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Rotate and bake for another 25 min. until cake pulls away from the pan and is brown on the side. A knife inserted into the center should come out clean. Cool for 30 minutes and then unmold. Serve warm with a sprinkle of confectioners sugar or dollop of whipped cream. 

om nom nom

My Birthday: An Ode to October

 

Pumpkin and apple picking with nephews and Calliope

I know that I am not alone in thinking that October is the best month of the year, particularly in the Northeast. Some people love October because of apple and pumpkin picking, hay rides and changing leaves. Others because of Halloween, jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating. And still others because October is football weather, or because the holidays draw near. And I do love October for all of those reasons.

Orpheus on the hay ride

But I've always felt that my love for the month runs deeper. It isn't that October is "my month", it is more that October is where I belong, where I am at home, where I am meant to be. As she nears - and my birthday, too - I start to feel invigorated and alive. I start to think about the year to come. Among the falling leaves and the cooling temperatures, I feel my place in life and I feel excited for what is next. October is all change to me. And some time between my birthday on the 3rd and Halloween, I look at the person I am and set my sights on the person I want to become. October is full of possibility for me.
 
I feel very affectionate in October. She is a snuggly month, and I am full of love and appreciation for the people in my life. At 35, my friends are getting married and starting families, my family is growing and my nephews and nieces are becoming beautiful and funny little people. I see new smile lines and crows feet forming, and I'm aware that these are joyful days. I'm lucky to have reasons to smile so much. I'm not sure yet what the first few grey hairs say, but I have time to figure that out while the leaves also change colors. It all adds character to the landscape at my feet and the face in the mirror.     

Oh, and it also doesn't hurt that in October I can finally get back into the kitchen and bake! So, here is what I baked on Friday/Saturday to get my birthday month off to a good start. By the way, I do plan on celebrating all month long.

 Legacy Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

Legacy Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting**

2 1/2 Cups (10oz) white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice, or 2 tsp apple pie spice
1 cup (2sticks, 8 oz) unsalted butter
1 cup (7.5oz) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 cup (7oz) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup (2oz) boiled cider or apple juice concentrate
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups peeled, chopped apples (about 3 large apples, 1 lb)
1 cup (4oz) walnuts, chopped

Regular cake procedure: Mix and set aside dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs one-by-one. Add the rest of the wet ingredients. Then the dry. Stir in apples and nuts. Turn into greased layer cake tins or 13x9 pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes until set. 

Brown Sugar Frosting:

5 T (2.5 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (3.75 oz) firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 T (1.5 oz) milk
1.5 Cups (6 oz) confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter and sugar over medium heat untill sugar is disolved. Add milk and bring to a boil. Cool 10 min, then beat in sugar and vanilla. Spread while warm. 

This cake came out moist and delicious, and was even better the second day, I think. Saturday is my actual birthday party, so expect to see more cake!

** From the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book. 

Married to Mr Freeze (For Mar-Mar)

Last night I has a long chat with Mar-Mar. You see, for various reasons she ended up agreeing to host her family's Thanksgiving at her home while nearly 9 mos pregnant. (Don't ask.) So, she has questions about how much she can make in advance and freeze. Little did she know that I am married to Mr Freeze himself.

From the NY Times article on freezing food.

Earlier this summer, when Mark Bittman wrote an article about how you can freeze most food, Phineas' response was a smug "well, duh!" He will freeze anything. And by "anything" I mean he has frozen all of the following: couscous, beans and lentils, cookies, mashed potatoes, tomato paste, habanero peppers, birthday cake, blueberries, nuts, fresh ginger, cheese, white rice... the list goes on. Actually, in addition to all kinds of meats, dumplings and breads, this is basically what's in the freezer right now (the cake in question is chocolate mousse cake from my birthday.) Between the freezer and pantry, Phin and I could easily survive a 6 month siege by brain-eating zombies before turning to cannibalism. But I digress.

Anyway, in going through the list of everything that Mar wanted to serve, aside from the turkey (ie: stuffing, mashed potato, gravy, squash soup, veggies, apple pie, pumpkin pie) there is only one item we were unsure of freezing: Pecan Pie. However, according to Nestle.com, it's fine. And this truly tickles me, since I have already invested lots of time experimenting with pecan pie. So, naturally, I am now feeling like I should make extra pecan pies this year so that I can cut them into single servings and freeze them.

Gosh, Mar. We really are bad influences on each other! Happy Friday, everyone!

Random Pecan Pie Obsessing (Or I'm an Adult; I Can Have Dessert for Breakfast if I Want To)

No sooner had I finished the last slice of my pecan pie than this article appeared in the NY Times with a recipe for an apple-pecan tart.

Doesn't it look good? Yeah, it does.

A week or two before Thanksgiving, Phineas and I usually cook a turkey and all the sides that we just don't seem to get enough of on Thanksgiving itself. Yesterday, Phineas came home with our bird, so this weekend seems like the perfect time to take this tart for a test drive.

My fellow baker, Mar Mar, also reported back to me on the success of her pecan pie. She posed the following philosophical question: If you had pecan pie for breakfast, would you work off the calories throughout the day? My answer is a resounding: YES! Why the heck didn't I think of that?? What a perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee!

I fear that dangerous habits are about to be formed. Perhaps I shouldn't shout them aloud on my blog. But what's done is done. And soon the pecan tart will be, too...

Apple Edition Part 2: When Things Crumble

My Jean-ius trousers are done, done, done, but not photographed yet. So in the interim, here is the second episode of my apple adventure...

The weather in the NY area was SO gorgeous last weekend that on Sunday morning Phin and I added to my apple hoard. We picked 22lbs of apples. (What can I say? I get my money's worth out of my U-Pick season pass.) About half of the apples are for eating and the other half are for baking.

Once we were home, my head was in a cookbook. Since I wanted to use up lots of apples, a crumble* seemed like the way to go. I reached for my trusty KAF Bakers Companion and was off and running.

Thirty minutes later, crumble was in the oven...

At this point there was a ninety minute interlude while the crumble baked and the house smelled so incredibly good that I was climbing the walls. After that...

The crumble cooled, while I paced. Then it was time to eat...

Everything tastes better in a stemmed glass

 A little vanilla ice cream over warm gooey crumble is a thing of beauty.

om nom nom

I've made loads of crumbles and crisps in the past, but I've never had a real go-to recipe. But both Phin and I were so amazed at how good this was that there really is no contest with past versions. The apples were tender, the sauce was a caramel gooey goodness, and the crumble topping was crisp and buttery.

Yes, that gooey sauce IS as good as it looks

Apple Crumble
Filling
3lbs apples (7 med to lg) 
1/4 c rum or cider 
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp boiled cider optional 
3/4 c brown sugar (6 oz)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
3 tbsp flour
Peel, core and slice apples into 1/4" thick pieces. Place in a bowl with remainder of filling ingredients and mix (I used hands) to coat thoroughly. Spoon into a lightly greased 9x9 baking dish.

Streusel topping
1/2 c flour (2 oz)
1/2 c rolled oats (1 3/4 oz)
1/2 c brown sugar (4 oz)
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking powder
8 tbsp butter (1 stick)
Stir together the first 6 ingredients to combine. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly, like making a pie crust. 

Sprinkle the topping over the apples. Bake for 90 minutes at 350. Cool for 20-30 min and enjoy warm. 

A few notes:

• Apples - the recipe called for granny smiths and macs, but I used a mix of Greening, Empire, Cortland and another that I'm forgetting at the moment. Use what you have/like.
• I wanted to use more apples than the recipe called for and a 9x13 dish. So, I used about 10 med and large apples, but left the rest of the recipe measurements alone. 
• Since I really love cinnamon, I replaced the nutmeg and ginger with more of it. 
• I used my Cuisinart to make the topping. 
• Don't skip the rum - I used a Jamaican rum. It doesn't make the crumble at all boozy, but really enhances the sauce's flavor.
•  I did skip the cider. Next time I won't. More sauce. 
• Next time I may cut down on the sugar by about a third. This is about as sweet as I would want it, and that was using more apples than called for. 

* I've heard that the difference between a crisp and a crumble is that a crumble has oats in the streusel topping while a crisp does not. But I've seen crisp recipes with oats in it. So I think there is enough confusion that the two are pretty synonymous. I won't even get into varieties that have nuts in topping... or mention cobblers... or brown betties...

Happy Thanksgiving: A Plethora of Pies

Wishing you and yours the best Thanksgiving - I hope your turkey is moist, your mashed potatoes are fluffy, and your pie is a la mode!

Pies Galore!

Traditional apple

Apple Cranberry Ginger

Pecan

And Pumpkin