Caramelized Apple Dutch Baby

I haven't been that familiar with dutch babies until recently.  I have made a few but nothing really tickled my fancy.  Today's Caramelized Apple Dutch Baby is a little different, this isn't your run of the mill, everyday type of breakfast Since too much of this will make you the size of a house.  It is delicious and sweet, I might cut the sweetness for my taste but I have a feeling that those with a sweet tooth will enjoy this, a lot!

I adapted a recipe made for an 8" cast iron skillet and I halved the recipe, more or less to fit my smaller 5" cast iron skillet since I think my non-sweet eating man and my kids and I could handle a smaller rather then larger Dutch Baby.

Caramelized Apple Dutch Baby
adapted from The Kitchn.  This will make a 5" cast iron skillet or a med oven safe pan

2 Apples (1 1/2 cups diced), peeled and in a small dice. (I used gala apples since that is what I had available but granny smith would be lovely too.)
2 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
38 gram Butter.  (1/6 cup, now you see why I weighted it :)
1/6 cup Brown Sugar  (This one was easier, take a packed 1/3cup of brown sugar, carefully turn it onto a plate and slice it in half. Use half and return the other half into the sugar container.)
1/4 cup + 1/8 cup (or 2 tbsp) Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 cup Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp Milk (I add the extra milk to make up the whole wheat flour, plus, I am using 3 eggs since the original called for 5 and I am not great at measuring 1/2 and egg.)
1/4 tsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
Powdered Sugar, to serve.

-Preheat oven to 400.
-In a 5" skillet (6" would work as well) place butter and place it in the oven for 3-4 minutes or until the butter is melted and bubbly.
-In a small bowl mix together sugar, cinnamon, and ginger.
-Sprinkle brown sugar on the melted butter and then top with the apple pieces and sprinkle with the cinnamon mixture. Place back in the oven to caramelize the apples.
-In a medium mixing bowl add flour, salt, and nutmeg.  With a whisk slowly add the milk to the flour mix.  Add the vanilla and add the eggs one at a time, then whisk up the mixture for a minute or two until it is frothy and let stand 5 minutes.
-The apples should be bubbly by now, so pour in the flour egg mixture and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the center is set and the edges are golden.
-The edges will puff up in the oven and will sink down some once it is pull out of the oven.

I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the process but the end result was rather delicious.  Custardy on the inside and slightly crispy along the edges.

Apple deliciousness.

The Pumpkin Play Continues

Mmmm pumpkin,  I know the last few posts have been about pumpkin but tis' the season.

I have one main belief with pumpkin pie, it must contain Mace.  I remember a time when mace wasn't available in Canada. It was thought to be hallucinogenic and when they banned mace spray they also made it impossible to find the spice mace.  I did give up on mace for a year or two when I couldn't find it, it was hard to have pumpkin pie without it.  Now it is back so I make my pie with mace :)

Pumpkin Pie

2 cups Pumpkin Puree (or 1 can - 398ml)

3/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Mace

3/4 tsp ground Ginger

2 dashes Clove

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 cup Evaporated Milk or Cream

3/4 cup Scalded Milk

-Preheat oven to 425.

-Scalded milk and let cool slightly.

-In a bowl mix all ingredients until combined and pour into prepared pie crust. (NB. This recipe makes more then will fit in a store bought crust. So either have some extra tart shells available, or make your own crust and place it in a pie plate that is slightly larger then a store bought.)

-Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.

-Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes

Serve hot or chilled with whipped cream or ice cream.

Thawed pureed pumpkin, this was vintage since it was dated back to 2009.  I thought it was time to use it and it was still good.   Since I freeze pumpkin puree in ziplocs the rectangular pan worked well for thawing it quickly.

Pumpkin and brown sugar, mixed together and ready to go.

I have added the evaporated milk, scalded milk and spices to the pumpkin and sugar mix.  All I need to do is putting into a prepared crust.

I put this one in a pre-made crust but since this recipe makes more then will fit in a pre made crust, I also had to make some pastry dough to fill some small tart shells.

It was lovely since the kids and I shared 1/4 of the pie and the rest went down to the people playing D&D in the basement.

Here is the one of the little tarts that I made with the left over filling with the homemade pastry.

Pastry Dough

Recipe from Simply Recipes

2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

1 cup Butter (very cold and cup into 1/2" pieces)

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Sugar

6-8 tbsp Ice Cold Water

In a food processor add flour, salt and sugar.  Pulse a bit to combine. 

Add butter and pulse 6-8 times, until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter.  Add ice water 1 tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture begins to clump together.  If you pinch some of the crumbly dough it holds together, it's ready.  If it doesn't hold together, add  a little more water and pulse again.

Remove dough from food processor and place on a clean counter.  Gently shape into 2 flattened disks.  Knead just until the disc forms, do not over knead.  Wrap in plastic wrap and stash in the fridge for at least and hour and up to 2 days.

Remove chilled disc and let sit at room temp for 5-10 minutes to soften the dough enough to roll it.  Roll out on a flour surface.  Carefully place in a 9" pie plate and gently press the dough into the and snip off the sides with 1/2"to 1" over hand.   If I am doing a single crust pie I like to fold it over and crimp it.

Add pie filling.

Then roll out the second disc, same as the first and gently place it on the top, pinch the dough together and trip excess dough.  Fold the top piece over the bottom crust and flute edges using your thumb and forefinger. Score the top of the pie to vent steam.

Nothing says Autumn like a Plethora of Pumpkin Recipes!

Tis that time of year when you start to want warm soups, hearty meals and pumpkin..

Um...what?

That's right I said pumpkin, ok that isn't really a surprise.  I know that you are aware of that noble veg and I know that you are faced with pumpkin ever where you go (including that coffee chain that sucks you in to spending $5 a latte for pumpkin deliciousness.)  And that is okay by me.  I love pumpkin all year round, which is why I bake a lot of pumpkin this time of year and stash it in my freezer (I do love my obelisk, which I know doesn't tapper but it is my huge black upright freezer)

One of my favorite muffins is my Pumpkin Millet Muffins, adapted from The Rebar cookbook, although, it really should be called a Pumpkin Oatmeal Millet Muffins since there is more oatmeal then millet.  I have, of course, modified the recipe to fit my tastes but the essentials are still there.  Pumpkin.  Glorious orange Pumpkin.

Blend all the dry ingredients.  Usually I add the oatmeal and millet into the wet ingredients but I was prepping ahead of time and just through those into the dry and it worked fine.

Hello Pumpkin.  Here are all the wet ingredients getting ready for it's date with the dry ingredients.

I used my square muffin tin, which is the perfect size to fit into Ladybugs Lock n' lock container.  I have a square box with four square removable trays and these fit really well :)

Pumpkin Oatmeal Millet Muffins
adapted from The Rebar Cookbook

2 Eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Buttermilk or (1 tbsp lemon juice in a measuring cup and fill up to 1 cup mark with milk, let stand 5min)
3/4 cup Brown Suga
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 cups Pumpkin Puree
1 cup Rolled Oats
1/4 cup Millet, lightly toasted in a pan
1 cup Unbleached Flour
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg

-Preheat oven to 350
-Line and/or Grease 24 muffins cups.  I like my silicon muffin liners but I don't really want to the kids to take them to school so I either take them off before school or just grease the pan, since I never have luck getting muffin liners off muffins or cupcakes.
-In a large bowl combine eggs, oil, buttermilk, sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin, mix until the ingredients are without lumps, add oats and toasted millet.
-In another bowl, add dry ingredients.  Add to wet mixture and gently fold to combine.
-Fill muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Is Pumpkin Korean?

I have been running around the kitchen today for a number of reasons.  Firstly we are having some friends over for dinner and we had not decided what we were going to make for dinner until this morning.  But since I had purchased the gochujang and an asian pear for making the bulgogi marinade, I thought it would be fun to do bibimbop since that doesn't have to be spicy since our guests are not know for liking it too spicy (Pepper might be a little much :)

Secondly, the kids are out of granola bars.  I say the kids, but really I mean I'm out of granola bars.  I have been snacking on them as well, much to the detriment of our granola bar stocks.  Luckily they are relatively easy and cheap to make so off I go to make some more.  I have been tinkering with the recipe to make them chewy enough but still stay together.  I know this is one of the things that Ladybug will always eat in her lunch, I make sure there is a supply at the ready for lunches.

Thirdly, it is October and cooking pumpkins are around and fairly inexpensive.  I have to keep my eyes open for the $2 cooking pumpkins that I found last year at the grocery store.  That was an awesome find.  I always cook up a bunch of pumpkins to make into pumpkin puree and freeze it to use all year round.  I love pumpkin pie (which I might also make) and I love pumpkin muffins (which will also make an appearance shortly)  but there are a few things that I still want to try, such as, pumpkin pancakes and I am still trying to figure out a great recipe for a pumpkin latte since I am trying to get out of the habit of $4.75 for a pumpkin spice latte at the coffee shop.

And the day goes on....

Head ache started brewing and the photos stopped being taken but the potatoes were delicious.  Plus, 4 or 7 small wine glasses of pear cider did not help.  But we did have a delicious dinner of Bibimbop, Korean potatoes and pumpkin pie...

What you say, pumpkin pie.  That doesn't sound at all like a Korean dessert, well it ain't but it was still tasty.

Making your own pumpkin puree is not that hard and does not take a lot of effort, just a bit of time and a food processor.  You could do it without the food processor but it does make that much easier.

First you get a sugar pumpkin.  You can use a regular Halloween pumpkin but it will be really watery and you will have to strain it which takes it away from being simple to do.  Here is an sugar pumpkin that I picked up for $0.99/lb but I have found them less expensive when I am lucky

Then I cut them in half, aren't they glorious :)

Now, I don't really like pumpkin seeds to eat and J has on a few occasions eaten enough to make himself sick so instead of prepping to eat them, I prep them to plant them next year.  Yes, I understand what I grown might not look anything like the pumpkins I get since the seeds might be a result of cross pollination, but either way I get a plant and that is good.

I had to show just how orange the pumpkins were.

All cut up and ready to bake.  The little ones in the middle were left overs from last year.  I did bake them up hoping that they would work, but they sort of smelled like cat so into the compost they went.

Pre-baking

Post baking.  Even more orange then they started.

Then I let them cool somewhat and then scoop the delicious insides and place them in the food processor. Let them go for a bit and what you get is.....

This creamy mass of pumpkiny goodness.  You can if you want strain it so it becomes thicker but I find that this is just as good or better then canned and doesn't have that weird dark orange pumpkin from a can colour.  If using regular Halloween pumpkins you will have to strain it since you need to remove some of the wateriness.  

Pumpkin Puree

Pumpkin(s), cut in half and seeded.

Water

-Preheat oven to 350.

-Line a pan big enough to have the pumpkin lying flat, cut side down.  Not necessary to line the pan but it does make clean up a breeze since the sugars can burn.  Place pumpkin, cut side down and add enough water to cover bottom of the pan.

-Bake 30-60 minutes until the pumpkin is cooked all the way through and soft.

-Once cooked, let cool.  I normally only make it to slightly less then burning my hands otherwise it usually waits until it is stone cold.  I am both extremely impatient and forgetful.

-Using a spoon, scoop out all the flesh leaving the rind out of the mixture and place it in the food processor.  Let the whiz about for a minutes until all the lumps are out and the pumpkin is a smooth puree.

-Use or portion out into freezer bags and freeze flat, which makes thawing and using it later a snap.  I usually put into 2 cup portions and just add more pumpkin to my muffins and pies :)