Rustic Apple Raisin Tart

I can't believe October is more than halfway over . . . we've been enjoying beautiful, hot weather into the fall and we're getting into the swing of things with Big in Kindergarten and my maternity leave being over.

Mini literally in the swing - her new favorite activity

She can sit!  Playtime has improved by leaps and bounds

Lots of bike riding on the cul de sac

A trip to Disneyland for Daddy's birthday

And a highlight was Big being the rebel spy in Star Tours

I also made a new apple dessert for Daddy's birthday - the Rustic Apple Tart below.  Middle helped me be the "cooker" and she chose to add the raisins.  We served it with vanilla ice cream and I thought it turned out great!

Rustic Apple Raisin Tart (serves 6)

adapted from Fine Cooking

One pie crust, unbaked
4 cups thinly sliced apples (I used Granny Smith)
1T - 1/4 c. sugar (depends on the tartness of your apples - I used about a tablespoon)
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 T flour
big pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
2 T turbinado sugar (or white sugar)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the apples, raisins, vanilla, cinnamon, flour and salt.  Roll out your pie crust into a big round and put it on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Heap the apple filling into the middle of the pie crust.  Fold an edge of the dough into the middle over the apples.  Work your way around the tart, pleating the dough as you go.

Using a pastry brush, evenly coat the exposed dough with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the sugar.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the dough is lightly brown and the apples are soft.  Cut into wedges and serve.

Cinnamon Apple Cake

Let me start by saying that fruity desserts don't excite me as much as something chocolate, caramel, or otherwise decadent.  And apple cake?  Ehh, I've had it.  But this?  This cake was amazing.  I'm making it for a second time in less than a month.  It could work for a brunch - it's a little like coffee cake - or it's great with a cup of after dinner coffee.

When I made it and poured it into the pan, I told my husband to come taste the leftover batter in the bowl - it was seriously delicious batter and the cake didn't disappoint.  I made it a day ahead, covered it, and served it the next night and it was moist and perfect.


Cinnamon Apple Cake (serves 10)
Original recipe and great photos here

• 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups chopped peeled Fuji apples (about 2 large)
• Cooking spray
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon.  Take 2 Tablespoons of that mixture, and put it in a bowl with the apples.  Stir and let it set while you do the rest.
• 
  
•  eat 1.5 cups sugar, butter, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed until well-blended (about 4 minutes).  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.  Stir apple mixture into the batter.
• 
  
• Pour batter into a 9 inch springform pan that has been coated with cooking spray (or buttered).  Sprinkle the top with the remaining cinnamon mixture.
• 
  
• Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan.  Cool completely on a wire rack.  Cut with a serrated knife.

Apple picking in Oak Glen

I don't think we're going to make it to a pumpkin patch this year - we'll probably end up getting ours from Trader Joes or one of those concrete parking lot "patches" nearby - but we did have a fun fall outing over the weekend.  Some friends told us about going to Oak Glen to pick apples (how have I never heard of this until recently, by the way?) and we decided to do the same on our way to Palm Desert.  Oak Glen is located over a mile above sea level in Yucaipa, about 20 minutes from the 10 freeway.  There are several little farms, restaurants, hiking trails, markets, and other attractions.  I picked Los Rios Rancho because they allow you to pick apples during the week instead of just on Saturday and Sunday.  You could also pick your own pumpkins and a family who was just leaving had picked strawberries and raspberries which I'm assuming are at the end of their picking season.  The cider press wasn't open that day so my original idea of fresh cider didn't pan out (it's readily available to buy, we  just couldn't press the apples we picked that day) but we're enjoying our fresh apples!

The actual apple picking was easy for the kids - lots of low-hanging fruit (literally, not in the figurative sense) and we got to pick Rome apples which are a little tart, crisp, and good for baking.  It was $20 for a peck (about 10 lbs) and it took us about 15-20 minutes to fill our bag.

We had yummy tri-tip sandwiches with cole slaw and fresh apple cider for lunch.  Fun outing - I'd do it again!

Check out this website for all sorts of information on Oak Glen.
If you don't want to make the drive, Wolfes Market in Claremont carries Oak Glen cider.

Los Rios Rancho
39611 Oak Glen Road #13
Yucaipa, CA 92399

In Palm Desert, we had to bake something with our fresh apples and decided on turnovers.  They were delicious and super easy.

Apple Turnovers (serves 8)

1 lb of apples (2 medium) peeled, cored, and diced
1 T flour
2 T unsalted butter
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 T sugar
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1 egg, separated
1 pkg (17.3 oz) frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss diced apples with flour.  Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add apples, raisins, sugar, lemon juice, and ginger.  Cook, stirring, 4-5 minutes or until apples are tender.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Stir in egg yolk.

Unfold one pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Roll out slightly to measure 11 inches square.  With a pizza cutter (or sharp knife), cut into 4 equal squares.  Spoon 1/4 cup of the apple mixture into the center of one square.  Brush the edges with the egg white.  Fold in half diagonally to form a triangle.  Use a fork to crimp the edges to seal and transfer to an ungreased baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper).  Repeat.  Bake at 400 degrees for 14-15 minutes until puffed and nicely browned on top.  While the first 4 turnovers bake, repeat rolling, filling, and folding with the remaining pastry sheet, ingredients, and egg white.

Remove turnovers from pans to wire rack to cool, 10 minutes.

Appx 330 cal/serving.

Fall Pies

Two pies in three weeks . . . I'm on a roll!  I usually don't make pies but I've felt like it lately and I thought I'd share these with you as we head into the holiday season.  What's your favorite pie or pie memory?

First up, sour cream apple pie:  Two apple pie lovers had birthdays in October - my uncle Joe and my husband.  I made my first apple pie in a long, long time for the two of them.  I have this thing where I don't like making pies with a top crust so this recipe with the streusel topping was perfect.  My streusel topping didn't turn out too pretty but I thought the sour cream apple filling was delicious.  

Sour Cream Apple Pie (8 servings)

Filling:

1 cup sour cream

2/3 cup sugar

2 T flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

3 c. peeled, sliced tart apples (about 1.25lbs)

1 9 inch unbaked pie shell, chilled in the fridge for 30 minutes (or frozen)

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup butter, room temperature 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix together the topping ingredients until they resemble coarse crumbs.  Chill until needed in the recipe.

Beat together the sour cream, sugar, flour, salt, vanilla and egg (by hand or with a mixer).  Add apples, mixing carefully to coat well.

Put filling into pie shell and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with the crumb topping.  Bake for 20 more minutes.

Let cool and hour before serving.

Next, a free form (galette?) persimmon apple pear pie:  I was on my way back from a Sunday run and had to stop at farmer's market when I saw beautiful Fuyu persimmons.  I looked at a bunch of recipes and couldn't decide what to make, so I made up my own with some fall fruit, spices, and ended up with a rustic pie / tart of sorts.  No photo, sadly, but it turned out pretty good.  I think it would be even better with the homemade cinnamon ice cream my mom made yesterday.  And, some toasted nuts or dried fruit (currants or raisins or cranberries?) would be a nice addition to the filling.  My husband suggested a caramel drizzle on top.

Persimmon Pear Apple Pie (6 servings)

1 pie crust, unbaked

3 fuyu persimmons, cut into 1/2 in chunks

1 pear, cut into 1/2 in chunks

1/2 Granny Smith apple, diced

1 tsp flour

1 T orange zest

scant 1/4 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. cloves

Optional:  Beaten egg and sugar 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Roll out your pie crust and place on parchment paper or silpat on a baking sheet.  Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.  Heap in the center of the pie crust.  Spread it out a little bit, leaving an edge of pie crust about two inches all around.  Fold the pie crust up over the filling, pleating as necessary, leaving the filling exposed in the middle (does this make sense?  I wish I had taken a photo . . . check out this - looks similar to the shape etc. of my pie )  

If you want to, brush the crust with your egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for about a hour - until crust is nicely browned and fruit is soft and bubbly.  Let the pie sit for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.

Apple Cranberry Muffins

So, the other morning big sister took a picture of her oatmeal before eating it.  I was so proud.  I'll have to get her a shirt to match the one I have that says "I take pictures of my food" (thanks, Steph!).

The garden, which I can't take any credit for, is growing every day.  There might not be any carrots or radishes left when they're actually ready to eat because big sister "checks" their progress by pulling up a few very often.

The little one isn't so little!  She's standing up and very proud of herself for doing so.  She can't get back down (yet) but I'm sure she'll be walking before her first birthday!

I've been in a baking mood again . . . maybe the running I've been doing, maybe the rainy weather in May but this was the latest new recipe.

Apple Cranberry Muffins (1 dozen)

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1.5 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 egg white
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 cup peeled, chopped apples
1/2 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and oats.  In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter, eggs, milk, and sour cream or yogurt.  Mix.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  Then add the apples and cranberries.  Scoop into muffin liners and sprinkle the tops with a little brown sugar.  Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal

I'm working on eliminating the sugar from our mornings.  I love pastries and the two amazing bakeries in Claremont are super tempting.  Add to this my daughter's love of cereal (I don't even buy very sugary cereal but she loves anything remotely sweet - even the Barbara's Puffins), pancakes and waffles and you get the picture.  Right now, my daughter isn't wanting any eggs so we're back to oatmeal as a healthful alternative to the sugary carbs.

If your family likes sweet stuff too, try this oatmeal recipe.  There's no added sugar but it tastes delicious.  Boiling the raisins, apple, juice and cinnamon with the oats is key to good flavor.  I didn't grow up eating oatmeal so I'm not used to the instant packets and they don't appeal to me.  And, let's face it:  old fashioned oats really don't take that long.  If you want less of the natural sugar (or don't care if it's as sweet), use all water and no apple juice.  You can also top with nuts to increase the protein.

What less sugary breakfast foods will your kids eat??

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal (3 servings)

3/4 cup rolled oats
1 small apple, diced
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. raisins
3/4 c. apple juice (optional)
1 T ground flax seed (optional)

In a small sauce pan, combine the apple, cinnamon, and raisins with 3/4 c. water and the apple juice and bring to a boil.  Stir in the oats.  Reduce heat to medium and cook until most of the water is absorbed and the oats are soft.  Stir in the flax seed (if you want to).  Serve immediately.
*GF if you have gluten-free oats

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Hooray for some cooler weather!  This is a great fall soup - sweeter than other butternut squash soups that I've made but filling and tasty.  It served 3 adults and I was wishing there was a little more.  It would be easy to double the recipe.  If you do that, don't overdo it with the broth - just enough to cover the squash and you can add more later if the soup is too thick.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup (2-4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (I think mine was about 2 lbs)

1 gala apple, peeled and diced

1 small onion, diced

4 cups (or more) vegetable broth

1/4 c. apple juice

1 T. butter

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and nutmeg and saute until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the squash, 4 c. vegetable broth, apple, and apple juice.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) until squash and apple are tender, about 30 minutes.  

Puree soup in a blender and return to the pot (I used my hand blender right in the pot, off of the heat).  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Bring it back to a simmer.  Thin the soup with more broth if it's thicker than you'd like it to be.

Breakfast for my Biggest Fan

My husband is my biggest fan.  He doesn't regularly read this blog, but he inspires ideas for recipes, compliments my cooking on a regular basis, and overlooks the grocery bills.  When we first got married, he did a lot of the cooking because I wasn't the greatest cook.  I owe a lot of my improvement in that area to his constructive criticism:  "This is really good but it would be even better if you . . . "

Since my husband loves baked apple desserts (apple pie, apple fritters, apple crisps etc.), for his birthday breakfast this year, I tried to recreate a baked apple pancake that we had in a restaurant awhile back. It turned out really good, but super sweet.  Next time, I think I might skip the butter & cinnamon sugar that I put on the top and serve it with a little maple syrup on the side.

Happy birthday honey!

Baked Apple Pancake (4 servings)

3 T unsalted butter (divided)
2 medium Gala apples, peeled and thinly sliced
3 eggs
1/4 c. brown sugar (divided)
pinch of salt
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in an ovenproof skillet.  Add the apple slices and heat until tender, about 8-10 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and stir to combine.  Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, salt, milk & flour in a bowl.  Pour over the apples in the skillet.  Bake in the oven until puffy, about 10 minutes. While the pancake is baking, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and the cinnamon.

Remove the puffed pancake from the oven, dot with 1 tablespoon of butter that you've cut into small pieces, and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.  Put it back into the oven for another 10 minutes, until browned.   Slice and serve.

Is it fall, finally?

First, a public service announcement: Do NOT leave wooden spoons too close to gas burners. They will ignite. Your house may smell like a camp fire in a fall-ish way and your 2 year old will be amused, but it is ultimately dangerous.

Now, back to regularly scheduled programming.

It finally feels like fall here - I wore a sweatshirt to the gym this morning, put my daughter in jeans and lace up shoes (tennis shoes? sneakers? what do you call them?) and made soup for dinner . . . hooray! I made this lentil soup and added spicy chicken sausage at the end until it was warmed through. Yum.

This is one of the first desserts that I "made up" all on my own soon after we were married. I haven't made it in years but it sounded like a nice fall complement to our dinner and I had all the ingredients on hand. I drastically reduced the sugar from the old recipe and tonight, I used all whole wheat flour for the topping (and to toss with the apples) but you can use all regular flour and increase the sugar if it's too tart for you.

It turned out good with the changes but you might like a little more topping - you could increase the oats, flour, and butter to 1/2 c. each.

Apple Cranberry Crisp (serves 4)

Peel and chop 3 apples (I used Granny Smith; Stephanie uses Fuji) and mix with 3/4 c. dried cranberries, 1-2 T. sugar, and 1 T flour. Let it sit for 5 minutes or so until the apples are juicy. Spread them in a buttered pan (9x9 or other baking dish). Put it in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend 2 T brown sugar, 1 T agave, 1/3 c. flour, 1/3 c. oats, 1/2 tsp. ground ginger, 1/2 tsp. ground cloves, 1/4 tsp. allspice, and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Add 1/3 c. melted butter. Stir in 1/3 c. toasted pecans (optional).

Crumble topping over hot apples. Bake until the topping is golden brown and juices are thick and bubbly (about 20 -25 minutes more).

Goes well with vanilla ice cream and a cup of coffee!

Ice Cream Roundup

My ice-cream contest that I was thinking of doing this summer didn't materialize but I'm participating in a "Recipe Round Up" where people link to their ice cream recipes. I've posted this in the past but it's a good one for summer. Maybe in this ice cream round up, I'll find the chai tea or green tea ice cream recipes I've been wanting . . .

Spiced Apple Frozen Yogurt (makes 1 1/2 quarts)

1 1/2 cup of apple sauce (I used the chunky kind with spices but no added sugar)
2 cups Greek yogurt (I used the kind with honey added from Trader Joe's)
1 T whole milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 c. sugar (optional - I like it tart so I leave it out)

Combine all ingredients in a blender. You can store it in the refrigerator for a few hours until you're ready to make the frozen yogurt. Then, just pour it in your ice cream maker according to your model's instructions.

I think it's best to make frozen yogurt right when you want to eat it - the texture isn't great if it's put in the freezer after it's made.

Swiss Muesli

I've had this recipe cut out from some random magazine (Health? Self?) in a notebook for probably 4 or 5 years. I look at it from time to time and have never made it until yesterday. One of my favorite things at Corner Bakery is their cold oatmeal and this isn't exactly the same but it's pretty good. I'm trying to minimize added sugar and white flour in my diet and on the mornings that I leave around 6:30am to teach, I have a hard time making breakfast. It's usually a hard-boiled egg and a banana and it's becoming harder and harder to resist that Currant Oatmeal Scone at Peet's when I stop for my coffee.

This might be the answer to my problem - some protein to keep me full, no added sugar, and something I can grab out of the refrigerator and take with me to eat in my office before class. After getting some bran and flax seeds out of the bulk bins at Whole Foods, I had the rest of the ingredients and the "cooking" part is really a matter of stirring stuff together. I doubled the recipe except for the flax seeds, bran, and wheat germ (kept it at this amount).

I have a feeling this will be the recipe I'm constantly playing with since I've got the granola pretty much how I like it but for now, here's a basic recipe:

Swiss Muesli (2 servings)

1/2 c. water (boiling)
1/2 c. rolled oats
1 cup plain, unsweetened yogurt (I used non-fat greek yogurt)
1 apple, cored and diced (I left the skin on)
2 T oat bran
2 T wheat germ
2 T ground flax seeds (I left them whole)
1/2 c. dried fruit (I used a combination of cranberries, blueberries, and raisins)
1 tsp. cinnamon

In a medium bowl, pour boiling water over the rolled oats. Let it stand for 25 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, cover and refrigerate. Serve chilled. Will keep in the refrigerate for 4 days.

Variations: If you like sweeter things, you could use vanilla yogurt or add some honey to the top. I bet other fresh fruit or nuts would be good if you added it when you were going to eat the muesli (don't know how it would hold up in the fridge for a few days . . . I'm picturing soggy walnuts and brown bananas - yuck). Mine was a little dry when I took it out of the refrigerator and I poured a little soy milk over the top of it. Just add more water, yogurt, milk, soy, or whatever if it seems too dry.

PS -The recipe is called "Swiss Muesli" because Muesli was developed by a Swiss physician in the early 1900s, not just because I'm Swiss.

Monday Morning Muffins

After not wanting the cereal I poured for her and barely eating the oatmeal that she wanted next, my daughter brought me a mini-muffin pan and announced that she wanted to eat muffins. I tried (obviously unsuccessfully) to tell her that I'd make muffins later or tomorrow and that they took a long time to bake. After about 10 minutes of that "discussion" I gave in and gave her her first hands-on cooking experience that didn't involve plastic food and the little kitchen in her bedroom. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad that this is one argument she won.

She was great at the mixing and dumping parts of the recipe and not so good at the waiting. About halfway through the cooking time, she decided to eat a rice cake to tide her over. The good news is that she LOVED the end product and after sharing a few with her friend Brayden, there are only a couple left.

This is an adaptation of a recipe from Joy of Cooking and I left the nuts out today but I like them with walnuts.

Apple Mini-Muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. whole wheat flour (can use all white flour if you prefer)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/3 c. sugar
1 medium apple, peeled and grated with juice
2 1/2 T. warm melted unsalted butter
1/4 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare your muffin tins (see below for yield).

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.


In a larger bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar. Grate the apple over the wet mixture so all the juice gets in there, stir together, and let set for about 10 minutes. Then, stir the butter and nuts (if using) into the egg/apple mixture. Add the flour mixture and fold until the dry ingredients are moistened but don't overmix. Divide it among muffin cups and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes and then on the rack. These are best the day they're baked.

Mini-muffins: Bake 9-11 minutes. Recipe yielded 20 mini-muffins
Regular size muffins: Bake 14-16 minutes. Recipe yields 6 regular muffins. For a full dozen, double the recipe

Apple Bran Muffins

I was in the mood for baking this week. Even though at the end of the day, my students' homework was still ungraded and I was complaining that my day got sidetracked, I had a batch of fresh muffins to show for it. The recipe is from "Cookwise" by Shirley O. Corriher which I was given by my friend Erika recently. While I'm just starting to read this book, I'm really enjoying her explanations of the science behind cooking and her clearly written recipes. I mostly followed the recipe but I adjusted the baking time (my muffins were done way earlier than she suggested at an even lower oven temperature) and I left out the 1 cup of chopped, toasted walnuts (I was sharing muffins with friends who are nut averse and wanted to make them toddler-friendly).

Apple Bran Muffins (makes more than 1 dozen)

1 1/2 c. oat bran (not wheat bran - bought it in the bulk section at Whole Foods)
3/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 c. nonfat dry milk (in the baking section - adds calcium to the muffins)
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 T ground cinnamon
2 tsp. salt
1 T baking powder
1 medium to large carrot grated (about 1 cup)
1 apple, peeled, cored & coarsely chopped (I used a Granny Smith)
Finely grated zest of 2 oranges
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 c. canola oil
3 T canned crushed pineapple, drained

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and prepare a muffin tin with non-stick spray, butter, or muffin liners. Combine oat bran, flour, dry milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Work out any lumps (due to brown sugar) if necessary. Add the carrot, apple, orange zest and stir to combine.

Beat the egg, whites, buttermilk, oil, and pineapple in a medium mixing bowl. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir to combine.

Spoon 1/3 c. muffin batter into each cup (just about to the brim). If you have extra batter, you can bake more muffins in a regular tin or make mini-muffins (like I did - my daughter loved these). The regular muffins will take 15-20 minutes and the mini-muffins will take 9-12 minutes to bake. Check them and take them out when the top springs back to your touch and looks golden brown.


What to do with your leftover canned crushed pineapple:
Pineapple Rice
Make white rice and when it's done, fluff it and stir in some crushed pineapple and chopped italian parsley. Good with teriyaki chicken, stir fry, steaks . . . just about anything.