Apple Pear Crisp and Pocket Pies!

November 10, 2009 by 22 Comments

A warm and bubbly crisp pulled out of the oven is one of those classic comfort desserts that is hard to resist! A great alternative to a homemade apple pie, a crisp is something that can be whipped up in a moments time and before you know it the aroma of fresh baked fruit and cinnamon is enticing your senses!

I decided to use a combination of apples and pears, but feel free to use any kind of stone fruit or even berries. Here’s the recipe:
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit
Topping:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup of toasted sliced almonds
1/4 cup of diced crystallized ginger
Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
4 pound mixture of apples and pears (6 to 7 large), peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
For the Topping:
Whisk first 4 dry ingredients in medium bowl. Add butter. Working quickly so butter does not soften, rub with fingertips until moist clumps form. Stir in oats, almonds, and ginger. Chill while preparing filling.
For the Filling:
Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk first 4 dry ingredients in large bowl. Add apples and pears and toss, now transfer your fruit mixture to a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the topping over pear and apple mixture.
Bake until topping is crisp and golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 50 minutes. Serve warm as is or along side a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some fresh whipped cream! Enjoy!
I picked up these cute little pocket pie molds from Williams Sonoma not to long ago with the intention of doing this with my granddaughter. This past Sunday we made pocket pies together.
Just your basic apple pie filling, apples, cinnamon, butter and a little flour to thicken it all, we even used refrigerated pie dough, nothing fancy it was just fun doing it together. You could be really creative with all different kinds of fillings and maybe even making some savory ones.

We used the apple and pumpkin shapes but they also have heart and star molds too. Wouldn’t these be cute as gifts wrapped in cellophane bags and tied with raffia? ( I’m getting so crafty!)
Buon Appetito!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Signature
22 Comments Filed Under: Desserts, Pies Tagged: , ,

Cauliflower Sformato

November 6, 2009 by 27 Comments

Sformato is a molded dish, usually a vegetable of some sort mixed in with a bechamel parmesan cheese sauce that turns into a light and fluffy almost custard like souffle. In this case I used cauliflower, but you could also use zucchini, spinach, asparagus, artichokes, and mushrooms, just to mention a few. The same thing goes with the sauces, the possibilities are endless!

I saw this awhile back on Linda’s blog and wanted to make it then, but never got around to it until recently when I saw it again in the recent issue of La Cucina Italiana magazine. In the magazine they used a ring mold which gave a pretty presentation but I didn’t have one so I just used my 6″ spring form pan which has deep sides, and that worked out very well.

Essentially you cook up your cauliflower then pulse it in a food processor, mix it in with your creamy savory custard sauce, season everything, place it in your mold and bake. The recipe says to boil your cauliflower, drain it, then squeeze out the excess water, I found that roasting it until tender was easier and I didn’t have to squeeze anything out, just make sure you don’t caramelize your veggies. I roasted mine at 375F but I was watching it often by pulling it out and checking for doneness. Here’s the link to the recipe, also before I placed it in the oven I sprinkled parmesan all over the top. I served mine with a light marinara sauce, it was delicious!

I hope you give this a try, be creative, you’re going to love it!
Buon Appetito!!
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Signature
27 Comments Filed Under: Side Dishes, Vegetables Tagged: , , , ,

Beans, Greens, and Broken Spaghetti Soup

November 3, 2009 by 29 Comments

With the cold weather upon us nothing warms me up better than a bowl of steamy hot soup. A huge pot of soup simmering on the stove to me, is the perfect comfort food! Not only is it economical to make, but when you throw in some dark leafy greens such as swiss chard, you up the nutritional and health benefits too. So it’s not only something that taste’s good, it’s good for you, I call that a win win situation!

Swiss chard is packed with nutrients, one of them being vitamin C. Lab studies suggest that regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C help maintain normal connective tissue, prevent iron deficiency, and helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents by boosting immunity, and with the H1N1 virus lurking all around us, I would say immunity boosting foods are a good thing!

Here’s the Ingredients:
2 cans of rinsed and drained cannellini beans or you could use dried.
2 onions chopped
2 carrots diced
1 large bunch of swiss chard, stems removed and leaves chopped.
6-8 cups of homemade stock or a good store bought brand.
Precooked broken spaghetti
Olive oil, fresh finely minced basil, 1-2 crushed garlic cloves, grated parmesan, salt and pepper.
In a heavy soup pot, saute onion, carrot, garlic and chard, then add everything else and simmer for about an hour. If your like me and you save your cheese rinds in the freezer, please add one to your soup, it makes a world of difference to the flavor of your broth, otherwise just add your grated parmesan to your individual bowls.
In a bowl add the cooked spaghetti, and then ladle your soup over the top along with plenty of grated cheese, and if you want, a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Grab a spoon and go curl up on a couch with a good book, or in my case any foodie magazine will do. Enjoy!!
Buon Appetito!
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Signature
29 Comments Filed Under: Greens, Soups and Stews Tagged: , ,