Caramel Apple Pie

Hi all,

I made this first for Thanksgiving with the hubby's family. I was rushed and nervous, had trouble rolling out the dough, ended up making more dough at the last minute, but successfully threw it all together. I was privy to the first slice and when I took my first bite, I glared at hubby and said "you better go get your own, because you're not having any of mine." He rushed over to get some and was glad he did. It disappeared.

I'm not a big baker, but this is worth making. It's the best apple pie I've ever had.

This recipe is a compilation of tips from my mother and the recipe found here.

Crust Ingredients:

-1 1/2 cups Crisco

-1 tsp salt

-2 tsp milk

-1/2 cup boiling water

-4 cups flour

Note: I don't make the traditional crust with butter. I make a "hot water crust" with Crisco, (super easy). It turns out thicker, which I think is more rustic and country-style. It's not a crust that you make look pretty, it's something you throw over a huge pile of apples and caramel and balances out all the different sugars. Also, this will make extra dough. You only need 3/4 of it at max. I recommend making the top layer thicker than you normally would, but I just love crust.

Crust Directions:

1. Dump Crisco, salt, and milk in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over. Stir or whisk until creamy and fluffy (I used a fork to begin, and a whisk to finish it).

2. Pour in the flour. Using a spatula, make broad, round strokes to integrate the flour. When crumbly, use hands to finish mixing, but don't over-knead it. Place in freezer while preparing filling (about 30 min) or fridge overnight.

Pie Ingredients:

-1/2 cup brown sugar

-1/4 cup butter

-5 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced into thin pieces-1/3 cup flour

-2/3 cup sugar

-3 tbs flour

-1 tsp lemon juice

-2 tsp ground cinnamon

-20 caramel pieces, halved

-milk & sugar to brush over pie

Pie Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. To Make Taffy: In a small bowl combine brown sugar, melted butter or margarine, and 1/3 cup flour. Mix well and set aside.
3. To Make Apple Filling: Place apples in a large bowl. Add white sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Toss until all ingredients are mixed well and apples are thoroughly coated. Feel free to add a bit more sugar
   and cinnamon to taste.
4. Split pastry into halves. Use 1/4 for the bottom and 1/2 for the top. Use the rest for mini pies filled with jam! Roll out bottom of pastry and place in pie-dish (deep dish is better).
5. Spoon half of apple filling into pan. Top with half of caramels and half of taffy mixture. Repeat process with remaining apple filling, caramels and taffy mixture.
   
6. Roll out top of pastry and place over pie. Seal well!!! (Important to prevent caramel from boiling out!) Cut off excess pastry.
7. Cut steam vents and brush top crust with milk and sugar.
8. Cover pie with foil and place on a baking sheet (important!). Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil from pie and bake for another half hour or so, until crust is golden. The thicker your crust, the longer it will take. Serve warm.

ENJOY!

Frozen Lemon Souffle

I got this from one of those little Martha Stewart's "Everyday Foods" magazines (they're AWESOME!). Made it for 4th of July. Originally to be topped with only raspberries, but why not add some blackberries and blueberries to make it more festive, eh?!

Ingredients:

• 1 c granulated sugar
• 1 TBS finely grated lemon zest + 3/4 c lemon juice (From 3 lemons)
• 8 large eggs, whites and yolks separated
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup cold heavy cream
• 1.5 c raspberries (6 oz)
• confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Recipe:

1. Wrap outside of a 3.5 c. souffle mold or 4 6-oz ramekins with parchment, extending 2-3 inches above rim (it should fit snugly). Secure with tape; set aside. Note: I just used whatever souffle pan i had available :) and did not put the parchment paper since it didn't overflow like it would in the 3.5 c souffle
2. In a medium saucepan, whisk together granulated sugar, lemon zest and juice, egg yolks, and salt over medium-high. Cook, whisking constantly until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and small bubbles form around edge of pan, about 5 min (do not boil). Immediately remove from heat while continuing to whisk. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl, pressing on lemon curd with a rubber spatula. Note: I squeezed 3 lemons but didn't have 3/4 c. of lemon juice, so just used whatever came out (might be why it was so sweet)
3. Place plastic wrap directly against surface of curd and refrigerate until cool, about 30 min (up to overnight). Note: I just let it sit in the fridge for 30 min.
4. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whits on high until stiff peaks form, about 2 min. Gently fold egg whites into cooled lemon curd. In the same large bowl, beat cream on high until stiff peaks form, 1-2 min. Gently fold whipped cream into lemon curd mixture. Pour into mold and freeze until firm, 6 hours (or up to overnight). To serve, remove parchment, top with raspberries, and dust with confectioners' sugar. Note: I let it sit overnight and added blueberries and blackberries to the mix to make it red/white/blue for Independence Day
   

Red Velvet Cake Balls

After Song-My shared the link for Cake Balls, I knew I had to try it. I love cute, bite-sized versions of anything, especially red velvet cake! These looked so fun to make and yummy to eat. I brought them to a birthday party and they were devoured immediately...it was a hit!

I used the recipe from here: http://www.bakerella.com/red-velvet-cake-balls/

• 1 box red velvet cake mix
  
• 1 can frosting (16 oz.)
• 1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
• wax paper

Forming the balls:
After baking the red velvet cake mix (I bought mine at Safeway) in a 13x9 cake pan as directed on the box, let the cake cool before using a fork to crumble the entire cake. Place the crumbled cake and frosting (I used vanilla) into a large bowl, and mix. Form balls with the mixture (about the size of golf balls) on a cookie sheet, making them compact so they don't fall apart. This makes about 24 balls. Place them in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Dipping the balls:

Break apart and melt half a bar of chocolate with a few drops of cooking oil in a small bowl in the microwave for 20 seconds and stir. Reheat if necessary to get a smooth consistency.


Using two forks, roll a cake ball into the chocolate and coat evenly. Place on a cookie sheet with wax paper. Refrigerate or freeze until chocolate hardens.

• 
  

Comments & Tips:

• After trying three types of chocolate, I decided Hershey's Creamy Symphony Milk Chocolate was the best in terms of smoothness/consistency
• Melting half a bar of chocolate at a time allowed for better handling because the chocolate tends to be more difficult to work with as it cools
• Making compact balls, as well as refrigerating/freezing, is important because the balls may crumble slightly into the chocolate mixture which would be difficult to reform
• Although the Cake Balls turned out delicious, they were too sweet for me to eat any more than 2. The plan for next time is to use semi-sweet chocolate and/or less frosting (or homemade frosting made with less sugar).

Enjoy!

Chum Cioppino & Friend Fondue

This past weekend nothing really went as planned. It was the weekend epitome of "life is what happens when you are making plans." Planned to go to Tahoe...bowed out of that. Planned to go to the MOMA and get Irish Coffee in SF...weather ruined that. Overall, though, the weekend turned out quite nice, even though nothing was according to plan. Sometimes the best things happen when being spontaneous, which was exactly this meal. Again, I "planned" to have a girls sleepover, but friends ended up being sick or just being able to make dinner. So I decided to invite a few girlfriends over for a bit o'chatting (aka gossiping) and sharing a wonderful meal.

I've never had cioppino but I've seen friends order it at restaurants and it looked quite scrumptious. Plus, the appeal of a one-pot meal with minimal preparation was quite enticing. Ok, I take that back, the minimal preparation is ONLY true if you buy peeled and deveined shrimp (which I HIGHLY recommend). Too bad I didn't. I admit, at first it was pretty gross

to literally extract the poop from shrimp, but you get the hang of it after while or an hour...agh.

This dish was really yummy and even more so the next day after the flavors married. It makes a TON, so definitely use it for a multi-person meal.

Comrade Cioppino

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

• 3/4 cup butter (next time I would use EVOO just to a little healthier)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 cups white wine (I used Vermouth - do not use a sweet white wine).

1/4 cup of fish stock or a bottle of clam juice

• 1 pounds large shrimp - peeled and deveined
• 18 small clams
• 18 mussels, cleaned and debearded
• 1 pounds cod fillets, cubed
• 
  

1) Over medium-low heat melt butter or heat EVOO in a large stockpot. Add onion, garlic and parsley and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is soft and translucent.

2) Add tomatoes and break down with spoon. Add chicken broth, bay leaves, basil, thyme, oregano and wine and fish stock or clam juice. Mix well. Cover and simmer for an hour.

3) Stir in clams, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until clams open.

4) Stir in mussels, shrimp and cod and simmer for another 5 minutes until shrimp are cooked through and the mussels open. The shrimp are cooked when their color turns pink and they curl.

5) Ladle into bowls and serve immediately. Discard any clams and mussels that did not open.

For dessert I stuck with the "one-pot" theme and made a simple, yet delicious chocolate fondue. You do not need a fondue pot in order to make fondue or a mini-burner to keep it warm. The great thing about this recipe is that it makes SO much that the fondue stays warm and liquidy long after taking it off the stove-top.

I ended up with about 4 cups of leftover fondue and this is AFTER four girls made a huge dent in the fondue. So I recommend either cutting the recipe in half or using the leftovers to make

chocolate truffles, which I ended up doing.

Friend Fondue

Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com

32 ounces of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/3 cup of brewed coffee
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I didn't have any on hand so I substituted a little less than 1 tsp of almond extract).
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/3 cup hot water

1) In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate with the heavy cream. Mix in the coffee, vanilla extract, sugar, and hot water. Continue to heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is smooth.

2) We used the following goodies to dip in the fondue: strawberries, bananas, apples, pound cake

and pretzels

Chocolate Truffles from Fondue Leftovers:

If like me, you have a ton of fondue left over, then refrigerate overnight.

1) Take cold leftovers and form into truffle balls using a teaspoon. I recommend lightly flowering your hands and working quickly with the truffles so there isn't a sticky and chocolaty mess.

2) After forming your truffles, place back into refrigerator for another hour. Because the fondue had a lot of cream, the truffles will always be a bit soft. I coated my truffles in cocoa powder and toasted coconut. I stored them in a large tupperware, separating each layer with wax paper.

A Smitten Feast

Last week?...Two weeks ago? (whoa, time flies) I put together an impromptu dinner party with some close friends. The dinner party sort of snowballed from my impulse to make these two dishes that I have been eying for quite some time. The problem was that I could not consume these two dishes by my lonesome. I take that back. I definitely COULD consume these two dishes by my lonesome, but I really shouldn't and definitely not in one sitting. Henceforth, The Impromptu Dinner Party was born! Problem was, however, after inviting a few friends, I figured I will have to make MORE food. Well, not so much a problem, because I love to cook but a conundrum because I want to make sure that there is enough food to fill everyone, but not SO much food that I could have TWO impromptu dinner parties. Overall, I think it was a success! It was my first dinner that I have every hosted by myself and cooked every dish. Sort of a mini-challenge. At one point I had to make a timeline of when I would begin each dish so that most of everything would be ready to consume when the party-goers arrived.

I pulled all of the recipes, minus one, from www.smittenkitchen.com. (hence, the name of the post =) I love this blog and I always highly recommend it! Because of the many recipes I used for the party, I will just post the links to each recipe and then add comments if I changed anything.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/chicken-with-forty-cloves-of-garlic/

*So incredibly good. The chicken turned out so moist and the juices from the chicken/garlic made an awesome gravy over the dish. I recommend using even MORE than 40 cloves of garlic.

White Bean Roasted Red Pepper Dip: http://sm

ittenkitchen.com/2007/08/dorkalicious/

*A great and easy-peasy dip recipe. PLEASE drain the juices from the roasted red peppers. If not, it will make the dip very liquidy. This happened to me, so I added extra can of beans, which thickened it up nicely. Also recommend adding Hot Sauce/Chihula sauce to your taste. Adds a nice kick!

Pearl Couscous w/Olives & Roasted Tomatoes: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/07/pearly-whites/

*One of my favorite go to recipes on this blog. Although it's easy and quite h

ands off, it does take a while to roast the tomatoes (which you can do ahead of time) and cook/cool the couscous. Highly recommend for a potluck dish cause you serve it cold and can be made ahead of time.

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms: http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/12/garlic-butter-roasted-

mushrooms/

*Probably the biggest hit of the night. Again, a super easy and very hands off recipe. You don't even need to chop the mushrooms. Oh, I bought a jar of ready-to-use minced garlic, cause it is one of my pet peeves to chop/mince garlic. Seriously saves my sanity when cooking. If I possessed foresight I would have doubled this recipe because it was that good. Use bread to dip in the sauce.

Barley Risotto w/Butternut Squash: http://gastronomyblog.com/2011/01/14/barley-risotto-with-butternut-squash-and-fried-sage/

*I love risotto and I love butternut squash so this was the perfect combination. I didn't make the fried sage leaves...seemed too time consuming for such a small accent to the dish. Next time I would have roasted the butternut squash pieces for less time cause mine started to caramelize (which isn't bad at all!), but for this recipe I would have preferred just soft cubes. I love barely because it has more a bite to it than using arborio rice in a traditional risotto. I'd like to think that this is a slightly healthier version of risotto.

Vanilla Roasted Pears w/Vanilla Bean Ice Cream: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/12/vanilla-roasted-pears/

*I've wanted to try roasted pears for quite some time because it seems so easy. It was easy, but I was sort of underwhelmed by the flavor. It seemed to lack a balance between the vanilla flavor and the pears. More pear-y than vanilla-y. And the pears didn't soften up that much even though I kept them in the oven for quite some time. I think I would recommend making them in a small baking dish or using more pears so that they almost touch when they are baking. Would have used a little more butter and vanilla in order to hike up the flavor and increase the sauce.

Gotta admit, it was exhausting to cook all this food but I would love to host another dinner party...in the far...far...future =) Well, maybe this month =)

Michael Jackson Brownies (aka Blondies)

(Click for a larger picture)

Blondies are basically chocolate chip cookies that have the consistency of brownies (get it? brownies vs. blondies!). They are a bit doughier than brownies are, but they are delicious. I've made this twice with my friends already and each time, we eat way more than we should, but we don't feel too guilty about it because we cut the pieces small and hey, they're delicious, have I mentioned that? They are also really easy, simple, and quick to make.

I got the recipe off of smittenkitchen.com. These blondies are pretty rich, like brownies, and they don't require any baking soda or powder because they don't need to rise. As a result, they are very dense and doughy.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (1/2 c) unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 cup flour
• See recipe link (here) for other additions, like chocolate chips (my preference), butterscotch chips, nuts, etc.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Melt the butter, add in sugar, then eggs, then vanilla.
3. Add flour and salt
4. Add additives
5. Butter a 8x8 inch pan (I use a 12x13 pan because I don't have an 8x8, but I double the recipe)
6. Spread batter onto the pan evenly. It should be about 1 inch thick.
7. Bake 20-25 minutes, but don't bake too long or they will become dry. I usually take them out at 20 minutes, when the top looks dry and flaky, and a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Crème Caramel

This recipe came from "The New Best Recipe" cookbook, which I receive as a gift from a close family. My sister's favorite dessert is creme brulee, however that particular recipe looked a little too advanced for me. Right before it came this simple looking recipe (containing few steps and ingredients we all have in our kitchens). This recipe turned out was simple, delicious and difficult to fail! I invite you all to give it a try. Hope you enjoy it! Happy baking!

Caramel:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tbsp light corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp juice from 1 lemon

Custard

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups light cream
• 3 large egg, plus 2 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

Make sure you have about 8 ramekins, dish towels, and a baking pan.

For caramel:

1. Bring the sugar, water, corn syrup, and lemon juice to a simmer, without stirring, over medium-high heat, until the syrup turns a golden color (about 8 mins). Then you can begin to swirl the pan gently and constantly until it becomes a honey-caramel color and large and slow bubbles appear (another 3-4 mins). 

2. Remove the pan from heat, and working quickly but carefully, pour a portion of the caramel into ungreased ramekins.

3. Allow caramel to cool and harden (about 15 mins).

For custard:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat the milk and cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until steam appears (or until the mixture is 160 degrees). Takes about 6-8 mins. Then remove from heat.

3. Gently whisk the eggs, yolks, and sugar in a large bowl until combined.

4. Off the heat, gently whisk the two mixtures together until just combined but not foamy. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or container with a pouring spout. Set aside.

5. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a kettle. Fold a dish towel to fit the the bottom of a large baking dish, or roasting pan.

6. Set the ramekins on top of the dish towel in the pan. Divide the reserved custard mixture among the ramekins. Fill the pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the entire pan loosely with aluminum foil so steam can still escape.

7. Bake until a paring knife inserted in the center of the custard comes out clean (about 35-40 mins). Cool to room temperature. Then store in the refrigerator.

To unmold, slide a knife around the perimeter of each ramekin. Hold a serving plate over the top of the ramekin and invert. Shake the ramekin gently to release the custard. Serve immediately!

Note: I've used this recipe twice. In the first trial, I forgot to use aluminum foil, which elongated the bake time by about an hour. In addition, there was a slightly thick film on top. I definitely appreciated the foil the second time around. The creme caramel was much lighter, however in both trials, after unmolding the creme caramel, there was hardened layer of caramel that didn't leave the ramekin. I wish I had an explanation for this, but I'm still in search of the answer. Lastly, too anxious to wait, Song-My, my sister and I tried the custard warm, and it was just as smooth, light and delicious!

Coconut Macaroons

If you like coconut, then you will love these cookies. If you don't like coconut, then be prepared to be converted. I found this recipe by accident as I was flipping through Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything", trying to get to the index. They are seriously the easiest cookie you will ever make and they are always a big hit. Like Bittman's minimalist trademark, these coconut macaroons require few ingredients but they pack a wonderful flavor on your palette. They are a perfect balance of being both moist and toasty. Just always keep some dried coconut on hand and you will never be at a lose for what to make for your next office potluck or holiday presents =)

Coconut Macaroons

Yield About 2 dozen

Time About 45 minutes, plus time to chill

Mark Bittman

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
• 3 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

Method

• 1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with a rubber spatula or your hands or a fork (eventually I always get in with my hands).
• 2. Use a non-stick baking sheet, or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Wet your hands and form 1 to 2 tablespoon balls. To form a dome like shape, I take a tablespoon utensil, dip it in water and grab a tablespoon of the mixture, then scrape it along the side of the bowl to flatten out the bottom. Then I tap the bottom of the tablespoon over the baking sheet so that the dome falls onto the parchment paper. Repeat and remember to frequently dip the tablespoon into water so the macaroon does not stick.
• 3. Place each macaroon about an inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake until light brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before eating. These keep well in a covered container for up to 3 days (if they last that long =).

Tip:

• For an even more decadent treat you can melt chocolate and spoon it over the macaroons.

Ginger Crinkle Cookies

I'm posting this right after the holidays, when I just cooked no less than 5 batches of these ginger crinkles in a week. They are *that* good. And also - I had an entire bottle of molasses, and what do you do with molasses if not use them for ginger-flavored desserts?

These are soft, moist cookies with a gingerbread flavor, but a chewier texture than ginger snap cookies. My sister sent me the recipe from a cooking blog called the Homesick Texan, which I want to explore more when I have time.

Original link: http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2009/12/ginger-crinkles-recipe.html

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 cup sugar for dipping

*Note: I put in extra ginger and molasses to make it extra moist + flavorful. Also, the original recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar but I liked it better with 3/4 cup.


Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the oil, sugar, egg and molasses. Mix together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger and add to the liquid ingredients.

Roll dough into walnut size balls (about 1/2 a tablespoon) and dip into sugar.

Bake at 350 until slightly brown for about 15 min. Make sure not to over-bake! I preferred to take out the cookies after 13 minutes so that they were softer.


Makes about 2 dozen cookies.