Ten Days of Apples: Day 4 - French Apple Tart

Welcome to the fourth day of my Ten Days of Apples series! I love today's recipe. The combination os the flaky, buttery-melt-in-your-mouth crust and the tart and tangy apples brushed with apricot jam is out of this world!!! For some reason I always thought that every French dessert is super complicated and hard to make, but this recipe couldn't be simpler! I love when food looks both rustic and elegant at the same time, it somehow makes it even tastier! And that's exactly what this French Apple Tart is!

FRENCH APPLE TART

(Adapted from Ina Garten)

YOU WILL NEED:

PASTRY:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp kosher salt

12 tbs (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

1 tbs sugar

1/2 cup ice water

APPLE TOPPING:

5 - 6 granny smith apples

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbs cold unsalted butter, diced into small pieces

1/4 cup apricot jam

1 tbs apple juice (you can use water if you don't have any)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Begin by preparing the pastry. In your electric mixer bowl or food processor, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add butter and mix until the mixture resembles coarse meal. While mixing, add 1/2 cup ice water and continue mixing until dough holds together. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for a couple seconds and shape into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Next, prepare your apples. Peel the Granny Smith apples, cut each in half, then cut into thin slices. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 400 deg F.

3. Take your dough out of the fridge and roll it out into a rectangle (slightly larger than 10x14 inches) then trim all the edges so you get a neat rectangle. Then transfer it onto the sheet pan. Cut a couple of slits or prick the pastry with a fork, as it may puff up while baking.

4. Now begin arranging the apples on top of the pastry. Arrange them however you like, just make sure that they overlap. They will shrink as the tart bakes, so fill it with lots of apples! Cover the whole rectangle, leaving a thin border of pastry around the edges.

5. Sprinkle the apples with the 1/4 cup of sugar, then dot with little cubes of butter. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the edges of the pastry and the apples start to brown.

6. Once it is almost done baking, prepare the glaze that will be brushed on top of the apples. In a small pan, heat apricot jam with apple juice (or water) until hot and the jam is thinned out a little bit. Pour it through a strainer, so there are no lumps in the glaze.

7. Take the tart out of the oven, let rest for a couple of minutes, then with a pastry brush, spread the glaze on top of the apples evenly. This will give them a beautiful glow! Let cool, then serve!

Happy Baking, Everyone!

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Carbonnade a la flamande

This stew is called Carbonnade a la flamande or Beer Braised Beef Casserole and it is seriously one of THE best things I have ever cooked! The complex flavor of this dish blew me away. It is originally a Belgian classic that I cooked according to a Nigella Lawson recipe. I had never tried any of her recipes before a friend of mine and I went to the Martha Stewart show about a year ago, and Nigella was Martha's guest. We all got her new cookbook "Nigella Kitchen" at the show, and every single recipe I've tried has been amazing, this however, is my absolute favorite.

The taste that is produced when beef, onions, bacon, dark ale, mustard, brown sugar, thyme and allspice have been cooking for three hours is UNBELIEVABLE. Try it out, and you will not be disappointed! I altered the recipe slightly, and cooked the stew instead of baking it. Here's the recipe:

Beer Braised Beef Casserole

(Adapted from Nigella Lawson)

YOU WILL NEED:

1 tbs olive oil

8 slices bacon, diced into large chunks

1 large onion, diced

2 tsp dried allspice

2 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 lb boneless beef shank, cut into cubes

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 2/3 cups beef broth

4 tsp grain mustard

3 tbs light brown sugar

2 2/3 cups dark ale

4 bay leaves

1 tsp kosher salt

Pepper for seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

1. Begin by cooking your chunks of bacon on some olive oil in a large pot. You only need a little bit of olive oil since the bacon will let out its own fat. Cook for a couple minutes until it starts getting some color (don't let it get super crispy). Then add your diced onion and cook in the bacon fat until soft and translucent (cook for about 10 minutes).

2. Next, stir in the allspice and dried thyme and mix well into the bacon/onion mixture. Add the beef chunks, and cook until browned, turning them around with some tongs.

3. Now prepare the liquid mixture that will be poured into the pot. Combine beef broth, mustard, sugar and ale, and mix well with a whisk. Set aside.

4. Add 1/3 cup all purpose flour to the meat/bacon/onions and stir continually until the flour forms a paste and coats all the solids. While stirring, pour in the liquid broth mixture you prepared in the previous step.

5. Season with salt and pepper and add four bay leaves, and let everything come to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, put a lid on the pot and cook for THREE HOURS, stirring every once in a while. The stew is ready once the sauce has thickened up and the meat is tender.

*NOTE* Serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles. The flavors in the dish are even better if served the next day! You could also cook this in a Dutch oven and bake at 300 deg F for three hours.

This is the book that this recipe is from - Nigella Kitchen. I love this book, every recipe I have tried has had the most amazing flavor.

Happy Cooking, Everyone! Have a great rest of the week... the weekend is almost here, can't wait!

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Ten Days of Apples: Day 3 - Apple Crumble with Oatmeal Cookie Topping

Welcome to the third day of my Ten Days of Apples series! Today I am making an Apple Crumble with an Oatmeal Cookie Topping. This is basically like getting two desserts in one - an apple crumble AND oatmeal cookies! It's utterly delicious and smells so wonderful while it's baking! I decided to make mini crumbles, so that's what you will see in the pictures, but you could make one large one instead! This is super easy to make, and makes for the most comforting dessert!

APPLE CRUMBLE WITH OATMEAL COOKIE TOPPING

(Adapted from Betty Crocker)

YOU WILL NEED:

FILLING:

4 to 5 large apples, peeled and cut into small chunks

2 tbs light brown sugar

1 tbs granulated sugar

1 1/2 tbs lemon juice

1 tbs unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

2 tsp ground cinnamon (you can add more/less if you like)

TOPPING:

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5oz) Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie Mix

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup nuts

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare your apples first. Peel and dice them into small chunks, place in a medium sized bowl. Add sugar, lemon juice, butter and cinnamon, and mix well. Let sit for a couple of minutes, the mixture will produce a great juice that will add lots of flavor to your crumble.

2. Preheat your oven to 300 deg F. Prepare your baking dish (either a 2 quart dish or four mini dishes as I did) by spraying it with cooking spray, then put down your layer of apples on the bottom.

3. Next, prepare your crumble topping. Melt your stick of butter in a medium sized glass bowl. Then add your oatmeal cookie mix and chopped nuts, and mix well. Spread on top of your apple mixture.

4. Bake for 40 minutes, let cool for a couple minutes, then serve while still warm, with vanilla ice cream and chopped nuts on top! And this is what you end up with:

Happy Baking, Everyone!

Come back for more of my Ten Days of Apples recipes soon!

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Ten Days of Apples: Day 2 - Apple Strudel

Welcome to the second day of my Ten Days of Apples series! Ten recipes, ten different ways to use apples! The recipe I have for you today is for a quick Apple Strudel. I call it the "Almost like your grandma's Apple Strudel", because it tastes just as good as a traditional recipe but the dough is store bought! I don't know if my grandma would approve, but on a busy day, who has time to make the dough?! There are a thousand ways to make strudel, this is a highly simplified one! This strudel is comforting, and just sort of melts in your mouth! Here is my recipe:

"Almost like your grandma's"

APPLE STRUDEL

YOU WILL NEED:

(makes two small strudels)

4 apples, peeled and thinly diced and chopped into small pieces

Handful of raisins

1/4 cup breadcrumbs (unseasoned)

2 tbs sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tbs lemon juice

4 tbs melted butter

12 sheets of phyllo dough (you can also use puff pastry)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare your apples first. Peel and thinly chop them (you could grate them if you like) and place them in a large bowl. Add your raisins (you can add whatever amount you like in your strudel, or could substitute with nuts), sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice, and mix until all the apples are coated with the seasoning.

2. Preheat your oven to 350 deg F, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Now you will need your phyllo dough. Follow the instructions on the package (don't forget to spread each layer with melted butter) and once you are ready to use the dough, place your sheets one on top of the other on a clean kitchen towel (this will help the rolling). Since this recipe is for two strudels, prepare two sets of phyllo sheets.

3. Using a brush, spread melted butter on both of the top sheets of phyllo. Then, sprinkle a thin layer of breadcrumbs on each (this will prevent the apple juices from running as it will absorb them.

4. Divide your apple mixture in half, and spread over your two sets of phyllo dough. Leave about a half inch border around the apples. Then, begin rolling, starting on the long side. Tuck the ends under so your apples don't fall out.

5. Brush melted butter on the tops of your strudels, then bake for about 40 - 50 minutes, or until your strudels are golden brown.

And that's it! Quick and easy, but still delicious! Happy Baking, Everyone!

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Ten Days of Apples: Day 1 - Apple Bread

I am starting a TEN DAYS OF APPLES series on my blog today! Apples are one of my favorite ingredients to use in cooking and baking, and since they are in season now, there are so many wonderful varieties of apples at farmers' markets and in stores. So over the next couple of weeks, I will post ten of my favorite ways to use apples, and hopefully give you some good ideas for how you can use them in new ways!

The first recipe I have for you is for a delicious Apple Bread. It's sweet with a slight tartness added by the apples, and is so fragrant when it bakes! It makes for a great afternoon snack or breakfast on the go! It's a perfect fall bread, with the chunky tart apples (I like to use Granny Smith apples), apple sauce and cinnamon flavors! And what's ever better - there's no fat in this recipe! No butter, no oil... which makes it even better! So here goes:

APPLE BREAD

(Makes one loaf)

YOU WILL NEED:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup apple sauce (you could substitute for oil here)

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 apples (peeled and diced into small chunks)

*You could add walnuts or raisins if you like

DIRECTIONS:

1. In your mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (minus the sugar) and mix well.

2. In another bowl, combine sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and apple sauce, and mix until well combined. Next, fold in the diced apples.

3. Preheat your oven to 350 deg F. While mixing, add the apple mixture to the flour mixture.

4. Line your loaf pan with parchment paper, and pour your bread batter in. Bake for one hour or until a tooth pick inserted into the bread comes out clean.

Happy baking, Everyone! I hope you all have a great week!

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A day at the farm...

This is one of my favorite places to go in this area (well, it's three hours away from where we are in NJ, but close enough!) - it's called Rohrbach Farm and it's where we go to get our pumpkins in the fall! I've been married for a little over two years now (time flies!) so this is our third fall going to this farm and it's become one of our favorite traditions - and worth driving three hours to!!! Here are some pictures from our day at the farm and at Knoebels which is just around the corner!

It was a day of picking pumpkins, walking around the Covered Bridge Festival at Knoebels, shopping and eating some great food!

On the hayride up to the pumpkin patch. My husband makes fun of me because he gets a pumpkin up there but I get mine all nice and clean down at the farm shop. I'm a city girl. I can't help it.

With my husband on the hayride!

AMAZING food - Beef Vegetable Soup and the best Apple Dumplings I've ever had.

Yes, another picture of the Apple Dumplings. They are so good they deserve another picture.

Some of the pumpkins down at the farm shop (they have a great gift shop inside!)

Knoebels Amusement Park

The Fudge Kitchen at Knoebels

There was a huge Covered Bridge Festival at Knoebels today, and this was one of the craft stands - all the beautiful flower products are made of stale bread!!! I thought it was amazing!

If you are ever in the area (the farm is in Catawissa, PA) you should definitely stop by, you won't be disappointed! Well, I'm off to start decorating with all my new pumpkins and to eat some chestnuts from the farm that we just roasted! Have a great weekend, everybody!

Plum Cake

Happy first day of October, everyone! We had a big storm here last night and it seems like it brought the cool weather - finally! It has been such a busy week and today was the first day in a while that I had nothing to do! I love that feeling! Time to do some baking...!

This is a great coffee cake that's easy to make and tastes great! The combination of the sweet cake and the tart plums works really well. You could use apricots instead of plums for this recipe, but they had beautiful looking plums at the store this week so that's what I used! I hope you like this recipe as much as I do!

PLUM CAKE

YOU WILL NEED:

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 lb prune plums

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, prepare your plums. You will need a pound of prune plums. Wash them, cut in half and take the pits out.

2. In your electric mixer bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and sugar. Continue mixing and add your butter, eggs and milk, until a smooth, sticky dough forms.

3. Next, line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350 deg F. Press your dough into the pan, it will be very sticky so keep your fingers wet to evenly spread the dough.

4. Arrange your plums on top of the dough spreading them out evenly, and pushing them into the dough.

5. Bake for 40 minutes, let chill before eating (best eaten the same day). You can sprinkle the cake with some powdered sugar if you'd like some extra sweetness!

Happy Baking, Everyone!

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