American Apple Pie

Apple picking is in full swing (and almost finished?) in the Netherlands. Gorgeous, juicy, red apples, freshly picked by our friends Dragan and Biba, appeared at our doorstep. What else could I do? I made a good old fashioned American Apple Pie.

Can I just say "food porn"? In my opinion, nothing compares to American apple pie. Just watch the movie "American Pie" and you'll see what I mean.

If you want to create this delicacy at home you'll need 5 large apples(good ones are Gala or Fuji), flour, sugar, cinnamon, butter, salt, corn starch, and ice cold water. And you'll need some time. First, make the pie crust. Do it ahead of time, the night before, and store your discs in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours(or freeze the discs for up to a month or two) . I love Joy of Cooking's pie crust, a standard pate brisse, which Jenny and I used to call 'Pah-tay Briss-ay' until we heard Martha mention it as 'Pat Briss' and we realized our utter non-Frenchness.

The key to pate brisse is cold butter. No, I don't mean refrigerator-cold butter, I mean freeze it! Take your 230g of butter, unsalted, of course, out of the refrigerator and cut it into little pieces. Preferably, perfect pea-sized pieces, but any small random bits will do. Next, put this mess of butter in the freezer for at least 20 minutes. While you wait, put your flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor, or a large bowl and mix. Once the butter is too cold to handle with your Raynauds-fingers, place it in with your blended flour mixture. Food process it to the beat of "mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord..." You know the song, right? Anyway,  if you don't have a food processor, get a pastry blender and get good at it and be quick about it.  Next, add the ice-cold water and pulse-blend until just combined. You'll know it is ready when you can pinch a bit of it with your fingers and it sticks together like playdough. Do not over-blend. Trust me. And don't let the butter even think about getting warm.

Place two large pieces of saran-wrap on the counter and put half of the dough in each piece, shaping it into a flat disc using the edges of the saran wrap. Try not to handle it too much. If the dough does not feel cold, put it in the fridge for a few minutes before shaping it into a disc. If you keep the butter cold throughout this process, your mouth will thank you when you bite into the lovely flakiness later.

Leave the two discs in the fridge overnight (preferable) or for at least an hour. Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees F (210 C). Take each disc out and flour your work surface (use a piece of wax paper or parchment paper on the counter), flour your rolling pin, wait a few minutes for the dough to be rollable and go for it. If you try to roll it and it breaks apart on the edges, it is still a bit too cold. But don't let it get warmer than about 68 degrees F (20 C). Roll it into a circle for a 9" pie plate.  The overall thickness is less important than just getting it consistent and big enough for your pie plate.

Once it is rolled, place it in the fridge on a cookie sheet to keep it cool while you do the bottom crust. Do the same thing for the bottom crust and then flip over your paper and place it in the pie plate. Trim the edges to the edge of the pie (if you are making a top crust) or to about 1 inch overhang (and fold under) if you are not making a top crust. Place the bottom crust (that's in the pie plate) also into the fridge to keep it cool as well while you make the filling.

If you have an 'Apple Peeler Corer Slicer" machine, use it! If not, get your apples ready manually. You should have about 5.5 cups of apples, or a large bowl-full.

Next, add the cornstarch (3 Tbsp), sugar (3/4 cup), cinnamon (2 tsp), and lemon juice from half a lemon and stir it up well. If your apples are super sweet you can reduce the sugar to 2/3 cup or even less. Viktorija would say, "use less sugar!" She is smart.

Let this mixture sit for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and when the timer goes off, get the pie crusts out of the fridge and pour the mixture into the bottom crust.

Now, run a finger dipped in cold water around the edge(so the top crust will stick), dot the top with bits of butter (about 2 Tbsp total) and then place the top crust on, peeling back the paper as you do.

Trim the top crust to hang over about 1 inch, and then fold it underneath the bottom crust on the edges.

Crimp the edge by pinching with your thumb and first finger on one hand and your first finger on the other hand. Or just use a fork like my grandma used to do- pressing it around the edge to make lines. If you have a thin spot, just use some of the scraps you have from the trimming to thicken it up from underneath. If you have lots of scraps and feel like being creative you can re-roll them out and use a cookie cutter to make a pretty topping on your pie. But be quick about it, or do it ahead. The total time for you to get the filling in, top on, decoration done is less than 5 minutes. Apply the cut-out shapes with cold water to make them stick.

Sprinkle the top of the pie with a mixture of sugar (2 Tbsp) and cinnamon (1 tsp) (it will stick better if you sprinkle a tiny bit of water on the pie first) and put a few slits in the top crust with a knife. I've done four above.

Damn, this is starting to sound complex. We're almost done. I promise, it is worth it.

Bake the pie with a cookie sheet on another rack placed underneath the pie to catch the drippings. You'll want to bake it for 30 minutes and then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and put a pie-shield on and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more, or until a knife reveals bubbly juices.

If you don't have a pie shield you can make one out of foil, or skip it and deal with a slightly burned edge. You can see the apple shapes I put on top got a little bit burny. I could have covered them with foil to prevent this.

Serve the pie after a few hours (the inside will set-up nice). The pie is best the day it is made. Here is another example in a prettier pie plate (and it is slightly larger, too- 10 inches, which also works fine.)

If you make this pie for your boyfriend, he will ask you to marry him. It totally worked for me.

October is here! Squash Soup all around!

The fall season makes me so happy. Crisp, chilly mornings giving rise to gorgeous bright crunching leaves days reminds me of going back to school and the upcoming HALLOWEEN! Outside our bedroom window we can see our neighbor's maple tree and it has just started changing to a deep pink and bright orange with some bits of yellow. Gorgeous! Squash and pumpkins are on the market now and I was fortunate enough to buy some (including a typical American style pumpkin for Halloween!!) when we were in Germany a couple of weeks ago.

 

I spent 20 euros on these puppies because we didn't have change and I was so excited to see the road-side stand with the American style pumpkin I just kept putting them in the box until I had 20 euros worth. Mental note: 20 euros of pumpkins makes me quite happy for many days. And my kid, too!

Look how happy she is with the funny double-pumpkin! The two green ones at Dina's feet are called Buttercup squash and they are outstanding.

Fine Cooking once published a Buttercup squash and leek soup which I've long forgotten the exact measurements, but here is the method:

Make or purchase broth- preferably a veggie broth. You will likely need about 2 cups (500 ml) for one squash and 2 leeks.  Next, get a stock pot and add your rinsed, chopped leeks (about 2 leeks, or one if your squash is small or your leek really large). If you haven't cooked with leeks before here's a little info video I made:

Next, you'll slice your squash in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and flip it cut side down. Carefully cut the skin of the squash off, using the cut side down method as much as possible to prevent your knife from slipping on the tough skin. Cube squash into 1 to 2 inch squares and throw these on top of the leeks. Next, pour in enough broth to almost come to the top of the squash. If you cover the squash with the broth you will have a thinner soup. I prefer a thicker soup, but either way will work.

Bring your pot to a boil and once it is boiling, simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes or until you can prick the squash pieces with a fork and they just fall apart. Next, use an immersion blender to blend the hot soup together and make a nice smooth texture. If you don't have a hand held blender, you can do it in batches in a traditional blender. Just makes for more containers to clean-up.

Serve it, piping hot, with a dab of butter or extra virgin olive oil. I prefer the flavor of butter, as shown above. To prevent the squash soup from being too thin: before you blend the soup with the blender, remove some liquid, taking care to leave the leeks and squash in the pot. Sometimes I remove about 180 ml (1/2 cup) or more, if I think the squash seemed to release a lot of water. Don't throw this away! Keep it and then, blend the remaining squash, liquid and leeks and check the consistency. If it seems too thick, I slowly add the reserved liquid until I reach the desired thickness.

You can find these buttercup squash at the local markets (definitely the Eindhoven market on Saturday mornings) and also Genneper Park (I am starting to feel like an advert for them!) sometimes has them in their farm market. 

If you wish, you can substitute butternut squash (Flespompoen) for the buttercup, but you'll be missing out on something. Butternut squash is good, no lie, but trust me: the buttercup squash will blow you away.

Happy Fall, everyone!

Starbucks products at Jumbo!

Ooooohhhh guess what!! The Jumbo in Veldhoven has Starbucks prepackaged Qandi Latte Caramel Flavour Coffee! And even used the British spelling of 'flavor'!

And another flavor too- Mocha. This was quite a treat, and the caffeine content was double the amount in normal coffee, as in classic Starbucks fashion.  They were on sale and so I justified my purchase by deciding that 2 euros for one of these was less than a third of the frappy at the airport. Good shopping choices, right?

Starbucks fever

I have to admit that I have Starbucks fever. The smell of a Starbucks coffee shop makes me crave a frappuccino. When we first moved abroad, I was sure I'd still have access to Starbucks. What I did not realize was how expensive that mint mocha frappy is in euros! And I certainly didn't think the closest one would be in the Amsterdam airport- a 1.5 hour train ride! Sometime after we'd been here about a year, a Starbucks opened up at the train station in Utrecht and my husband convinced me to ride the train from Eindhoven to Utrecht with the promise that we'd stop to get a frappy.

Check out my baby-wearing, frappy-carrying, stroller-pushing self. You might wonder why I have a stroller if I'm wearing the baby, but I tell you, you need one- for all the baby accessories!

But this is a food-blog, not a baby blog, so I'll continue... What was neat about this Starbucks was the stroopwaffles for sale at the counter. So Dutch! And so tasty. Good idea, Starbucks.

The next time I got a chance to inhale the sweet smell of a Starbucks shop was in Germany, at the most American-looking mall I'd ever seen in these parts. Thanks to Tracey for taking me there and indulging my need for a frappy while our toddlers munched on Starbucks chocolate chip cookies.

But here is the killer. When I lived in the US (back in 2008) I used to get my signature frappy: tall mint-mocha frappy with 2 pumps of mocha and 1 peppermint. No whip. and I'd pay less than $4.00. Honestly, I didn't get this beverage very often (maybe twice a month?) but I felt like it was reasonable, in some first-world way, to pay about $4 for a small, special (addictive) beverage. I was so excited to see a Starbucks at the Brussels airport last year when we flew to the US! I just couldn't wait to taste that frappy again. Couldn't wait. Uh-huh. No line there, either.

Oh, and I found out why: I ordered my frappy, pulled out a 10 euro note and handed it over. He handed me just over 3 euros in change. I did a double-take and looked at the price list closer:

Yes, you read that right: a TALL Mocha Frappy is 5.60 euros. With my extra shot(s?) that came to over 6 euros. That's about... oh.... NINE DOLLARS.

Now, when I pass through Brussels I have absolutely no interest in buying a drink at the Starbucks that awaits those weary travelers. But I still inhale the fumes as I walk by.

My fabulous mom gives me Starbucks gift cards, (which, unfortunately only work in the US) so I can feed my addiction when I'm back state-side.

American Brownies in the Netherlands

For those of you reading back home in the USA, I'm sure you are all set with your Ghiradelli boxed brownie mix at your local grocery store. But for those of us craving a quick and easy dessert here in Eindhoven, we're in luck! The Genneper Park Molen (Watermill) has brownie mix! And chocolate chips! And mini chocolate chips!

Above, on the top shelf, you can see the chocolate chips. They have semi-sweet (puur), milk, and white chocolate and it is Callebaut chocolate. You can't get any better than that.

 Here on the top shelf is the "American Brownies" mix. It is a 1kg bag, containing sugar, flour, oil, cocoa, milk, starch, glucose syrup, potato starch, salt, rice flour and flavoring. You get two batches of brownies from one bag and it costs 4.50 euros.

Wait! Don't make the recipe listed on the bag! For crying out loud, it calls for raisins!! In brownies? Ick! After some experimenting, here is the way to make brownies as good as Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker boxed mixes. Can't say that they are as good as a Ghiradelli boxed mix, but I'm still working on it. The total time to make these is about 30 minutes start to finish. A mere 7 minutes to mix the ingredients and 23 minutes to cook the brownies. Totally my go-to dessert when I forgot someone was coming over... oh! hi! I was just about to put some brownies in the oven! Give me 5 minutes and I'll bring you a cup of tea while they bake!

American Brownies in the Netherlands
500g "American Brownies" mix from Genneper Park Molen (remember, HALF the bag!)
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil - 125ml (you can even use olive oil but NOT extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 cup water - 125ml
130g mini chocolate chips - a couple of handfuls if you're in a hurry

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (UPDATE: sorry I didn't mention it before for my friends here that is 176 degrees C). Mix egg, oil, and water in a bowl. Add the brownie mix and mix for less than 30 strokes. Add the chips and mix until just combined. Pour into a greased 9x13" baking dish. Bake for 23 minutes (more or less depending on how accurate your oven is). Toothpick test should show a crumb or two, or almost clean.

If you are feeling Dutch, you can add Speculous Pasta(paste). If you've never heard of it, I have to tell you: it is one of the best products ever made. Tastes like liquid cookie and my friends in Rochester can now get it at Wegmans! You guys, check it out!! The best way to add it is to drop teaspoon-fulls onto the unbaked brownies, and swirl it in before baking.  Rochesterians, you can try this with your boxed brownie mixes! My dear sweet husband only lets me do half because he is a purest when it comes to brownies.

Chicken Divan - without the can of soup!

My grandma's recipe for Chicken Divan goes like this: place thawed frozen broccoli and cooked chicken in a casserole dish. Combine a can of cream of mushroom soup, some spices, mayo, milk and pour the mixture over the chicken&broccoli. Heat in an oven until hot and sprinkle with paprika. Easy, but don't you wonder: what is in that can of soup?  You don't want to know. Even if the ingredients are organic and fabulous, a recent study found BPA in the can liners of kids foods- never mind non-kid marketed soup!

Since I was creeped out by the ingredients in canned soup, I developed my own recipe. If you've never made a roux before, do not fear, it is simple and can be 'fixed' with lots of whisking, even if it seems hopelessly lumpy. I usually use a pre-cooked chicken bought at the market, and strip the meat off the bone the night before, putting the meat in the fridge overnight. If you are feeling decadent you can substitute heavy cream for half the milk. If you are feeling vegetarian you can substitute tofu for the chicken. Cube tofu and fry in a tiny bit of oil, so each side is a bit crispy before using.

In the Netherlands, you can find Worchester sauce at Jumbo in Veldhoven, and my friend tells me the AH XL has it. The American Goodies store in Amsterdam also has it. Don't leave this out, as it imparts a 'kick' to the flavor of the dish.

Chicken Divan

Ingredients:

·       A large bunch of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces, cooked aldente (about 350 g)

·       Cooked chicken (2 or 3 breasts) or a combination of dark & light meat cut into pieces

·        2 cups chicken broth (500ml)

·       ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks (60g)

·       1/3 cup flour (60g)

·       ½ cup mayonnaise (125ml)

·       ¾ cup milk (187 ml)

·       1 tsp curry powder   (2g)

·       ½ tsp cinnamon

·       1 ½ Tbsp Worchester sauce (24g)

·       2 packed cups grated gruyere cheese (200g)

·       Paprika to sprinkle on top

·       Optional, but recommended: 1 Tbsp lemon juice & 3 Tbsp dry white wine & 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Prepare chicken broth with boiling water and a bullion cube, or open your favorite box broth. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, add the flour and cook the mixture (roux), stirring with a whisk for 2 minutes. Slowly add the broth, stirring (mixture will clump, just keep whisking) and bring the mixture to a boil and stir often for approx 10 minutes.  You now have gravy. Fold the mayonnaise, milk, curry powder, cinnamon, Worchester sauce, Gruyere cheese and if using the lemon juice, wine and Parmesan cheese into the mixture and stir until the cheese melts.

Using a 2 quart casserole dish (or a 9x13 baking pan), spread the cooked chicken pieces, top with the cooked broccoli, and pour the gravy mixture over the top. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Can be kept in a 175 degree oven for up to an hour. Just before serving, place under the broil if desired.

Rice Kiss-Me Treats

My daughter, Dina (2.5 years old) calls these Rice Kiss-Me treats.

Super easy to make, they only require Rice Krispies cereal, marshmallows, and butter.  You can find the standard recipe on the Rice Krispies website but I prefer to use a bit more marshmallows and butter. The standard bag of white marshmallows is about 300g, 10oz or about 40 marshmallows. Don't use the 'giant' ones. The fact that these exist at all is disturbing to me. For my friends in the Netherlands, do not use pink, green, or other colored marshmallows. Two problems exist with the non-white marshmallows: they will result in very unappetizingly-colored treats, and they have a strange artificial flavoring that reminds me of perfume. Just buy a bag of the plain white ones, not intermingled with other colors. Thanks. The 375g box of Rice Krispies will yield 2 batches of treats. Or one batch and a bunch of bowls of cereal.

Rice Kiss-Me Treats
1 bag of marshmallows (300g or 10oz)
5 cups of Rice Krispies (188 g)
6 Tbsp butter (86 g)
Grease your 9x13" (23x33cm) pan. Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the marshmallows and melt them, on low heat, stirring often. Once the marshmallows are melted, take the pan off the heat and add the Rice Krispies.  Stir to combine and pour into the prepared dish. Pat with a spatula to make a compact structure. Allow to harden for a couple of hours and cut with a knife into squares. Keep covered because humidity will affect the texture.

If you are having a hard time finding marshmallows and Rice Krispies: "American Marshmellows" are found at Jumbo in Veldhoven and also often found at Xenos in Eindhoven. The Rice Krispies are at the AH XL and also at Jumbo. Don't use the jar of marshmallow fluff to substitute. Ugh. And if you are lactose intolerant you can substitute margarine for the butter with good results.

Mmmm... lekker!