recipes

we have a few favourite recipes that we are happy to share!

our apple pie

of course we love to make apple pie...simple, classic, delicious!

you will need:

my sister’s pie crust -2 disks

the recipe follows this one. 

5 large apples (mutsu, golden delicious, ida red) 

or 7 medium apples (cortland, spartan, macintosh) 

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice       

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)

1/4teaspoon of nutmeg (optional)

2 tablespoons of flour

2 tablespoons of cold butter cut into 8 little pieces 

preheat oven to 450°f. place a cookie sheet in the middle of your oven.

roll out one of the disks between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap to 1/8 inch thickness and transfer to a 9 inch pie plate(without the paper). tuck it in the fridge. roll out the second disk to the same thickness, forming a circle. tuck it in the fridge too.

peel, core and slice the apples.

toss the apples with the lemon juice, sugar, spices and flour.

pour this into the pie shell. 

dot with the cold butter.  

top with remaining pastry. trim and crimp the edges together. cut a few slices in the top to let the steam escape.

place on the cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350° f and bake for another 40-50 minutes. the pastry will be golden brown. let the pie cool for at least 30 minutes..preferably an hour or two before you slice it. this sets the filling. 

i grew up enjoying warm apple pie with a slice of old cheddar cheese on top.

ice cream is pretty dreamy too!  

mark still asks for apple pie instead of birthday cake. and he still eats pie for breakfast! 

rustic apple and walnut galette 

what is a galette? just a rustic pie, where you don't have to worry about crimping or lattice or making it look too pretty...

you will need:

1 disk of my sister's pie crust 

6 red apples

juice and zest of 1 lemon 

4 tablespoons of brown sugar

50 grams of fresh walnuts 

2 tablespoons of cold butter cut into 8 pieces.

preheat your oven to 350°f  

core and slice the apples

i have one of those tools that cut and core the apple into 8 pieces...then i halved each piece.

toss them in a large bowl with the lemon juice, zest, 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, and walnuts.

roll out the disk of pastry about 1/8 of an inch thick. it will be much larger than your pie plate. place it gently in the pie plate..with the excess hanging over. 

add the fruit mixture. dot with the cold butter pieces. fold in the edges. sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. 

bake in a preheated oven for about an hour. 

my sister's pie crust 

 my sister nancy won a ribbon at a fair with this amazing, no fail pie crust! it is a coveted recipe from her mother in law marion.

you will need:

5 cups of all purpose flour

4 tablespoons of brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

a dash of salt

1 pound of lard

1 large egg

some water

1 tablespoon of vinegar

combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. cut the lard into this mixture until it looks oatmeal-ish.

crack the egg into a 1 cup measuring cup. beat then add water to make 3/4 of a cup. add the vinegar.

mix this into the flour mixture and knead a little.

divide into four balls- two tops and two bottoms. flatten slightly to form disks and wrap in plastic. chill for at least an hour before you roll it out for apple pie...or galette. 

you can freeze the disks like this...just take them out and thaw for about an hour before proceeding with your recipe.

pear and stilton tarte

so easy to make and so delicious…when friends ask us to bring an appetizer we love to share this!

you will need:

2 large firm but ripe bartlett pears halved lengthwise and cored

1/2 package of puff pastry thawed 

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk (egg wash) 

2 cups baby arugula (my favourite green)

4 oz. crumbled stilton cheese

6 tablespoons whipping cream

3 tablespoons grainy mustard

1 tablespoon regular dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

whisk cream, mustards and honey together and set aside.

preheat oven to 375˚.  

place pastry on a parchment lined baking sheet.

score the pastry by cutting halfway through,

around it's entire edge, making a 1/2 inch border.

brush the border with the egg wash.

fold the pastry inwards making a little ledge..crimp with a fork.

brush this ledge with the egg wash.

scatter arugula over puff pastry.

top with the crumbled stilton cheese 

place in the lower third of your oven and bake for about 25 minutes 

until the cheese is melted and the pastry is crisp and brown. 

remove and place on cutting board and cut into 9 pieces. 

drizzle with the mustard cream. 

this is wonderful warm or at room temperature. 

i don't know if it keeps....

we always double the recipe using the entire package of pastry

and every last bit gets devoured! it is seriously fabulous...