When I was eating sweets peach cobbler was, hands down, one of my favorite desserts.
I am going to be posting a few items over the weekend that are on my Easter dinner menu...and some of these are totally not on my meal plan; but I am staying true to my sugar free diet. Sadly this peach cobbler will not be on my plate. But, my son and sister are here so I won't bore them with all of my sugar-free treats.
I fondly remember the good ole days when Easter consisted of large family dinners, good food, sunrise service and new Easter suits. And then there was Easter Monday. We would get together with our friends and spend the entire day at Paramount Carowinds theme park. Candy apples, funnel cakes, jelly bellies, turkey legs, Thunder Road, White Lightning, the Cyclone, the water park...those were some good times. But back to reality...and this cobbler.
Peach Cobbler
Crust:
2 c all-purpose flour
A scant tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks frozen unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 c ice cold water
Combine the flour, salt and butter in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is the texture of cornmeal. Add ice water and pulse until mixture forms a ball.
Dust the dough lightly with flour and shape into a square. Wrap in wax paper and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes or longer.
Filling:
4 c fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 1/2 c water
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp brandy
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c margarine
1 tbsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
In a medium pot, cook ingredients until tender, but not mushy.
Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray. Add peaches to baking dish. Dot with butter. Place pastry crust over the peaches and cut 4 slits in the top. Brush crust with egg wash.
Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Sweet Treats 'n Good Eats, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.
I am not sure why I decided to make this apple galette today, with it being so hot outside, as it is way too warm to have the oven on today; and not quite time to switch the air on. I am one of those people who really needs to have a few weeks of relief between seasons so I am not going straight from heat to air overnight.
We have seemingly skipped right past spring and are expecting temperatures in the 80s and high 70s for the next week or two. Just a few weeks ago, my girlfriend's home was hit by a tornado that struck a small part of Charlotte and Concord, North Carolina. So while we are enjoying having the toes out and the promise of warm days, cool drinks, maxi dresses and jazz on the lake...this early warm weather also brings about more volatile weather patterns, which I am a little nervous about. But for today, there is none of that looming...just birds chirping, blue skies and a gorgeous, sunny day.
Apple Galette
The Crust:
¾ c all purpose flour (or white whole wheat flour)
1/2 tbsp sugar (or 1 packet Stevia)
Dash of salt
1/4 c cold butter, diced
5-6 tbsp ice water
The Filling:
¼ c water
Dash of lemon juice
1 large apple
2 tsp brown sugar (or 2 packets of Stevia)
½ tsp cinnamon
Dash of brandy, optional
Egg Wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tsp milk
1 tbsp coarse sugar (Ex: Stevia in the Raw or Turbinado sugar)
Combine flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter (or use a food processor). When the dough resembles coarse sand, add the ice water. Mix well, until you can shape the dough into a ball. Cover with saran wrap and let dough rest in the fridge for an hour.
Mix water, lemon juice, brandy, cinnamon, and sugar together. Cut apple into wedges. Soak the wedges in the cinnamon sugar liquid. Set aside.
Mix the egg yolk and milk together to make the glaze. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Take refrigerated dough and roll into a circle. Arrange apples in center of the dough, leaving the edges free. Dot with a little butter. Fold dough towards the center, bringing it up on all sides. Brush the crust with the egg wash and dust coarse sugar over the galette.
Bake in oven for approximately 30-45 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.
All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Sweet Treats 'n Good Eats, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.
Back in the day, when I used to eat whatever I wanted, we had a soul food restaurant called McDonald’s Cafeteria. That was some of the best food I ever ate. One of the things I always looked for after dinner was the peach cobbler, the pound cake or the egg custard pie. Egg custard is so good and so easy to make but just not something I readily think about when I want dessert. So I decided to make one and share a bit with some of my girls coming over for a visit.
Turns out, one of them loves, loves, loves egg custard and ended up eating an entire half of pie by herself…in one sitting I might add. Since she was so fond of it, I sent another piece home with her only to find out that she ate it for breakfast the next morning. Her rationale was, “It’s eggs, right?” Wow…now that’s a sweet tooth.
Pie Crust (makes single 9 inch crust)
1 ¼ C all purpose flour
1 stick butter
½ t salt
1 t sugar
2-3 T ice water
Cut butter into small chunks. Place flour, butter, salt and sugar in food processor and pulse until crumbly. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until the flour forms a ball. Remove dough from processor, cover in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Place in the refrigerator and chill 2 hrs to overnight. Remove from fridge and let stand at room temp 4-5 minutes, then roll into round crust. Place in pie plate, crimp edges, and fill.
Egg Custard
1 c granulated sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp table salt
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp rum
1 ½ c scalded milk
2 tsp butter
Preheat oven to 400. Place the pie shell into the pie dish. In a mixing bowl combine sugar, flour, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl beat eggs well. Heat the milk to just under scalding point. Add butter to milk until melted. Add the beaten eggs to the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the milk and butter, along with the flavorings. Brush crust with egg wash. Pour mixture into pie shell.
Place pan in larger baking pan or on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 30 minutes longer until firm.
All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.
Today I find myself still stuck on apples. I am having a craving for apple pie but don’t have any green apples in the fridge and not a variety of the red. What’s a girl to do? The best apple pie is made with a combination of apples so there is a mixture of sweetness and tartness. Fuji, Golden Delicious, Rome, Granny Smith, McIntosh, Gala, Braeburn, Empire and Honeycrisp are good choices for apple pie baking. But I only have a bag of Gala apples and two Cripps Pink. So although I have somewhat of a dilemma, I decide to spring for the pie anyway. And since I am feeling a little jazzy, I toss some cranberries in the mix to give it that something extra.
So off I go to handle the most daunting step in making an apple pie…the crust.
Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
2 sticks unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
6 to 8 tbsp ice water
Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and pulse again.
Remove dough from machine and place on clean surface, that is sprinkled with a little flour. Gently shape into 2 disks and do not over-knead. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Remove disks from the refrigerator. Sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle. Carefully place into a pie plate. Press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and there is some overhang on the sides.
Apple Filling
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 pounds of apples
1 1/2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Peel and cut apples. Sprinkle a teaspoon of lemon juice over the apples to keep the oxidation process from occurring. Toss apples with dry ingredients and flavorings. Place apples in prepared pie pan. Dot with butter. Roll out second disk of dough. Gently place onto the top of the filling. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough, leaving an overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger. Be sure to score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam can escape.
Egg Wash
1 Tbsp heavy cream, half and half, or milk
1 large egg yolk
Beat egg yolk with cream and brush on the surface of the pie with a pastry brush. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until brown and bubbly.
This is definitely not the prettiest or tallest pie, considering the apple shortage. But it sure tastes good! And that is all you can ask for to top off a Sunday dinner. Best served with some vanilla ice-cream or a dollop of homemade whipped cream.
All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, baked by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.
