Apple Crisp a la mode

One of my favorite fall dessert. Well, actually all year round. This is not your regular crisp recipe, i experimented on some ingredients which i think will add more flavor to the crisp. Well....I'm happy to tell you that this was a success! If you like caramel and apple jam....then you should give this a try!

Ingredients:

4 medium apple, sliced (I used apples that we picked from our Apple picking adventure)***
1/4 C caramel (I melted 1/2 a bag of 14 oz Kraft Caramel) i had some left overs.
1/2 C homemade apple jam or store bought
3/4 C packed light brown sugar
1/2 C self rising flour or All purpose flour
1/2 C Old fashioned oats
8 T butter (one stick)
3/4 t cinnamon

Heat oven to 365 degrees F.

Grease bottom and sides of a baking pan with butter.

Arrange sliced apples in baking pan.

To melt the caramel, follow the caramel package instructions.

Mix together melted caramel and apple jam.

Pour the caramel/jam mixture into the baking pan making sure to spread it all over the arranged apple slices
.
In a bowl, using your hands, mix and stir brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon and softened butter until it forms pea size lump.

Sprinkle over apples.

Bake about 45 minutes or until topping is golden brown and bubbling.

Serve warm with ice cream or whip cream.

 

 

Used different varieties from our apple picking.





 

 

 

 

 



BANANA PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM MADE EASY

 Another Pinterest must try "goodness". Check Here for the original recipe .
Was so impressed with the end result. I can't believe an ice cream was made sans cooking or the ice cream maker and with only 2 ingredients. You can actually make the ice cream with just the banana but i opted to add peanut butter. Others add cocoa powder for variety.

You must give this a try!!!

 Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Slice your very ripe bananas before putting them in the freezer. Pre-slicing them will make it easy to blend in your processor and saves you time.

Pulse until it will turn into a gravel like texture. Then gently mix them towards the middle so everything gets incorporated. I added 2 Tablespoon of peanut butter at this stage (gravel stage). Pulse and blend.

Pulse and blend until you get a soft serve ice cream texture.

Viola! Banana Peanut butter Ice cream!!!

APPLE PIE COOKIES

Another great cookie recipe from my good friend Marina. I actually wasn't surprised that these cookies would come out delicious. Marina is a cookbook author, Taste of Home Field editor and Blue Ribbon winner, of course they are ooohhh sooo good ..okay, addicting ha!ha!
Thank you, Marina for another winner recipe.


These cookies are crunchy on the outside and moist and chewy in the inside, my kind of cookie  I'm not a fan of those crisp, hard cookies. Each bite you get to taste layers of flavor. you get the nutmeg, cinnamon sugar flavor right away then you get to taste the apple, then the nuts and the hint of the lemon orange extract. These are perfect for the holidays.

Ingredients::
Yield : 4 dozens.

3 eggs
1 lb sweet butter, softened
1 lb brown sugar
1 1/2 C sugar

1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp.  fresh grated nutmeg
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tsp. fiori di sicilia extract***
6 C sifted flour
1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 C chopped walnuts, toasted ****
2-3 Tbsp. butter
3 C finely chopped apples (5-6 small apples)
2-3 Tbsp sugar
2-3 Tsp cinnamon

1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
2 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 Tbsp fresh lemon

Cinnamon-Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside.In a large bowl beat eggs 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.Cream butter until creamy.
Add brown sugar and mix until well incorporated.
Add spices and extracts. 
Mix thoroughly to combine well.

Add beaten eggs to sugar-butter mixture and mix until well incorporated.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, slat and baking soda.Add to batter and mix well, 

In medium to large saute' pan, melt the 2-3 Tbsp of butter.
In a medium bowl, toss chopped apples with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest.
Saute' apples in melted butter until soft.
Add lemon juice and stir well.
Remove apples onto a flat plate to cool down.
Add cooled apples and walnuts to batter and mix until well incorporated.
Careful not to break apart the apples.
Refrigerate batter for 10 minutes.
Drop cookie batter by using an ice cream scoop onto prepared pans.
Sprinkle tops of batter with 1 tsp cinnamon sugar.
Bake only six cookies at a time on each cookie sheet.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes.
Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan and placing them on a cooling rack.

**I didn't have fiori di sicilia extract. According to Marina you can purchase this from The Bakers Catalog of King Arthur's Flour. But you can make your own:

FIORI DI SICILIA EXTRACT (MIX YOUR OWN) : Lemon extract, Orange extract and Vanilla extract.

** I used mixed nuts. I used almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts.

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

Fall season means good bye to your vegetable plants that is if you are from the Mid-west area. I still have tons of tomatoes. The green ones i have to pick before it gets frozen. We have been on frost advisory lately. I have plans on pickling some of them, hopefully i'd find the time to do so. You can also make them into salad, but frying them is the  best way to go..it's  our favorite.  Frying them while it's fresh is a good thing, in my opinion. It's crunchy and juicy and a hint of tart...yum!!!

This recipe is my version. Traditionally,  fried green tomatoes calls for cornmeal but i used panko. It just gives more crunch to the fried tomatoes. But if you can't buy or find panko don't fret...do the cornmeal or any regular breadcrumbs.

Ingredients:

4 medium sized green tomatoes (wash, slice into 1/3 inch thick) *
½ cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
½ cup flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs *
1 ½  tsp salt (divide into 3)
1 tsp pepper (divide into 3)
Canola oil for frying

* I prefer thick slices to have a crunchy end product as opposed to thin slices that will turn soggy after frying.

*Panko Breadcrumbs are Japanese breadcrumbs. Thanks to “supply and demand” they are now available at every supermarket near you ;) Few years back, you can only buy them at Asian stores. If you haven’t tried using them yet, I highly suggest that you give these a try in lieu of the breadcrumbs we used to know ;). If you want to achieve a crispy/crunchy texture, Panko will definitely give you that!

*** You will need three shallow bowls for the egg wash method.
*** You will also be doing the left hand dry, right hand wet method as well to avoid a mess.

1^st bowl – flour mixed with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2^nd bowl – combine egg and milk, add salt and pepper.  Mix and beat. Set aside
3^rd bowl – panko breadcrumbs mixed with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat.
Dredge tomato slices in the 1^st bowl (flour), then coat them in the 2^nd bowl (egg wash) using your left hand (wet).
Coat sliced tomatoes w/ panko (3^rd bowl using your right hand, dry). Press tomato slices so panko will adhere to the tomato slices.
Gently drop coated tomatoes into the hot skillet by batch. Don’t overcrowd your pan this will produce moisture. Fry the tomatoes for 3-5 minutes on each side or until brown.
Set cooked tomatoes on cookie rack to let excess oil drip. I don’t recommend paper towel, it will make your sliced tomatoes mushy and soggy.
I love to serve this w/ sriracha and vinegar dip.

Tart green tomatoes coated w/ panko and fried perfectly = crispy/crunchy on the outside and warm and juicy on the inside.

What a brilliant way to make use of your green tomatoes before cold season comes.

Persian Pomegranate and Walnut Stew (Koresht - e - Fesenjan)

4 pcs. chicken leg quarters
1 large onion, sliced thin
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 lb walnuts, toasted and ground
1/2 cups pomegranate syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1-2 T sugar (depending on taste and sweetness of juice)
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
2 T lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
3 T olive oil
**water if needed

Brown chicken pieces in a heavy bottomed pan in oil. Remove and set aside. Using the same pan, sauté onions and garlic. Season with salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg, stir and fry for a minute.

Mix in the walnut into the mixture. Add the browned chicken pieces and toss to coat. Stir in the pomegranate syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add little water if chicken needed more cooking. then reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour until the sauce is thickened, the walnuts release their oil and the sauce has reduced to about half..

Add and stir in lemon juice and sugar according to taste. Adjust seasoning if needed. Continue cooking for a 20 more minutes. Mix in the ground cardamom few minutes before serving.

I like to serve these with steamed rice but you can serve these with warm pita bread.

These taste better the following day.

Recipe adapted from

 Koresht - e -Fesenjan!

Mango Refrigerator Cake (April Kulinarya Theme)

This is my blog for this month's - April Kulinarya theme. Our host Lala of  This Little Piggy challenged us w/ DECADENCE food and the first that came to mind is mango!!! It is Asian mango season here. I know, you'll probably say whattt? they are always available. Yes, the greenish, reddish type of mango which i don't like. and no, i'm not a snub, i'm just spoiled ha!ha!.. Try the other variety of mango which is commonly called Asian mango or Atulfo, i'm sure you'll agree with me. .Asian mangoes are way better. They are sweeter and not fibrous at all. 

This is just to compare and show how big these mangoes are.

I've blogged mango dishes please click http://bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com/search/label/Mangoes.
Mango Cheesecake
http://bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com/2010/08/mango-cheesecake.html


Mango Ice Cream
http://bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com/2009/08/mango-ice-cream.html






This time i made MANGO REFRIGERATOR CAKE. This dessert is easy, no baking needed and oh so good!!!


THE  QUANTITY/MEASUREMENT FOR THIS DISH ARE ESTIMATES.  I BELIEVE THAT IT WILL REALLY DEPEND ON HOW MUCH YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE AND HOW MUCH MANGOES YOU'D LIKE TO PUT IN YOUR CAKE.


Cake and Mango
Ingredients:

5 packs of broas (Lady fingers) add more if you want more layers.
6 mangoes sliced thinly (depend on the size of the mango)


Directions:
1. Slice mangoes thinly, discard the seeds. Set aside.
2. Coat the baking pan with softened butter.
3. Arrange and layer broas on bottom of the pan.
4. Pour and spread about 1/2 cup of the buttercream frosting.
5. Arrange sliced mangoes.
6. Repeat process, layer broas, then buttercream then mangoes.
7. The top most must be the buttercream layer.
8. Arrange the sliced mangoes. I made two different ways to arrange the mangoes. Please see below pictures.
9. Chill in the fridge for an hour or more and Enjoy!!!




Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients:

2 cans 18.7 oz. condensed milk
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 t vanilla extract

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (as needed)

Directions:
1. Beat softened butter, condensed milk, vanilla, and slowly add the  confectioners' sugar..

2. Continue beating until frosting  reaches desired consistency. I want mine a bit loose.

Rosette mangoes as garnish.

Arrange sliced mangoes this way.

A slice of the cake the following day. The color of the mango will change but the flavor is not compromised. Still delicious!!

PORKCHOP WITH APPLES, ONIONS SERVED W/ DUCHESS POTATOES

THIS IS AN OLD BLOG FROM MY MYSPACE ACCOUNT. AS I MENTIONED BEFORE I'M IN THE PROCESS OF MOVING MY BLOGS THERE TO HERE.
BLOGGED NOV. 3, 2008
Duchess potatoes brings me back to Culinary School days. This is easy, delicious and adds presentation to your plate. These potato mixture is considered the mother of many classic potato preparations.

These are often used to decorate platters..try this potato mixture for your Thanksgiving!

This recipe is from "On Cooking" a textbook of culinary fundamentals. I'm sure some of you will remember this txtbook

Y: 2 lb

2 lb.Potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 oz Whole butter
TT* nutmeg
TT* salt and pepper
1 Egg
2 Egg yolks
Clarified butter as needed


Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and immediately turn out onto a sheet pan to allow the moisture to evaporate.

While still warm, press the potatoes through a ricer or food mill.

Blend in the butter and season to taste w/ nutmeg and S&P.

Mix in the egg and egg yolks, blend well.

Transfer the duchesse mixture to a piping bag fitted w/ a large star tip.

Pipe single portion sized spirals onto a parchment lined sheet pan.

Brush w/ clarified butter and bake at 375 degrees F (190 C) until edges are golden brown. about 8-10 min.

Serve immediately.

* TT means to taste


Passing boiled potatoes through a food mill

This is how it'll look like.

Piped duchess potatoes ready for the oven

Duchess Potatoes

I made some porkchop with sliced gala apples, onions, sweet peppers.

Season porkchop w/ S&P. Pan sear both sides.

Set porkchop aside.

Add the onions, garlic and apples, saute until all are caramelized.

Deglaze the pan w/ apple cider, mustard.

Taste and season well. Add thyme.

Combine porkchop and the vegetables and continue cooking in the oven until porkchop is cooked.



Served porkchop w/ the duchess potatoes



APPLE CUSTARD TEA CAKES

Apples, apples, apples!!!! I've made Apple Chips and Apple Almond Salad , Apple Crumb Muffins and Apple Butter . They were all delicious if i may say so!

This time i made cupcakes which i think look interesting and beautiful. Got the recipe from Cupcake cookbook by Pamela Clark.  I like a lot of her recipes so expect for more cupcakes soon=;)

I made a slight adjustment w/ the milk. I find the batter a bit thick so i added  2 more tablespoons of milk. Other than that..the cupcakes were a success!

APPLE CUSTARD TEA CAKES
Recipe from Cupcakes by Pamela Clark

Ingredients:
Cake batter:6 T butter - i used unsalted
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
3/4 C self-rising flour
1/4 C instant vanilla pudding mix
3 T milk - i added 2 tablespoon
1 large unpeeled apple, cored, sliced finely- i used mandoline to have a uniform slice
2 T butter, extra melted
1 1/2 T sugar, extra
1/2 t ground cinnamon

Custard:
1 1/2 T instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 T sugar
1/2 C milk
1/4 t vanilla extract

1. Make custard. Recipe below.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 6 hole oversize (Texas) or 12 hole standard muffin pan with paper baking cups.
3. Beat butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs flour, pudding mix and milk in small bowl with electric mixer on low speed until ingredients are just combined. Increase speed to medium, beat until mixture is changed to a paler color.
4. Divide half the mixture among baking cups. Top with custard, then remaining cake mixture; spread mixture to cover custard. Top with apple slices, pressing slightly into cake.
5. Bake large cakes about 40 minutes, small cakes about 30 minutes.
6. Brush hot cakes with extra butter, then sprinkle with combined extra sugar and cinnamon. Turn cakes onto wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

CUSTARD:
Blend pudding mix and sugar with milk and vanilla in small pot; stir over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat, cover surface with plastic wrap, cool.