Apples - November 2007

Diva: Nicole

Drinks: Mariah
Hot Toddy

4 c apple cider
1 c cranberry juice cocktail
½ c tequila
¼ c Triple Sec or other orange-flavored liqueur
Garnish: lime slices, orange slices and apple slices

In a saucepan heat cider and cranberry juice cocktail just until hot (do not let boil) and remove from heat. Stir in tequila and liqueur. Serve toddies in mugs, garnished with lime.

Appetizer: Lovina
Phyllo-wrapped Brie with Apricot and Rosemary Chutney

Chutney
12 ounces dried apricots, chopped
1 large red onion, chopped
1 c water
2/3 c cider vinegar
2/3 c (packed) golden brown sugar
3 ounces dried tart cherries (3/4 cup)
1 ½ T chopped fresh rosemary
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp grated lemon peel
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
½ c blanched slivered almonds, toasted

Combine all ingredients except almonds in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until most liquid has evaporated and chutney is thick, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Mix in almonds. Transfer chutney to bowl.
Chill until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover, keep chilled.)

**NOTE: this makes a TON of chutney. You will have plenty leftover to use for other meals. It freezes well!

Cheese and Phyllo
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 pound fresh phyllo pastry sheets or frozen, thawed
4 ½ T chopped fresh rosemary
1 wheel of Brie

Presentation
Fresh herb sprigs (such as rosemary, sage, and chives)
Additional dried apricots and dried cherries
Fresh baguettes, thinly sliced
Thinly sliced apples
Assembly of cheese and phyllo

Brush heavy large baking sheet with butter; set aside. Unroll pastry. Cover with plastic wrap and damp kitchen towel. Transfer 2 stacked phyllo sheets to work surface, arranging 1 short side parallel to edge of work surface. Arrange 2 more stacked phyllo sheets on work surface, overlapping long side of first sheets by about 5 to 7 inches and forming rectangle about 18 by 17 inches. Brush pastry with butter; sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary over. Place 2 more stacked sheets atop first set of 2 sheets, then 2 more stacked sheets atop second set of 2 sheets. Brush with butter and sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary. Repeat layering 1 more time with phyllo, butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary. (You will use a total of 12 sheets.)

Using sharp knife or scissors, trim phyllo corners, forming approximately 17-inch oval. place Brie in center of phyllo. Spread 1 1/2 cups chutney evenly over cheese. Slide hand under 1 rounded corner of phyllo. Lift phyllo and fold onto top of cheese. Brush folded pastry with butter. Continue to lift phyllo in sections and to fold snugly over top of cheese, brushing with butter and pressing each section to adhere until cheese is wrapped. Use hand and metal spatula to transfer wrapped cheese to prepared baking sheet.

Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface. Brush with butter. Starting at 1 long side, fold 1 inch of pastry over. Continue folding pastry loosely over itself, forming 1-inch-wide strip of pastry over. Continue folding pastry loosely over itself, forming 1-inch-wide strip of pastry. Roll up strip into coil. Gather bottom edge of coil together, pinching to force top slightly open and forming rose. Place rose atop uncovered center of cheese. Brush with butter. Repeat with 2 more sheets of phyllo, forming 2 more roses. Place atop cheese, covering opening completely. Chill 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic; keep chilled.)

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Bake cheese until pastry is deep golden brown, covering roses loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about 25 minutes. (If cheese leaks from pastry during baking, press piece of foil over tear in pastry; continue baking.)

Cool cheese on sheet 45 minutes.

Presentation
Using metal spatula, transfer warm cheese to large platter. Arrange herbs, dried fruit, baguette slices and apple slices around cheese. Cut cheese into wedges.

Salad: Stacey
Mixed Salad Greens and apple slices with Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing.
(can’t find dressing recipe)

Soup: Tamara
Curried Pumpkin-Apple Soup

3 T Olive oil
1 Clove garlic, mashed
1 1/2 c Chopped onion
1 Large apple, peeled/chopped
1 T Curry powder
2 c Pumpkin puree
4 c vegetable broth
1 c Milk (I used soy)
Salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in 6 qt. saucepan. Sauté garlic, onion and apple. Stir in curry powder and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add pumpkin and broth, bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes. Puree all in blender or food processor. Return to saucepan and stir in milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6-8.

Side Dish: Ashley
Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Bacon

4 slices of bacon
1 pint Brussels sprouts, trimmed, steamed for 3 minutes, and chopped fine (about 1 ¾ cups)
1 ½ tsp caraway seeds
3 T vegetable oil
3 T white-wine vinegar
¼ tsp sugar, or to taste
2 granny smith apples; peeled and chopped

In a heavy skillet cook the bacon over moderate heat until it is crisp and transfer it to paper towels to drain. Heat the fat remaining in the skillet over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it sauté the Brussels sprouts with the caraway seeds, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sprouts are tender and pale golden. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the oil, the vinegar, and the sugar, and add the apples. Sauté the mixture over med high heat, stirring often until apples are tender but not mushy. Crumble bacon. Toss all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Entree: Erin
Chicken with apple, cranberry and bacon

4 slices bacon
½ c all purpose flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp poultry seasoning
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 to 2 pounds total)
2 T olive oil
1 granny smith apple
1 T unsalted butter
1/3 c minced shallots
2/3 c apple juice
2/3 c dry white wine
2/3 c chicken broth
¼ c dried cranberries
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ c whipping cream
2 T chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 175 F. Warm a heatproof dish or plate in the oven to hold the chicken while you make the sauce.

Fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Scoop out the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour about 2 T of the bacon drippings into a small dish and set aside; reserve the skillet with the remaining 2 T or so of bacon drippings for cooking the chicken.

Combine the flour, cinnamon, and poultry seasoning in a shallow dish and stir to mix. Dredge the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour, coating them well and patting to remove excess. Add the oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook until nicely browned and cooked through (juices run clear when pierced with a knife), turning once, 5 to 8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. Transfer the chicken to the warmed dish in the oven and reserve the skillet.

Peel, core, and quarter the apple, then cut each quarter into 3 even slices. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the apple and saute until it just begins to soften, about 4 minutes, turning the slices once. Take the skillet from the heat and set aside.

Heat the reserved bacon fat in the large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until tender and aromatic, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the apple juice, wine, chicken broth, and cranberries with salt and pepper to taste, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Boil over medium-high heat until reduced by almost half, about 10 minutes. Add the cream and bacon, and gently stir in the apple slices. Add the chicken and any liquid that has accumulated in the dish, turning to coat the breasts with the sauce. Cook just until the chicken is warmed through, stirring gently. Taste the sauce for seasoning, adding salt or pepper to taste. Transfer the chicken and sauce to a serving platter or individual plates and sprinkle with parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

** I used chick’n patties when making the veggie version, obviously didn’t include bacon and drippings , and used a vegetable seasoning and broth. All other ingredients remained the same. I’ve never cooked with facon (the fake bacon), but it might be a nice addition to this...?


Dessert: Aven
Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cakes

Aven doubled the recipe and made one big cake in a 10” cast iron skillet instead of making individual cakes.

Makes 6 servings.

2 ¼ c sugar, divided (used brown sugar here)
¼ c water
2 T plus
½ c (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 large Golden Delicious apples (about 2 pounds), peeled, cored, each cut into 8 wedges

1 ¾ c cake flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ c whole milk

Combine 1 ½ cups sugar and ¼ cup water in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until color is deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with pastry brush dipped into water, about 8 minutes. Working quickly, divide hot caramel among six 1 ¼-cup custard cups. Using pot holders to protect hands, tilt and rotate custard cups to cover bottoms with caramel. Set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add apple wedges and sauté until just tender, about 12 minutes. Arrange apple wedges in bottoms of caramel-lined custard cups.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat remaining ½ cup butter and remaining ¾ cup sugar in another medium bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time and beat until well blended after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with whole milk in 2 additions. Spoon batter over apples in custard cups, dividing batter equally (about ½ cup for each).

Bake cakes until light golden around edges and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto plates. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1/2 cup butter and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in another medium bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time and beat until well blended after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with whole milk in 2 additions. Spoon batter over apples in custard cups, dividing batter equally (about 1/2 cup for each).

Bake cakes until light golden around edges and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto plates. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

WildCard: Colleen - CD

Lottery: Sara
Sara decided it was time for some winners so she got prizes for each bag, including $10.00 in one of them.

Divas on the Farm - Pie - October 2007

Diva: Michelle

Drinks: Tamara
Hot Apple Pie Drink

1 gal. apple cider
2 c apple Schnapps
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Several cinnamon sticks

Add all ingredients in a large pan. Bring to a boil and then simmer. Serve hot with whip cream.

Appetizer: Sara
Savory Phyllo Cheese Cups

6 Sheets phyllo pastry
¼ c Whipping cream
¼ c Hazelnut oil; warmed
Salt, pepper
Vegetable oil
2 Med. basil leaves; minced

Fromage Blanc Filling

¼ tsp Dried rosemary
8 oz Fromage blanc *
1/8 tsp Dried thyme
2 oz Med. strong goat cheese **
1 T Hazelnut oil
2 Eggs

*(fresh, soft goat cheese, lightly whipped) or cream cheese.
** (such as Montrachet or feta)

Brush each phyllo pastry sheet with warmed oil and stack sheets. Trim stack to measure 15- x 12-inches. Cut into 20 (-inch) squares. Brush small cupcake tin with oil. Press each square of dough into cup. Flatten corners onto pan to form petals. Chill. To make filling, combine fromage blanc, goat cheese, eggs, cream and salt and pepper to taste, basil, rosemary, thyme and hazelnut. Mix until well blended. Pour filling into formed cups. Bake at 350F until cups are golden and mixture is lightly puffed.

Salad: Ashley
Mixed green salad with piecrust croutons.

Soup: Stacey
French Onion Soup

6 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
olive oil
1 tsp sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 c beef stock (or veggie stock)
½ c white wine
1 bay leaf
½ tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper
8 sliced toasted French bread
1 ½ c gruyere cheese
½ c parmesan cheese

In a large soup pot sauté onions in a little olive oil on medium high heat until well browned but not burned. This should take about 30 mins. Add the sugar about 10 mins. into the process to help caramelize the onions. Add the garlic and sauté 1 min. Add stock, wine, bay leaf, thyme--cover and partially simmer for 30 mins. Season with salt and pepper. Melt the cheese on the toasted bread. Serve on top of soup.

Side Dish: Erin
Sweet Potato Pie

4 large potatoes
2 c sugar (I used less, this just seemed like too much and I liked the result)
1 stick butter
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 homemade or store-bought pie crust
½ c milk

Boil the potatoes until tender. When you stick a
fork in them it should go in easy but you don't
want them to fall apart.

Let the potatoes cool and then peel them.

Put the potatoes in a large mixing bowl and
mash them thoroughly with a potato masher.
Melt the butter and pour it and the other
ingredients in the bowl of potatoes. Stir
until well mixed.

Pour the potatoes mixture
into the crust.

Put into an oven preheated to 375 degrees.
Cook for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick
inserted in the center comes out dry.

Entree: Nicole
Chicken Pot Pie

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 c sliced carrots
1 c frozen green peas
½ c sliced celery
1/3 c butter
1/3 c chopped onion
1/3 c all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp celery seed
1 ¾ c chicken broth
2/3 c milk

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Dessert: Mariah
Fruit Pizza

"A cookie dough crust, cream cheese filling, and fruit topping. Tip: For a quick crust, use one package of ready made sugar cookie dough rolled out to fit a pizza pan. Use an assortment of fresh fruit such as bananas, peaches, blueberries, kiwi, pineapple, and strawberries."

½ c butter, softened
¾ c white sugar
1 egg
1 ¼ c all-purpose flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
½ c white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth. Mix in egg. combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Press dough into an ungreased pizza pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until light. Spread on cooled crust.
Arrange desired fruit on top of filling, and chill.

Lottery: Lovina