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Upside Down Apple Pie May 29, 2009

Posted by Teresa in : Dessert , add a comment

I found this excellent, easy apple pie recipe… from one of my favourite TV chefs, Michael Smith. Not that I watch a lot of Food Network, but I do watch him from time to time.  :) Reference

Upside-Down Apple Pie

Yield: 4

Ease of Preparation: Easy

apple-pie-2

Ingredients:

The Pastry

  • 1 cup pastry flour
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup frozen butter
  • 4 tbsp ice water

The Apples

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 x golden delicious apples, cored and sliced into 6 pieces each

Directions:

The Pastry

  1. Put flour into a large bowl and whisk in sugar and salt.
  2. Grate in frozen butter and blend lightly with fingertips.
  3. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time and stir until dough comes together. Pat into a flat disc and refrigerate for at least a half hour.

The Apples

  1. Melt butter in an ovenproof skillet and add sugar.
  2. Swirl pan around to help dissolve sugar and then let it caramelize.
  3. Add apple slices in an attractive pattern and let them cook until they begin to brown and get soft.

Assembly

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Roll dough into a 10-inch round and lay it over the apples in the skillet, tucking edges around apples.
  3. Bake for 30 minutes, until pastry is golden.
  4. Invert onto a serving platter while tart is still warm.

I love the frozen butter trick for pastry! How cool! I made mine with a bit less pastry, and it cooked about 10 minutes faster. I also used light brown sugar and a touch of Sucanat, which gave it a slightly molasses flavour! Delicious!

apple-pie-1

BBQ Pork Ribs May 29, 2009

Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch , add a comment

This comes from a recipe on Big Oven, a great site for a zillion recipes. There are lots of places to find recipes, but I really love the “Big oven leftover wizard.”Very cool way to search for recipes based on what you have kicking around!

I didn’t actually make the sauce (I had some in my fridge I had made last week or whenever), but I will have to try it sometime!  How will I ever go vegetarian?!  :)

Ingredients

  • 2 large pork baby back ribs rack

=== RUB ===

=== BASTE SAUCE ===

Instructions

To make the ribs, cut each large rack of ribs in half so that you have 4 half-racks. Trim away any excess fat from ribs. Sprinkle a light coating spice rub over ribs and press into meat. Wrap the ribs in aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 275 degree oven for 3 hours.

As the ribs cook, make the sauce by heating the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saut? the onions for 5 minutes or until they start to brown. Add the remaining ingredients and bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, uncovered, or until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and set aside until the ribs are ready. Preheat your barbecue grill.

When ribs are finished in the oven, the meat should have pull back about 1/2-inch from the cut-ends of the bones. Remove the ribs from the oven, let them sit for 10 minutes or so, then remove the racks from the foil and put them on the grill. Grill the ribs for 3 to 4 minutes per side. They should be slightly charred in a few spots when they’re finished. Brush barbecue sauce on the ribs while they’re grilling, just before you serve them. Don’t add the sauce too early or it will burn.

This recipe yields 2 (full-rack) to 4 (half-rack) servings.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 221 Calories; 8g Fat (29.7% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 40g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; trace Cholesterol; 1584mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat; 2 Other Carbohydrates.

Flavourful Asparagus Stir-Fry! May 29, 2009

Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch , add a comment

Another great one from 101 Cookbooks (don’t want to lose this recipe)! All below is pasted from the site:

Asparagus Stir-Fry Recipe

I mention this up above in the main post, but be sure you have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start actually stir-frying.

toasted sesame oil
8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into slices thick as a pencil
4 green onions, thinly sliced
scant 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (peeled)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
a couple big pinches of fine-grain sea salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 big handful of toasted cashews, chopped up a bit
a few handfuls of spinach, or chopped kale, or chopped chard
zest and juice of one lime
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 small handful fresh mint, slivered
1 small handful fresh basil, slivered

Have all your ingredients prepped and within arms reach of the stove. Heat a splash of sesame oil in a large pan, or well-seasoned wok over medium high heat. Alternately, you can do this in a dry non-stick pan – one of the few occasions I still use non-stick. When it is hot, add the tofu, and cook until golden – a few minutes. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.

Add another (generous) splash of oil to the pan and, as soon as it is hot, add the onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, asparagus, and salt. Stir fry for about a minute, then add the garlic, cashews, and spinach and stir-fry for another minute, or until the spinach wilts. Return the tofu to the pan. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the hoisin sauce. Cook for another 10-20 seconds, stirring all the while.

Remove from heat and stir in the mint and basil. Taste and add a bit more salt if needed.

Serves 2-4 (main/side)

Quick Rice and Chick Pea Casserole May 13, 2009

Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch , add a comment

I truly invented this one… didn’t use any sort of recipe, just made this up on the fly! It turned out very tasty! :) It’s nutritious too, with protein, fibre, carbs and a tiny serving of vegetables (the tomato sauce).

Ingredients:

- 2 cups wild rice blend (or brown rice)
- 1 cup chick peas
- 2 cups mashed tofu (see instructions below)
- 1 cup grated cheese. I used Monterey Jack and aged cheddar, but use whatever you have handy, and add more if you like.
- 2 Tbsp ketchup or pasta sauce
- 1/2 cup of tomato/pasta sauce or 1 small can tomato paste
- small amount of chicken stock (if using tomato paste)

Instructions:

Cook the rice according to directions, stirring in the ketchup at the beginning for a little extra flavour. Remove lid, stir and allow to cool a bit. Alternately, you could use any leftover rice you have, 3-4 cups.

Cut open a package of firm tofu and drain excess water. Put tofu in a medium sized bowl and mash it with a pastry blender or potato masher. Leave some lumps in it, so that it looks almost like dry cottage cheese. Grate the cheddar and monterey jack cheese (or whatever you have) right into the bowl (just estimate the amount). Lately, if I just have a little grating to do, I use my IKEA grater, which is quicker and easier to clean than the traditional stand-up one. I just hold it in one hand and grate directly into the bowl!

If you are using tomato paste, scoop it into a smaller bowl and add a can-full of chicken stock and mix together to make sauce. Add some spices if you like. I used some leftover pizza sauce, which had oregano and basil in it, which worked great!

Combine the tofu, chick peas, rice and pasta sauce and mix together.

Put into casserole pan and into the oven, on about 350 degrees F, for just enough time to warm it through, about 15 minutes. The leftovers reheat well, if there are any! (See IKEA graters below.)

ikea-grater