Jenny's Apple Custard Pie

Ingredients for Pie

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 lbs.  apples 

(Pink Lady or Honeycrisp are good options) (4 to 5 apples) (sliced for pie)

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. dark rum (optional)

1/4 tsp. table salt (divided)

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 blind baked pie crust

Ingredients for Topping

1 cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp. unsalted softened butter

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Melt butter in sauté pan.  

Add apples and 2 tbsp. of sugar. Sauté until apples are soft but not mushy.  Stir in rum and salt. 

Spread apples over the bottom of the blind baked pie crust.

Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, cream, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and 

remaining 1/8 tsp. salt.  Pour over apples in pie crust. 

Bake pie about 30 minutes at 325 degrees

 until custard is barely set in the centre.

For the almond topping combine almonds, sugar, softened butter

 and a pinch of salt in a bowl. 

Remove pie from oven and sprinkle with topping.

Return pie to oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until custard is almost set but still slightly jiggly in the centre.  Cool pie completely before slicing. Can be refrigerated but remove from fridge to serve at room temperature.

NOTE:  Topping can be varied.  Another variation would be a topping that would be used for apple crisp (flour, sugar and butter OR flour, oats, sugar and butter). 

Other nuts could be used for the topping as well.

Enjoyed this pie at Jenny's in Boylston on a Pre Christmas Visit 2024.

Crockpot Pierogi Casserole

 On our pre Christmas visit with the Lewis Crew 2024 we chatted about pierogi comfort food and Jenny shared this recipe.  Grandmaman is hoping to try it out soon as who can resist pierogies, cheddar cheese and kielbasa on a winter's eve.

Ingredients

about 36 frozen cheddar pierogies

4 cups chicken broth

8 oz cream cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 kielbasa sausage (sliced)

salt and pepper to taste

Layer 3 cups of chicken broth, frozen pierogies, sliced kielbasa

 and shredded cheddar cheese in 4-6 quart crockpot.

Set the crockpot on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6 hours.

Prepare the cream cheese mixture 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time.  Warm the block of cream cheese (in microwave or on stovetop) with the remaining one cup of chicken broth. Once warmed whisk the mixture until smooth.

Pour the smooth cream cheese mixture into the crockpot, stirring well to integrate.  Sprinkle the remaining cup of shredded cheddar cheese over the top.  

Cover the crockpot and set it to cook on low for an additional 30 minutes, 

Serve the casserole hot, garnished with sliced green onions if desired.

Sweet and Sour Spareribs

One of Oma's go to recipes.  Very simple to prepare, with simple ingredients and a comfort food for sure.  Great for an autumn meal and can either be finished in a crockpot or in the oven.  Oma sometimes simmered the ribs on the stovetop as well.

Ingredients

1 cup cold water
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 cup vinegar (or pickle juice, sweet or sour)

ketchup (original recipe calls for 1/2 bottle so take your best guess as to amount)

1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch

soy sauce as desired

Combine water, sugar and vinegar.  Bring to a boil.  Add ketchup. 

Mix cornstarch with a little water and add.  

Add 2 pounds browned spareribs (cut for sweet and sours) to sauce and simmer for 2 hours.

Notes: Cut for sweet and sours is generally small pieces of individual bones.

  I find that they are seldom found at the grocers these days. 

 The butcher can be asked to saw them, they can be sawed at home

 or I generally just prepare with longer ribs and they are just as yummy.

I usually double the sauce for 2 pounds of spareribs

 as we like plenty of sauce for the rice we usually serve with the ribs.

This recipe is also found in the Centennial Cookbook.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This recipe was from our good neighbour Esther many years ago.  Not only did Esther make a great zucchini cake but she was very generous with the zucchinis she grew in the garden.

 Blend til smooth:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup oil

1 3/4 cup sugar

Add:

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup sour milk

Sift together and blend:

2 1/2 cup flour

4 tbsp. cocoa

1 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

Stir in:

2 cups grated zucchini

Put the batter in a 19 x 13 x 2 inch pan.  Top with 

1/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 cup chopped nuts.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Kathy's Mustard Pickles

Thanks for the Crowsnest Mountain Cabin Getaway Gerry and Kathy.   Kathy sent us home with a jar of relish and the recipe.  

Mustard Pickles 

2 large onions, diced

5 or 6 English cucumbers, cut to desired size 

1/2 cauliflower, chopped 

1 red pepper, cut into small pieces 

1 cup sliced celery (optional)

Sauce

3 1/2 cups sugar 

1/2 cup flour 

2 tablespoons turmeric 

2 tablespoons celery seeds 

1/2 cup mustard powder 

4 cups vinegar 

4 tablespoons pickling spice for pickling bag

Make a brine of 1/2 cup coarse salt to 4 cups water to cover vegetables. Add more water if needed to just cover. Let sit 4 to 5 hours or up to overnight.

Drain vegetables.

Make a pickling bag. Put spice in 3-4 layers of cheesecloth and close tightly with string.

Boil 3 cups vinegar with 3 cups sugar with pickling bag. 

Add drained vegetables and cook until vegetables are tender crisp, 10 to 15 minutes.

Watch carefully to not overcook. Remove pickling bag.

In a small bowl, combine remaining sugar, flour, mustard powder, turmeric, celery seed  and 1 cup vinegar. 

Add to hot vegetables and stir continually until sauce is thick.

Ladle into hot sterilized jars while mixture is still hot.

Process jars.

Makes about 8 pints.

Note from Kathy: 

I forgot to add that I peel the cucumbers but I like to leave a few bits of green for colour. You don’t need to seed the cucumbers (which is why I like English cucumbers!).

GF Pie Crust

 This recipe makes 1 pie crust.  To make a 2 crust pie make two individual recipes as doubling the recipe can be tricky.  The original recipe calls for 1 egg yolk.  I used 2 egg yolks and all of the cold water/3 tbsp.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups GF all purpose flour

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

7 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

2 tablespoons cold cream cheese, cubed

1 egg yolk (I used 2)

2 -3 tablespoons cold water

Pulse together flour, salt and powdered sugar a few times in a food processor.

Add butter and cream cheese and pulse 6 or 7 times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Combine egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl.  Sprinkle over the flour mixture and pulse a few more times to combine.

Pour mixture into a bowl and press together to form a dough.  If the mixture seems too crumbly, add the remaining tablespoon of water.

Form the dough into a flattened disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes (or up to 3 days) before rolling out.  It can also be frozen for up to 4 weeks.

Roll and bake according to your recipe's directions.

This is a GF apple pie made for Ethan on the Labor Day Weekend 2024. Most of the apples were from a tree in Kuusamo but I picked  7 apples from the Lakehouse Apple Tree.

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Roasted Feta Tomato Pasta with Focaccia

Sadie made this yummy Italian meal completely solo. 

 Yum!

Foccaccia

Garlic Wrapped in Foil

(Minced garlic can be used for a quick version)

A Block of Feta surrounded by Grape Tomatoes 

in Olive Oil and Italian Spices

Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Breaking up the Clove of Garlic

Crumbling the Feta

and Tossing the Ingredients

Roasted Feta Tomato Sauce Ready for the Pasta

 Prête à manger!