Warm Brie with Fuji Apple, Pear and Melba Toast

Warm Brie with Fuji Apple, Pear and Melba Toast



Ingredients

1 large Fugi apple
1 large red or brown skinned pear, slightly underripe
A wedge lemon
1 pound individual wheel brie cheese
24 sesame Melba toast rounds, any brand

Directions

Watch how to make this recipe.
Quarter apple and pear lengthwise and cut into each quarter on an angle to remove the core. Slice apple and pear into 1/4-inch thick slices. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the fruit to slow browning.

Cut the top rind off the brie and place in the microwave on high for 60 seconds. Depending on the ripeness of the cheese, it will take 60 to 90 seconds on high to heat and melt. If brie is not yet soft and hot after 1 minute, place it back in microwave for another 30 seconds on high.

Serve the softened, warm brie with a platter of fruit and Melba toasts for dipping and spreading. Reheat brie if it tightens up for 20 to 30 seconds at a time on high.

Recipe: Rustic Apple Pie Crostata

Rustic Apple Pie Crostata

Ingredients

5 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/8-inch-thick slices (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons lightly packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
One 9-inch piecrust, homemade or store-bought, rolled to an 11- to 12-inch diameter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon raw (turbinado) sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the apples with 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, the cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon. In another small bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons brown sugar, the oats, butter, flour and salt.

Place the piecrust on the prepared baking sheet. Spoon the apple mixture in the middle of the pie, leaving about a 1-inch border. Fold the crust edges over the filling, pleating occasionally. Spoon the oat mixture over the apples. Brush the crust with the egg and sprinkle with the raw sugar. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the apples are tender, 40 to 45 minutes.

Prep time 10 mins / cook 45 mins / yield 6-8 servings
Recipe courtesy of Katie Lee

Recipe: Apple and Pear Crisp

Apple and Pear Crisp

Ingredients

2 pounds ripe Bosc pears (4 pears)
2 pounds firm Macoun apples (6 apples)
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions
 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel, core, and cut the pears and apples into large chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl and add the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch oval baking dish.

For the topping:
Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.

Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm.

Prep time 30 mins, cook 55 mins, 8 servings

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

Recipe: Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large)
2 tablespoons mild curry powder
5 pounds butternut squash (2 large)
1 1/2 pounds sweet apples, such as McIntosh (4 apples)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups water
2 cups good apple cider or juice
 

Directions

Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.

Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. Process the soup through a food mill fitted with a large blade, or puree it coarsely in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.

Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider or juice and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.

Makes 3 1/2 quarts, 20 mins prep, 40 mins cook time

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

Recipe: French Apple Tart

French Apple Tart

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

For the pastry:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup ice water
For the apples:
4 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small diced
1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam
2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water

Directions

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baller. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe: Ina Garten's Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

Ingredients
5 pounds McIntosh or Macoun apples
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the topping:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 14 by 2-inch oval baking dish.

Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour into the dish.

To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the apples.

Place the crisp on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm.

Recipe from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Recipe: German Pancake / Dutch Baby

German Pancake 

A German Pancake or Dutch Baby is a cross between a soufflé and an omelet - it is a light, airy pancake with sides. They also get puffed (this egg mixture billows up to unbelievable heights) and crispy around the edges while retaining a pancake-like tenderness in the middle. The sides of the pancake rise high above edges of the pan, creating a light, puffy crust with a tender, custard-like middle. 

Ingredients: 

3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1/2 cup sifted bread flour or all-purpose flour*
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
7 teaspoons butter
Freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Powdered (confectioner's) sugar

* Bread flour is a high-protein flour. The high protein helps the pancake rise. All-purpose flour may be substituted but the results won't be as spectacular.

Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  NOTE: It is very important that you preheat your oven. Place oven rack on the middle rack of your oven. Place a large, heavy ovenproof frying pan or a cast iron skillet, in the oven until hot and sizzling. While pan is heating, prepare your batter. NOTE: Use a shallow pan, not more than 3 inches deep (pie pans, cast iron skillets, oven-proof fry pans, baking dishes, paella pans). Like I said before, I prefer using a cast iron skillet or pan because it acts as a heat reservoir, retaining the heat and distributing it evenly. 2. In a large bowl or blender, beat the eggs until light and frothy; add milk, flour, vanilla extract, and cinnamon; beat together. The batter will be thin, but very smooth and creamy.   Using pot holders, remove the hot skillet from the oven; add the butter; tilting the pan to melt the butter and coat the skillet. I never remove the hot skillet from the oven, but just pull out my oven rack.   3. Pour the prepared batter into the hot skillet, all at once, and immediately return the skillet to the oven.

4. Bake approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until puffed and golden brown (bake until the pancake puffs up around the edges - it may puff irregularly in the center. The timing will also depend on the size of your pan or skillet.   5.  Carefully remove the pancake from the oven and serve immediately. Either bring the pancake to the table in its pan or slide it onto a serving plate. Once out of the oven, the pancake will begin to deflate. I normally serve the pancake in the pan it was cooked in. Dutch Baby done and ready to remove from the oven and serve. 6.  To serve, cut into serving-size wedges and transfer to individual serving plates. Top with your favorite topping and serve immediately. For a classic German Pancake/Dutch Baby, sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon juice, and dust the top with powdered sugar.

Other Topping Ideas:
Sifted powdered (confectioners) sugar
Butter
Fresh applesauce with a dash of cinnamon
Crushed pineapple, drained
Whipped cream and sliced fresh strawberries
Syrups (maple, your favorite fruit syrup, or honey)
Canned pie filling, cold or warm

from What's Cooking America

Recipe: Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Time: About 45 minutes

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Salt and black pepper
3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and cut into large chunks
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small chunks
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or more as needed
One 7-ounce container Greek yogurt

1. Put the butter and oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the butter melts, add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the nutmeg and cinnamon along with some salt and pepper and stir for 30 seconds or so, then add the apples and squash and stir to coat them in the oil and spices.

2. Add the stock, turn the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, adding more stock if necessary to keep the squash and apples covered with liquid. When the squash and apples are soft enough to be pierced easily with a fork, turn off the heat, add the yogurt, and purée with an immersion blender. Taste, add more salt if necessary, and serve hot, at room temperature, or cold.

 ___________________

Butternut squash soup should be the ultimate healthy winter meal: hearty, warming, comforting—and filling. A squash purée with the consistency of water is none of these things. It is a mockery and a sham and it gives credence to those who think homemade soup is a waste of time.

The solution, happily, is simple: Use less liquid. When you add stock to your soup pot, pour in just enough so that the solid ingredients float. Then stop and let the soup cook. If the liquid level starts getting low before all of the squash is soft, you can add a half cup more stock then. If, after you blend it, your purée is thick enough to support an iPad, stir in another splash. Point being: You will have many opportunities to add more stock. You will have zero opportunities to remove stock if you start with too much.

Do this one thing and you will be a good three-quarters of the way to an exceptional butternut squash soup. The other 25 percent? Ingredients and technique. In addition to the obvious squash and stock, you’ll need at least one aromatic vegetable, the flavor-boosting category that includes onions, leeks, scallions, shallots, and garlic. I prefer leeks, whose velvety texture, once cooked, jibes nicely with the squash.

Apples also make a nice, albeit optional, addition. Their peak season coincides almost perfectly with that of butternut squash—and their sweet-tart flavor and fluffy texture keep the soup from being one-dimensionally squashy. And cinnamon is the ideal spice for butternut squash soup; like Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac, it’s appealingly sweet without being flashy or domineering.

Dairy, for the lactose-tolerant non-vegans among us, is mandatory. Anything with a little fat in it will do—cream, half-and-half, crème fraîche, sour cream, even cream cheese or goat cheese. But yogurt is best: It adds body without making your blood feel like it’s coagulating with cholesterol as you eat, a quality particularly welcome in the days immediately following Thanksgiving.

As for the technique: Sauté chopped vegetables in fat, add liquid, cook until the vegetables are soft. The only tricky part is the last step: puréeing. It requires either an upright blender or an immersion blender. The latter (also known as a stick blender) is preferable; it lets you purée an entire batch of soup without risking third-degree burns and/or explosions. Persnickety types will tell you that an upright blender gives you a finer purée—and they’re right. But this soup is so thick and rich that it hardly matters.

Or, at least, it should be.

Recipes: Apple Butter

2 Recipes for Apple Butter, one simple and one more involved

Slow Simmered Apple Butter (by Tish Boyle)

6 medium apples - (Granny Smith suggested)
2 cups apple cider or juice
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

1.  Peel and core the apples, then cut each one into 8 wedges.
     Place the apples and the remaining ingredients in a 4-quart saucepan and bring to a boil,
stirring occasionally.
     Reduce the heat so that the mixture is at a low simmer and cook, stirring every 30 minutes,
until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is dark brown, 4 to 5 hours.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and stir or whisk vigorously to break up any remaining apple pieces.
    Cool the apple butter completely, then transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

From: Flavorful: 150 Irresistible Desserts in All-Time Favorite Flavors

http://www.amazon.com/Flavorful-Irresistible-Desserts-All-Time-Favorite/dp/1118523555/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0632YJWC5RYY95KKWYH8



______________________________________
Slow-Cooked Apple Butter  (by J. Bryan Lowder)

Yield:  5 to 6 cups
Time: 14 hours, mostly unattended

5 pounds (about 10 large) apples, preferably a mix of sweet and tart varieties, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cups apple cider
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup Applejack or Calvados (liquer)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Zest and juice of ½ large lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Spread the apple chunks in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast until they’re softened but not very brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer the apples and any juices they’ve released to a slow cooker.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover the pot. Turn the slow cooker to low and cook until the mixture has turned brown and reduced to a chunky purée, about 10 hours. (This is convenient to do overnight.)

3. Remove the lid, turn the slow cooker to high, and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 3 hours or longer, depending on the desired consistency. (The longer you cook it, the thicker the butter will be.) Turn off the slow cooker.

4. Purée the apple butter with an immersion blender until completely smooth (or let the butter cool completely before puréeing with an upright blender or food mill). Serve the butter warm or at room temperature. (Keep apple butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month, or can it and keep it at room temperature for up to a year.)   

J. Bryan Lowder is a Slate associate editor. He writes and edits for Outward, Slate’s LGBTQ section, and for the culture section.