Friday, June 5, 2015

Irresistable Apple Pie

I heard someone say that "it is your patriotic duty to bake at least one pie for the 4th of July Holiday..."

I don't know what one has to do with the other and the fourth of July is exactly a month from now as of this writing...but there is no need why you can fix a delicious and irresistable Apple Pie right now...just for the hell of it..

All the amazing apple varieties are finally popping up in farmers markets right now.. and grocery stores, meaning it's officially apple pie season.(It's always Apple Pie season to me!) And you know what everyone loves? Besides the aroma of apples and cinnamon dancing in the air, people love surprise slices of apple pie. Irresistable Apple Pie.

INGREDIENTS:
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling dough
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening (recommended: Crisco)
Ice water
Filling:
6 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thin slices (recommended: Jonagold, Rome Beauty, or Pink Lady apples)
1/2 cup granulated white sugar, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup to 1 cup all-purpose flour (depending on juiciness of apples)
2 tablespoons butter
Special equipment: 9-inch pie pan

DIRECTIONS:
  1. To make dough: In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour and salt, and cut in the shortening by hand or with a food processor until it's the texture of wet sand, taking care not to overmix. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of ice water over the mixture and mix just until the dough is moistened. Repeat by adding 6 to 8 tablespoons water (one at a time) until all the dough is just moist. Knead the dough about 10 times until it comes together in a ball. Cut the dough in half and flatten each half into a rough disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
  2. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Remove 1 dough disk from fridge, and discard plastic wrap.
  3. Sprinkle flour on a clean flat surface (either a cutting board or a clean countertop). Place dough on the floured surface and sprinkle both sides with a generous dusting of flour. Dust the rolling pin with flour as well. Roll out to fit a 9-inch pie plate. To transfer the pastry to the pie plate, wrap it around a rolling pin and ease it into the pie plate. Be careful not to stretch the pastry. Trim it even with the edges of the pie plate. Return to the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
  4. To make filling: In a large bowl, combine apples and sugars. Stir until sugar thoroughly coats the apples. Then add cinnamon and enough flour to coat the apples.
  5. Remove pastry-lined pie plate from the fridge and add the apple filling. Make sure the apple slices are laying flat. Cut butter into small pieces and put on top of the filling. Return to the fridge.
  6. Remove the second dough disk from the fridge and repeat process of flouring each side before rolling it out into a 12-inch circle. Cut dough into 1-inch strips. Remove pie from the fridge. Using the dough strips, form a lattice pattern on the top. Crimp the edges, as desired. Sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon over the pie.
  7. Bake for 45 minutes, or until pie is golden brown. Wrap foil around the edges of the pie if it begins to brown too quickly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.


 Enjoy!  Eat Well My friends!


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1 comment:

Sunflower said...

Mmmmm looks good!

June 5, 2015 at 2:35 PM

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Food Safety Tips
Protect yourself against food-borne illnesses.


1. Use a "refrigerator thermometer" to keep your food stored at a safe temperature (below 40 degrees fahrenheit).

Cold temperatures slow the growth of bacteria. Ensuring that your refrigerator temperature stays at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of food-borne illness. You can buy a refrigerator/freezer thermometer at appliance stories, home centers (i.e. Home Depot), and kitchen stores including online ones, such as Cooking.com.

2. Defrost food in the refrigerator, the microwave, or in cold water... never on the counter!

Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter for longer than two hours because, while the center of the food may remain frozen, the outer surface may enter the Danger Zone, the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly. If you’re short on time, use the microwave or you can thaw meat and poultry in airtight packaging in cold water. Change the water every half-hour so it stays cold and use the thawed food immediately.

3. Always use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/fish and cooked foods/fresh produce.

Bacteria from uncooked meat, poultry, and fish can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. An important way to reduce this risk is to use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/ fish, and cooked foods/fresh produce.

4. Always cook meat to proper temperatures, using a calibrated instant-read thermometer to make sure.

One effective way to prevent illness is to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, and egg dishes. The USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures are as follows:

* Beef, veal, and lamb (steaks and roasts), fish - 145 degrees fahrenheit

* Pork and ground beef - 160 degrees fahrenheit

* Poultry - 165 degrees fahrenheit.

Cook meats like roasts and steaks to lower temperatures, closer to medium-rare, so that they retain their moisture. It is recommended that those who are at high risk for developing food-borne illness (i.e. pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, or certain chronic illnesses) should follow the USDA guidelines.

5. Avoid unpasteurized/raw milk and cheeses made from unpasteurized milk that are aged less than 60 days.

Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized (heated to a very high temperature for a specific length of time) to kill harmful bacteria that may be present. These bacteria, which include salmonella, E. coli and listeria, can cause serious illness and sometimes even death. The bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses. Raw milk cheeses aged 60 days or longer are okay, since the salt and acidity of the cheese-making process make for a hostile environment to pathogens.

6. Never eat "runny" eggs or foods, such as cookie dough, that contain raw eggs.

Even eggs that have clean, intact shells may be contaminated with salmonella, so it’s important to cook eggs thoroughly until both the yolk and the white are firm. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees fahrenheit and you can use an instant-read food thermometer to check. Eggs should always be cooked fully and those who are at high risk for developing foodborne illness (pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems or certain chronic illnesses should follow the USDA guidelines. If you can’t resist runny eggs or sampling cookie batter, use pasteurized eggs. They’re found near other eggs in large supermarkets.

7. Always wash your hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food and after touching raw meat, poultry, or eggs.

You can pick up a lot of bacteria out in the world, so it’s important to always wash your hands before you eat or prepare food. You should also wash your hands after touching any uncooked meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, as the bacteria from these foods can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. Use soap and warm water and wash thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

8. Always heat leftover foods to 165 degrees fahrenheit.

The USDA recommends heating all cooked leftovers to 165 degrees fahrenheit in order to kill all potentially dangerous bacteria.

9. Never eat meat, poultry, eggs, or sliced fresh fruits and vegetables that have been left out for more than two hours or more than one hour in temperatures hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you leave perishable foods out of the refrigerator or freezer for more than two hours they may enter the Danger Zone—the unsafe temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly.

10. Whenever there’s a food recall, check products stored at home to make sure they are safe.

You should discard any food that’s been recalled because it’s associated with the outbreak of a food-borne illness. But, according to a survey conducted by Rutgers University during the fall of 2008, only about 60% of Americans search their homes for foods that have been recalled because of contamination. For more information on food recalls, visit the website Recalls.gov






Cavier & Vodka
Courtesy of The Lady (Bug) of the Household