Tag Archives: Autumn

December 7, 2010 · 2:00 am

As American As…

Although this post is not timely, seeing as it is after Thanksgiving and not very many people make apple pie for Christmas (in our family it’s cookies all the way), I do hope you’ll look at it, file it away it your mental recipe box, and pull it out when you feel the urge to bake something hearty and patriotic, because this recipe is IT. This is some goooood eats.

On the menu:
Caramel crusted apple pie
Adapted from this recipe at AllRecipes.com

1/2 this recipe for crust (the full recipe makes enough crust for 2 whole pies)
6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/8″ thick slices
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In preparation, roll out your crusts. The bottom crust goes in the pie pan. The top crust should be rolled out in preparation with decorative shapes cut out (I used a sharp knife to cut out hearts, but you can use any shape you have; or do a lattice crust if you prefer).

After your crusts are prepared and ready to go, melt butter in a saucepan and add flour to make a paste. Add water and sugars, and stir until melted. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Place apple slices in a large bowl. First toss with cinnamon. Next, pour 1/4 cup sugar/butter mixture over apples and toss until all the slices are relatively coated. Place crust in the bottom of your pie pan. Fill crust with apples, mounded slightly [don’t worry if you think you have a TON of apples; they really cook down].

Pour* the remainder of the sugar/butter mixture over the top crust, slowly and carefully so it doesn’t spill. Bake 15 minutes at 425. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for around 35 – 45 minutes or until the edges of your crust are nicely browned.

*Note: you may have to reheat the mixture a bit at this point, as it will thicken up VERY quickly.

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November 19, 2010 · 10:25 am

She’s Off!

Dear friends and loyal readers,

I’m about to embark on a week-long vacation to the Adirondack Mountains where I will go to sleep at 9:00 every night, eat mountain favorites like pancakes, babyback ribs, and steamers until my pants literally don’t fit anymore, and hike through the snow-covered hills with a furry dog. It is pure bliss. I will also take on the task of making Thanksgiving dinner! Upon my return, I’ll have pictures and recipes of successes and failures, and a kick off to the great holiday cookie season!

Have a very happy Thanksgiving, kiddies!

The top of Bald Mountain in the Adirondacks

 

If you’re looking for resources to create that perfect meal on November 25, here are a few of my favorite spots:

Epicurious.com

AllRecipes.com (here you can enter in the ingredients you have/want and all the recipes that include those ingredients will come up!)

Pioneer Woman Cooking

Martha Stewart

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November 16, 2010 · 10:41 am

Hard Cider

A quick post today to plant a seed in your brain. An APPLE seed, if you will. I can not stop thinking about Thanksgiving. It is the high holy day of the food calendar and trumps any summer picnic, winter soup, or spring salad you can think of. It is a day dedicated to stuffing your face.

…Oh yeah. And those pilgrims or whatever.

What beverages do you serve at Thanksgiving dinner, friends? My family serves wine. Lots of it. And by the time pie is served everyone is ruddy-cheeked and spilling things in each others’ laps. It’s pretty magical.

This year, why not serve hard cider? It’s delicious, it’s seasonal, and it’ll get you drunk faster than beer. But you didn’t hear that from me.

My favorite is Bulmer’s which is only sold in Ireland, but its alternately-named twin, Magners, can be found in most grocery stores in the US and is worth a taste. It isn’t as sweet as other hard ciders (which I prefer) but still has the apple-y crisp flavor you’d expect. More here on hard cider, from the New York Times.

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November 11, 2010 · 9:29 am

Kabocha Squash

A few weeks ago I posted a recipe for butternut squash risotto, of which my boyfriend and his roommates picked out all the squash. Boys. Who understands them anyway?

So in anticipation of making dinner for a lady, I turned once more to squash for a revamp on the risotto recipe. And this time I’m turning it inside out.

This is a terrible cell phone picture; I've noticed when I'm REALLY eager to eat something my pictures come out blurry. Go figure.

On the menu:
Stuffed kabocha squash with wild rice and chicken
Serves 4
Loosely inspired by this recipe from Martha Stewart

1 large kabocha squash, quartered, seeds removed
2 Tbsp butter
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 oz. baby Portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp dried rubbed sage
Salt and pepper to taste
6 oz wild rice blend (I used an Uncle Ben’s box and threw out the seasoning packet)
3 large chicken breasts, diced into 1 inch cubes
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet, arrange squash with one cut side down. Roast until tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 40 minutes (test doneness after 40 minutes but if it isn’t tender, leave it in for another 10).

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallot, garlic, mushrooms and sage; season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add rice and 1 3/4 cups water; bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until tender, without stirring, about 25 minutes.

Heat olive oil over medium/high heat. Cook chicken until cooked all the way through and browned.

Remove rice from heat, and stir in chicken and cheese. Season stuffing with salt and pepper to taste. Plate squash, skin side down, and heap stuffing into squash quarters. Top with more grated parmesan cheese. And if you’re like my friend Meagan, grate a tiny pile of parmesan cheese on your plate and eat it with a fork. Ain’t no shame.

*Note: My boss gave me 2 gorgeous kabocha squash from her CSA, one orange and one green. You could replace the kabocha with any squash that is on the sweet side: butternut, acorn, etc. Just test the doneness of the squash when roasting after about 25 minutes so it doesn’t turn to mush.

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November 10, 2010 · 2:00 am

Sneak Peek!

Last week my lovely boss gave me three beautiful squash. One I knew was a butternut and two I had no freaking idea about. They looked like tiny pumpkins: one green and one orange. I did a quick search and discovered that they are called kabocha squash! And I can not wait to experiment with them. Tomorrow, a gorgeous recipe.

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November 9, 2010 · 9:24 am

Comfort Food

I know everyone has their own version of comfort food, and that there are also standards in this food genre: PB&J, mac and cheese, hot chocolate. All the warm fuzzies you cave to when your day isn’t going quite as planned.

I am the proud owner of a beautiful new tart pan (thanks, Aunt Cheryl!!) and was planning on making some sort of apple tart with a thin layer of cheesecake-y goodness as the crust (bear with me, it’s still in the brain-stages). But last night was colder and darker than I thought it would be, and when I got home I found out an apartment in my building had been broken into (don’t worry, Mom, I’m fine). I needed my own version of comfort food and a snuggle in my bed with an old movie. Good thing I just got back from Rochester and the fridge was stocked with it.

I took this opportunity to plug one of my favorite cold-weather spots in Rochester. If you’re ever in town you have to stop by this place cause it’s the freaking best.

Schutt’s Apple Mill 1063 Plank Road, Webster, NY. This is the kind of small-town spot that hasn’t changed in the twenty-five years I’ve called Webster “home.” They may have added a few new products and removed the rabbits (why, Schutt’s, why?!) but the bins of apples, gallons of cider, and oh-my-god-good donuts are exactly the same. I’ve tried dozens of different ciders in New York City and none of them holds a candle to Schutt’s cider.

Also, it’s worth noting that you should pick up some cheese curds while you’re here. Cheese curds are the solid parts of sour milk, and they’re totally edible and insanely delicious. When I said to my friends, “I love their donuts! And cider. And the cheese curds!”, everyone made a face. I thought I’d explain.

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October 15, 2010 · 2:00 am

Le Weekend!

Happy Friday, friends! I’m ashamed at my week of blogging, or lack thereof. Sometimes you have big plans to make ground chicken tacos and you end up eating DiGiorno instead. Pretend I never said that.

I hope you all have magical weekends, and to get you in the autumn mood here are some things that are currently on my radar.

If you’re in New York City this weekend, go to New York Magazine’s Grub Street Festival! There are so many incredible vendors that will be there, you’re sure to get a jump start on packing on that holiday weight.

I’ve always had mixed feelings on Halloween because on the one hand, it is a holiday about ghosts, monsters, and being scared (none of which I have ever enjoyed) but on the other hand, it’s about CANDY. And sweets are something I can get on board with. Look at this cake! I want to make it. So, so very much.

Are you carving pumpkins this weekend? I am! And with all the beautiful leftover seeds, I’ll be making snacks. Roasted pumpkin seeds tossed with a little salt and oil are standard and delicious, but why not try something really tasty like rosemary/sea salt, brown sugar/bacon fat, or garlic/parmesan (for this last one, roast whole cloves of garlic on the baking sheet with the seeds and then toss with grated parmesan straight out of the oven).

Speaking of pumpkins, can you believe this? It’s a tiny pie inside a tiny cake topped with a tiny cookie! Did Jesus hear my inner most dreams?!

If you’re inclined to stay indoors this weekend, check out How to Cook Your Life (a documentary about Zen food master Edward Espe Brown) or Pressure Cooker (a documentary about three high schoolers from Philly fighting for spots in a citywide cooking competition), both streaming instantly from Netflix.

And lastly, if you’re really in the mood for fall food (and if you’re not then I don’t think we can be friends anymore) check out the newest issue of Food and Wine magazine. The cover alone will make you salivate. Not that I did. I’m just saying.

Have a beautiful weekend!

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