Showing posts with label pies and tarts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pies and tarts. Show all posts
I love living where I do in Chester. When we lived down in Kent, I really missed Chester.
It is in a beautiful location, right on the border to Wales, with quick and easy access to the Coast, the Welsh Mountains, the North along with the Lake District, Lancashire, and the Yorkshire Dales.
Once you get into that area we are also only an hour or so from Scotland. Chester itself is a magnificent city filled with lots of things to see and do.
The area we lived in down in Kent was a prime fruit growing area and we were surrounded by orchards. They were filled with apples and pears.
I do confess that at this time of year I miss having access to drops for use in pies and such. My Husband loves apple pies and desserts. I don't make them for him often enough I don't think. Most men are quite fond of apple desserts I think!
My father always loved it when my mother would bake an apple pie for him. He liked apple turnovers also!
The recipe I am sharing with you today comes from this Pillsbury Cook booklet that I got in Canada, back in 1991. In Canada they used to have (not sure if they still do) an area by the Til's in the grocery stores where they kept some magazines and such.
These served as a further temptation for you while you were waiting for your turn. I always found these far more tempting than the candy, chips or chocolate bars!
I have quite a few of these cook booklets in my collection, probably about 30 or so. I have my favourites and you can tell which ones those are because the covers are loose and the pages splattered.
This particular one is one of my favourites. I look forward to taking it out every Autumn and cooking from it's pages, even if I do have to adapt some of the recipes to what I have available here in the UK! This hasn’t always been easy, I confess!
I have learned to adapt through the years. It was a bit hard doing so at first because I wasn’t all that knowledgeable about British ingredients!
I learned as I went along, however and I think I could adapt most things now, quite reasonably.
This recipe I am sharing is for a quick and easy Apple Pie Fold-over tart. It uses a sheet uses a sheet of ready roll pie pastry, or what they call short crust pastry here. In North America, just use ordinary pastry.
You could also make your own pastry if you wanted to. I have a great recipe for that here.
You will need to scroll down the page a bit to near the bottom. It is a butter/lard pastry and is excellent! It is my pastry recipe of choice!
Lovely and flaky. It does make two crusts, but that's not a problem as you can easily freeze one half of the pastry to use another time.
Just shape it into a disk, wrap it up tightly, and freeze. Ready to remove from the freezer and thaw overnight sometime when you are in need of a single crust.
This simple tart boasts a delicious and easy to make apple filling. In the autumn/winter months I always keep a bowl of apples in the house.
I like to keep a mix of eating and cooking apples. My favourites are Pink Ladies of Jazz for eating, and Granny Smiths for cooking.
For this recipe peeled and sliced apples are cooked with a bit of brown sugar and lemon juice just until the apple softens . . .
I used a mic of sweet eating and sour cooking.
Once the apples have cooked, the mixture is thickened with a mix of flour, sugar and salt. It thickens up lickety split.
It actually goes together very quickly.
You stir in a knob of butter and some vanilla and your filling is made. You just need to allow it to cool down before using it.
Lay out your pastry on a sheet of baking paper. I like to cut some fancy holds out of one half of the pastry.
Our ready roll pastry sheets are rectangular shaped here in the UK, I know they are round in North America.
Today I used one of my "Autumn" cookie cutters. I reckon it is probably a pumpkin shape, but it also works well as an apple shape.
You can save the cutouts to use as a decoration on top. They look quite pretty I think!
Spread your filling on the uncut side of the pastry, and fold the cut side over top, crimping the edges all around. Brush with some milk, apply the cutouts, sprinkle with some demerara sugar or sanding sugar and bake.
Easy peasy, lemon squeasy as they say!! Half an hour or so later your loved ones are enjoying it!
Yield: 4
Apple Pie Foldover
A simple and quick and delicious apple tart that your family will love.
ingredients:
- 3 medium tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 50g soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup)
- 1 TBS water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 TBS plain flour
- 1 TBS white sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice (apple pie spice)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 single sheet of ready rolled short crust pastry
- 1 TBS milk
- demerara sugar for sprinkling
instructions:
How to cook Apple Pie Foldover
- Combine the apples, brown sugar, water and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook over moderate heat until it starts to bubble, stirring occasionally. Cover and reduce the heat to low and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Mix together the flour, white sugar, salt and spice. Stir this into the apple mixture and cook until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and butter. Let stand and cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Take the crust out of the packet and leave it to sit while the filling cools.
- Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Unwrap and unroll the pastry, pressing out any fold lines. (I do this on a sheet of baking parchment.) Spread the filling onto half of the pastry to within half an inch of the edges. (I like to cut out shapes from the other half.) Fold the other half of the pastry over top of the apple filled side. Press together and flute the edges. If you have cut out shapes apply the cut outs now. If you haven't cut some vents in the top of the pastry. Brush with milk and sprinkle with demerara sugar.
- Transfer the sheet of baking paper holding the pie onto a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool somewhat or completely before serving.
Hubby was in Seventh Heaven when he was enjoying this. I liked that it only made a small tart, enough for four. Larger pies don't really get eaten up here.
I either have to give half of them away, or they get thrown. This was the perfect size! He had to enjoy it with some ice cream on top this time as I didn't feel like making custard. But then again, what is vanilla ice cream really but frozen custard!
Up Tomorrow: Pork Chops with Homemade Applesauce
My husband has been busy picking blackberries these past few days. They are coming fast and furious now! Its a good thing we like them.
I do try to freeze as many as I can for winter crumbles and such, but I also like to bake him a few tasty desserts with them as well!
Nothing could be easier than this Easy Blackberry Galette Recipe! It has to be one of the quickest, simplest things to make, and its really delicious and tasty when done.
You can make your own pastry for it if you wish.
I highly recommend my Butter and Lard pastry. It is what I like to use for all of my pies and pastries, sweet and savoury.
I also keep ready made all butter short crust pastry in the freezer for use in last minute desserts such as this galette, which makes it even quicker and easier, literally totally NON-FAFF!
Just unroll it, and place it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper . . .
Pile your picked and cleaned fresh berries in the middle. I can't speak for using frozen ones for this as I have never done so.
Frozen ones probably give off more juice and would take longer to cook. I would thaw and drain them first.
You might think it is too many berries, but they shrink when they are cooking and even though you think you have lots, you will end up with a few empty spots, but that's okay. Still tastes marvellous.
You fold the edge of the pastry up over the berries all around the outsides, overlapping it a bit in the corners (my favourite bit!).
Sprinkle some sugar over the blackberries, only 2 TBS, and bake . . . I like to brush the edges with a bit of milk and sprinkle on some demerara sugar for a bit of a crunch.
And I like to dust the finished galette with icing sugar . . . its so very pretty . . . it reminds me of lace petticoats . . .
The corner pieces are my favourite bits because I love pastry and I am a glutton . . .
Blackberries were not something we got to eat very much when I was a child. They made my mother cringe. They always made her think of large black ants.
She could not bring herself to touch or cook with them, let alone eat them . . .
Thankfully I have no such problem with them. I quite simply love them.
Raw. Cooked. Baked in pies or crumbles. Made into jams and jellies. Yes, I love them a great deal!
When we lived in Meaford, Ontario, we lived in an old farmhouse just outside of town on the county line.
We were surrounded by apple orchards, some in production and some gone wild, and woodlands filled with wild blackberries.
I have fond memories of picking the with my sister one weekend when she had come up for a visit. I made jars and jars of blackberry jelly that year. Oh it was sooooo good! Best part was getting to do it all with my sister.
Top Tip - when brambling (blackberry picking) wear gloves and long sleeves! That way you don't get as scratched up!
Also if you are picking wild brambles, soak them in salted water for about 10 minutes prior to using. Wild blackberries can have quite a few grubs in them, so this helps to get rid of them.
They die and float to the top of the water so you can easily scoop them out.
Todd loves his galette with plenty of rich double cream for pouring . . .
Drizzled down over top of the warm galette . . . forming rich little rivulets in between the berries . . .
Turning pink in places . . . .
staining your hands, the plate, and your teeth . . .
There is no finer dessert to start off the month of September. Truly not . . . .
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Easy Blackberry Galette
Quick and easy especially if you use a ready-made crust. A delicious autumn dessert served warm with pouring cream or vanilla ice cream.
ingredients:
- 1 sheet of ready roll all butter short crust pastry
- 600g fresh blackberries (4 generous cups)
- 2 TBS sugar
- a bit of milk for brushing
- demerara sugar for sprinkling
instructions:
How to cook Easy Blackberry Galette
- Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Pick and clean the blackberries. Place them onto the sheet of pastry, leaving a 2 inch clean edge all around. Sprinkle with the sugar. (Taste your berries, if they are tart you may need a bit more.) Fold the edges of the pastry up over the berries all the way around. Brush the edges with milk. Sprinkle the pastry edge with demerara sugar.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Cut into rectangles to serve along with your desired accompaniment. Delicious!
My husband was in heaven. I thought it would slow him down with the berry picking for a day or two, but he was back out there again today. I guess instead of slowing him down, it inspired him to pick even more!
Up Tomorrow: Crispy Herbed Potato Rosettes
A flight of fancy on my part . . .
I have a husband who totally adores custard in any way shape or form, but custard tarts are his very favourite way to enjoy it. He loves nothing more than a traditional British Custard tart, chilled and wobbly and heavily dusted with nutmeg. These are not them. These are Portugese Custard Tarts, and they are very different than the traditional British Custard Tart. You can find my recipe for that here.
As I said Portugese Custard Tarts are quite different. Known officially as Pastéis de Nata, Portuguese Custard Tarts are composed of a rich egg custard nestled in shatteringly crisp flaky pastry. I have never been to Portugal, so don't shoot me if you don't think these are authentic . . . these are pretty close in my honest opinion, and yes I am a tad bit biased.
I will admit right now, all I have ever had are ones I have made myself. They are fabulously tasty. I can no longer remember exactly where I got this recipe from, but I can tell you they are pretty wonderful. I have learned a few things through the years of making them.
Use an all butter puff pastry. This is the best. Roll it up as tightly as you can and then slice it into rounds. I flatten them somewhat between the palms of my hands before I start to press them into the pan.
I find it really helps to put a tiny round of baking paper in the bottom of your muffin cups, just in case they stick. I also like to butter them a tiny bit with cold butter, not soft. There is nothing worse than a tart stuck to the tin. Also use a good non-stick tin. If any of the custart overflows while you are baking them, this will make it so much easier to get them out.
As you can see, even so, mine did stick in a few places . . .
Another tip, when you are pressing them into the tins, make sure that the bottom o the shell is fairly thin. Its okay if it is a bit thicker at the top of the tins, but the part that will be baking beneath the custard you want to be earth shatteringly crisp and not soggy when done, so thinner is better. Also don't skip the part where you stick the pan in the freezer while you make the filling. This also helps to create a nice crisp finish.
Try not to overfill them. It is really better if you avoid this. The custard will expand when it is cooking, and puff up a bit. You don't want it to spill over if you can help it.
These are beautiful if somewhat a bit messy to eat . . . you have that lovely crisp and seriously flaky crust . . . buttery . . .
Inside is the rich creamy custard . . . not as wobbly as British Custard tarts, this is much more unctuous, probably because of the liberal use of heavy cream, rather than milk. Lucious . . .
The flavour is lemon . . . not nutmeg . . . also beautiful. I do so love my lemon anything. If you are a fan of buttery flaky pastry and rich lucious lemon custard, then you will fall in love with these. I guarantee.
*Portuguese Custard Tarts*
Makes sixIt only takes three letters to describe these delectable little creations W-O-W!! Try them for yourself and you’ll see what I’m talking about! Very quick and easy to make, and very impressive . . .
375g pack (1 (9 1/4 X 10)) inch sheet of all butter puff pastry, thawed (about 9 ounces)
4 large free range egg yolks
240ml heavy cream (1 cup)
95g caster sugar (1/2 cup) (superfine granulated sugar)
1 TBS cornflour
the finely grated zest of 1 lemon
a pinch of salt
Preheat
the oven to 260*C/500*F/gas mark 10 Take the puff pasty and roll it into as tight a
coil as you can, starting from the short side. Cut the coil into 1 1/2
inch wide strips. Put the pieces, cut sides down, into six muffin cups.
Wet your fingers with a bit of cold water and press the pastry over the
bottoms and up the sides to make a thin shell. It's ok if they extend a
bit beyond the rim. Put into the freezer to chill while you make the
custard.
Whisk the egg yolks, cream, sugar, cornflour, lemon zest and salt together in a medium saucepan. Place over medium high heat and cook, whisking constantly until the custard begins to thicken. This will take about 6 1/2 minutes. It will look quite thin until you have been wisking for about six minutes and then in the last 30 seconds will thicken just enough, like magic! It should be as thick as lemon curd. You don't need to boil it.
Remove your muffin tin from the
freezer and divide the custard equally among the prepared tartlet
shells. (If you are using a 12 cup muffin tin, fill the empty cups half
full of water so they don't burn, trust me)
Bake until the tops are slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around them and loosen them so that you can remove them from the pan and finish cooling them on a wire rack before devouring! (about 30 minutes . . . for the cooling, not the devouring . . . that shouldn't take all that long!)
Dust lightly with icing sugar and ground cinnamon to serve.
And then there was none . . . Bon Appetit!
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