Apple Crostata

After making this, I just may swear off apple pie forever!  This is quicker, easier, A-MA-ZING and practically full-proof!  Once again, make this and you'll be famous (just like Ina Garten who I adapted it from).

Apple Crostata
(Print this Recipe)
makes 2 apple crostatas
Ingredients

For the pastry:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated or superfine sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup (1/2 stick) very cold unsalted butter, diced
½ cup very cold lard, cut up in pieces
2 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:
(this filling is for 2 crostatas; if you are only making one, cut the portions in half.)
5 large Granny Smith apples
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated or superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions:

For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter and lard and toss lightly to coat all sides of the butter and lard. Not sure why we do this--only that is is a critical step to making a fantastic crust--so just go with it.

Next, dump this mixture into the bowl of a food processor and pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass.

Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and form into a disk that is a 6-8-inch circle (this will allow it to chill faster and also make it easier to roll out later without cracking). Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or you can put in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet.

For the filling, peel, core, and cut the apples into 8ths. Cut each wedge into 3 chunks—they will look big, but when they cook they will be the perfect size and texture. Toss the chunks with the orange zest. Cover the tart dough with the apple chunks leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together. Sprinkle evenly on the apples. You can take your index finger and poke the filling down into the apples here and there—this is a trick I learned when making apple pies—it makes sure the flavors of the topping get down into the apples and don’t just stay on top. Of course you want the filling mostly on top, so do it in about 4 places.

Gently fold the border over the apples to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle. Also, no egg wash is necessary. When I originally made this, I thought that in order to have such a nice, golden brown crust that someone must have egg-washed the dough to make it look pretty. NOPE! It turns that beautiful color all by itself (due largely to the butter content in the crust).

Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla icecream.

Yumm!!! 

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Black Bean Balsamic Salsa Salad

This is a very flavorful dish, sweet really, but not sickeningly so.  I like to serve it along side various protein dishes, like salmon or bbq ribs.  It is technically a salsa, but i enjoy it more like a salad.  Thus, salsa salad.  This is a perfect dish to take to a party or potluck, or just to have if you need a tasty side dish.

Black Bean Balsamic Salsa Salad

Serves 6
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (11 oz.) can corn, drained
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small green bell pepper (or 1/2 of a large), diced
1/3 red onion, diced
1/4 tsp. dried cilantro or 1/2 tsp. fresh
2-3 scallions (green onions), white and 1/2 of the green part, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
4 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
small pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:
1.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and allow to sit for a few minutes before serving to allow flavors to combine, or make the day before.

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Spinach Salad with Apples, Pecans, and Dried Cranberries

Spinach Salad with Apples, Pecans, & Dried Cranberries

Makes 4 servings
(Print this Recipe)

2 handfuls of spinach, washed and dried
1 large English cucumber (or 2 regular), sliced with seeds
1 cup dried cranberries (I prefer Craisens—big resealable bag from Costco)
1 apple, peeled and diced
¾ cup feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup pecans, chopped but not minced
Note:  If you are not a fan of feta, simply omit it.


Directions:
Toss all together with with ¾ cup vinaigrette or serve on the side.

White Wine Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1/2 cup white wine vinegar (could use lemon juice as a substitute)
1 Tbs. dijon mustard
1 tsp. fresh garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt or to taste
1/8 tsp. pepper or to taste
3/4-1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1.  In a small bowl, combine together vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. 
2.  Whisk in olive oil to emulsify.

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Cheese Log of Love

Photo Courtesy of ThePioneerWoman.com

Let's face it--cheese packs a punch in the fat department, especially when you are combining three different kinds into a fantastic concoction.  So unless said concoction is really, really tasty, and I mean worth the extra workouts and/or living on salads for a few days afterward, there is no way I will go near it.  So I found myself daring to taste a new cheese log on New Year's.  For the record, most cheese logs I have encountered have been bland, dry, and pretty tastless.  For that I can just go to my cheese draw and cut myself a slice.  You can imagine my surprise when my taste buds ignited into a self-propelled frensy of the firework proportion.  While the New Year's celebration is over, the tastes don't have to be!  The recipe was moist, tasty, with a melody of different flavor that all just worked!  This recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen blog!  Here is the link to print it out in full!

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