Apple Pear Crumble

Our fall CSA boxes left us with a refrigerator draw full of apples and pears.  Apples usually don't last long in our house as I eat one almost every day (it is the perfect snack at 4:30pm to help me get through a workout after work) but these apples were really ideal for baking rather than snacking.  So they started to pile up. 

Crumbles are such a great late fall and winter dessert.  They make the house smell amazing and they are pure comfort food.  This one is delicious.  Even if there are only two of you in the house, it won't last long.

This recipe is a keeper for us.  I did cut back the sugar by half - the fruit brought enough sweetness on its own.  But if your apples are particularly tart you might want a bit more sugar.  And it doesn't really need whipped cream as suggested for serving, although a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream is a lovely addition.

Apple, Pear, and Dried-Cherry Crumble

Serves 6-8
Adapted from Bon Appetit

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 4 cups)
• 2 large pears, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 3 cups)
• 1 cup dried cherries (about 6 ounces) (dried cranberries are a tasty substitution)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch oval ceramic baking dish. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg in large bowl. Add apples, pears, and dried cherries to bowl; sprinkle with lemon juice and toss to coat. Transfer to prepared dish.

Using fingertips, mix butter, brown sugar, lemon peel, remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon in medium bowl until moist clumps form. Crumble butter mixture over fruit.

Bake until fruit bubbles at edges and crumble is crisp and beginning to brown on top, about 1 hour. Cool about 20 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or perhaps fresh whipped cream.

Apple Coffee Cake Muffins with Yogurt

Muffins have become something of a staple for us lately.  They are perfect for tossing in your work back for an alternative to the vending machine or coffee shop treats.  I have been wrapping them in plastic wrap and freezing them to help them last longer.  These apple coffee cake muffins are so yummy for a mid-morning snack.  They are nice and moist and have lots of good for you points with the apples, walnuts, and yogurt. 

I slightly adjusted this recipe to add in a little whole wheat flour (and the cinnamon).  It is amazing to me that I am doing that now - swapping in whole wheat flour for a baked good!  Not too long ago I would have had zero interest in add in that whole wheat but lately the extra bit of nutrition seems like a good idea.  And muffins are perfect for this - you don't even notice!  I really dislike super wheaty flavoring so if you are still holding out on adding in whole wheat flour to your baking this is a good recipe to try and ease into it. 

Apple Coffee Cake Muffins

Makes 16 muffins
Adapted from: Kitchen M

1 c. unbleached AP flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

6 Tbsp butter, cut into small cubes and softened to room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 c. plain non-fat yogurt
3 apples, peeled, cored, diced into small pieces

Topping:
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/3 c. chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon, ground

Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Prepare topping first. Mix brown sugar, walnuts and ground cinnamon in a small cup and set a side. Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder together, mix well and set aside. In a separate large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until smooth. Add egg and egg white and continue to beat. Add yogurt and mix well.

Pour flour mixture into the wet mixture and fold using a spatula. Stir in diced apples gently and avoid over mixing.

Pour mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle on the topping, I like to slightly push in the nuts. Bake at 375 F for 18 minutes or so until tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool to room temperature.

Enjoy!

Fall Fruit Crumble

It is no secret that I have a sweet tooth.  I will eat a smaller dinner to save room for dessert if a yummy treat is planned.  And right now with the crisp, fall air a crumble or a crisp just sounds so very good! 

I had bookmarked this fall crumble recipe as soon as I stumbled upon it and made sure to pick up the ingredients right away... then for a series of reasons (one of which included eating way to much for dinner to even think about making a dessert) it was several days before we could fit it in.  And it was so very good that I am afraid to say that we finished the entire thing ourselves!  I couldn't stop sneaking bites! The combination of flavors is just perfect.  And the crumbly top? That too is perfectly balanced with the fruity filling. 

Honestly, I wouldn't change a thing for this recipe (other than rounding up the vanilla to 1 full teaspoon) and I would definitely recommend fitting it into your cooking plans as soon as you can.  It did take a bit longer than 20 minutes for us (but our oven is wonky).  It is wonderful.

Fall Fruit Crumble

Source: Gourmet
Serves 6

2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
2 firm-ripe pears such as Bartlett, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 apples such as Gala, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup sugar, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 stick unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.

Stir together fruits, 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla and place in a buttered shallow 2-quart baking dish.

Stir together oats, flour, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture forms small clumps. Scatter over fruit and bake until juices are bubbling and topping is golden brown, about 20-35 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy!

* Update: I completely forgot to mention this earlier, but this is also a super fast dessert recipe.  Seriously only takes minutes to stir up and then bake.  Perfect for a little team work- I stirred it up while Dan did the dishes from dinner and then we watched a show while it baked... makes for a nice finish to a mid-week day!

~ Tara

Apple and Cranberry Stuffed Pork Chops

There isn't a more fall dinner like Apple and Cranberry Stuffed Pork Chops.  With hints of apple, spices and stuffing its hard not to find this recipe delicious.  I found a few recipes that had somethings I liked and other things I didn't.  So I came up with a compromise and combined them into a nice blend that worked out very well. 

Apple and Cranberry Stuffed Pork Chops

• 2 thick bone-in loin end pork chops
• 1/2 cup salt, regular
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon mustard powder
• 2 cups cider vinegar, HOT
• 1 pound ice cubes
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons cranberries
• 1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup Apple pieces, cut small
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons fresh sage, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

In a plastic ziplock bag put the salt, sugar, peppercorns, and mustard powder. Add the hot vinegar and swirl to dissolve. Let mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes to develop flavor. Add ice cubes, add the chops and cover with the brine. Refrigerate for 2 hours.  Swirl around the meat in the bag every 30 min or so.

Remove chops from container and rinse. Cut horizontal pockets in each pork chop for stuffing. Combine rest of ingredients, and put into piping bag that is not fitted with a tip. Pipe each chop full with cornbread mixture. Grill the chops on medium high heat for 6 minutes on each side. Turn each chop 45 degrees after 3 minutes to mark.

The key to stuffing the chops is to insert a sharp knife in the middle of the chop and cut at a diagonal, so you don't enlarge the hole anymore than you have to in order to get the stuffing inside.  I found that a 4 inch paring knife works great. 

You can also bake them in a 375 degree oven for about 20-30 min depending on how done you like them.

Enjoy

-Dan

Apple Slices

While baking is certainly my preferred thing to do in the kitchen, pastry-like crust often trip me up.  I am not sure if my memory is fuzzy but it seems as though I was actually stronger at making pastry crust when I was a pre-teen than in recent years.  This may be related to the  long break from cooking in my mid-twenties, back when cooking a dessert for two just seemed like a lot of calories to be shared.  So I have been on a mission to improve my pastry skills and what better recipe to test them on than Apple Slices.

Apple Slices is one of my family's recipes that while it looks simple has been known for being a test of patience.  That test comes from the flaky pastry layers that need to be rolled out quite large giving one ample opportunity to rip, develop a hole, or leave it too short.  But my recently learned tricks really helped make this much easier.  The first is to make the dough and then put it in the refridgerator while you slice the apples; I am not sure where I first read this but the cold dough is much easier to handle than one that is warm or room temperature.  The second was that after I had the dough rolled out I took a piece of waxed paper and layed on top before folding the dough to pick it up, it was so much easier to handle and the waxed paper kept it from working against itself by sticking etc.  The third thing I did was more related to the filling; I took the time to make sure I was slicing the apples thin and consistent so that they wouldn't poke through the top and so they would cook consistently.  It was pastry dough success in our little kitchen!

Apple Slices are a lovely fall treat.  While everyone seems to be in love with pumpkin right now, I am not quite ready for that and am instead still craving apple everything.  While you don't need to refridgerate them after they cool, I tend to prefer them nice and cold right out of the fridge.

Apple Slices

Makes approximately 24

2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
1 egg, separated
Milk
2/3 cup crushed corn flakes
5 or 6 cups peeled, sliced apples (Gala or MacIntosh work well)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix flour, sugar, and salt.  Cut in the shortening.  Put egg yolk in a measuring cup and add milk to make 2/3 cup, whisk to blend.  Add the milk and yolk mixture to the dough and mix just enough until the dough shapes a ball.  Cover lightly and put into the refrigerator while you prep the apples.

Divide the dough into two balls.  Roll out one of the halves to fit a 15x11 pan.  Place into the greased pan.  Sprinkle with the crushed cornflakes and layer the apple slices evenly. Stir together the cinnamon and sugar and then sprinkle this over the apples.  Roll out the other half and place gently across the top.

Beat egg white until stiff.  Spread this evenly over the top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour.

While warm, drizzle with glaze.

Glaze

Stir together powdered sugar, water, and vanilla to the desired consistency.

Enjoy!

~ Tara