Piecrust freaks me out. I’m sure you’ve been there, right? A successful piecrust just seems to me such a hit or miss thing. Did I add too much water? Did I add enough? Are my lumps of butter too big? [...]]]>

Piecrust freaks me out. I’m sure you’ve been there, right? A successful piecrust just seems to me such a hit or miss thing. Did I add too much water? Did I add enough? Are my lumps of butter too big? Too small? Oh the second-guessing never ends! It’s enough to send me diving into bed and pulling the covers over my head while I wait for the dough to chill. Sometimes I think all my latent insecurities come out in my pie dough.

So I was really glad when this apple galette from Smitten Kitchen turned out all right! I don’t currently own a pie dish (at least not in China), so the rustic form of the galette was perfect for me to toss onto a pan and into my little toaster oven (this is pared down cooking, folks!). And the crust was flaky, buttery and flavorful – maybe not as tender as I’d like (which is probably totally my fault), but sturdy enough to hold together the galette without a pie dish. My husband and I finished the pie in one day…and when we realized we had just eaten ¾ of a stick of butter between the two of us…well let’s just say we didn’t mind as much as we should have.

Et voila!

Simple Apple Galette
Adapted from Alice Waters via Smitten Kitchen

I know this is supposed to be simple, but it was a bit bland to me, even with the bit of cinnamon I sprinkled on top. Next time I might add a bit more cinnamon and some brown sugar.

Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
¾ stick butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
3 ½ tbsp ice water

Filling
3-4 large apples
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
large pinch cinnamon

Crust
Mix flour, sugar and salt. Cut butter into flour with a pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few pea-size butter lumps. Add ice water and toss mixture with hands as it clumps together. Add more ice water, a tablespoonful at a time, until dough holds together. Shape it into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and flatten into a disk. Stick it in the fridge while you prep the filling.

Make filling and assemble pie

Cut apples into thin slices.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle (do this between two sheets of plastic wrap to avoid sticking). Arrange apple slices, overlapping, into an approximately 9-inch circle in the center of the dough. Sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar over apples. Fold up the sides of the dough, pleating when needed.

Brush top of crust with melted butter, then drizzle the remaining melted butter over apples. Sprinkle the whole pie, including the crust, with white sugar. Bake for about 45 minutes until crust is browned and apples are tender.

If desired, brush apples with warmed apricot jam before serving (though I was too lazy to do that).

Yesterday, one year ago, Chris and I were married. It’s hard to believe that we have been married for a whole year!  And what a year – during which we traveled to Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, back to China for Chris [...]]]>

Yesterday, one year ago, Chris and I were married. It’s hard to believe that we have been married for a whole year!  And what a year – during which we traveled to Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, back to China for Chris to start work, then to Europe and the Middle East, and then back to China for us both to start working at the university.  We have certainly been globe-trotters this year – my thought is, we need to get it out of our system before babies come and tie us down!

One year ago, we had the most beautiful wedding I’ve ever been to, and began our great adventure as a married couple.  I still remember distinctly the sun shining warm and sweet on our special day (odd for October in Toronto), the flurry of creamy satin and jewelry and curling irons, and my honey watching me come down the aisle.  It was perfect.

What did we do to celebrate?  We spent a low-key day just hanging out, and had a home-cooked dinner at home, with candlelight and wine and steak, and just enjoyed each other’s company. And we had this apple cake.

I got the recipe from Smitten Kitchen – one of my favorite food blogs.  I halved the recipe to fit in my little toaster oven, and it turned out wonderful.  A moist, flavorful coffee cake with soft chunks of cinnamon-y apple.  The flavour and moistness actually deepen as the cake sits, and it is actually better the next day.

Now I know that there seems to be a disproportionate amount of baked goods on this blog so far, as I LOVE baking!  But I promise I will post other savory recipes soon.  Find this apple cake recipe at Smitten Kitchen.

For those who want to bake it in a single loaf pan, like me, here are the ingredients I used (halved from the original with reduced sugar in the cake).

Cinnamon Apple Cake

3 apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice (I kept the original amount for this)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 F or 160 C.  Grease a loaf pan (and line with greased parchment paper, if desired).  Peel apples, cut into chunks.  Mix with cinnamon and sugar.

In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  In yet ANOTHER bowl, mix oil, OJ, sugar and vanilla.  Add wet ingredients to dry, add eggs, and stir it all together.

Pour half of batter into loaf pan – batter will be stiff, so spread it around a bit.  Dump half the apples on top, then add the rest of the batter.  The rest of the apples go on the top of the cake, and you may want to arrange them somewhat evenly.

Bake 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, until toothpick comes out clean. If the apples are browning too fast, tent loosely with foil.

It was with much chagrin that I realized yesterday morning that I had just three more tiny slices of plum cake left, and after those were gone, I was left jonesin’ for more tastes of late summer/autumn (even though in Xiamen, the weather [...]]]>

It was with much chagrin that I realized yesterday morning that I had just three more tiny slices of plum cake left, and after those were gone, I was left jonesin’ for more tastes of late summer/autumn (even though in Xiamen, the weather is still as hot as a Canadian summer).

Usually, fall in Toronto means going apple picking with all the aunties and uncles from church, apple cider, brisk weather and maybe a few hayrides, apple pies, and piles of dried leaves to jump in.  Last year we were in Toronto for our October wedding, so we were able to partake of the autumnal goodness (at least, the leaf pile-jumping part).  Alas – who knows when we will next be in Toronto in the fall?

So today, when I had half a Chinese pumpkin in the fridge (actually more similar to a butternut squash than a pumpkin), and a few apples, I thought I would try my hand at making soup.  It was so easy, and the natural sugars from the apple and squash made it a not-just-any-old-soup kind of soup.  Smooth and creamy, it was slightly sweet with a hint of autumnal spice (even though, strangely, I didn’t add any spices).  Even Chris, notorious soup-hater that he is, said it was the best soup he had ever had, and finished a WHOLE BOWL.  Will miracles never cease?

Apple-Butternut Squash Soup

1 small red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 apple, peeled, cored and sliced (preferably a tart one, but I only had Fuji apples, so that is what I used)
1L water
1 tablespoon MSG-free vegetable bouillon
1 tablespoon oil
salt and pepper

In a stockpot on medium heat, heat the oil.  Throw in the onion and garlic, and cook a few minutes just till softened.  Add the butternut squash and apple slices; stir around a bit to brown slightly.

Add the water and turn the heat up to medium-high until water boils, then turn heat down to a simmer.  Add vegetable bouillon.  Simmer about 25 minutes, until squash and apple are soft.

Puree soup in batches in a blender, or use an immersion blender (be careful when blending hot liquids and don’t fill the blender more than 2/3 in case it splashes).  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.  Serves 4.

Recipe Notes:  This soup is creamy enough that you don’t need to add anything, but I liked how it looked with a swirl of plain yogurt.  You could also experiment with adding a pinch of ground ginger, nutmeg, or other spice, though we thought it was nice just as it was.  Also, if you’re a better person than me, use 1L of homemade vegetable stock and omit the water and vegetable bouillon.