Deep Dish Cranberry and Apple Pie

I hope everyone had a restful Christmas! I celebrated with friends and family throughout the month of December. It was a great way to close out the year, and the month has been filled with much reflection and excitement, looking toward the new year!

I went to a Christmas potluck last week, and brought a yummy deep dish cranberry and apple pie. It was a great way to present a classic with a slight twist. The pie is baked in a cake tin to achieve a thicker pie. The filling is sweet from the apples with a great tartness from the cranberry. It's a great way to close out the holiday season!

Deep Dish Cranberry and Apple Pie (Makes 1 Pie)
For the Crust
12 oz All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Stick Cold Butter
4 oz Ice Cold Water

1. Cut the cold butter into small cubes (1cm x 1cm).
2. Put the pieces into the flour and salt. Make sure each cube is coated.
3. Press the butter to flat pieces.
4. Rub the butter between your fingers to make flakes. Continue until the butter chunks are about the size of a lima bean.
5. Create a well in the center of the flour and pour your cold water into it.
6. Bring your flour towards the center of the well a little bit at a time, until it is completely incorporated.
7. Flatten your dough slightly and wrap it in plastic. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, until it is chilled.

Cranberry and Apple Filling
6 Apples
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ginger
1/2 cup Water
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tbsp Corn Starch
Pinch Salt
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Water
1/4 cup Spiced Rum

1. Peel and medium dice the apples. Place into a large pan.
2. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and water. Mix together, and heat on medium heat.
3. Cook until the apples tenderize slightly. Then, add the cornstarch and mix.
4. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens, and apples are tender.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
6. In a small pot, bring sugar and water to a boil. Remove from heat and add cranberries and rum.
7. Allow the cranberries to soak for about 5 minutes. Then, add to the apple mixture.
8. If there is excess liquid, put the apples back on the heat and allow it to cook out. Otherwise, just mix it well together.

Making the Pie
Pie Dough
Cranberry and Apple Filling
Egg wash (2 Eggs, 1 Yolk, a pinch of Salt, and a couple splashes of Water)
Cinnamon Sugar (1/4 cup Sugar, 1/4 tsp Cinnamon)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease your cake pan with butter.
3. Roll out half of your pie dough to about 1/4 inch and place into the tin. Trim the edges.
4. Use a fork to poke holes so that steam can escape.
5. Place the filling into the crust.
6. Brush the outside edge of the crust with egg wash.
7. Roll out the remaining dough into a rectangle. Cut strips about an inch wide. You will need enough to weave a pattern onto the pie.
8. Alternate and weave the dough strips to create a basket pattern. Do this quickly so that the dough is easy to handle and does not stick to the egg wash.
9. After you weave the dough, brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
10. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden, and the filling begins to ooze out.
11. Allow to cool slightly, and serve warm.

This pie is perfect to eat with a big scoop of ice cream or a cup of eggnog! Enjoy the rest of 2014, and see you all in 2015! :)

Holiday Green Beans

Green beans are great for any holiday party! Many people use canned green beans because they are cheap and easy, but when fresh green beans are in season, they're just at cheap and far more delicious... not to mention nutritious! This is a simple recipe to create an extra-ordinary green bean dish that can wow any guests! Almonds and cranberries add a great contrast in color, while the balsamic and olive oil compliment the green beans with a tartness that pleases any palate. This recipe is perfect for the Thanksgiving meal. It has an acidity that will help to balance the saltiness and richness of the Thanksgiving table. It's also quick and simple (I finished in about 15 minutes!)

Holiday Green Beans
1 lb Fresh Green Beans
1 tbsp Olive Oil 
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/4 cup Cranberries (dried or fresh)
1/4 cup Slivered Almonds
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1. Trim the ends of the green beans by breaking them off. Then, rinse the green beans.
2. Heat a medium-large pot on medium heat, and then pour in the olive oil.
3. Once hot, add garlic. Spread around the garlic, and then pour in the green beans. Be careful, they will cause the oil to splash (because of the water you rinse with).
4. When the green beans are about halfway done cooking (5 min) add the cranberries and almonds.
5. Allow to finish cooking until tender.
6. In a large bowl, mix oil and vinegar until emulsified.
7. When the green beans are finished cooking, add them to the bowl and mix until the vinaigrette covers the green beans.
8. Move to a serving platter and serve!

This recipe would be great with some crumbled goat cheese and rosemary if you want to dress it up further and impress your guests. This can be served warm or cold, too (although I prefer it warm).

I hope everyone is having a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving! Enjoy the time with family and friends and be sure to eat lots and lots! Once again, I am so thankful for everyone who has taken the time to look at the blog, like the Facebook page, share any posts, and recreate dishes! I hope you all begin to see food as an experience and a story as I am sharing mine with you! Happy Thanksgiving everyone :)

Cranberry Sauce

THANKSGIVING! A time to be thankful, but better known as the holiday about food! In commemoration, I decided I would write a few Thanksgiving posts! I mean, this is a food blog, after all. The Facebook page also will have links to recipes you can make for the holiday dinners/potlucks, so go check it out!!!

Thanksgiving dinner is usually complete with cranberry sauce. I remember growing up, we would purchase the canned cranberry sauce. I wasn't very fond of the gelatinous wiggly thing that would fall out of the can onto a plate to then be sliced to look slightly more appealing. So, I began to make my own cranberry sauce. I like to brighten up the normal cranberry sauce by adding clementines to create a tangy, tart flavor that perfectly compliments any Thanksgiving feast. Clementines are smaller, and sweeter than oranges (but they also happened to be the only citrus at my grandfather's house). I got cranberries for $2 (so worth it!) at my local grocery store. They should be easy to find because they are in season. Try this simple, inexpensive recipe for your Thanksgiving dinner!

Cranberry Sauce
12 oz package Fresh Cranberries
2 Clementines
1/4 cup Sugar
2 tbsp Honey
1/2 tsp Salt

1. Rinse and pour cranberries into a small saucepan.
2. Zest the 2 clementines and add it to the sauce. If you want larger pieces, you can use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest and then cut it smaller with a knife.
3. Place the zest into the pot with the cranberries.
4. Cut the clementines in half and squeeze all of the juice from them. It is okay to have the pulp in the sauce, since it will cook down.
5. Add sugar, honey, and salt to the pot.
6. Heat on low heat, stirring occasionally. The heat will begin to open the cranberries. Remove from the heat when all of the cranberries have opened.

You can make this sauce days before, refrigerate it, and then reheat it when you're ready to serve it. You can also use this as a spread for post-Thanksgiving sandwiches (the best way to use Thanksgiving leftovers). Make this cranberry sauce as a healthy, fresh alternative to the canned jelly-sauce.

Lastly, I am extremely thankful for all of my readers! I hope that you all enjoy your holiday! Be sure to create and share these dishes with your close friends and family to let them know you are thankful for them as well! Stay tuned for more Thanksgiving recipes!