APPLE CINNAMON SLAB PIE

I made this the night before our last ice storm — just in case. I wanted something that could be made and enjoyed at room temperature (although heating it up is awesomeness). I had picked up a package of Wewalka Puff Pastry Dough from the dairy case recently and decided to give it a try. We use their pizza and flat bread dough regularly and have always been pleased. It was a real upgrade from frozen puff pastry dough. It rolls out without the traditional thawing, creases and dryness that frozen dough sometimes presents. This was pretty quick and easy to produce, and we had a beautiful and tasty treat waiting for us in the morning.

Quick Update: I went upstairs, and a couple of hours later the whole thing was gone. My husband slipped out to the grocery and brought back another puff pastry. Seconds anyone?!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/3″ slices
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 sheet (8 or 9 oz) frozen puff pastry, thawed
• All purpose flour for dusting
• 1 egg, lightly beaten for egg wash
• Coarse sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, melt 4 T. butter over medium heat. Add sliced apples and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned (6-8 min). Reduce heat to low and stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until apples are soft and caramelized (5 min).
2. Lightly dust a sheet of parchment paper with flour. Place your thawed puff pastry dough over it and roll it out slightly to flatten the top (9 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches). Cut puff pastry dough in half down the center to make two pieces (each 4 3/4 x 10 1/2 inches)
3. Arrange apples in a tight row lengthwise down the middle of one puff pastry sheet leaving a one inch border on all sides. Pour remaining syrup from the apples over the top of the apples. Brush your beaten egg around the edges of your pastry. Top with the second pastry sheet and press down on the edges to seal.
4. Cut 6 (1-inch wide) slits down the center of your pastry to create vents.
5. Brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle the top generously with coarse sugar. Bake at 400˚F for 15-17 min or until top is golden brown.

~ NatashasKitchen.com 

SPINACH MUSHROOM QUICHE

I usually cringe when we come upon a recipe with a crust. There is no such thing as a “prepared” pie crust here. The requirement is that is should always be from “scratch”. This recipe; however, is worth the extra effort. It is pretty much a recipe for Quiche Lorraine with extra veggies. Simple, but I can’t tell you how many time I heard “Did I tell you how much I love this? It’s amazing.”

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 prepared 9-inch single pie crust
• 4 eggs
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ (10 ounce) bag fresh spinach
• 1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
• ½ yellow onion, sliced
• ½ (4 ounce) container crumbled feta cheese
• ½ (8 ounce) package shredded Swiss cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Fit pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish.
3. Whisk eggs, milk, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg in a bowl.
4. Gently combine spinach, mushrooms, onion, and feta cheese in a separate bowl. Spread spinach-mushroom mixture in the prepared pie dish; top with half the Swiss cheese.
5. Pour egg mixture evenly over the filling, swirling egg mixture in bowl to spread seasonings through the eggs; top the quiche with remaining Swiss cheese. Place quiche on a baking sheet.
6. Bake in preheated oven until the quiche is lightly puffed and browned, 45 to 50 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the filling should come out clean. Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

~ AllRecipes.com ~

SHREDDED CHICKEN AND BARLEY SOUP

photo from Classy Cooking

I had to talk my hubby into this recipe. He was not completely sold on the barley. I love barley — a chewy, nutty whole grain that has great nutritional value. It is nutrient rich, high in fiber, and may even lower cholesterol. I just really enjoy the chewy texture that it adds. Nonetheless, this recipe is right on target. My OCD brain loves that 4 carrots, 4 stalks of celery, and one yellow onion all equal 1-1/2 cups. Love it! With a start like that how can you go wrong? The end result was a hot, hearty, flavorful bowl of soup for a cold winter evening.

Note: You may need to thin out any leftovers with either water or a little more broth; however, my guys like it as is.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast , cooked and shredded
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots (about 4)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery (about 4)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 4 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as desired
• 3/4 cup pearl barley (uncooked)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1/2 tsp of each dried rosemary , thyme, and marjoram
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
• 1/4 cup slightly packed , chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery and onion and saute 3 – 4 minutes, add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer.
2. Stir in chicken broth, barley, bay leaves, sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until barley is tender, about 50 – 60 minutes.
3. Stir in chicken, parsley and lemon juice and serve warm. As soup rests the barley will absorb more liquid so add more chicken broth to thin as desired.

~ CookingClassy.com 

TOMATO GALETTE

This is not too different from the Tomato Crostata that I made during the summer. The challenge for me on this one was the crust. An unusual method of handling what appeared to be a bit of a biscuit dough crust. Not terribly easy to handle, but the results were pretty spectacular. A beautiful crust — crisp, golden brown, a perfect match for the tomatoes. We did treat it like a flatbread or pizza and used our pizza stone and peel to guaranteed a nice crunchy bottom to support the tomato filling. We also hit the edges with a little sea salt to bump up the flavor as well.

Note: I think we ended up using 9 Compari tomatoes for this recipe — just not as big as theirs.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 5 Campari® tomatoes
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp fresh ground black peppercorns
• ½ tsp kosher Salt
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ cup cubed unsalted butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup cold water
• ½ tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup ground Parmesan

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients so they are evenly combined. Crumble the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingertips until pea-sized crumbs form. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Using the handle side of a wooden spoon, mix cold water into the flour mixture until it comes together. Using your hand, gently knead dough into a disc.  Place mixture back in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
2. Slice Campari® tomatoes to ¼” thickness and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine rosemary and thyme together.
4. On a clean surface lightly dusted with all-purpose flour, roll out dough to 10” circle. Thin the outer 1” of the circle so there is a thinner border. Carefully transfer circle to a parchment lined baking tray. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 375°F. In the center of the dough, spread the breadcrumbs and leave a 1” border uncovered. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan on top of the breadcrumbs. Starting from the centre, place the tomato slices in concentric circles, overlapping each slice by half, making sure the tomatoes cover the edge of the parmesan-breadcrumb mixture. Sprinkle a pinch of pepper and the mixed herbs over the tomatoes.  Sprinkle remaining parmesan over the top of the tomatoes. Lift the edges of the dough and fold them inward over the filling, pleating as you go, to create a folded-over border.
6. Brush edge of galette with beaten egg. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. The edges of the dough should be browned and the dough cooked fully through.
7. Allow the Galette to rest for 10 minutes before transferring to a service board and serving while still warm.  Serve with Crème Fraiche.

~ SunsetGrown.com ~