Award-winning Apple Crisp

Fall is in full force here in Albany.  It's my most favorite time of the year!  I love the cool, crisp air, the leaves changing colors and, of course, the yummy Fall desserts!  This is one of them.  The brown sugar topping is crunchy and sweet and the apple filling is delicious.  Topped with ice cream, this award winning dessert is most certainly a winner!

Award-winning Apple Crisp

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups apples, peeled and sliced thinly
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.  Stir then add butter and cut in until crumbly.  Take half of this mixture and press into a greased 2 1/2 quart baking dish or a 9 in. square pan. Top with apples.

Put sugar, water, cornstarch and vanilla in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Turn heat to medium and cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Pour mixture over apples.  Top with rest of oat topping.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.  Serve warm with ice cream.

Recipe from Taste of Home

STRAWBERRY MANGO JAM

I have more than one obsession in life and mangoes are one of them. I could eat them on anything --well almost, I think. Strawberry mango is a great combination.  This recipe makes 8 half pints or 4 pints. I find that making jam in smaller batches works better than trying to make a lot at once. I have never had great success trying to do too much at a time.

I used fresh strawberries, but you can use frozen (unsweetened) if you don't have fresh. Just let them thaw--and use the juice. 

I like the smaller champagne variety mango the best. They are sweeter and less stringy. You can also use frozen mango if you don't have fresh. I went to a local "farmer's market" type store today for strawberries (3# for $1) and they happened to have these mangoes 5/$1. I was so excited and went a little crazy with buying strawberries and mangoes. Then I had to come home and take care of all of it.  It was just right ripe and wasn't waiting until tomorrow.  

INGREDIENTS and UTENSILS

Large pan big enough to hold 6 half pint jars or 4 pint jars
  (This will be filled with water and jars submerged and heated to almost boiling to sterilize them)
Small saucepan
Canning rings for jars
Canning lids for jars
Tongs for removing hot jars
Clean, wet cloth for wiping rims of jars after filling
Large dutch oven size pan for cooking jam

Place clean jars in large pan and fill with water enough to cover jars. Place on stove and bring to just almost boiling--heat the water slowly to prevent jars from breaking. Keep the water at just a simmer while you cook your jam.

Place clean rings and canning lids in small saucepan and bring to a simmer--turning down heat after water simmers.  The hot water will soften the red rubber seal that will seal the jam for storage. Keep lids and rings also at a simmer while fruit is cooking.

You're now ready to cook your fruit.

To large pan big enough to hold 5.5 cups pureed fruit and 5.5 cups of sugar add:

2 cups mashed mango (I pulse in food processor leaving small chunks)
2.5 cups mashed strawberry (same as above)
*Note:  If you are using frozen fruit, thaw first and mash, blend or process the same, using juice.

Add 1 1/3 boxes of Sure Jell (1/3 box is 5 teaspoons--random, I know)

Stir well to dissolve Sure Jell and bring fruit and Sure Jell to a boil.  Immediately add 5.5 cups of sugar and stir well to dissolve the sugar.  Bring back to a good boil and cook for one minute.  Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  There will be some foam at the top of the jam.  That's OK--as it cools a little and you stir it, it will incorporate.  

After 5 minutes cooling time, remove one jar from hot water at a time and fill with hot jam, filling only to the ring threads. I use a 1/4  cup measuring cup for the smaller 1/2 pint jars.  Wipe the top and edges of the jar with the clean wet cloth.  Make sure tops of jars are clean as they won't seal if they aren't. This will cause spoilage. 

Remove a canning lid from hot water with tongs, place on top of jar and place ring on jar as well.  Screw tightly, using wet cloth in your hands to prevent burning.  Set aside to cool.  Repeat until all jars are filled.

Like I said before, this recipe makes 4 pints or 8 half pints.

Let jars sit until cool.  You will hear the "ping" of each jar as they cool and seal themselves.  There is no need to "cold-pack" this jam, as you have sterilized the jars, rings and lids in the very hot water.  No need for refrigeration if stored in a cool dark place.  Refrigerate after opening.  

Whew--long post and happy jamming!!

INSIDE OUT CARAMEL APPLE SLICES

I have had the "pleasure" of cooking for girls camp for our Church for the last 3 years with some really fun and CRAZY friends--Brooke (ring-leader), Loni, Lisa, Mary and this year we will add our friend Kelly! Each year the camp has a theme and this year it is "LOL" but not "laugh our loud"! It stands for "Love Out Loud".  With today's electronically connected youth, they tend to forget how to forge relationships that are real with others around them.  They also tend to forget how to turn off the electronics and have a relationship with their God.  This year, hopefully we will help them establish some good habits in their lives that will help them be successful in not only relationships with parents and friends, but also their Heavenly Father.

Whew--I know that was a mouth full but here is a little "something" for our camp "kick-off" get together.  I thought it quite appropriate as it is close to Valentine's.  These were definitely a hit and "somewhat" healthy! Apples, right??  These were fun and easier to eat than a huge caramel apple! Hope you like!!

Inside Out Caramel Apple Slices

 Ingredients
3 large Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples*
1 large lemon
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup (alternatively, maple syrup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate sauce (optional)

Directions
Cut your apples in half and use a melon baller to scoop out the insides, leaving the walls intact at about 1/2 to 1/4 inch thickness. Squeeze the juice from the lemon onto the apples and allow to set. This will keep them from turning brown right away.

In a sauce pan over high heat, combine the brown sugar, butter, heavy cream and corn syrup. Stir until the brown sugar has dissolved. Allow to boil, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 240F, about 7-10 minutes. DO NOT COOK ANY HIGHER--IT WILL TURN TO SUGAR.Remove from heat and add the vanilla, stir continually until it stops bubbling. Pour into a glass serving bowl (preferably that has a spout) and let cool for about 7-8 minutes. 

Using a paper towel, wipe your apples down, removing the lemon juice as much as possible. If the inside of your apple is too wet, the caramel wont stick. Pour the caramel into the hollowed out apples until just below the top. Add chopped nuts if desired.

Chill in the refrigerator until the caramel has set, about 20 minutes. Cut into slices** and drizzle with ***chocolate sauce if desired.

Storage: These don’t do well out of the refrigerator for very long. If you must keep them at room temperature, you might consider lying them on their sides, on a piece of parchment or wax paper. They will likely separate somewhat, but still taste good!

*Note: any firm, fairly dry baking apple will do.
** Note: I sprayed my knife with cooking spray (Pam) which helped with the slicing (if you don’t have cooking spray, wipe your knife with a bit of vegetable oil). DO NOT use a hot knife
*** For chocolate sauce,over medium heat, melt 1/2 package of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 4 T. butter in top of double boiler, stirring, just until melted. Spoon into a Ziplock bag and snip a small end off bottom corner of the bag.  Drizzle onto the sliced caramel apple slices and refrigerate.

FRUIT COBBLER

Not really fruit season, but cobbler tastes so good warm with a scoop of ice cream! Sounds good to me on a cold winter's night--even though here in AZ it has been 81 for the last few days. Last week the high was only 45.  Go figure--Arizona!!

I titled this Fruit Cobbler because you can use any or a combination of fruit.  I am somewhat of a cobbler "snob" and don't particularly like the cobbler made with cake mix.  I got this recipe from a friend (same friend I got Maori Bread from--thanks Marti) and it has been my favorite since. My personal favorite (the top photo) is a combination of blueberries and raspberries.  You can use either canned fruit or fresh.  Just be sure if you use canned, you use the kind that is in its own juice.  Otherwise, it's too sweet.  I have used frozen fruit as well.  Just let it thaw and drain a little of the juice off if it seems to be too much liquid.  If I use plain, fresh blueberries, there is no liquid at all and it is fine.

      

Filling:

 6-8 cups cut up fruit (if using canned fruit such as peaches, use the kind in its own juice and DRAIN THOROUGHLY)**

1/4 C Flour

1/3 C sugar

1 t. lemon juice

 Stir fruit and flour, sugar and lemon juice together well.  Place in a greased 9x13 dish. 

Topping:

1/4 C sugar

1 stick butter - softened

1/3 C packed brown sugar

1 1/3 C flour

 Mix flour and sugars together then blend in butter. Mix w/ fork and crumble over blueberry mix. Bake at 350 for 30 min.

**If using fresh blueberries I leave out the lemon juice.

TOFFEE PEAR GALETTE

Time to make the pies!! It will be Thanksgiving in a few days, so break out your rolling pins and sprinkle that flour! I decided to try something a little different for our dessert table this year--don't worry family, we will still have the traditional pumpkin, pecan, chocolate cream, coconut cream, lemon and banana cream. I have been following The Baker Chic cooking blog (http://www.the-baker-chick.com) for a while and she makes some amazing desserts. She posted this a few days ago and I decided I must try. NOT mad about it! So delicious and what a great combination--pear and toffee. I did cook it on my pizza stone to keep the crust crisp.  I think this might become a regular with us. Would be great with a scoop of ice cream too!

crust:
1 1/4 cup All-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes
1/4-1/2 cup of ice water
1 egg white
course sugar for sprinkling
filling:
2-3 firm ripe pears peeled and sliced
1 tsp ground cinnamon

toffee sauce:
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 tsp salt

directions:
Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and process for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add the ice water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube, just until the dough holds together. Do not process for more than 30 seconds. (You can also do all this with two knives or a pastry blender.)

Flatten dough into a round disc and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour.

For toffee sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Simmer on low until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Raise heat to medium and cook for 8-12 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce has reduced to about a cup.

assembly:
When dough is chilled, on a well-floured surface, roll it out into a 10-12 inch round. Gently move it to your baking sheet. Arrange pears around the inside, leaving a 2 inch border around the edge. Fold the edges in, overlapping each over the other like an accordion. Sprinkle cinnamon over the pears and brush or drizzle them with about 1/4 cup of the toffee sauce. 

 

Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes or until fruit is bubbly and crust is golden and firm. (You really want the bottom to crisp up so don't take it out too soon. I baked it on my pizza stone). Cool slightly and drizzle with more toffee sauce. (You may have some leftover- it would be delicious on ice cream!)