I enjoyed these delicious appetizer bites at a wedding at a wedding recently, and fell in love. Give them a try, and I think that you will be head-over-heals too.
2 cans whole water chestnuts cut in half
1 lb. bacon cut in thirds
brown sugar
Round Toothpicks
Marinade
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup salad oil
2T Ketchup
1 T. Vinegar
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves diced
Combine ingredients for marinade and pour over water chestnuts that have been cut in half. Marinade over night (or longer).
Wrap 1/3 slice of bacon around each water chestnut half and secure with a toothpick. Place seam side down on cookie sheet that has been lined with heavy duty Reynolds wrap aluminum foil. After all your bacon has been wrapped and placed on the cookie sheet sprinkle liberally with brown sugar. (or you can roll each piece in the brown sugar to coat more thoroughly--this is recommended, if you aren't making 1200 at a time, like the lady I got the recipe from.)
Bake @ 375° for 25 minutes. Pour off excess bacon grease and turn up oven to 400° . Bake 10 minutes longer (or until they are as crispy as you like them.)
Thanks Marty for giving me this FABULOUS recipe!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Award Winning Apple Pie Recipe
36 Million Americans call apple pie their favorite pie flavor. And this award-winning recipe, with its flaky, buttery short-crust and chunky, caramelized apples, will make it your favorite, too.
Vanilla-Vanilla Bean Roasted Apple PieRecipe courtesy Dawn ViolaFirst Place, 2009 Crisco National Pie Championships, Professional Division
Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 1/2 cups Organic all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting/rolling
2 teaspoons Salt
1 tablespoon Vanilla powder
3 tablespoons Organic sugar
1 Vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
2 1/2 sticks unsalted Danish butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon White vinegar, chilled
6 - 8 tablespoons Ice water (plus more if needed)
For the filling:
4 tablespoons Danish butter
12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced in large chunks
1 Vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
1 cup Organic sugar
4 tablespoons Organic all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
1/2 cup Apple cider
1 tablespoon heavy cream
For the egg wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon of cream
Coarse sugar
Directions:
Measure out all ingredients and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Place the food processor blade and bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Make the dough:Place the food processor bowl back on the motor with the blade, as directed by the manufacturer. Combine flour, salt, vanilla powder, sugar and vanilla bean seeds in the food processor; pulse to mix.
Add butter cubes and pulse 10 times, or until the mixture begins to resemble coarse meal with pea-sized pieces.
Add the vinegar and pulse to mix.
Add one tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing to incorporate, until the mixture begins to clump together. Pinch some of the dough in your hand. If it sticks together, the dough is ready. If the dough does not stick to itself, add another tablespoon of water, pulse, and pinch the dough together again. Repeat until the dough holds together without being overly wet. Dough should be slightly crumbly, but hold together when pinched.
Remove dough from the food processor and transfer to a work surface. Divide the dough into two equal parts and gently shape into two flat round discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Prepare the apples:
Preheat the broiler.
Add apples, vanilla bean seeds, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of the sugar to a roasting pan; toss apples to coat. Broil until the tops of the apples begin to brown. Apples can burn easily under the broiler, so don’t walk too far away. Toss apples as soon as you notice browning. Once apples are caramelized (but not cooked through), remove from heat and add the remaining sugar, the flour, vanilla extract and salt.
Add the apple cider and cream, stir to incorporate. Taste for seasoning – add additional salt, sugar, vanilla or cinnamon to taste.
Finish the pie:Place a 9” pie plate into the freezer. Remove one dough disc from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5 - 10 minutes, or just long enough for it to become easy to roll, but still chilled. Lightly flour your work surface and roll dough out to a 12" circle, between 1/8 - 1/4" thick. Place in the bottom of the chilled 9” pie plate. Return to the refrigerator to chill. Remove after 5 minutes and add apples. Dot the top of the apples with remaining butter.
Remove second dough disc and roll out to a 12” circle on a lightly floured surface. Place on top of the apples and pinch the top and bottom dough edges together to enclose the apples. Add decorative edge if desired, and slice 1” air vents around the top of the pie.
Make the egg wash:Beat the egg in a small dish and mix in cream. Lightly brush the egg wash over the top of the pie and along the edges. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake:Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Cover edges with aluminum foil if browning too quickly. Turn the pie in the oven, and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. Continue to cook in 7 minute intervals, as needed, until the crust is golden brown and flakey.
Cool:Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least two hours before cutting and serving.
Vanilla-Vanilla Bean Roasted Apple PieRecipe courtesy Dawn ViolaFirst Place, 2009 Crisco National Pie Championships, Professional Division
Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 1/2 cups Organic all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting/rolling
2 teaspoons Salt
1 tablespoon Vanilla powder
3 tablespoons Organic sugar
1 Vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
2 1/2 sticks unsalted Danish butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon White vinegar, chilled
6 - 8 tablespoons Ice water (plus more if needed)
For the filling:
4 tablespoons Danish butter
12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced in large chunks
1 Vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
1 cup Organic sugar
4 tablespoons Organic all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
1/2 cup Apple cider
1 tablespoon heavy cream
For the egg wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon of cream
Coarse sugar
Directions:
Measure out all ingredients and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Place the food processor blade and bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Make the dough:Place the food processor bowl back on the motor with the blade, as directed by the manufacturer. Combine flour, salt, vanilla powder, sugar and vanilla bean seeds in the food processor; pulse to mix.
Add butter cubes and pulse 10 times, or until the mixture begins to resemble coarse meal with pea-sized pieces.
Add the vinegar and pulse to mix.
Add one tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing to incorporate, until the mixture begins to clump together. Pinch some of the dough in your hand. If it sticks together, the dough is ready. If the dough does not stick to itself, add another tablespoon of water, pulse, and pinch the dough together again. Repeat until the dough holds together without being overly wet. Dough should be slightly crumbly, but hold together when pinched.
Remove dough from the food processor and transfer to a work surface. Divide the dough into two equal parts and gently shape into two flat round discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Prepare the apples:
Preheat the broiler.
Add apples, vanilla bean seeds, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of the sugar to a roasting pan; toss apples to coat. Broil until the tops of the apples begin to brown. Apples can burn easily under the broiler, so don’t walk too far away. Toss apples as soon as you notice browning. Once apples are caramelized (but not cooked through), remove from heat and add the remaining sugar, the flour, vanilla extract and salt.
Add the apple cider and cream, stir to incorporate. Taste for seasoning – add additional salt, sugar, vanilla or cinnamon to taste.
Finish the pie:Place a 9” pie plate into the freezer. Remove one dough disc from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5 - 10 minutes, or just long enough for it to become easy to roll, but still chilled. Lightly flour your work surface and roll dough out to a 12" circle, between 1/8 - 1/4" thick. Place in the bottom of the chilled 9” pie plate. Return to the refrigerator to chill. Remove after 5 minutes and add apples. Dot the top of the apples with remaining butter.
Remove second dough disc and roll out to a 12” circle on a lightly floured surface. Place on top of the apples and pinch the top and bottom dough edges together to enclose the apples. Add decorative edge if desired, and slice 1” air vents around the top of the pie.
Make the egg wash:Beat the egg in a small dish and mix in cream. Lightly brush the egg wash over the top of the pie and along the edges. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake:Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Cover edges with aluminum foil if browning too quickly. Turn the pie in the oven, and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. Continue to cook in 7 minute intervals, as needed, until the crust is golden brown and flakey.
Cool:Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least two hours before cutting and serving.
Never Fail Vinegar Pie Crust
(makes about five 9" shells)
4 1/2 cups flour
1TBSP sugar
2 tsp salt1
1/2 cups vegetable oil
1T vinegar
1 egg
1/2 cup water
Mix first 4 ingredients.
Mix next 3 ingredients.
Combine both, and chill in the fridge at least 1 hour.
Thanks Keiko for your fabulous pies, and for sharing this recipe!!!
4 1/2 cups flour
1TBSP sugar
2 tsp salt1
1/2 cups vegetable oil
1T vinegar
1 egg
1/2 cup water
Mix first 4 ingredients.
Mix next 3 ingredients.
Combine both, and chill in the fridge at least 1 hour.
Thanks Keiko for your fabulous pies, and for sharing this recipe!!!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
National Pie Championship--Winning Pie Recipe
There is nothing better than a fresh berry pie during the summertime. I don’t have just any old pie recipe for you, I have the winning Professional Best of Show pie recipe from the Pie Championship. Pie just doesn’t get any better than that! And it’s just in time for prime summer berry season.
Best of Show Cheery Cherry Cherry Berry Pie
TOM’S CHEERY CHERRY CHERRY BERRY PIE
Crust:
1 ½ cups of flour
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
½ cup Crisco shortening
Mix all ingredients in a stand mixer on medium speed swiftly until crust appears “pea like.” Carefully sprinkle ice cold water in crust mix until it just starts to be fully moistened and gathers together. Pat into disc, wrap and refrigerate for at least one half hour. Roll out on floured surface and make and crimp pie crust. Freeze until ready to use.
Filling:
4 ½ cups Montmorency tart cherries –frozen
1 cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ tsp real almond extract
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ tsp orange zest
½ cup dried Michigan cherries
1 ½ cups of frozen blueberries
Combine frozen cherries, dried cherries, sugar, cornstarch. Stir constantly on med-hi heat until boiling. Add blueberries. Boil for one minute or until thickened. Add almond extract, lemon juice and zest. Pour blueberries in bottom of pie shell and pour cherry mixture over them.
Crumb Topping:
1 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1 stick butter softened
Mix together all crumb topping ingredients by hand or a pastry blender until crumbly.
Cover filling with crumb topping. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour or until filling is bubbling over crust.
The award winning pie was baked by Linda Hundt of Sweetie-licious Bakery Cafe in DeWitt, Michigan.
Where does Linda get the inspiration for her wonderful pies? The American Pie Council (APC) has the scoop…
The owner of the Sweetie-licious Bakery Cafe, a vintage-style bakery in downtown DeWitt, Hundt is known for her 50s-style dresses and aprons, her pearl necklaces and her pearls of “pie wisdom” including her mantra, “Eat Pie and Love Life.” After leaving her career in politics, Hundt started her pie business in 2002, selling pies to high-end restaurants and at farmer’s markets. Coming from a long line of pie bakers, Hundt names her award-winning pies in honor of the family members who have inspired her over the years.
In her bakery and on her website, she tells the heartfelt and sometimes humorous stories behind each of her pies. Her brother-in-law Tom earned his pie, the Best of Show-winning “Tom’s Cheery Cherry Cherry Berry Pie,” by being a great supporter of Hundt’s dreams and a friend to everyone he met. Her “Mommy’s Pumpkin Pie” earned its name after a fire swept through Hundt’s mother’s home just before the holidays. Having to cook Christmas dinner at her daughter’s house in an unfamiliar oven, the normally wonderful cook burned the entire meal, except for the pumpkin pie. That fool-proof recipe earned the name “Mommy’s Pumpkin Pie.”
Best of Show Cheery Cherry Cherry Berry Pie
TOM’S CHEERY CHERRY CHERRY BERRY PIE
Crust:
1 ½ cups of flour
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
½ cup Crisco shortening
Mix all ingredients in a stand mixer on medium speed swiftly until crust appears “pea like.” Carefully sprinkle ice cold water in crust mix until it just starts to be fully moistened and gathers together. Pat into disc, wrap and refrigerate for at least one half hour. Roll out on floured surface and make and crimp pie crust. Freeze until ready to use.
Filling:
4 ½ cups Montmorency tart cherries –frozen
1 cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ tsp real almond extract
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ tsp orange zest
½ cup dried Michigan cherries
1 ½ cups of frozen blueberries
Combine frozen cherries, dried cherries, sugar, cornstarch. Stir constantly on med-hi heat until boiling. Add blueberries. Boil for one minute or until thickened. Add almond extract, lemon juice and zest. Pour blueberries in bottom of pie shell and pour cherry mixture over them.
Crumb Topping:
1 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1 stick butter softened
Mix together all crumb topping ingredients by hand or a pastry blender until crumbly.
Cover filling with crumb topping. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour or until filling is bubbling over crust.
The award winning pie was baked by Linda Hundt of Sweetie-licious Bakery Cafe in DeWitt, Michigan.
Where does Linda get the inspiration for her wonderful pies? The American Pie Council (APC) has the scoop…
The owner of the Sweetie-licious Bakery Cafe, a vintage-style bakery in downtown DeWitt, Hundt is known for her 50s-style dresses and aprons, her pearl necklaces and her pearls of “pie wisdom” including her mantra, “Eat Pie and Love Life.” After leaving her career in politics, Hundt started her pie business in 2002, selling pies to high-end restaurants and at farmer’s markets. Coming from a long line of pie bakers, Hundt names her award-winning pies in honor of the family members who have inspired her over the years.
In her bakery and on her website, she tells the heartfelt and sometimes humorous stories behind each of her pies. Her brother-in-law Tom earned his pie, the Best of Show-winning “Tom’s Cheery Cherry Cherry Berry Pie,” by being a great supporter of Hundt’s dreams and a friend to everyone he met. Her “Mommy’s Pumpkin Pie” earned its name after a fire swept through Hundt’s mother’s home just before the holidays. Having to cook Christmas dinner at her daughter’s house in an unfamiliar oven, the normally wonderful cook burned the entire meal, except for the pumpkin pie. That fool-proof recipe earned the name “Mommy’s Pumpkin Pie.”
Friday, October 2, 2009
Blueberry French Toast Bake
You could use frozen raspberries in this super simple brunch recipe too.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1-1/2 cups whole milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
6 eggs
10 slices french bread, cut into 1" cubes
3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, diced
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, do not thaw)
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Preparation:
Generously grease 13x9" glass baking dish. Beat flour, milk, 2 Tbsp. sugar, vanilla and eggs in large bowl until smooth. Stir in bread cubes until well coated, then pour bread mixture into prepared pan.
Top evenly with cream cheese cubes and blueberries. In small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp. sugar, cinnamon, and nuts and toss to mix. Sprinkle over blueberries and cream cheese. Cover casserole tightly and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and bake casserole, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serves 8
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1-1/2 cups whole milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
6 eggs
10 slices french bread, cut into 1" cubes
3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, diced
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, do not thaw)
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Preparation:
Generously grease 13x9" glass baking dish. Beat flour, milk, 2 Tbsp. sugar, vanilla and eggs in large bowl until smooth. Stir in bread cubes until well coated, then pour bread mixture into prepared pan.
Top evenly with cream cheese cubes and blueberries. In small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp. sugar, cinnamon, and nuts and toss to mix. Sprinkle over blueberries and cream cheese. Cover casserole tightly and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and bake casserole, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serves 8
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Tennessee Stack Cake
Recipe by Andrea Hall
Puyallup, Wash.
This eight-layer cake, an Appalachian specialty, is known by various names, including apple stack cake, pioneer stack cake, and washday stack cake. The last name refers to how the cookie-like layers were often baked on washday and then layered with apple butter and left to sit for a day or two before being served. As the cake sits, the cookie-like layers soak up moisture from the apple butter and soften, becoming tender and cake-like in the process.
Andrea's recipe certainly won us over, but so did the story that accompanied her entry. "I remember my grandmother — 'Mom-Mom'—saying that there was always stack cake on the dining room table when she was growing up. She was born in 1917 into a family of ten in Lone Mountain, Tennessee, a very beautiful rural area south of Cumberland Gap. Baking day was Saturday, and dried apple rings were brought down from the attic, where they were hung every fall, reserved mainly for use in this special cake. Once baked, everything was placed on the dining room table to cool, then covered with a clean tablecloth to keep the flies off until items were put away Sunday morning. Mom-Mom remembers how they loved to go downstairs in the morning and see the large hump under the cloth where the stack cake lay! The anticipation was heightened by the fact that the cake could not be eaten until after Sunday dinner, and all day the scent of spiced apples and baked sugar cookies lingered throughout the house."
Serves 10 to 12
Filling
3 (6-ounce) bags dried apples
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
Layers
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
Confectioners' sugar for dusting
1. For the filling: Bring the apples and water to cover to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer until the apples are completely softened, about 10 minutes. Drain the apples and let cool until just warm, about 15 minutes. Puree the apples in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. (The filling can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
2. For the layers: Adjust two oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla in a large measuring cup.
3. With an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in two batches, beating after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed until combined. (The dough will be thick.)
4. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Working with 2 portions at a time, on a lightly floured surface, roll each out into a 10-inch circle about 1/4 inch thick. Using a 9-inch cake pan as a template, trim away the excess dough to form 2 perfectly round 9-inch disks. Transfer the disks to the prepared baking sheets and bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating and switching the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. Transfer the disks to a rack and cool completely, at least 1 hour. Repeat with the remaining dough. (The layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.)
5. To assemble the cake: Place one layer on a serving plate and spread with 1 cup filling. Repeat 6 times. Top with the final layer, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until the layers soften, at least 24 hours or up to 2 days. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve. (The fully assembled cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
Notes from the Test Kitchen
Be sure to let the cake sit at least 24 hours, as the moisture from the filling transforms the texture of the cookie-like layers into a tender apple-flavored cake. This cake takes a while to create but each step is simple and the dough rounds that form each layer are sturdy and easy to handle. Using a cake pan as a template will make this part of the process foolproof and give you an evenly shaped cake.
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