Brie Blossom

One of my favorite taste medleys is the creaminess of brie next to the crispness of apples. Even though most people think a brie wrapped in phyllo or puff pastry is a great holiday appetizer, I think it takes the richness of the cheese too far. For a few years I played around with how best to pare the apple and the brie together and finally came up with a brie blossom. With only four ingredients and a sharp paring knife, you can create this great cheese presentation.

Although this is a simple presentation, details do count. Select apples that have a bright red skin- the contrast works best against the white of the brie. You need a 1 1/2" cookie cutter or a saucer with a 1 1/2" ridge. And you need a sharp knife- first to cut the apples and then to cut the cheese. I use a commercially available product called Natureseal- it is a powdered all natural product of citric acid to keep the apples from turning brown. You can get a similar result by slicing apples and soaking them in a water mixture with 2 Tbsp of Lemon juice. Let them sit for 5 minutes and the towel dry.

1 medium brie
2 Whole apples
1 tsp. nature seal (or 2 Tbsp lemon juice)
3 Cup cold water
Strawberries or grapes for center (optional)

Unwrap brie and place on cutting board. With a 1 ½" round cookie cutter, score a circle in the center of the brie.With a sharp knife, cut the center out.Cut the small inside circle into 6-8 wedges. Set aside. Cut the remaining outer circle of the brie into thin wedges no more than ⅛" thick at the outside edge.
Cut two apples in quarters and remove the core and seeds. Slice the apples into very thin wedges( the thinner the better).
Combine the nature seal (or lemon juice) and water in a small bowl. Drop the apples in the water and soak for 5 minutes. Remove the slices and dry on paper towel.
Place the outer ring of the brie on a platter and gently pull it apart leaving space for the apple slices. Wedge a slice of apple in between each piece of brie. As you go around the brie you will need to remove 8 cheese slices to make room for the apple. Do not discard ( or sample- my biggest challenge).
In the center, replace the small circle of cheese and wedge the apples in the spaces between the slices. Add the extra wedges to the center and arrange to look like a flower. Tuck any extra apple slices in the center to form a center with height. Garnish with a strawberry or small cluster of grapes (optional).

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Loree Ogan.

As easy as Pie — Apple that is!

For all the years I was growing up my Mom was a stellar apple pie baker. She never made just one pie- always two- one for dinner and the second one for breakfast the next day. As to her secret, she claimed it was all in the apples . Macintosh were too soft, Granny Smith were too firm, but Cortland were JUST RIGHT. As such, I have always waited until Cortland's appear in the market before baking my own pies for the season.

This year, for the first time I picked up a ½ bushel of Honey Crisp Apples at an orchard in New Hampshire. Although not the prettiest apples in the market, they are such great eating apples . After looking them up on line I discovered they are also considered a good baking apple. I decided to take the plunge and experiment with a pie made from the Honey Crisps. This was a true departure for me- I have been faithful to Cortland's since I started baking pies myself. And tradition is hard to break.

Well the results are in- the pie made with Honey Crisp Apples is a true winner. It is sweet, juicy and really wonderful. If you are able to find Honey Crisps in the market I highly recommend them- but remember Cortlands ( and Mitsus) also make a great pie.

Here are a couple of suggestions to help you construct the perfect pie. I used just over 3 pounds of unpeeled apples. Once the apples are peeled,sugared and ready to pile in the crust, I place them slice by slice overlapping slightly. This takes a bit more time than just "dumping" the apples into your crust but results in a pie packed with apples not hollow when you slice and serve it.

For a fluted edge on your pie, you need to leave a ½" border when you trim the top crust. Fold the top and bottom crust into the pie and pinch to seal the crust. For a simpler finish,trim the dough flush to the edge of the pie shell and press with the tines of a fork to seal.

Loree's Apple Pie

3 ¼ lbs apples, Honey Crisp,Cortland or Mitsu
⅔ Cup sugar
⅓ Cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp cinnamon
½ Tbsp butter
2 crust pie
2 Cups flour
⅔ Cup shortening
¼ tsp salt
⅔ Cup water, less 2 Tbsp
1 whole egg
1 tsp water
1 Tbsp sugar, optional

Preheat the oven to 425. Peel core and thinly slice apples into a bowl.
Add sugar, corn starch* and cinnamon and toss to coat all the apples. Set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade, place 2 Cups flour and salt.
Add the shortening and pulse -10-12 times until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
Add the water all at once and blend until the dough forms a ball. Remove the dough from the processor and dump onto a lightly floured board.
Divide the dough in half and form each half into a ball . Roll out bottom crust to 10 1/2" circle and place in 9"deep pie plate. The crust should overlap the edge of the pie plate.
Arrange apples in concentric circles in the pie plate. If there is any juice in the bottom of the bowl pour it over the apples. Place the butter on the top of the apples.
Roll out the top crust 1 1/2" larger than the pie. Fold the crust in half and cut three slits in the center as steam vents. Carefully lift the crust onto the apples, centered and trim excess dough leaving 1/2" around the side. Turn the edges in and form a flute with your fingers, or seal the edges with the tines of a fork.
Place the pie on a baking sheet. Brush with a mixture of egg and water and sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes . Drop the oven temperate to 350 and con tune baking 25-30 minutes until apples are tender.

Notes:

I use cornstarch as a thickener in pies made with Honey Crisp apples but substitute same amount of flour in a pie made with Cortland or Mitsu Apples.

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Loree Ogan.

Quinoa Tabouleh

This is my favorite new summer salad- just like regular tabouleh in taste but GLUTEN FREE - and a good source of protein.

Add or subtract the amount of mint to suit your taste buds.

1 Cup organic quinoa
2 Cups water
1 bunch fresh mint, diced
1 bunch fresh parsley, diced
1 bunch fresh scallions,diced
1 English cucumber,seeded and diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 fresh lemons, juiced (⅓ cup)
½ Cup olive oil
1 Tbsp salt

Combine quinoa and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 25 minutes until quinoa is soft and water is absorbed.

Let cool slightly and add mint, parsley,scallions, cucumber and tomatoes and toss to combine.

In a small bowl, mix lemon juice and olive oil with salt. Pour over quinoa and chill until ready to serve.

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Loree Ogan.

Mom’s Date ’n’ Nut Bread

When I was growing up my Mom belonged to a benevolent women’s group called The Circle League. They encouraged education for women and gave out scholarships to needy students. They published a cookbook as a fundraiser and this is one of my favorite recipes from that book. It is a dark, rich date ‘n nut bread- perfect to slice and “smear” with cream cheese as we will do this weekend for a tea we are catering in Southbury,CT. I make the loaves in smaller pans so they are tea sandwich size- Enjoy!

Date Nut Bread

1 Lb. chopped dates

4 tsps. baking soda

⅓ Cup butter (the size of a small egg)

2 Cups boiling water

2 Cups sugar

2 Whole eggs well beaten

2 tsps. salt

2 Cups flour- a bit more if batter is thin

2 tsps. vanilla

½ Lb. diced walnuts

Preheat oven to 325°F. Cut dates and place in a large bowl. (I do not recommend using sugared pre cut dates- they are too hard.)
Top the dates with soda and butter. Bring water to a boil and pour over the date mixture and stir well until butter is completely dissolved.
Add sugar to date mixture and blend. Add beaten eggs, salt and vanilla.
Add flour and walnuts and mix until blended.
Pour into 2 well greased and floured loaf pans. Place baking pans on a cookie sheet and bake at 325°F for45-50 minutes. For a soft crust- If using smaller pans adjust the cooking time but bake at the same temperature. Let cool and remove from pans.

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Loree Ogan.