Pear and Apple Crumble Pie

I’m getting into a bit of a pie project. I almost hate to tell you about it in case I never make another pie after this one, but I’m determined to make this go. Recently, I was trying to decide on what kind of desserts to place my focus (I am quite focus challenged). Should it be cookies or cakes? I asked my husband for input and decided to add a third style of dessert to make a real list of choices. I asked, should it be cookies, cakes, or pies? The man chose pies. Who knew?

Coincidently, the November issue of Food Network Magazine came out shortly after this, and there are 10 pie recipes published within. All of them looked really good! I chose the crumble-topped pear and apple pie with which to begin my experiment.

 

This pie is fabulous! That being said, I did change a bit of the procedure from the original published recipe. Those instructions had the fruit cooked in the microwave first, then baked in the pie for another hour and a half. I decided that an hour and a half was enough cooking time for my pears and apples, and skipped the microwave step. I also went with craisins (instead of mixed dried fruit), chose brown sugar instead of white, and added some nutmeg with the cinnamon.

It is absolutely imperative that you place the pie on a baking sheet to bake, because it will bubble over. Or at least mine did. Significantly! I kind of expect this from fruit pies and am willing to take precautions/clean up a bit of mess. I just don’t want to clean up burned, fruit-juice-and-sugar mixtures from the bottom of my oven.

It is not imperative, however, to make your own pastry for pie. There, I said it. While I do find homemade pastry to be better, I’ve found that taking a little help from, say Pillsbury, is the difference between me making a pie and me making cookies or cake. I hope to improve my rusty crust skills if this pie journey continues, but until then…. (If you do want to make pastry, the recipes in this post, this post and this post should work.)

 

Pie is a bit of extra work for dessert, but this one is so delicious, I was happy to put in that time. The combination of ripe pears, good apples, and a few dried cranberries, sweetened with brown sugar and lots of honey was wonderful for this time of year. The addition of the juice and zest of a whole lemon, however, was what made this pie special. Lemon and honey make such a magical mixture and with the autumn fruits they were just wonderful. The crumble topping was fabulous, too, baking up sweet and crunchy and crumbly. Stop #1 on my pie adventure has been a success! I think there will be more pie in the not-to-distant future!

Pear Apple Crumble Pie

Adapted from Food Network Magazine

Pastry for single-crust pie (store-bought is fine)

For the topping:

¾ cup rolled oats

½ cup flour

½ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly grated

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

For the filling:

1 ½ pounds pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1 ½ pounds apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

½ cup dried cranberries

3 tablespoons flour

½ cup honey

¼ cup brown sugar

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly grated

½ teaspoon salt

1. Roll out the pastry dough (or unroll a store-bought one) to about 12-inches in diameter. Drape the dough into a 9-inch pie pan and ease it to fit without stretching. Crimp or shape the edges as desired. Place the pastry in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to chill. (If you will be refrigerating it longer, cover it in plastic wrap.)

2. To make the topping: combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium-size bowl and toss together to combine well. Add the cold butter pieces and work them in until well incorporated and the mixture is crumbly. I like to use my hands for this, but you could use a pastry blender or a fork. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a few days).

3. Preheat oven to 375 F. To make the filling, combine all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Gently stir together, trying not to break up the fruit, until everything is well-combined.

4. Place the pie pan with the chilled crust on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with foil or a silicone baking mat. Pour the filling mixture into the crust, mounding it to fit as necessary. Crumble the topping mixture over the top of the filling, pressing it gently to make it fit.

5. Bake at 375 F for 1 ½ hours, or until the fruit is very soft and the topping and crust are well-browned. Begin checking the pie after about 45 minutes and tent with foil when the topping starts to get dark to prevent it from burning. Cool completely to serve (although it’s ok if you serve it while still a little warm). Top each serving with ice cream if desired.

Makes about 8 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Apple and Cranberry Crisp, Apple Turnovers with Dried Fruit

One year ago: Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins

Wheat Berry and Squash Salad

My diet has been a bit wonky lately. I like to eat healthfully without getting neurotic about it (there is this thing called dessert after all). I like to center that healthful diet on homemade food with whole ingredients. Sometimes, much to my regret (and not a little shame), however, homemade healthy food just doesn’t happen. Packaged food happens. Ugh!

And then I get a little inspiration and I figure out how to split tasks into reasonable pieces to fit into the time that I have. And something wonderful like this salad happens. Oh, hooray!

It’s a simple combination of cooked wheat berries, roasted butternut squash, and the seeds I happened to have in the cupboard (pepitas and sunflower seeds). I tossed all this with some fresh sage and a vinaigrette based on a locally-produced sunflower oil and cider vinegar, and sweetened with honey.

I loved this salad! I loved the crunch of the onion and the seeds alongside the chewy wheat berries and almost creamy squash. I loved the sweetness of the dressing with the sweet roasted squash. I loved the overall nuttiness of the wheat berries, sunflower seeds, and pepitas. I loved the earthy zing of the fresh sage throughout. This was so good when I made it for supper (accompanied by this black bean soup), and I think it was even better in my lunch the next day. This is one of the best recipes I tried this year!

While I used that delicious locally-produced, cold-expeller pressed sunflower oil, olive oil or walnut oil would be good, too. I had originally planned to use walnuts before I remembered the seeds I had in the pantry, and I still think they would be good. You could make the salad vegan by replacing the honey with maple syrup or agave nectar. You also could use a different kind of winter squash. You could make this all at one time or, like me, you could break up the tasks. For example, cook the wheat berries when you have time; roast and chill the squash another day; etc.

There are too many recipes out there that will casually state the need for peeled and chopped butternut or other winter squash, without any mention of just how much time and effort it takes to peel and cut up a squash. This site does not tolerate such pretense. I find peeling and chopping winter squash to be grueling labor. I delay making great stuff like this just because I know how long it’s going to take me to get my squash in this edible state. In the case of this salad, however, it was all worth it! Delicious!

Wheat Berry and Squash Salad with Seeds and Sage

2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into ½ - 1 inch cubes

5 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt, divided

2 cups cooked wheat berries

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

½ cup sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

A few grinds black pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine the cubed squash, 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt in a roasting pan or on a large sheet pan. Toss to coat the squash well. Roast at 400 F for about 30 minutes or until the squash is soft, but still holding its shape. Remove from the oven and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the wheat berries, pepitas, sunflower seeds, sage and cooked squash.

3. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, vinegar, honey, black pepper and Dijon mustard. Whisk together until smooth. Pour over the wheat berry mixture and gently toss to coat, being careful not to mash up the squash. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Cover and chill leftovers, which will last a few days.

Makes about 6 side-dish servings.

Other recipes like this one: Wheat Berry Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Maple Walnut Vinaigrette, Farro and Apple Salad with Craisins, Farro and White Bean Salad with Fennel and Walnuts

Two Bean Taco Salad

It’s November and I’m not eating stews or casseroles or breads or even testing baked goods. Nope. I’m making salad. A big taco salad. I’d like to say that I’m making a healthy push after Halloween and before the year-end heavy holidays, but…I don’t know. I just wanted to make this salad.

The original recipe, which I used to make much more regularly, got a big, lean protein bump from sliced, cooked chicken breast in addition to black beans and cheese. I just don’t eat much chicken anymore (or any other meats), so I decided to just replace it in this recipe with more beans. I had lots of black beans on hand, which I had cooked myself, but instead of just doubling the black bean volume, I opened a can of chickpeas instead. Pinto beans would have been just as nice, and a three-way split of pintos, black beans, and chickpeas would probably be even more exciting. (I like beans.)

The rest of the vegetables are pretty standard and what you might expect for a taco salad: lettuce, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers. All of the lines for those ingredients in the recipe text below could be qualified with the word “about” when it comes to volumes. Nothing needs to be exact in a salad. I’m sure you know that. Even the identity of the ingredients can be flexible. I, for one, am thinking of adding pepitas and olives.

 

Whatever you intend to toss into your taco salad, I recommend trying the dressing recipe, which I really didn’t change from the original. It’s perky and light with a bit of body from pureed tomato and fragrant with lime and cilantro. It’s a bit on the acidic side, which makes a great contrast to all the creamy beans. This salad might not be typical fall fare, but it is delicious and a lighter alternative to some of the yummier, but heavier dishes we crave this late in the year.

Two Bean Taco Salad with Tomato Lime Dressing

Adapted from Cooking Light, July 2000

Leave off the cheese and choose your tortilla chips appropriately, and this salad is vegan.

For the dressing:

¼ cup chopped tomato

¼ cup chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

1 tablespoon lime juice

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove, peeled

For the salad:

8 cups chopped lettuce

1 ½ cups cooked black beans (drained and rinsed if canned)

1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed if canned)

1 cup chopped tomato

1 cup chopped bell pepper

1 cup finely diced onion

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Tortilla chips to serve

1. To prepare the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients in a blender. Process until very smooth.

2. To prepare the salad, place the lettuce in a large bowl. Layer the remaining salad ingredients, except the cheese and tortilla chips, on top of the lettuce. Pour the dressing over the salad. Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the salad. Serve with tortilla chips.

Makes 4-5 main-dish salads.

Another recipe like this one: Bean Salad with Mole Vinaigrette

One year ago: Corn and Green Onion Tart with Bacon