GourmAndrea

Awesome Apple Crisp

This is everything I want in an apple crisp. The apples are soft but have a bit of bite left, it is sooo sweet and the butter and sugar mix and make a sticky caramel around the edges. If you taste it by itself it is almost too rich but paired with vanilla ice cream; a match made in heaven. The only adaptation I may try next time is to reduce the flour by 1/3 of a cup in the crisp and increase the oats aby 1/3 because I like my crumble oaty and if I were to be really picky there is a tiny bit of a gritty mouthfeel. I got this recipe from Allrecipes the original can be found here.

 

Chicken Pot Pie With Savory Crumble Topping-America's Test Kitchen

I have a thing for chicken pot pie but I dont like pastry. I like biscuit style or crumble type toppings they are more up my alley; like bread. This is an America's Test Kitchen recipe and you need a subscription to access it but I found a link to it here. Fair warning as with most ATK recipes there are a million ingredients/steps :)

 
This is the crumble topping and bake it once partially and then bake it again when you bake the pot pie.

 
The filling before it goes in the oven; this really has great flavor. This recipe uses a combination of tomato paste,mushrooms,soya sauce to build a great flavor base.

 
Before the oven with the par baked crumble.

 
After the oven.

 
Note: My only real change on this recipe is that I would actually reduce the crumble topping by half I found the bread/filling ratio a bit off. I really like the crumble bits on the second day too if you stir them in then heat the dish they almost become like dumplings.

 

Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuit Crust

 
This is the kind of dish that will hit your pot pie craving and I love that it has a biscuit type topping over the pastry which I am not a fan of. I got this recipe from Food.com and here is a link to the original. I will post here with slight changes I made to it as well.

 
 
 
 
Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuit Crust

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 3/4 cups chicken stock

2/3 cup milk

3 cups cooked chicken cut into bite size cubes (I season it with s&p before cooking but I also use unsalted butter)

1 cup peas

2 cups carrot, cooked

1/2 cup corn

2 tsp chopped fresh herbs ex:thyme,parsley,sage,rosemary (optional)

NOTE: You can substitute a 16 oz bag of frozen peas and carrots for the vegetables whatever you prefer

Crust:

Note if you want top and bottom crust double crust recipe

1 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp cold butter cut into small cubes

1/3 cup milk

1.) Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan

2.) Stir in flour chopped onions and salt and pepper cook for a few minutes stirring constantly you want it to be bubbly and cooked a bit.

3.) Remove from heat and whisk in milk and broth. Put back on heat and stir until boiling smooth and thickened. Can take 5-10 min.

4.) Add chicken and vegetables and take off of the heat. Pour into a greased 2 qt casserole and set aside while you make crust.

5.) Preheat oven to 425F

6.) Crist: combine dry ingredients and then cut in butter until it resembles small peas.

7.) Add milk all at once and stir just to moisten. Transfer to a floured work surface and knead until the dough comes together about 8-10 times.

8.) Roll into desired shape and lay crust on top of your pot pie filling and pinch edges to the inside of the dish and make some slits in the center of the crust with a sharp knife.

9.) Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown

Sweet Potato "Pie"-Na Cotta

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

This month I decided to do a take on sweet potato pie. Part of this challenge was to make florentines, I have already made them before. This time I went with an almond/graham cookie base. I finished them with whipped cream and pecan brittle.

 

 

 

 
 
 
Sweet Potato Panna Cotta

Makes 12 muffin size panna cotta

2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin

2 tbsp water

1 cup mashed sweet potatoes

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream

1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 tbsp brown sugar

3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1.) In a small microwave safe bowl sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let sit for 3 min.

2.)In a food processor or blender puree the sweet potato,whole,milk,heavy cream,sweetened cond milk,brown sugar,spices,vanilla and salt together until smooth. Transfer mixture to a microwave safe bowl or a large glass measuring cup (makes it easier to pour) and microwave for 1-2 minutes until warm.

3.) Microwave the geltatin mixture for 10 seconds and then whisk it into the sweet potato mixture; let cool slightly.

4.) Line 12 muffin cup with liners and then spray the liners with cooking spray. Pour your mixture into each cup filling about halfway. Put pan and all into the fridge for about 3 hours to set gelatin. Note they will stick a bit to the liners and have to be inverted and coaxed out; if you would like perfect molded ones freeze then remove wrappers.

Pumpkin Spiced Pecan Brittle 

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3/4 cup chopped pecans (any nut you want)

1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

pinch of salt

1.) Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.

2.) In a small bowl toss the nuts with the spices and salt, there may be excess left over.

3.) Combine 3/4 cup sugar with 1/3 cup of water in a medium saucepan and cook over high heat swirling the pan every once and awhile to promote even cooking. Cook for about 8-10 min until a medium amber color. Remove from the heat and swirl in the butter and pecans; quickly pour onto prepared pan and spread thinly.

4.) When fully cooled break into shards.

Almond/Graham Crusts

Makes 12 cookie crusts

1/2 cup slivered almonds; toasted

1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp unsalted butter; at room temp

1.) Preheat oven to 350F line 12 cup muffin tin with liners

2.) In a food processor grind almonds,graham crackers and sugar until fine crumbs form.

3.) Add in butter and pulse until crumbs stick together when you press them inbetween your fingers.

4.) Put about 1 1/2 tbsp in each cup and press down into the bottom of the liner fairly firmly.

5.) Bake for 7 min or until crust is set and lightly browned.

To assemble dessert place cookie on plate and then invert a panna cotta by slowly peeling the outside of the wrapper while holding it over the cookie and it will pop out with some coaxing. Then add a dollop of whipped cream and a shard of brittle and a lightly dusting of freshly grated nutmeg.

Snowflake Napoleon & Rum Raisin Crostata

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

This month's challenge was a Crostata with a lot of room to use whatever filling we wanted. I did two variations one was a classic tart and I made a pear/rum/raisin with apricot raspberry jam in the bottom. I also made a Snowflake Napoleon.

 Snowflake Napoleon

 
Snowflakes made with Pasta Frolla, they tasted just like shortbread

 
I used caramel pastry cream and candied pecans inbetween the layers.

 

This large napoleon does actually cut decently but I think little individual ones would work better for a dinner party. This caramel pastry cream, while delicious, tasted a lot like a good vanilla one so I didn't post the recipe for it. In retrospect on the Christmas theme you could dye half of the pastry cream batch red and half green and alternate that would be a fun take on a Christmas tree.
 
Pear/Rum/Raisin Crostata. I sauteed some pears with butter,sugar,cinnamon,raisins and rum and put a thin layer of apricot and raspberry jam on the bottom and sides of the crust.

 
Pasta Frolla:

1/2 cup minus 1 tbsp (100g) superfine or berry sugar

1 3/4 cup (235 g) unbleached all purpose flour

pinch of salt

1 stick (8 tbsp) cold unsalted butter cut into little pieces

grated zest of half a lemon

1 large egg and 1 egg yolk beaten in a bowl

1.) Whisk together the sugar,flour and salt in a medium bowl.

2.) Rub or cut the butter into the flour mix until it looks like coarse crumbs

3.) Put the flour and butter on a work surface and make a well in the center of it and pour the beaten eggs into it (reserve a tsp of egg for brushing the pasta frolla before it goes into the oven)

4.) Add the lemon zest and incorperate the egg into the flour by slowly taking flour from the sides and mixing it into the egg. When the fork no longer works as well use your fingertips to mix the rest of the egg in.

5.) Knead gently a few times until the dough comes together and then shape into a ball and flatten into a disk and refrigerate for at least 2 hrs or overnight.

6.) Heat oven to 375F

7.) Flour a work surface and the top of your dough and roll it on plastic or parchment if you prefer to make it easier to transfer to your pan into an 1/8" thickness. Put it into your pan of choice about an 8" or equivalant and prick the bottom of it with a fork.

8.) Fill as desired with jam,pastry cream,fruit ect then brush the reserved beaten eggs on the dough and bake for 25-35 min until it is a nice golden color.