I decided to make this since it would be a bit lighter than a full-on pie and I like the presentation on it. I subbed about a third of the flour with wheat flour and added a bit more water, but perhaps not enough because the dough was still a bit dry to roll out. It turned out fine in the end. Perhaps I would add some spices along with the apples next time... but with a spoon of vanilla ice cream I didn't miss the spices.

Yield
8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Ingredients
CRUST:
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons ice water

FILLING:
3 1/2 pounds small Gala apples (about 9), peeled, cored, and each cut into 8 wedges
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar

Preparation
1. To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor; pulse until combined. Add 6 tablespoons chilled butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water, and pulse until mixture forms clumps. Gently press dough into a 6-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap; cover and freeze 30 minutes.

2. To prepare filling, combine apples, juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, tossing to coat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 9 1/2-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3/4 cup sugar to pan; cook 4 minutes or until golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat. Arrange half of apples, rounded side down, in a circular pattern over sugar mixture in pan. Top with remaining apples, rounded side up. Cook over medium heat 15 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 400°.

4. Working quickly, roll dough into an 11-inch circle on a heavily floured surface. Place dough over apples; fold edges under. Cut 4 (1-inch) slits into top of pastry using a sharp knife. Bake at 400° for 40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Place a plate upside down on top of pan. Carefully invert tart onto plate. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 318 (33% from fat)
Fat: 11.7g (sat 7.3g,mono 3g,poly 0.6g)
Protein: 2.2g
Carbohydrate: 54.2g
Fiber: 2.6g
Cholesterol: 30mg
Iron: 0.9mg
Sodium: 223mg
Calcium: 15mg

Posted by Maggie at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I bought a couple sweet potatoes and had the rest of the ingredients already, so I made this tasty soup. It's been unusually cold here, so this was a great warming and spicy soup.

Ingredients
4 slices bacon
1 small red onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 red bell pepper, cored,seeded,and cut into 1/4 inch dice
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 lime, juice of
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2 small white onions or yellow onions, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon pureed chipotle chile in adobo
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
6 cups chicken stock
1/2 lime, juice of

Directions

To make the salsa, add 1 tsp olive oil and sauté the onion and red pepper over medium heat, stirring, until brown, about 6 minutes.
Season to taste with the salt and pepper.
Add the lime juice.
Correct the seasonings, transfer to a small bowl, and set aside at room temperature.
To make the soup, add 2 tsp olive oil to the same pan and place over medium heat.
Add the garlic, ginger, onions, and brown sugar, season with the salt and pepper to taste, and sauté, stirring, until the vegetables are brown, about 6 minutes.
Stir in the chipotle puree and wine, and cook over medium heat until the mixture is reduced by about three-fourths, approximately 6 minutes.
Add the sweet potatoes and stock and simmer until the potatoes are very soft, 20 to 25 minutes.
Using a hand blender or food processor, puree the soup mixture.
Stir in the lime juice and correct the seasonings.
Immediately ladle into bowls, spoon a portion of the salsa onto each and serve.

Posted by Maggie at 09:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)