I am not trying to use this blog to teach you better eating habits. I am not a nutritionist, that's not my job. I am here to share my love of food....so with that in mind, let me just share with you some of my favorite dessert recipes, tips and tweaks.
The pictures I have posted here are a couple of my favorite things, homemade apple pie with a "from scratch" crust, and basic Italian cookies with jelly filling. These sound seriously advanced to make, but let me assure you, they are super simple. Let's start with the Italian Jelly filled cookie.
The best way to start any recipe is to read it completely before starting. Then, gather your ingredients, and measure them into individual bowls (This reduces clutter and helps keep you organized). If you are OCD like me, you can line them up in the order in which they go into the recipe, but that is not really necessary. I do that because I find it easier to keep track of my recipe that way. (And I am a dork, but that's OK.)
Basic Italian Cookies. Right....ok, here we go. I had to convert this recipe from European measurements to English measurements, so, it's all approximate. Add or subtract as you see fit...just not too much...
You are going to need about 1 1/3 c. flour, 3/4 c. butter, 1/3 c. sugar, 1 egg, a dash of salt, and 1 (or 2) tsp. of the extract of your choice. I prefer almond in this recipe. You will also need about 1 c. of your favorite jelly or jam, and a pastry bag with an open round tip, (or a baggie with the corner cut out...what ever you have handy).
The first thing you are going to do is preheat your oven to 375. Then you are going to blend the sugar and butter together until well blended. Add the egg and blend really well, until the mixture is of uniform consistency. Then, add the other ingredients until blended to uniform consistency again. The dough will NOT be as firm as, say, the stuff you get from the store, or even as firm as a regular sugar cookie dough. It should NOT however, be so sticky that it sticks to your hands. If it does, add a little bit more flour and knead until the stickiness is gone. The next part is super easy, and can be done a couple of different ways. I use a cookie press. Not because I am a fancy, aspiring pastry chef, but simply because my husband brought one into our marriage, and I find it all kinds of fun to use the different shapes. That's just me. For the cookies in the picture, obviously, I used the heart shaped template...to each his (or her) own. Another way you can do it is the 2 spoon method.
In the two spoon method, get yourself a couple of teaspoons and dip them (dry) into some flour. Then, dip a little (or a lot, depending on how big you want your cookies) of the dough onto one spoon. Use the other spoon to scrape it onto your cookie sheet. Keep dipping into the flour periodically. The flour will help keep the dough from sticking to the spoons.
You can also roll pieces of the dough into little balls and bake the cookies in that shape. Get creative, this is a pretty forgiving dough.
Once you have the cookie dough on your cookie sheet in what ever shape or form you desire, dip your pinkie finger in some flour, and start pressing dimples into your cookies. Finally, you will put the jam or jelly into the pastry bag (or baggie) and start piping jelly (or jam) into the dimples. Put your little creations into the oven for about 10-12 minutes, or as long as 15 if you like them a little crispy. These are a perfect accompaniment to a pot of hot tea in the afternoon. They are also awesome for whenever you just want a cookie!
Who doesn't love pie? Oh my goodness, it's the ultimate comfort food. Hot apple pie with some Bluebell Homemade Vanilla ice cream...nothing says home better or more clearly to me. Store bought pie crusts and canned filling are fine for when you are in a hurry, and any pie can be jazzed up with vanilla ice cream...I like to sprinkle a little ground nutmeg or allspice on top of mine for added Autumn nostalgia flavor, but again....to each his (or her) own. If you have the time, (and I highly recommend doing this at least once in your life), try to make a pie crust from scratch. You will be spoiled forever, and the store bought stuff will never be the same! Plus....it's not as hard as you think.
Ok, here we go. Pie crust...right....where is that recipe...just a sec....ok, got it. This recipe is super versatile. It can be used for fruit pies, or, well, pretty much anything that uses a crust, like Cornish Pasties (that's a short a sound like cat, not like pastries...stop smirking), Beef Wellington, etc. PLUS, this recipe can be divided into fourths, and frozen for later use.
To start off, you will need the following ingredients: 4 1/2 c. flour, 2 tsp. salt, 4 tsp sugar, 1 3/4 c shortening (I use stick butter...it tastes sooooo much better, and besides, if it's gonna be bad for you, make it bad in a good way!), 1 egg, beaten, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1/2 c. water.
First thing to do (after you have gotten all of your ingredients together, and measured out , of course) is to combine all of the dry ingredients. Then you are going to cut in the shortening or butter until the mix is uniformly coarse ( or crumbly). In a separate bowl, combine the egg, vinegar and water. You are going to GRADUALLY add this to the flour mixture, stirring as you go, until it forms a ball.
TIP: If you are going to use this crust right away, go ahead at this point and put it in the freezer for about 5 -10 minutes. Not long enough to freeze it, but long enough for the butter inside to firm back up. This will make your crust nice and flaky.
Divide this into 4 equal(ish) parts and roll the dough out onto a floured surface. (If you are going to definitely be using this crust for a fruit pie, try rolling it out onto a surface that has a light coating of cinnamon sugar instead of flour. If you are going to be using it for a meat pie, Beef Wellingtons or pasties, try rolling some herbs like rosemary, basil, oregano and thyme into your crust.)
IF YOU ARE GOING TO FREEZE THIS CRUST: roll it out to pie pan size, place it on a cardboard round, and cover with freezer foil, cling wrap or freezer paper. You can also layer them with wax paper and put them in the gallon size freezer baggies, or put them into foil pie pans then slip them into freezer bags or wrap them in your preferred freezer medium.
For a home made apple filling, simply peel, core and slice 5 or 6 decent sized apples. Not the gigantic red Jonagold types, but more like the average Granny Smith size. In fact, I prefer using Granny Smith apples because they are a more tart apple, which cuts the sweet down somewhat.
Anyway, peel, core and slice your apples, then put them in a pot with about 2 or 3 c. water, 1 c. white sugar, 1 c. brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and/or allspice to your taste. It is important to taste this filling mixture as you go, too little sugar is ok, you can always add more. Too much sugar, and you must add more water, then drain some off. Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and let it boil until the apple slices begin to get soft.
Meanwhile, you want to put the bottom crust of your pie into the pie pan and bake it for about 10-12 minutes at 350. TIP: Before you put your pie crust in the oven, put some beans on the bottom of the crust to keep it from puffing up. When the pie crust is a nice golden brown, take it out of the oven, and, using a slotted spoon, fill the crust with your apple slices. (At this point, my grandmother used to put cinnamon red hots in, and I do that occasionally too, but that is another story. ) When your crust is slightly over full, go ahead and add some of the liquid from your apples. NOT TOO MUCH OR YOU WILL GET A MUSHY CRUST. Top the pie with your second crust, pressing the edges together and trimming off the excess. Cut a few vent holes in the top, and feel free to get creative. I like to add some cinnamon sticks, or make flower shapes out of the extra dough. Bake your pie for about 15 - 20 minutes at 350, and serve hot with vanilla ice cream. Perfect!
Until next time...Bon Apetit!
