Apple Pie

Thanksgiving is only a few days away. This year, we’ll be hosting Thanksgiving at our house and I just finalized the menu for this holiday: 

•  Appetizers: Baked Brie (Brie cheese drizzled with a raspberry and chipotle sauce with walnuts and cranberries and then wrapped in puff pastry). Olives marinated in olive oil and fresh herbs.
• Main Course – Turkey with fresh herbs and wine; stuffing with pancetta and chestnuts; mashed potatoes;  esquites (Mexican corn dish); and roasted root vegetables drizzled balsamic vinaigrette.
• Dessert: apple pie and caramel flan.

I still have a lot of prep work to do, so let’s cut to the chase. Today I am giving you my apple pie recipe. If you still don’t know what kind of dessert to make for Thanksgiving, try this recipe. It is a crowd pleaser.

Apple Pie

Adapted from Desserts, Mouthwatering recipes for delicious dishes by Rosemary Wilkinson.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 pounds apples

2 tablespoons flour

½ cup sugar

1 ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup butter, diced.

Store bought pie crust (because, who has time to make it from scratch? Not me)

Directions:

1. Spread butter over the surface of a pie pan. Sprinkle with flour. Place crust on pie pan.

2. Preheat oven to  425 F.

3. Peel, core and slice the apples. Place in a large bowl. Toss with the flour, sugar, lemon juice, spices and salt. Spoon into the pie shell and dot with butter.

4. Roll out the remaining pie crust. Place on top of pie and trim to leave a ¾ inch overhang. Fold the overhang under the bottom dough and press to seal. Cut steam vents. Protect the edge of the pie with foil.

5. Bake for 10 min. Reduce the heat to 350 F and bake until golden (40 to 45 min.).

Fresh Cheese - Queso Fresco Mexicano

Last Saturday I struck up a conversation with a Mennonite lady who was selling organic raw milk, yogurt, cheese and honey. Her family’s farm, Sunset Valley Farm, is located in Perry County, Pennsylvania.  When she wasn’t too busy, I asked her about the difference between raw milk and pasteurized milk, its benefits and uses. She proceeded by giving me a sample of raw milk. I was a bit hesitant – not because it was not pasteurized – but because I am not a big milk fan (unless it has cocoa powder in it). I tried it and was surprised to find that I actually really liked it: it was very creamy and somewhat sweet. It was also very fresh, a quality you cannot find in the milk you buy at the supermarket.  She told me that raw milk has many uses – you can make cheese, yogurt, butter, ice-cream etc. She told me that if I wanted, I could make my own butter, since all you have to do is to whip the raw milk until it creams. She told me that the “liquid” that separates from the butter is buttermilk, which you can use to make pancakes or breads.  You learn something new every day.

We continued talking and, after a few minutes, I told her that I have wanted to make cheese but that I had not been able to find raw milk – which I thought would be more appropriate than pasteurized milk.  She told that making cheese – such as mozzarella or ricotta – is quite easy. However, venturing into “harder” cheeses – such as Gouda, cheddar, Swiss – is a more complex process. She gave me some tips and the confidence to finally make cheese. That day I bought from her half gallon of raw milk – and fresh eggs, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream.

Four days later, I bought citric acid (aka sour salt) and cheese cloth and ventured to make cheese.  I settled for a recipe I had wanted to make: Queso Fresco, a mild Mexican cheese that resembles the taste of mozzarella but its consistency is that of feta cheese.  The Mennonite lady was right, making cheese was quite easy – you basically mix the warm milk with citric acid, drain it and let it cool. Yes, it’s that easy. You may be wondering “ok, you said it was really easy to make but, was it good?” Yes, it was. It tasted like queso fresco but a bit creamier. It was really good and actually, I am planning on making it for the holidays. Maybe I’ll add some dry herbs or fresh chopped jalapeno pepper. This is what the husband had to say about it:

“I was shocked that the cheese came out like, well, cheese on the first attempt! The consistency was perfect, and the smell and taste were as well. I was also surprised that it didn’t take all that long… I was expecting maybe a days-long process. My wife can do it all. She made a pie a few minutes later!”

If you are a culinary adventurer, why don’t you try to make your own cheese? It is a fun experience.



The final product



Fresh Cheese

Queso Fresco Mexicano

Adapted from Fiesta at Ricks, by Rick Bayless

Makes about 1/2 pound

Ingredients

½  gallon raw milk (if you cannot find raw milk use ½ gallon 2% milk plus 1 cup buttermilk)
1 teaspoon citric acid – aka sour salt (if you cannot find it, use 1 cup fresh lime juice)
1  teaspoon salt (pure fine-ground sea salt works best here)

Directions

1.  Culture the milk.   Pour the milk into a large (at least 8-quart) pot. Attach an accurate thermometer that registers temperatures as low as 75 degrees and set the pot over medium heat.  When the temperature reaches 75 degrees, turn off the heat, cover the pot and let stand 3 or 4 hours.

Raw milk

Citric Acid - AKA Sour Salt

2.  Set the curd.   If using citric acid, stir it into 1/4 cup cool water, continuing to stir until dissolved.  Uncover the pot, set over medium heat and stir in the dissolved citric acid or the fresh lime juice. You will start seeing small curds start to form.  Every couple of minutes, stir slowly, gently and thoroughly over the entire bottom of the pot until the milk reaches 195˚F—it’ll take just over 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand 5 minutes without stirring.

3.  Drain the curd from the whey.   Wet a large piece of cheesecloth and drape it into a large colander. Set the colander in the sink.  Using a large slotted spoon or a fine-mesh skimmer, carefully ladle all of the curd into the colander. Sprinkle with salt. Gather the cheesecloth up around the curd and gently press with the back of a large spoon to expel a bit more whey. Unwrap the curd onto a plate.  

4.  Finish the cheese.   Gather the cheese curds into a 1-inch-thick disk, transfer to a plate, cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.  The cheese should last about 1 week in the refrigerator.

Veal in White Sauce - Blanquette de Veau

A few weeks ago we received a beautiful 3 pound piece of veal from North Mountain Pastures, our meat CSA. The beauty of CSAs is that you never know what you are going to get which, if you receive a piece of meat or a vegetable you are not familiar with, forces you to explore new recipes and experiment in the kitchen. I digress.  I had never made veal before – in fact I had only eaten it once in my life – so I was not sure what to make with it. I perused my cooking book library and found several veal recipes that looked appetizing. However, I settled for one that had a wine creamy sauce… I love wine and cream.

The next day I went grocery shopping. Once home, I gathered all the ingredients and started cooking. Few hours later – the veal takes several hours to cook – we had a delicious French dinner. I don’t mean to sound pretentious but the dish was wonderful – the veal very tender and the sauce complimented the meat and vegetables perfectly. My husband loved it. In fact he had a second serving and ate it for lunch the following day. Although this recipe was time consuming, it was really easy to make.

If you like veal, believe me, you can easily make it at home. It will be cheaper and very, very good. Give this recipe a try.

Blanquette de Veau – Veal in White Sauce

Serves 6

Adapted from France The Beautiful Cookbook

Ingredients:

3 lb veal (shoulder & on the bone)

1 white onion

2 cloves

Bouquet garni (1 bay leaf; 1 spring thyme, 6 springs parsley; 2 celery stalks; white part of 1 leek)

1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 4 chunks

¾ cup dry white wine

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 egg yolks

4 pinches of freshly grated nutmeg

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper

To garnish:

45 pearl onions (you can find them in the frozen section)

8 oz. mushrooms (washed and quartered)

2 oz. butter

6 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.

Directions

1. Peel the onion and stud with cloves. Tie together the herbs for the bouquet garni. Place the meat in a Dutch oven and add the carrot, onion and bouquet garni. Pour in the wine and water just to cover. Bring to boil, skimming the surface (brown foam) for the first 10 minutes., then cover and simmer very gently for 2 ½ hours.

2. About 45 minutes before the meat is ready, prepare the garnish. Melt half the butter in a non-stick skillet and cook the onions until golden. Add the water, season with salt and pepper and cook, covered for 20 minutes or until tender.  Melt the remaining butter in a second skillet and add the mushroom and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are golden and no longer give out any liquid. Add to the onions and keep warm.

3. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plated.

4. Strain the cooking liquid that is the Dutch over. Pour back in and boil over high heat until reduced to about 1 cup. In a bowl beat the cream and the egg yolks. Blend in 3 tablespoons of the hot stock. Return to Dutch Oven and cook stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Do not boil. Remove from heat and whisk the sauce to a smooth, velvety consistency. Add the nutmeg, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and whisk for 30 seconds longer.

5. Transfer the meat to a serving plate. Surround with vegetables. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Serve.

Note: the next time I make it, I will add more mushrooms and one more carrot.