LORD OF THE PIES: One Apple Pie to Rule Them All

November 13, 2011
I wanted to make a quiche recipe that I found in last month’s Shape Magazine… (Which was AWESOME, by the way.) and it called for a simple refrigerated pie crust you can find in the cool case at any supermarket. They come in pairs, so I was going to have this extra pie crust, so instead of wasting it, I decided I was going to make an apple pie.

It’s autumn… What’s more awesome in the fall than apple pie!?

Lover's Stroll by: Kelsey Toney

I ended up reading about half a dozen recipes, and combined ideas from several of them, but I knew I wanted one that had a sweet buttery strusel topping, and extra cinnamony apples.

 

The following is the recipe I used that ended up with my husband giving me full props for making the best apple pie (maybe best pie PERIOD) that he’d ever tasted.

 

Here is the recipe, exactly as I made it… Don’t ask me why I do crazy things like preheat to a hotter temp than I bake at or why I add an extra pinch of cinnamon… it just WORKED. :)

 

LORD OF THE PIES: One Apple Pie to Rule Them All
Print
Recipe type: Dessert
Author: Kelsey
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 45 mins
Total time: 1 hour 45 mins
Serves: That depends on how many people you want to share your epic pie with.
An apple pie with a sweet filling and a buttery streusel topping.
Ingredients
  • 1 refrigerated pie crust at room temperature for 15-20 minutes
  • For Filling
  • 3-4 large granny smith apples
  • 2/3 c sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tbs all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • For Streusel
  • 1 1/4 c all purpose flour
  • 1/3 c light brown sugar
  • 1/3 c sugar
  • 1 stick melted butter
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Press pie crust into pie plate ensuring good contact with the corners. Crimp the edges if you’re fancy.
  3. Slice peeled and cored apples thinly into large bowl.
  4. Add the 2/3 c sugar, 1 1/2 Tbs flour, and 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to the apples. Throw in an extra pinch of cinnamon, because cinnamon is awesome.
  5. Stir the apples and dry ingredients together and let them sit. As the sugars start to melt stir a few more times.
  6. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients for streusel and use a fork to break up any clumps.
  7. Pour the melted butter, a small drizzle at a time into the dry mix of streusel ingredients combining it with a fork. The mixture will look clumpy and bumpy, but clumps should be pea sized or smaller.
  8. Give the apples another stir and pour them into the prepared pie crust. Arrange the apples so they are neatly filling the pan, with a small mound at the center.
  9. Top the apples with the streusel mixture. It will be a LOT of streusel, but the butter, sugar, and flour will make your pie taste like magic, so don’t fight it.
  10. REDUCE OVEN TEMP TO 340 DEGREES.
  11. Place pie in the oven, and bake uncovered for 35 minutes.
  12. Cover with foil and bake for another 8 minutes.
  13. Use a knife and insert it at the center of the pie, listen for the sound. The apples should have a tiny bit of crunch left, but should be mostly soft.
  14. If they’re not ready, add another 8 minutes. Continue this pattern until the pie is done.
  15. The foil should keep the crust from browning too darkly, but the streusel should be golden.
  16. Let sit completely untouched by your greedy, pie hungry hands for at least an hour.
  17. Cut pie into meaningless wedges, because you’re not actually only going to eat one serving anyway.
Notes

Don’t forget to turn the oven temperature down before baking. I waited about an hour and 20 minutes before cutting mine, and it was still perfectly warm and delicious inside. I’m convinced the waiting made a big difference in the final result.

I really hope some of you try this pie… If you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it!

| Posted in: recipes | 1 Comment »

Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce with Vanilla and Marmalade

December 1, 2009

Wowza!

I made this for thanksgiving, and it is a culmination of looking at several different recipes and styles, and adding flavors that I wanted. Very easy… (unless you let it boil over because you always forget how hot your stove is – but whatever)

This is the BEST, most delicious, quick, easy, tasty, unique cranberry sauces I’ve ever had, and I’ve been known to polish off a can around cinco de mayo…

I could kick myself for not taking a photo of mine, but it was beautiful. :D

Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce with Vanilla and Marmalade

Ingredients:

  • 1 12 oz jar (1 1/2 c )of orange marmalade
  • 2/3 c of orange juice
  • 1 cinnamon stick (or two, it doesn’t matter)
  • 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over for weirdos
  • 1 tbs of vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp of ground cinnamon

 

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a medium sauce pan over medium heat to melt. Bring to an easy boil. Add cranberries and return to boil. Reduce heat (really reduce it unless you want to scrape caramelized marmalade off of your stovetop) and cover, stirring regularly. Berries will begin to burst within 8 minutes or so. Add vanilla extract. Continue cooking until it has thickened to desired consistency, which should be no more than 5 more minutes. Remove and add ground cinnamon. Stir to combine and allow to cool in the pan before transferring to another container and moving it to the refrigerator to fully chill.

Nutrition Facts

Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce with Vanilla and Marmalade

12 Servings

Amount Per Serving

  Calories -119.0

  Total Fat -0.1 g

 Cholesterol -0.0 mg

Sodium -23.2 mg

Total Carbohydrate- 31.1 g

Protein -0.3 g

signature

| Posted in: branching out, miscellaneous | No Comments »

EPIC recipe fail. (Recipe Review)

February 1, 2009

Recipe: Macaroni and cheese with cauliflower
Source: Real Simple Magazine Feb. 2009
[Rating: 1/5]

Sometimes our attempts to do something healthy for ourselves backfires, as was the case last week, when I followed a recipe from my beloved real simple magazine.

I love macaroni and cheese. Velveeta and shells. Kraft cheese and macaroni dinner. Annies organic macaroni and cheese. Easy Mac. I <3 it.

So, when my beloved wrote an article about how to make your favorite comfort foods more healthy, I jumped at the chance. I followed their recipe for a cauliflower macaroni and cheese, and I don’t HATE cauliflower, so… that part didn’t really turn me off. And I’m not a chef, so by reading the recipe, I didn’t realize just how horrible it would be.

The recipe ended up calling for a mere 6 oz of cheese. (pathetic)

grating the fail.
grating the fail

a head of cauliflower.

chopping the fail
chopping the fail.

whole grain pasta. (which alone, is definitely not a fail.)

draining the fail.
draining the fail

a WHOLE ONION and a cup and a half of sour cream.

mixing the fail
mixing the fail.

topped with a solid inch of breadcrumbs

fail in the oven.
fail in the oven.

luckily, this travesty shared the plate with some delish veggie/soy nuggets.

culmination of epic fail.
culmination of epic fail.

Perhaps, if I’d been trying to make a cauliflower and onion noodle casserole, I’d have been quite pleased. But I think, if I’m looking for an uncommon splurge, I’ll make some whole wheat elbows, and use a serving of velveeta, and forgive myself in the morning.

For the masochists out there, (and for my friends, with jacked up taste buds who may LIKE this recipe, I will link to the recipe. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

[rating: 1/5]

| Posted in: miscellaneous | 3 Comments »

Best Cupcakes EVER

July 29, 2008

so… Nicole, Mary, and I made cupcakes as mentioned in my previous post…

They were smores cupcakes as designed by Chockylit @ www.cupcakeblog.com

Here are the pictures:

  • I did not follow chockylit’s recipe for ganache as notated on her site, I used the recipe that I posted here….
  • For that chocolate frosting recipe, I used significantly more whipping cream than called for once all the ingredients were combined to whip the frosting, and make it more manageable.
  • my eggs and butter were at room temperature.
  • I used salted butter for the graham crust, and the frosting, but unsalted for the cupcake batter.
  • I needed the big thing of marshmallow fluff to get it all done.
  • I baked mine in silicone baking cups, and the baking time was EXACTLY 19 minutes…

    • __________________________________
    repost of recipe:
    S’mores Cupcakes!

    Graham Cracker Cupcakes
    15 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

    1 cup graham cracker crumbs, from 6 whole graham crackers
    1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
    1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
    3/4 cup light brown sugar
    2 large eggs, room temperature
    1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
    1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs, from 2-1/2 whole graham crackers
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1/8 teaspoon salt
    2/3 cup milk
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    Marshmallow Fluff
    Large marshmallows (for topping)

    1. Combine 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs and melted butter.
    2. Scoop a heaping teaspoon into each cupcake paper, pressing down to cover the bottom.
    3. Beat butter on high speed until soft, about 30 seconds.
    4. Add brown sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
    5. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds after each.
    6. Whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
    7. Measure out milk and vanilla together.
    8. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
    9. Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.
    10. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.
    11. Scoop into cupcake papers three-quarters full.
    12. Bake for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

    (for the chocolate frosting, I’m going with this recipe: FoodNetwork
    3 cups confectioners’ sugar
    3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
    1 stick butter, softened
    3 – 4 tablespoons heavy cream
    1 teaspoon vanilla

    Sift sugar and cocoa together into a large bowl. In another bowl combine 1 cup of sugar mixture with butter and 1 tablespoon cream, beating until smooth. Add another cup of sugar and another tablespoon of cream, beating well. Continue until all ingredients are combined and frosting is fluffy. Beat in vanilla.

    Assembly: marshmallow fluff

    1. Using a small pairing knife, cut off the top of the cupcake in the shape of a cone. Flip the top over and cut off the cone.
    2. Fill the cavity with fluff.
    3. Replace the top of the cone.
    4. Scoop a tablespoon of ganache on top of each cupcake. Smooth with a small offset spatula. (I dip the spatula in hot water, wipe off, then smooth.)
    5. Top with a marshmallow and toast with a culinary torch.

    | Posted in: miscellaneous | 6 Comments »

    a happy week…

    July 25, 2008

    It has been a really happy week!!!

    I got to see lynn and chris, and KITCAT!!!

    kitcat

    tell me she’s not GORGEOUS!?

    anyway, I’m almost done with summer semester, so I’m really anxious for that to be OVER.

    Tonight my friends, Nicole and Mary are coming over for girls night, and we’ll be making these delicious cupcakes by the glorious chockylit : the cupcake blog… my FAVORITE cupcake resource!

    S’mores Cupcakes!

    Graham Cracker Cupcakes
    15 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

    1 cup graham cracker crumbs, from 6 whole graham crackers
    1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
    1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
    3/4 cup light brown sugar
    2 large eggs, room temperature
    1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
    1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs, from 2-1/2 whole graham crackers
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1/8 teaspoon salt
    2/3 cup milk
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    Marshmallow Fluff
    Large marshmallows (for topping)

    1. Combine 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs and melted butter.
    2. Scoop a heaping teaspoon into each cupcake paper, pressing down to cover the bottom.
    3. Beat butter on high speed until soft, about 30 seconds.
    4. Add brown sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
    5. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds after each.
    6. Whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
    7. Measure out milk and vanilla together.
    8. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
    9. Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.
    10. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.
    11. Scoop into cupcake papers three-quarters full.
    12. Bake for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

    (for the chocolate frosting, I’m going with this recipe: FoodNetwork
    3 cups confectioners’ sugar
    3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
    1 stick butter, softened
    3 – 4 tablespoons heavy cream
    1 teaspoon vanilla

    Sift sugar and cocoa together into a large bowl. In another bowl combine 1 cup of sugar mixture with butter and 1 tablespoon cream, beating until smooth. Add another cup of sugar and another tablespoon of cream, beating well. Continue until all ingredients are combined and frosting is fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Spread frosting on top of one round. Top with second round and cover top and sides completely with frosting.
    Assembly: marshmallow fluff

    1. Using a small pairing knife, cut off the top of the cupcake in the shape of a cone. Flip the top over and cut off the cone.
    2. Fill the cavity with fluff.
    3. Replace the top of the cone.
    4. Scoop a tablespoon of ganache on top of each cupcake. Smooth with a small offset spatula. (I dip the spatula in hot water, wipe off, then smooth.)
    5. Top with a marshmallow and toast with a culinary torch.

    I promise pictures and a full review after! :D

    | Posted in: miscellaneous | No Comments »
    • Twitter
    • Digg
    • Flickr
    • YouTube
    • Last.fm
    • Blip.fm