Applesauce

I have always wanted to make home made applesauce.  There's something about the warm and uniquely textured goodness that can only be replicated by making your own.  I as well like to control the amount of sugar that goes into the mix.

We were once again stuck with a not interesting batch of apples that I was hoping to improve upon.  I had some Galas and Braeburns, but they didn't have the same punchy flavor or texture that I had in earlier batches.  So these were perfect to test a simple apple sauce recipe.

8 apples, pealed, cored and sliced
1 cinnamon stick
zest of 1 lemon
3 T Orange Juice
1/4 C Sugar (I used Demura, you could use a mix of brown and granulated)
Freshly grated nutmeg

As soon as you slice the apples, toss gently in the orange juice and lemon zest mixture.  This will keep them from browning.  Over medium heat combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.  This will help the sugar to integrate with the juice.  Drop the heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes until the apples are all soft.  Continue to cook uncovered until desired consistency is reached.

Remove the cinnamon stick and puree through a food mill or your food processor.  Delicious!

Serve warm with Pork or cold as a snack. 

Enjoy!

Orange Zested Apple Turnovers with Dried Cherries

I've always wanted an excuse to try cooking with puff pastry.  I know I should be able to make the dough from scratch, but sometimes using a convenience that isn't loaded with garbage is almost like getting a new toy.  It's novel and allows you to do things you hadn't tried before.

So originally I purchased the dough to try my hand at a Chicken Cordon Blue.  However, dinners last week were somewhat rushed and lazy and I never took the opportunity.  But we had some apples that were't fantastic and I figured I could spruce them up somehow.  I killed two birds by also using the puff pastry in this fabulous recipe by Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa.

The Apple Turnovers are gloriously infused with Orange zest and standing in for boring raisins are dried cherries.  I typically have those on hand to toss into salads, but loved the idea of baking with them!  The result was a texture that was well matched.  The cherries broke down in a similar fasion to the apples rather than the raisin being a rubbery surprise.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

The package:

• 2 sheets of 12" x 12" puff pastry thawed in the fridge

Lightly roll out the dough making sure to repair the seems where the dough was folded.  Cut each sheet into four squares for a total of eight.  Separate each square with wax paper or parchment paper and place back in the fridge.  Keeping the butter in the dough cool is the key to a flakey crust.

The gift:

• Zest from one orange
• 3 T Orange juice
• 3 apples (tart is generally preferred, but really any apple is welcomed to the party)
• 3 T Dried Cherries
• 3 T Granulated Sugar
• 1 T Flour (All purpose, Whole Wheat, anything really, it's going to soak up the juice)
• 1 t Cinnamon
• 1/2 t Nutmeg (Freshly grated makes a world of difference)
• 1/4 t Kosher Salt (You wouldn't think it makes a big difference, but the flavor is amplified from that small amount)

Zest the orange and place the zest and orange juice in a bowl.  Peel and slice the apples tossing with the zest to prevent browning.  Add in the remaining ingredients and toss to combine.

The wrapping:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 T water
• Sugar to coat

Combine the egg and water into a small bowl.  Use a pastry brush or silicone brush (love mine!) to spread onto the pastry dough edges.  Or use your clean finger to lightly coat the edges.

Bring out the puff pastry squares from the fridge.  Lay out one square and fill with 1/3 C mixture on one side.  I couldn't figure out how to measure 1/3 C when the apples were in slices so I didn't bother.  Basically you're making a square fold into a triangle.  If you can't get the sides to touch, you've over filled it.  Before folding the square in half at the corners, lightly brush the edges with the egg wash.  Fold one side to the other on the diagonal to make a triangle.  Press the seam together with a fork making firm, but light ridges. 

Lightly brush the triangle with eqq wash and sprinkle with sugar.  I used Demura sugar which is a bigger crystal than granulated and makes for a prettier presentation in the end. 

Bake in the oven at 350 on a greased cookie sheet or silicone mat for 20 - 30 minutes or until desired browning occurs.  Cool on a rack and serve after 5 minutes.  (Don't forget sugar makes lava when heated). 

Reheat in the oven.  Store wrapped in wax paper in a sealed air tight bag.  I'm sure they will be gone before they go bad.

Enjoy!

If you make these and especially if you add a variation, let me know!

Rotisserie Chicken - Chinese 5-Spice

Last Summer Tim and I purchased a rotisserie motor for the gas grill. Our first experiment with this new toy was a Pork Shoulder using a nice Latin spice arrangement. Unfortunately the smoke chips caught on fire in the last twenty minutes of what was promising to be a three hour masterpiece; not to mention basting every hour. Alas, although the exterior was charred to a crisp, the interior was still moist and delectable and delicious! We will try that again.

 

But this weekend we tried a Rotisserie chicken. Many folks have recommended rotisserie chickens from the grocery as an easy multi-night dinner. You can have the wings and drumsticks one night, then shred the remaining meat for use in soups, salads, casseroles, enchiladas, etc. Giant Eagle was offering all natural, cage free, no antibiotic fresh whole chickens for less than $1.70/lb. Having never purchased a whole chicken, I thought that was pretty good! I bought a 5 pound bird.

 

Tim searched through his Grilling cookbooks for recipes and instructions. We settled on this recipe from "How to Grill" which called from some very flavorful and Asian inspired seasonings. I've never oven roasted a chicken (I know, but I was a vegetarian for 15 years), but I assume the principal is the same. This recipe should translate to oven roasting as well.

 

Prepare the bird:

• 3.5 lb to 5 lb whole chicken
• 3 feet cooking twine

Remove the gizzards (Freeze to use in stocks or discard). Remove the extra fatty piece at the cavity opening.

 

Here in lies the Rub:

• 2 t Chinese 5-Spice
• 2 t granulated sugar
• 2 t Kosher salt
• 1/2 t Cracked Black Pepper

Combine above and toss 1/2 mixture inside the bird. Reserve 1/2 until after next step.

 

Truss the bird. This step is really difficult to explain without pictures. So follow the details here: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Truss-a-Chicken/ This step ensures even cooking by fastening the smaller and thus faster cooking parts (wings and thighs) closer to the carcass.
 

 

Next Step:

• 1 T Toasted Sesame Oil
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 slices (1/4 in) peeled fresh ginger, smashed
• 3 scallions thinly sliced, white and green parts

Take one crushed clove of garlic and one slice of ginger and thoroughly rub the chicken's skin. Take the remaining garlic, ginger and scallions and place inside the bird's cavity.

 

Coat skin with toasted sesame oil and cover with the remaining rub.

 

Roast until thickest part of the meat reaches 170 degrees F. Or use your rotisserie to cook for approximately 1.5 hours over medium to medium-low flame. Keep an eye if doing the rotisserie method to moderate the heat according to how quickly the skin is cooking. Remember, chicken is not done using either method until the internal temp reaches 170 degrees F.

 

Allow bird to rest for 10 - 15 minutes before slicing to ensure moist and juicy.

 

 

Enjoy!