Apple Pie

'Tis the season for apple pie. Plenty of good apples available from local orchards. I went with a lattice pattern (by request) instead of a solid top. It was a bit more work, but I think it was worth it.

Start by preparing the pie dough. Put 9 oz (about 2 cups) flour into a medium-sized bowl, and add 8 oz cold butter, cut into thin slices, and a good pinch of salt. With your hands, rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until only a few large flecks are visible. Now add 1 egg, beaten, made up to 1/2 cup in volume with ice cold water (I use cold water and put the egg-water mix in the freezer for a few minutes while I rub in the butter). Knead the liquid into the flour for no more than a minute. The dough will be wet. Sprinkle over some flour and pat into a rectangle. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (or as long as a day if you like; you can also freeze the dough for months).

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut the rectangle in two. Replace one half in the fridge, and roll the other out into a thin round (use as much flour as needed to avoid it sticking to your work surface). Make sure it is big enough to line your pie pan. I used a 9 inch pan. Grease the pan with butter first, then lay the pastry in it, cutting around the edge to get rid of any overhang. Now put the pan in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

You will need a bunch of apples. I used 3 lb of Gala apples. You can use whatever kind of apple you desire, but you may not need as much as 3 lb - my pie was a little stuffed. I think it would have worked with just over 2 lb of apples.

Peel, core and slice your apples. Work quickly to avoid browning. I put the slices into a bowl and sprinkled them with a little lemon juice, then added about 1 cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp flour, 1 tsp cinnamon and a few grindings of fresh nutmeg (or a shake of ground). You could also add a small pinch of salt. If the apples are too juicy, add more flour; if they are too tart, add more sugar. Pile the apples into the pie crust and set aside. Roll out the rest of your dough (add your scraps from the shell also) to about the same thickness as you did the shell and cut long strips of roughly equal width. Using a finger dipped in water to 'glue' the strips to the pie shell, make your criss-cross lattice over the apples by alternating the directions of the strips. I started by going across the middle and worked my way towards the edges but it doesn't really matter which order you do it in.

Once you are finished assembling the pie, tidy up the edge of the crust and set your pan on a cookie sheet or similar (to collect any juice that might leak from the pie). Bake at 425 F for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 F for another 30 minutes or so, until the pastry is nicely golden and the apples are soft. Allow to cool most of the way to room temperature before serving, with cream or ice cream. Enjoy!

Note 1 - This is my favorite pie dough recipe. It is based on one in 'A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes' by David Tanis. An awesome cookbook.

Note 2 - Metric Info: 9 oz = 260g; 8 oz = 225g; 1/2 cup = 120 ml; 9 inches = 23 cm; 3 lb = 1.4 kg; 2 lb =  900g; 1 cup = 240 ml; 425 F = 220 C; 350 F = 180 C.

Apple Sauce

Home-made apple sauce is pretty easy. You just need a lot of apples. I made a small batch - almost exactly a pint - with just over 2 lb of Paula Red apples. The type of apple is not important, although many people believe that a mix of different apples is best for flavor.

Start by peeling, coring and slicing your apples. I would strongly recommend setting up a bowl of water with a squirt of lemon juice in it first (this is called 'acidulated water', and prevents the slices from browning), and putting the slices in it as you go. Drain the slices and put in a pan with 1/2 cup water and a few appropriate spices - I used a couple of cloves, a star anise and a small stick of cinnamon. Heat on high for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Remove the spices, push through a food mill (alternatively, leave chunky or puree in a blender or food processor), and return to the pan, bringing it back to a boil before tasting and adding sugar if desired. I added 2-3 tbsp sugar. Either can the sauce (into a pint jar or 2 half pints, leaving 1/2 inch headspace, tightening and processing in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes) or cool and refrigerate.

Note 1 - If canning, see the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning for safety guidelines.

Note 2 - Metric Info: 1 pint = 470 ml; 2 lb = 900g; 1/2 cup = 120 ml.

Blackberry Jam

I was the fortunate recipient of a pile of organic blackberries from a generous co-worker. I had been wanting to make blackberry jam for a little while. I used to pick wild blackberries as a child with my mother, so eating them brings back good memories.

This recipe is based on one in the Joy of Cooking, currently my jam bible. It makes five half pints.

Wash 2 lb blackberries and put in a stockpot with 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and grated, 1 tbsp lemon juice, a 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated, and 3 cups (1.5 lb) sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture reaches the gelling point (221 F at sea level). Switch off the heat, skim off any excess of scum, and ladle through a funnel into 5 sterilized half pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace between the jam and the lid (lids and bands should also be sterilized).

If you do not want to can the jam, cover, tighten, allow to cool and refrigerate for up to 4 months.

If you do want to can the jam, cover, tighten and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (at sea level). Allow to cool, check seals and store (if not sealed, tighten and process again, and if still not sealed afterwards, allow to cool, store in the refrigerator and eat straight away).

If canning, consult the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning for important safety information.

Note - Metric Info: 2 lb = 900 g; 1 inch = 2.5 cm; 3 cups = 710 ml; 1.5 lb = 680 g; 221 F = 105 C; 1/4 inch = 6 mm.

Cucumber Apple Soup

Garnished with home-made yogurt and fresh dill

Yes, it's another chilled soup, made with a delicious cucumber from our Full Moon Farm CSA share. The recipe is courtesy of Chef Brian Tomlinson, for whom I used to work. He likes to make soup, and this one came up a lot. It's a good one!

Start by peeling 1-2 cucumbers (if very big, 1; if small, 2). Cut in half, scoop out the seeds (discard) with a spoon, and chop roughly into chunks. Put into your blender or food processor. Take a small chunk of white onion (about 1/8 onion), chop roughly and add to the cukes. Peel a Granny Smith apple, remove the core and chop into rough chunks. Add to the mix. Add 3 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp vinegar (Chef T likes to use cider vinegar, but I used white), 1/2 cup water, 3 tbsp honey, 1/8 tsp ground cumin, 1/8 tsp ground coriander seed and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Check the seasoning - add more salt if desired. Chill in refrigerator until cold. Enjoy on a hot day!

Makes about 3 servings.

Note 1 - Use any kind of eating cucumber for this soup. The kind of apple could be varied too, although the Granny Smith gives the soup a nice tartness, so if you use a sweeter apple, increase the amount of vinegar slightly, to taste.

Note 2 - Metric Info: 1/2 cup = 120 ml.

Pan-roasted Pork with Roasted Apples, Sunchoke-Potato Puree, Swiss Chard and Mustard Cream Sauce

First off, apologies to all for the lack of posts lately. We just moved house and do not have internet at home yet, so my blogging opportunities have been somewhat limited...

Since moving, we've been trying to switch over to buying organic food over conventionally-farmed food wherever possible, in an effort to avoid pesticides and other contaminants in our food (and of course there are environmental benefits too). The first thing we have discovered is that shopping organic is expensive, at least at the store (farmer's markets and CSAs are the exception - we did the former yesterday and are considering the latter for the summer). And organic meat, not just hard to find, is very pricy. We are thinking about cutting down on our meat consumption so that we can afford it, but I'm sure there will be exceptions... Anyway, we stopped by City Market in Burlington the other day and picked up some local, 'naturally raised' pork chops (not organic, but at least not factory-farmed). Here is what I did with them:

Season your pork chops by sprinkling them generously with salt and pepper. Get a pan hot and add some butter. Once it is melted, add your chops and moderate the heat so that the pork sizzles but the butter doesn't burn. Cook until the first side is nicely browned then flip and cook the second side the same way. Once both sides are browned, check to see if it is cooked to your desired doneness (yes, at least in the US, where there is no trichinosis in pigs, you can eat your pork below well-done; I prefer mine slightly pink (medium-well)). If you are not familiar with 'temping' meat, you can make a very fine slit in the chop and peek in at the center of the meat to see what color it is. Bear in mind that, as it rests, it will continue to cook slightly more. Once cooked, 'rest' the meat on a plate, covered with a foil 'tent' for at least 10 minutes. This is important, as it allows the juices to redistribute through the meat.

Take the pan that you used to cook the meat, and pour out and discard any fat. Put it back on the heat, and add some white wine (1/4 cup or so). As the wine boils away, scrape the browned bits on the bottom of the pan so that they dissolve into the liquid. This is called 'deglazing' the pan. Allow the wine to boil almost dry (careful - if it does get dry it will burn), then add a little water and a touch of cream. Bring to a boil, taste (it should not taste 'thin' - if it does, then allow it to reduce in volume a little), whisk in some cold butter, add up to a teaspoon of mustard, taste again and season if necessary.

While cooking, and then resting, the meat, you can prepare the sides:

Roasted apples - peel, core and slice an apple. Cook in a small oven-proof pan in butter over medium-high heat until the slices brown. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until soft - at least 20 minutes at 350 F.

Sunchoke-Potato Puree - boil peeled sunchokes (also known as jerusalem artichokes) and potatoes separately; drain and combine with some hot cream, butter and salt and pepper and mash together.

Swiss Chard - chop the ribs of the chard and sweat (cook over very low heat so they don't color) in butter with a little garlic. Add the chopped leaves with a little water, and cook gently until wilted. Season.

Roast Pork with Herbes de Provence, Apples and Cider

This recipe is very loosely based around a Roast Pork and Cider recipe from the Brittany region of France, found in 'The World of Food: Provincial France' by Monique Guillaume.

I used a 1.1 lb pork tenderloin. Start by brining it in 5 cups of water and 3 tbsp salt. I left it in the brine for about 2 hrs (longer would have been better; overnight ideal), and then dried it off, cleaned it (removing the whitish 'silverskin' and most of the fat) and sprinkled it generously with salt, pepper and dried Herbes de Provence (a blend from the south of France, typically: basil, fennel seed, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme).

Take 3 large apples, remove the cores and cut each into 6 segments. Use these to line the bottom of a small (8x11 inch) roasting pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 F and put a large pan (large enough to hold the whole tenderloin) on medium heat. Once hot, add a little oil to the pan, swirl it around and place the tenderloin in the pan. Leave it in long enough to sear (brown) the side in contact with the pan, then turn to sear the next 'side'. This took two turns for my tenderloin to sear 3 sides. Once seared all around, remove from the pan. Add 1.5 cups apple cider to the pan, and stir to dissolve any browned pieces on the bottom. Boil the cider for about 5 minutes, and then pour it over the apples in the roasting pan. Place the tenderloin on top of the apples and put the pan in the oven. Roast for 30 minutes, then check for doneness, and roast longer if necessary. My 1.1 lb tenderloin took 40 minutes to reach well-done.

Once the pork is done, let it rest for about 10 minutes (remove from the roasting pan and set on a plate, covered loosely with foil). The resting allows the juices to distribute evenly through the meat, reducing the amount lost when you slice it.

I served the pork with garlic roasted potatoes and sauteed brussels sprouts. I drained the cider from the bottom of the roasting pan and boiled it for about 5 minutes on high to reduce it, then swirled in about 1/2 tbsp of butter. This was then used to sauce the dish. It was enough food for 2 adults and a small child.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes - wash your potatoes (I figure one good-sized potato per person) and cut into 1 inch pieces. Toss with a generous slug of olive oil, some salt and pepper and a garlic clove (crushed and cut into small pieces). Pour everything into a small roasting dish (or onto a baking tray), and roast until tender (30-45 minutes).

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts - remove the bottom of the stem of each sprout. Remove and discard the outer darker green leaves. Cut in half lengthwise, and drop into boiling salted water. Allow to boil 5 minutes, then drain. Drop into a preheated pan with butter and a little seasoning. Saute until lightly browned.

Note #1: Brining the pork is not necessary, but it is recommended. It will give you juicier results.

Note #2: I used apple cider for this recipe. Hard (alcoholic) cider could be substituted if desired.

Note #3: I used red delicious apples. They were red but not so delicious.
I would recommend a more tart apple (e.g. Granny Smith) or maybe pears instead.

Note #4: Metric info: 1.1 lb = 500g; 1.5 cups = 350ml.