Apple pie - dedicated to all my friends - old and new!!

" A Friend is one that knows who you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow" - William Shakespeare

You know what is the most difficult part about relocating yourself to a new place, even more so to a new country? - It is to find new friends!!

Yes!! That has by far being the hardest part for me when we shifted to Houston almost 10 months back.

Having taken premature retirement from the army, me and my husband were living a blissful existence in Gurgaon surrounded by the cosy cocoon of our family and friends. As luck would have it, at that time some our our closest friends were stationed in Delhi and another few, who like us, had also taken early release from the army and were now working in Delhi in private sectors. Being associated with each other since the last 20 years you can imagine what a blast we had whenever we got together. We all gone through so many ups and downs together, celebrating and sharing the best and the worst with each other.
The kids too had literally grown up together and they had their own party going.
With good friends around, its always party time and we made the most of our time that we were together, never missing an opportunity to get together at the slightest of excuse. Whenever we met, it felt like being transported back in time, reliving our past by rekindling old memories with many a repeated stories (not one of us got tired of listening to them again and again) and the anecdotes and rolling in laughter as they were shared. (Infact at one time my daughter commented that," Mom I have never heard you laugh so much. You all were behaving like kids!!" ) Well!! That was the magic of the company of dear friends.

Looking back now, I realise how precious those moments were and how much I miss having them around. Sigh!!!

Cheers to our good times together and many more to come!!

Life mein har ek friend jaroori hota hai!

But I think luck followed us here to Houston too. When we were coming here, a friend of my husband told him that his course mate, also retired from the army, was also living in Houston and we must touch base with him once we reach here. That's how we met this amazing group of people here. At their house we were introduced to a few more couples. The common factor that connected us all was that each one of them had some connections with the Indian army, having served in it at some time or other. Most of the spouses too were army brats like me. It is difficult to meet like minded people especially as you grow older but luckily for us we found ourselves connecting with them on the same wavelength.

It does take time to build a relationship but I must say we are definitely on our way !!

We meet occasionally at our homes for a fun evening. Most of  the times we hold a  potluck so that it is not too much of a burden on the host, as unlike India there are no maids and everything has to be taken care of by yourself. 

For the get together this month, I was assigned a dessert and I decided to take along an Apple pie. Generally I like to make a short crust pastry for making the pie crust, but this time I decided to do a flaky pastry. Surfing the net, I hit upon King Arthur's recipe of double crust for pies. It was the perfect choice as the crust on baking was crisp and buttery and there was no blind baking needed. Also usually while making the filling for an Apple pie, I  like to cook my apples a bit. This way not only is the filling thick and gooey but it also helps to lessen the gap between the crust and the filling, since the apples shrink considerable on baking. Another benefit is that you can make the filling in advance instead of sweating over it all on the same day.
To give an extra crunch to the pie I added a cup of dried cranberries and 1/2 a cup of roasted almonds which really helped to boost the flavour of the apple pie.

Ingredients
Crust (adapted from King Arthur's Flour double crust pie)
21/2 cups All purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter (if using salted butter reduce salt to 1/2 tsp)
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Filling

8 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup sliced roasted almonds

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 cups brown sugar

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp all spice powder

2 tbsp. butter, diced in small pieces

1 egg for glazing the top

Method

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Dice the butter into small cubes and work it into the mixture, gently rubbing it with your fingertips until the butter is well distributed but not fully incorporated. Small pea size  butter flakes will be left behind.

Add the chilled water, 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing it in gently. When the dough is moist enough and starts clumping together, gather the dough into a ball.

Divide the dough in half and pat it into two disks.

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling.

To make the filling:

Combine the sliced apples, lemon juice and sugar in a pan. Cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes just till the apples start to soften. Cool slightly.

Add in the cranberries, roasted almonds, cornstarch, salt and spices and stir in the apple mixture till fully coated.

Lightly grease a 9-inch pie.

Roll out half of the pastry into a circle big enough to cover the base of the pie dish and is hanging over the edge of the dish. (I like to roll my pastry in between  two sheets of cling film which really makes it easier to roll without sticking to the surface) Check out my post on Quiche Lorraine here for some easy rolling tips.

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Spoon the apple filling onto the lined pie dish. Dot with the diced butter.

Roll out the remaining pastry to an 11" circle. Cut decorative vent holes. If you are feeling a bit more adventurous weave a lattice over the apples. Check out my post on Cherry Pie if you want to learn how to decorate a pie with a lattice on top

Roll the overhanging crust up and over the top crust pinching the upper and lower crust with your fingers to seal the two together. flute the edges of the pie, then place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to chill the pie before placing it in the oven.

Glaze the top of the pie with an egg wash. Sprinkle some granulated sugar on top for adding an extra crunch.

Bake the pie for 20 minutes at 425 F, then reduce the temperature to 375 F and bake for 40 minutes more until the filling is bubbling inside. If you feel the edges of the pie browning too quickly cover them with a foil.

After the pie is done, remove it from the oven and cool it completely before slicing. The filling will continue to thicken as it cools.

Pork and Mushroom Filo Tart

I love making quiches for dinner. They are quick and simple to make, are wholesome and healthy (you can get the kiddies to eat eggs and veggies without having them turn up their noses), you can make the dish ahead of time, it reheats beautifully and the best part, if you are feeling too lazy, you can always go in for a store bought pastry like I have done. 

But this time, I landed up making a quiche because I had a roll of store-bought filo pastry lying in the freezer for ages. Originally bought to make Pastilla, a mind-blowingly delicious sweet and savory Morrocon pastry which I had tasted at Casablanca at Double Tree By Hilton and immediately fell head over heels in love with. 

Whenever I decided to make Chicken Pastilla and put across the idea to the kids, it was immediately rejected with a, "Ew!! chicken with cinnamon and sugar!! How grose? Howcan anyone possibly eat that?" and with that reaction totally weakening my resolve of trying out my dish and hence resulting me neglecting the poor filo. 

But still, I am not going to give up so easily as I am determined to try out my chicken pastilla at least once even at the cost of it landing in the bin. 

I had some pork meat left over from trimming of the pork chops (which is yet another story ). I stir fried it along with some mushrooms and decided to use them for making the filling. Instead of using a short crust pastry I used the filo pastry which resulted in a much lighter crust without compromising the end result. Layers of crispy pastry combined with the delicious pork and mushroom filling is an absolute winner. 

A light tart (both on your taste buds and waistline), this is an absolute treat and with no rolling to do it is a winner all the way.

 Ingredients
For the Pastry
5 sheets of filo pastry, thawed if frozen (bigger than your baking tin, so it overhangs the edges)

30g of butter, melted

For the Filling
250 gms cooked pork cut into cubes (you can substitute pork with lamb, chicken or fish)
150 gms mushroom sliced and stir fried lightly

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup cheddar cheese (I used Amul), coarsely grated

180ml double cream

3 eggs
4-5 cherry tomatoes cut into half for decorating.

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

salt to taste

Method
Heat the oven to 190C.
Layer five sheets of the filo pastry into the tin, brushing each one with melted butter and layiing them at angles across each other, fanning them around the tin so that each filo sheets overhangs a little over the edge of the tin.
Trim any edges that are too big for the tin.
In a frying pan, saute the onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and pork and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.  
Cool for a few minutes, then tip into the tart tin and spread over the base.
Beat together the egg and cream. Season and pour into the tin.
Garnish the top with the halved cherry tomatoes.
Bake at 190 C for 25-30 minutes, or till the filling is set and the top becomes golden brown and crispy.
Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Cherry Pie

… and then, even though I die

As I wend my way to Heaven I’ll be full of cherry pie!

 - Edgar Guest

There is something about the Cherry pie that is so enticing - ruby red jewels encased in a deliciously buttery covering is a treat not only for your eyes but for your palate too - whats not to love about it? I seriously have not had a Cherry pie this good!! (not that I have had very many before). Being my first experiment with a cherry pie, I was quite apprehensive before making it - a zillion questions floating in my mind. Would the crust be flaky enough? Would the crust cook properly with a wet filling poured on it? No blind baking? Would the filling be too runny? What if the filling doesn't hold together? What if it is too soupy and messy? Would the cornflour in the filling taste too pasty? But thanks to the internet, for  one small thing there are numerous options available. Thankfully it worked for me too where  I was able to read and choose the best out of the best and my fears were laid to rest and I finally ended my quest for the perfect Cherry pie.

While going through the various sites, at first I got thoroughly confused as most of the recipes called for half butter and half lard. Lard? Where would I get lard here in Delhi? On googling it, I found that Dalda could be substituted for lard. But not wanting to pump our arteries with hydrogenated fats, I looked further and hit upon an all butter, really flaky pastry crust at smittenkitchen.com which had, can you believe it, a 103 different type of pie crusts with step-by-step tutorials, making it really simple to  follow. The dough rolled out nicely(without tearing), baked perfectly, was rich and flaky and nicely balanced with the filling. Though, in spite of his instructions to knead the dough by hand, I ended up making mine in a food processor and had absolutely no regrets in the end. But again, this is your choice. Another important thing to remember when making the dough is to avoid mixing the butter too much. In fact, handle it as little as possible, that is also why I liked using the food processor as then you handle the dough minimally. Visible specks of butter should be seen in the final dough as that is what helps the dough to be flaky

Another important  thing to remember is that  keep everything as cold as possible, yes, even in this blasted heat. The best way is to cube your butter first, then pop it in the freezer while mixing your flour, sugar and salt, then work as quickly as possible. 

The filling again is a compilation from various sites. I chose to cook the filling in a pan till thickened and keep it in the fridge for a couple of hours.(3-4 hrs). I found cooling it for a couple of hours helped to thicken the filling resulting in a firm pie. I actually got cold feet when I thought of just tossing the cherries with cornflour (as quite a few recipes called for) and using it for the filling, afraid that the filling might end up too runny!! Maybe next time I will be more adventurous!!

This cherry pie was as perfect as perfect could be!! So beautiful that I almost fell in love with it -the colors, the texture, the taste, everything seemed to hit the 100 percent perfect mark. (You can tell this by seeing how berserk I went with taking pics of it with my camera). It was so beautiful and perfect that if I had it in me, I definitely would have ended up composing a poem in its honor, it was so good!! For the time being, I am quite happy to do a merry  heel dance at finding this valuable treasure for my collection.
So, While I am still in my cherry heaven, you go ahead and enjoy the flavors of fresh fruits available in this season.
Ingredients
For the Crust :
21/2 cups flour(315 grams)
1 tbsp sugar(15 gms)
1 tsp salt(5 gms)
200 gms butter
4-6 tbsp ice cold water
For the Filling:  
5 cup cherries, pitted
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp cherry conserve (optional)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp clove powder
50 gms extra butter, cut into cubed

1 beaten egg blended with water for the glaze

1 tsp granulated sugar for sprinkling on top

Method

Cut butter into small cubes and put the bowl into the freezer. In a food processor pulse flour, sugar and salt. Add in the butter. Pulse 10-12 times till mixture resembles a coarse meal with few pea sized pieces of butter remaining. Start adding water slowly and pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. Turn out onto a work surface and knead the dough once or twice with the heels of your hands till the dough comes together. Divide it in half and flatten into disks. Wrap separately in plastic and refrigerate.

In the meantime, make your filling. In a pan mix together the pitted cherries, cherry jam (optional), cornflour, cinnamon, clove and heat for a couple of minutes till thickened. Cool and add the lemon juice. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

Lightly flour your work surface and using a rolling pin, roll out the bottom crust until it is 1/8 inch thick. Lay it into a pie dish and fit the dough in by pressing the edges around the rim. Trim the edges with a kitchen scissor, so that they extend beyond the edge of the pie by 1 inch. Place it in the refrigerator while you roll out your bottom crust. Spoon in the filling. Place pieces of cut up butter on top of the filling.

Make a lattice to cover the pie. 

If you are keen to learn how to make a lattice for the top, see the tutorial here: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_a_lattice_top_for_a_pie_crust/.

Otherwise simply roll out the second dough into a round disk. Gently place on top of the filling in the pie. Pinch top and bottom dough rounds firmly together. Trim the excess dough. Flute the edges with a fork. Make small cuts on the top dough for the steam to escape.

                             

                             

With a pastry brush glaze the top crust with the egg wash. Sprinkle the top with granulated sugar.
Put the pie in a pre heated oven and bake at 200C for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 160C and bake further for 25 minutes or until the crust appears golden brown.

If you find that the crust is burning, place a piece of aluminum foil over it and continue to bake the pie.
Allow to cool completely before serving.

If desired, serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla icecream or have it as it is.

Chicken Pot Pie

There can be nothing more comforting on a cold winter night than a hot "Chicken Pot Pie" baking in your oven. Its aromas filling up your entire house, tantalizing your appetite, constantly nagging you to indulge in satisfying your cravings for this delicious heart warming pleasure. To top it, to have it right out of the oven, digging into its hot soupy deliciousness is just an experience in itself.
I don't know, but there is something about the winter season that as the temperatures drops outside your craving for comfort food grows. With all the lovely fresh green vegetables flooding the market, its an absolute pleasure stirring up soups, simmering hot stews, baking breads, and rolling out hearty pies and casseroles - and for once no one is complaining!! (Try giving the same vegetables to the kids in the form of "Subji" and see how differently they react.)
This is the ultimate pot pie recipe - a creamy chicken stew loaded with onions, peas, mushrooms and carrots and baked under a beautifully rich golden cover. 
I cannot think of anything more comforting than this wholesome dish to drive away your winter woes!! 

Ingredients
Crust:
200 gms flour
1 tsp salt
100 gms butter
4 to 6 Tbsp cold water
Filling:
2 cup chicken broth
4 Tbsp butter
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup peas
1 carrot, diced
1 cup mushrooms, quartered
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp dried Rosemary

Method:
Heat oven to 200C. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl; cut in the butter with a fork until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Mix in enough cold water for the dough  to come together. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in a plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Heat 1 Tbs butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms. Cook until well browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Keep aside

In the same pan add the remaining vegetables and cook for 4-5 minutes till the carrots and peas are tender. Put the cooked vegetables in a bowl with chicken and mushrooms. Check for seasoning.

In a large saucepan, melt the remaining 3 Tbsp butter. Spoon in the flour and stir continuously for a minute till the flour browns. Add the chicken broth and whisk vigorously till the mixture is smooth. Stir in the dried Rosemary, cooked chicken and vegetables. Simmer on low heat for 5 to 8 minutes till thick. (If you feel that at this point your mixture is still liquidy, stir in 1-2 tbsp of instant chicken soup powder. Not only would it thicken the broth but also add to the flavor.) 

                           

Distribute the mixture evenly among four small ramekins for individual servings or a big ovenproof bowl. Take out the dough from the refrigerator and let it soften slightly at room temperature, about 20 minutes. Roll out your pie dough on a floured surface and cut 4 circles that are a little bigger than the tops of the baking dish you are using. Press down the sides to secure the top crust. Make little vents into the top crusts to help the steam to escape.

Brush the tops with beaten eggs to get a good glaze after baking. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top crust is golden brown and the chicken mixture is bubbling. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Tomato Tart

                             
I recently got an invite from Sid Khullar Of  "Chef at Large" to join the "Lets Bake Tarts" event on CAL. It set me thinking "Is there a difference between tart and pies?"  I had certainly made a pie before, a Quiche so wouldn't a tart be same as making a pie. Atleast, that is what I have always believed. To get over my curiosity, I thought of surfing the net to get an answer to my question and also to be able to find a good recipe for a tart. My net surfing made me actually realize that, contrary to my belief, there was a difference (though,according to me, a minute one) between a Pie and a Tart. So, for all of you out there, who like me, also think that Pie and Tart are the same thing...here's a little knowledge-sharing....

A pie is a sweet or savory dish with a crust and a filling. Traditionally, pie crusts are light and flaky.The sides of a pie dish or pan are sloped. It can have a just a bottom, just a top, or both a bottom and a top crust. A pie crust is traditionally made of flour, salt, cold water, and lard (or shortening) but many pie crust recipes use a combination of fats such as butter, lard, or vegetable shortening, or just butter. The goal is a crisp, flaky crust. They are typically an accompanying component and their contribution to the dish is mostly texture.  Apple pie, for example, has a sweet juicy filling and the crust gives it a beautiful contrast in textures with it’s flaky bite. Pies can be served straight from the dish in which they were baked. 
(The pictures of the baking pans have not been taken by me 
source http://www.thekitchn.com/pie-vs-tart-whats-the-differen-68710 )

A tart is a sweet or savory dish with shallow sides and only a bottom crust. Traditionally, pie crusts are light and flaky. It usually has eggs in it and always has butter for the strength.Tart crusts are typically short, meaning the butter is mixed into the dough completely. It has some amount of sugar and no binding agents to make it chewy, giving it a more ‘cookie like’ taste and texture, rather than the flaky texture of pie crust. The goal is a firm, crumbly crust. Tarts are baked in a pan with a removable bottom, or in pastry ring on top of a baking sheet so that it can be unmolded before serving.  Also, tarts have far less filling than pies.
So there, once my fundamentals were cleared up, I decided to move to the second step, that is to decide on the filling for my tart. Having just got over with the Diwali festivities, everyone had an overdose of the sweets so I decided to refrain from making a sweet tart (though I really wanted to make a chocolate tart (It remains on top of my wish-list) and settled for a savory tart. I settled for making a "Tomato tart " which looked quite appetizing and had simple and interesting flavors.

For the crust of my tart, I took the recipe from my newly acquired  Michael Roux's  book on "Pastry" (as it is, I was dying to make something from my new book.....)

Ingredients

300g Pâte Brisée (pie dough)

4 firm tomatoes, cut into round slices

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried garlic

1 tbsp brown sugar or balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp dried thyme leaves

200 g processed cheese, grated

1 tbsp mustard sauce

100 g mozarella cheese, cut into small cubes

200 g cream

2 eggs

zest  of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a circle about  4cm wider than the tin.Carefully lift the pastry into the tin and gently press into the base and sides, taking care not to stretch the pastry.Trim any excess pastry and prick the base with a fork.Chill for 20 minutes. 

Line the pie crust with a butter paper and fill with baking beans,

Blind bake the pie crust for 15 minutes till the sides start to brown. Remove the beans and bake for further 10 minutes, until golden and crisp. Keep aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, put the tomatoes cut-side up in a roasting tin. Drizzle with the oil, dried garlic,sugar or vinegar and the dried thyme. Season. 

Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until just wilted.

In a bowl, mix together the eggs, cream, processed cheese, mozzarella cheese, lemon zest, mustard sauce, salt and pepper. Season well with salt and pepper. Spoon evenly into the tart case and arrange the tomatoes over the top. 
Bake for 20 -25 minutes in a pre-heated oven, until set and golden.
Cool and carefully remove from the tart tin.
Cut the tart into wedges and serve.

1. 1. Serving instructions

Quiche Lorraine

This classic Quiche Lorraine is a pure celebration in itself. 

Filled with salami, cheese, tomatoes and onions this pie is enough to tantalize anyone's taste buds. Though thought to be the quintessential of French cuisine, it actually originated in Germany in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, under German rule, which the French later renamed Lorraine. The word 'quiche' is from the German 'Kuchen' meaning cake.

This savory, open-faced  pastry dish is a complete meal in itself. On hearing the name of the dish for the first time,  this pie might sound a bit complex to you, but believe me, it is as simple to make as much as the name sounds complicated. 

The best part is that you can really play around with the fillings as suited to each one's palate - chicken, fish, minced meat, bacon and vegetables like mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, the possibilities for quiche fillings are limitless. If you are watching your weight, just omit the base totally.
With a little creativity and playing around with different combinations, you can make your very own special quiche that will wow the entire family, and keep them coming back for more!!

Ingredients

For the Shortcrust Pastry
200 gms flour
100 gms butter
1 egg
pinch of salt
Filling
4 eggs
3/4 cup cream
50 grated Mozzarella cheese
50 grated processed cheese
100 gms salami, cut into small pieces
2 tsp mustard powder
1 onion finely chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Sift the flour with a pinch of salt. Cut the butter in cubes.
Rub the flour and the butter together with your fingertips till it resembles breadcrumbs.
 Whisk your egg and put in just enough egg to bind the dough.

 

Wrap the pastry in a clingfilm and chill in the fridge for half an hour.

                            Spread some cling film out. Lay it as large as you can. Take another square of clingfilm and lay on top of the pastry and roll it out. This is an amazingly simple way (which I saw on Rachael Allen's Bake) to roll your shortcrust pastry without having it getting stuck all over your slab. It also makes it extremely simple to move around the pastry dough as the pastry remains firm and pliant  while rolling it out. 
 Try and roll out the pastry a little thinner than you would want it eventually, as the pastry tends to thicken a bit on baking.

Once it is rolled out peel off  the top layer of clingfilm. 
Flip the cling film and pastry over onto a pie dish, so the bottom sheet of clingfilm is now on the top. Using a sharp knife, trim away any pastry that extends above the top rim of the dish. 

If you have got an egg and cream based filling, you need to blindbake or prebake the pastry as the base can get soggy. Line the base with some clingfilm and put in some kidney beans. 

Put it in a moderate oven about 180 C for about  20 minutes. Remove the beans and bake the pastry for further 10 minutes.

                     

While the pastry is baking, make the egg filling. Mix all the ingredients for the filling together. Check for seasoning. Carefully pour it into the baked pie shell. 

When ready to bake, place the pie dish on another plate to avoid spilling in the oven. This way it also makes it easier to remove the  hot dish from the oven after it bakes.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 35 - 40 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Let cool for 15 minutes, then slice into pieces and enjoy.