Autumn Apple Cider Gin Cocktail

Seasonal and fabulous! Buy the freshest apple cider possible at your local apple orchard!

1 part Beefeater or Hendricks Gin
3 parts Fresh apple cider
1 dash Angostura bitters per glass
Slices of Apples for garnish
Ice

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Stir in all ingredients and add an apple slice for garnish!

posted from Bloggeroid

Apple Cranberry Conserve

My absolute favorite preserving recipes are small batch, quick prep, simple ingredients, great flavor and versatile. Am I asking too much?
Last month at my Preserving Class we hit all the above listed points with the Apple Cranberry Conserve! I served the conserve with a double creme cheese, but since have loved it with grilled chicken, added it as a layer to a pumpkin quick bread and served it as an ice cream topper....

Something to keep in mind; because of the short cooking and processing times, I thought the flavor was better after sitting for a week or so. I just did a rough chop so the cranberries were not chopped and the apples were chopped the same size as cranberries. You could chop a bit smaller for a softer texture in a shorter amount of time.

APPLE CRANBERRY CONSERVE

2 ¼ cups diced apples (I used a combination of Ginger Gold and Paula Red)
¼ cup water
½ cup dried cranberries
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 package pectin (Powdered for a firmer texture, liquid pectin for a softer set)
2 ¾ cups sugar
¼ cup chopped walnuts

Combine apples, water and dried cranberries in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and add sugar. Return to a full boil and add liquid pectin and boil 1 minute without stirring. Remove from heat and stir in nuts. Fill jars, wipe rims, attach lids and rings and process in hot water bath for 5 minutes. Allow to sit at room temp for 24 hours undisturbed.

Fun & Easy Flatbread Pizzas

We recently hosted a night of pizza at The Market and I think guests were a bit surprised when I didn't pull out traditional pepperoni laden pies. I love them too, but felt like I needed to create a little something interesting to get folks talking! I decided to make a couple different flatbread pizzas that showcased cheeses that really make tasty pizzas! The flatbread pizzas cook up quickly and are easy to make individual portions with a variety of toppings to serve a crowd as a main dish or appetizer.

I used the same crust recipe for each as it's super easy and always turns out great and crispy. This recipe also lasts in the refrigerator for about a week so you can have on hand for hungry teenagers or add to another meal as bread sticks or seasoned flatbread.

CRUST
1 cup hot tap water
1 pkg quick acting yeast (I use a Tablespoon of instant yeast)
1 tsp. salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 1/2-3 cups flour

In my KitchenAid mixer, I throw everything together with the dough hook on and allow to knead about 5 minutes until a smooth, somewhat sticky, dough has climbed up the dough hook and all flour is incorporated. I allow to rise about 15-30 minutes (that's the beauty of instant yeast) until doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Using a small amount of flour, roll your dough out to desired flatbread size about 1/3 of an inch thick. Mine measure about 4X12. Bake until dough is no longer shiny but not browned, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from oven and top being careful not to overfill or they lose the crispiness. Bake an additional 5+ minutes until dough is browned and cheeses are melted. You can also choose to bake flatbread a little longer and after topping, throw under the broiler to melt cheeses. I did this recently for a dish-to-pass and browned them at the host home, it turned out really well.

TRUFFLE BIANCO FLATBREAD: ( I loved the California Pizza Kitchen one SO much, I did a bit of a copycat on this)
1 ball fresh mozzarella, grated
1/4 lb. Dolce latta Gorgonzola, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Pinch of truffle salt per pizza
several fresh sage leaves

In a small saute pan, bring about 1/2 inch of olive oil to heat and fry sage leaves until crispy. Drain on paper towel and set aside. Top each cooked flatbread with a few tablespoons of fresh mozz, a few chunks of Gorgonzola, a good pinch of truffle salt and lay out 3-4 sage leaves on top depending on size.

CAMEMBERT, APPLE & MUSTARD FLATBREAD:
Whole Grain Mustard (I used Maille brand)
1 Apple, grated and juice squeezed out a bit (I used Honeycrisp)
1/2 lb. camembert or brie cheese, sliced into 1/4 thick slices, rind left on but could be removed
3 slices Proscuitto, sliced into ribbons

On cooked flatbread, spread a thin layer of mustard as evenly as possible but not too thick. Top with a thin layer of grated apples that you have gently squeezed the juice from, a few slices of Camembert or Brie cheese (they are the same thing) and a few ribbons of proscuitto. I like to put this one under the broiler to crisp up the proscuitto, so I bake the crusts a bit longer before topping.

I had a pizza with similar toppings in France and we all fell in love with it! A bit unusual, but definitely a favorite from our tasting :) Our favorite wine to pair with both pizzas was a White Bordeaux (100% Sauvignon Blanc) but the Sicilian red, Nero d'Avola was also great!

Enjoy!

Enjoying the remains of the summer

Does September really signal autumn?  September is one of Michigan's nicest weather months and I am going to enjoy every minute of it!  We had a rude awakening on Sunday to wake up to temperatures in the low 60's and overcast skies..."ugh, I'm not ready"! 
I know I'm whining. 
It's not attractive.
I can't stop because it's so miserable outside!

So I decided to bake something apple-y to embrace the nasty day (and make myself feel better about getting nearly nothing accomplished!) and FEEL autumn.  I made these scones from the Midwest Living magazine.

APPLE SCONES  (Midwest Living October 2011)
2 3/4 cups flour 
 1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon apple pie spice (I used English "Mixed Spice")
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cold
1 cup finely chopped tart apple (I used Paula Reds)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup whipping cream

TOPPING
15 slices of unpeeled apples
1 tablespoon raw sugar
1 tablespoon whipping cream


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Blend all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Cut butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles crumbs.  Mix together eggs and whipping cream and add all at once.  Stir mixture using a fork, just until blended.  Be cautious not to over mix as this will make scones tough.  Scoop dough into 9 rounds or wedges and place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush each top with a bit of whipping cream, a sprinkle of raw sugar and a slice of apple.  Bake 15-17 minutes until golden brown.  

These are not scones in my book, they are mini cakes with baking powder, but they are pretty tasty.

I made these recently for Juli and family while they visited and included some fresh butter whipped with an incredible Cinnamon Cider Syrup (1/4 cup butter, 1 T cider syrup) and a small pot of homemade apple cider jelly.  Apple extravaganza!!!  I will post about the apple cider jelly soon!  

Here is a fun photo of Pierre in the sweet little fleece vest from Juli!  He absolutely LOVES it and has been wearing it during this little cold spell! 

Lutz Centennial Farm Celebration

John and I spent a lovely afternoon with our neighbors celebrating the Lutz Farm attaining their Centennial Farm status. 

Only about 3 miles from our home, Lutz's apples are the absolute best around!  A great combination of heirloom and newer varieties of apples, their orchards and apples are fascinating and fabulous.  They also have some quince trees that I am seriously considering renting for the next 5 years! 

We always enjoy a chat and bottle of honey, apples galore and whatever else Ruth or Bill have been growing!  The Lutz's have an interesting heritage in the Tecumseh and Saline areas and we were honored to be a part of this special occasion!  If you are interested in visiting them you can find them here:

Macon Rd, near Saline

Just a few of the varieties of apples Lutz Orchard grows!

Ruth

The first harvest of Paula Reds, gorgeous!

The pigs were friendly.

Fresh donuts complements of Colemans Corn Maze!  So delicious!

You can add me to the list of supporting members!

Lutz heritage and photos!

Rose Petal Jam

Rose Petal Jam...it sounds so romantic, so European and so quaint.

For 2 years I've held onto this recipe and finally took the time to make it!  I feel like this is an autumn recipe with the apple jelly being the base of the jam, but all of my reddest roses are blooming now!  I only have some pale roses that bloom through the fall and I really wanted this jam to be red in color. 

I used an English rose which is quite fragrant and prolific, just what the recipe called for.  I didn't spray them this Spring, for this recipe and the fact that it has been too rainy or cold to spray effectively.  In fact, I hand picked worms off of my David Austin...how repulsive is that?! (I wore gloves!)  According to the recipe, I chose fresh blooms that were fully open and nearly ready to fall.

When removing the tough white ends, I found it easiest to grip and pull off the entire blossom and use a very sharp knife to slice off the ends.  I then but the petals into a colander and shook it a bit to remove any bits of icky. 

ROSE PETAL JAM
{Gelee de Pommes et Petales de Rose; recipe from Anne Willan}

Apple Jelly
3 lbs very tart apples, I used granny smith 
1 1/2 cups sugar


Scrub apples and quarter, only removing the stems.  Put in large, heavy pot, just cover with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook an hour or so until apples are very soft and falling apart.  Let cool about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a cheesecloth lined mesh sieve or colander set over a bowl.  Let drain without pressing on fruit or jelly will be cloudy.  Leave undisturbed about an hour.

Rose Petals


6 cups rose petals, with white tips removed
3 cups water, boiling
1 cup sugar
juice of  1 lemon


Put the petal in a large bowl and cover with boiling water just to cover.  Cover and let steep until cool.

Measure out 2 cups of the apple juice and add 1 1/2 cups sugar in large pot.  Bring the juice to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves.  Boil over high heat until jelly reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer.  Should take about 20 minutes.  Skim any foam off as you go.  Let cool about 5 minutes then add the rose petals and their liquid aslong with 1 cup sugar and the lemon juice.  


Heat mixture to boiling over high heat and boil until reaching 220 degrees on candy thermometer.  Let cool about 5 minutes and fill sterilized jars and seal.  Can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

 Yes, this was a bit of work.  I let my apples drain and rose petals steep and cool overnight, since I did not have a full day to put this together directly.  Yes, it is fabulous and tasty, beautiful and delicate!  SO worth the time and energy!  I love it paired with Four Corners Creamery Fresh Chevre!