Dutch Apple Pie

Here in Grenada we have tropical fruit year-round, which I love. Mangoes, pineapple, starfruit, they are all so delicious. However, being away from home for so long has made me crave one of the most popular American desserts...apple pie! Dutch apple pie, with its streusel topping, is my favorite kind of pie. I did take a shortcut to save on time by buying a pre-made pie crust for this one, but I will include my pie crust recipe below.

Ingredients:

Store-bought pie crust (or use pie crust recipe below)

Apple Filling:

     3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

     1 1/2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

     6 tablespoons of light brown sugar

     1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Streusel Topping:

     1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

     2/3 cup of light brown sugar

     1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

     1/2 cup of butter or margarine, melted

Preheat the oven to 375F. For the streusel topping, add the flour, sugar, and cinnamon to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Melt the butter and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork and mix until crumbs form. Cover with plastic wrap and put it in the freezer until you are ready to top the pie.

For the filling, put the apple slices in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle the flour, sugar, and cinnamon over the apples, and toss to coat. 

Now you can either defrost a store-bought crust, or roll out one half of the pie crust dough on a floured surface to about an 11 inch circle and place in a 9 inch pie pan. Lay the apples out in the crust, and then sprinkle the streusel topping over it. 

Filled apple pie ready for topping

Streusel topping

Bake for 15 minutes, loosely covered with aluminum foil, and then remove the foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until it is golden and bubbling. Cool and serve.

Pie Crust:

     2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

     2 tablespoons of white sugar

     pinch of salt

     1/4 cup vegetable shortening, refrigerated

     3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of butter, cold and cubed

     1/2 cup ice water

To make the crust, add the flour, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Use a pastry cutter, fork, or two knives to "cut" the shortening and the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms a crumbly appearance. Add the ice water a little at a time (you may not need all of it), and mix with your hands until it forms a dough. Divide the dough into two halves, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate while you prepare the filling. (You will only need one half of the dough for a dutch apple pie, so you can roll out the other half and place in an aluminum disposable pie pan in a large freezer bag and freeze for later use. Alternatively, you can roll out the other half and use it to cover the pie instead of the streusel topping for a traditional apple pie.

Chinese Cashew Chicken

Back home Cashew Chicken is one of my favorite Chinese take-out dishes, but it is not available here in Grenada. Stir fry's are usually quick-cooking meals; perfect for a busy day. I had a container of cashews sitting around in the kitchen, so I decided to try my own version of the dish. It turned out great and I'll definitely be making it more often!

Ingredients:
     1 pound boneless chicken breast, washed and cubed
     4 large carrots, diced
     5 celery sticks, diced
     1/2 cup of cashew nuts
     3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
     1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger
     1/2 cup of reduced-sodium soy sauce
     2 tablespoons of sugar
     1/4 plus 1/8 cup of water
     1 tablespoon corn starch
     3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
     1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, optional

For the sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add half of the garlic and ginger, and fry for a few seconds, until aromatic, being careful not to burn the garlic. Next, add the red pepper flakes (optional) and soon after, the soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar. Keep the sauce on medium heat for about 2 minutes, until reduced slightly, and then turn off the heat. In a small bowl, mix together the 1/8 cup of water and cornstarch, set aside.

In a wok or large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add the remaining halves of the garlic and ginger. Fry until aromatic, and then add the celery and carrot pieces. Fry over high heat for about a minute (I like my veggies slightly crunchy, so I don't cook them very long). Empty the celery and carrots into a bowl and put the wok back onto the heat. Add the chicken and fry over medium-high heat until cooked and all of the water that had been released from the chicken is gone. Add the sauce that you made into the chicken and cook on high for a few seconds. Add the cornstarch mixture, and the sauce should begin to thicken. Quickly add the cashews and the cooked celery and carrots. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes, and you're done!

Diced celery and carrots

Cooked chicken

After the sauce is added

Mini Chocolate Chip Pancakes

This is your basic pancake recipe; the only difference is my choice of using almond essence as a flavoring instead of vanilla extract or spice. The pancakes my mom made at home always had the almond essence, so that is the flavor I grew up with. It was late afternoon, not morning, when I made these. I added chocolate chips and made them small so they were more like a sweet snack than breakfast. You can use this same recipe and omit the chocolate chips for plain pancakes, or add different ingredients like blueberries or mashed bananas to make other kinds of pancakes.

Ingredients:
     1 cup of all-purpose flour 
     1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
     2 tablespoons of white sugar
     pinch of salt
     1 egg
     5 oz (almost 3/4 cup) of milk
     1/4 teaspoon of almond essence 
     handful of chocolate chips (optional)
     butter or margarine for greasing the pan

(Note: This recipe makes 10-12 mini pancakes, double the recipe to make larger pancakes or more servings.)

Sift together the flour and baking powder into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Sifting makes it easier to whisk the batter and prevents too many lumps from forming. Add the sugar and salt, and mix. Add the egg, almond essence, and most of the milk. Whisk together until a smooth batter forms. Add the rest of the milk or more, if necessary, to create a batter that is thin enough to drop but not too watery. 

Before adding the milk

Batter after whisking

Heat a frying pan or griddle on medium heat, and grease with butter. Use a ladle to drop batter onto the pan in an amount according to how large you want the pancakes to be. Use the back of the ladle to spread the batter in a circular shape. Drop some chocolate chips onto each of the wet pancakes. Let them cook until bubbles start to form, and then flip. 

Pancakes ready to be flipped

Check to see when they can easily slide around the pan and the other side has turned golden brown. Remove the pancakes and place on a paper towel-lined plate, and continue until you have used up all of the batter. You can keep the pancakes warm in the oven at 175F if you are making a big batch. Enjoy!

Garlic Rosemary Hasselback Potatoes

I always buy potatoes by the bag, as they are only rarely ever sold individually here in Grenada. A whole bag is usually too much for me to finish, so I tend to have leftover potatoes sitting around. I was studying one night when I got hungry and decided to make a potato dish and finally use up the potatoes I had in my cupboard. I searched online and found an interesting twist on the baked potato. My recipe here is a version of Hassleback Potatoes, which I found out were originally a Swedish side dish, and are usually baked with breadcrumbs and sprinkles of parmesan cheese. I decided to steal the idea of slicing them in that particular way but took a different route in seasoning them. They came out delicious, with a lovely crispiness on the outside.

Ingredients:

     3 potatoes, peeled and washed

     2 tablespoons of olive oil

     1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary

     1 garlic clove

     salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 425F. Make crosswise slits into each potato, about 1/8 inch apart, but stopping before you reach the bottom of the potato. That way, the potato will fan open but the pieces will be held together at the bottom. Soak the potatoes in cold water while you get the oil ready. 

Prepared potatoes soaking

Rosemary-garlic infused oil

To make a garlic paste, finely chop the clove of garlic. Sprinkle a little bit of salt over the pieces, and use the side of the knife to press down and rub the garlic against the cutting board. Repeat 2-3 times over the garlic until it is all crushed. (Here is a video I found that demonstrates the technique: How to Make Garlic Paste) In a small bowl, mix the oil, rosemary, salt, and garlic paste together. Set the oil aside to infuse.

Remove each of the potatoes from the water and pat them dry with a paper towel. Coat them with the infused oil and place on a wax-paper lined baking sheet. Bake for about an hour or until golden and crispy at the edges, flipping them once towards the end.

Turkey Chili

This is a healthy and hearty one-pot meal that is perfect comfort food for a cold or rainy day. I chose to make chili today because I didn't feel like going to the supermarket. I just pulled out some ground turkey from the freezer and a few cans from the pantry. Chili is great because it uses things that you might normally have sitting around in your pantry, like canned beans and tomatoes, and you can use almost any type of meat that you happen to have on hand. Another great thing about it is that the leftovers taste even better the next day!

Ingredients:
     1 pound ground turkey
     1 can kidney beans, washed and drained
     1 can black beans, washed and drained
     1 28 oz can of plum tomatoes, crushed
     1 tablespoon of tomato paste
     1 medium onion, chopped
     1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
     2 cloves of garlic, chopped
     3 tablespoons of olive oil
     Chili Seasoning: 3 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp ground cumin, 2 tsp paprika
     1/2 tsp chipotle chili pepper or cayenne pepper, optional
     1 tsp dried oregano
     2 cups of chicken stock
     salt to taste

In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp oil and add the onion and garlic. Fry over high heat for a bit, and add the meat. Fry until the meat has browned, and then remove the meat from the pan. Add 2 tbsp of oil back into the pan, and add the bell pepper. Once the pepper is tender, add the tomato paste, oregano, and chili seasonings (and cayenne pepper, if desired). Fry together for about 2 or 3 minutes, adding a splash of water if the mixture starts to stick. Add the crushed tomatoes and the cooked meat. Cook together for about 6 minutes.

Frying the onion and garlic

Chili seasoning

Browning the meat

After the tomatoes are added

Then add the chicken stock, beans, and corn, and stir. Lower the heat to a point that just allows the chili to simmer, and then cover. Cook until thickened, about 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for salt, and add chicken stock or boiling water if the chili has become too thick. (Note: Cooking it low and slow allows the flavors to mingle and mix and creates depth to the flavor of the chili...the longer you cook it, the better it will taste!)

Serve with cornbread, shredded cheddar, tortilla chips, or enjoy on its own!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

With cake pops being so popular recently, people are becoming more and more inventive with ways to create them. I, on the other hand, am leaning in a slightly different direction...toward the truffle (see my earlier post Red Velvet Cake Truffles). Chocolate truffles are known for their rich, indulgent flavor, which I like in my sweets. I like something that is small, but so rich that it satisfies my craving for sweets with just one or two bites. This recipe brings me back to my childhood; I used to love picking out the cookie dough lumps in a tub of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. (Note: I prefer these frozen, but they are usually served just chilled from the refrigerator.)

Ingredients:
     1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of margarine at room temperature
     1/3 cup light brown sugar
     1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
     1 cup all-purpose flour
     3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
     1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (mini is better but regular would work as well),
     plus a little more for melting and drizzling

In a mixing bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar. Once they are well creamed, add the vanilla extract, and then a little at a time, sift in the flour and mix well. Add the condensed milk and mix. Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour to allow it to firm up. (You can put it in the freezer instead to make the process faster.)

Once the dough is firm, use a spoon to dip tablespoonfuls of dough out and roll into balls with you hands. Place the balls on a wax-paper lined plate. Put the balls into the refrigerator (or freezer), and work on melting the chocolate. You can either dip the balls in the chocolate or just drizzle them, so melt an amount according to how much you will need. This can be done in a double-boiler on the stove or in the microwave (remember to stop every 20 seconds or so and stir well to prevent the microwave from burning the chocolate). Take the cookie dough balls back out and drizzle them with the chocolate (or dip them). Place the dough back into the refrigerator (or freezer) until the chocolate has set. Serve chilled or frozen.

Apple Crumble

Had a couple extra apples leftover from making a pitcher of sangria, so I decided to turn it into dessert. This crumble is delicious warm out of the oven, and it makes the house smell divine while baking in the oven. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce and you have a wonderfully scrumptious treat!

Ingredients:
Filling:
     2 apples (I used Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and sliced
     1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour
     4 tablespoons of light brown sugar
     1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Topping:
     1 cup of all-purpose flour
     2/3 cup of light brown sugar
     1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter 
     1/4 cup of chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8 pan with butter and set aside. For the filling, sprinkle the one tablespoon of flour, four tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon over the apples. Toss them a bit and add them to the prepared pan. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour and sugar for the topping, and add the butter piece by piece, crumbling it into the flour mixture until it resembles bread crumbs. Add the pecans, if desired. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top of the apples in the pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling on the sides.

Chicken Cashew Wontons

This is a Thai-inspired version of a chicken wonton. Yes, it is deep-fried and filling each wonton individually is time-consuming, so it is more of a guilty pleasure (as are many of the dishes I have posted here). However, one bonus is that you can prepare the wontons ahead of time and freeze them, so all you need to do when you want them is to fry them.The filling is a bit more complex and flavorful than your average wonton. They can be served with Thai-style sweet chili sauce or peanut sauce, but they are delicious even without.

Ingredients:
     1 pound of ground chicken
     2 garlic cloves, finely chopped and then mashed into a paste
     1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
     2 teaspoons of chopped fresh cilantro
     2 teaspoons sriracha (Thai garlic chili hot sauce)
     1 teaspoon honey
     1 teaspoon soy sauce
     1 scallion (green onion), finely chopped
     1/4 cup chopped cashew nuts
     Wonton wrappers (this recipe makes about 50 wontons)
     Oil for frying

In a pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the garlic paste and ginger and fry for a few seconds, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Add the ground chicken and break into fine pieces as it is cooking. Once the chicken is cooked, add the sriracha, honey, soy sauce, scallion, cilantro, and cashew pieces. Mix well and remove from heat. Allow it to cool fully before attempting to fill the wontons.

Cooked chicken filling

To make the wontons, lay out a few wonton wrappers, and get a little cup of water. Place a little bit of the filling in the center of each one. Dip a finger in the water and wet each of the four sides of the wrapper. Bring the sides up and together in the middle. Press to seal, and then continue with the rest of the wontons. You may freeze some of the wontons at this stage if you would like, or continue on to fry them.

Heat some oil (enough to deep fry in) in a small pot. Once it is hot, fry the wontons in batches. they do not need to fry for very long, as the filling is already fully cooked. Just fry until they are golden brown and crispy, and then remove and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Enjoy while warm.

West Indian Crab Curry

I was finally able to find some good crab on the island, so I decided to make my personal favorite, crab curry. It is a typical Guyanese-style curry, which is very different from South Asian (East Indian) curry. It's a very quick and easy meal if you can get the crab cleaned and cut ahead of time. Popular versions of this dish are made with coconut milk (which I am not a huge fan of), so I included that ingredient as optional. 

Ingredients:

     1 pound crab, cleaned and cut into pieces
     1 small onion, sliced
     2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
     1/2 teaspoon fresh fine-leaf thyme
     Fresh pepper, cut finely (I used scotch bonnet (habanero), use amount according to how hot you want it)
     1 small tomato, cut into chunks
     2 teaspoons curry powder
     3/4 teaspoon garam masala
     1/4 teaspoon geera (cumin)
     4 tablespoons olive oil
     Lime or lemon for washing the crab
     Salt to taste
     2 scallions (green onions), chopped
     Optional: 1/2 can of coconut milk (about 3 oz.)

Wash the crab using the juice of half a lemon or a lime and water. Set aside. Next, prepare the seasoning. The easiest way to do the seasoning is with a blender, but you can also just chop them by hand. If using a blender, add the onion, garlic, thyme, and fresh pepper with a little bit of water, and blend. Set aside. In a small bowl, add the curry powder, masala, and geera (cumin). Add about a 1/4 cup of water, and mix until the powders make a paste.

Cleaned and cut crab

Curry mix and seasoning

Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot or wok. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, and pepper (or the blended seasoning). Fry for a few seconds, and then add the curry paste. After 4-5 minutes, add the crab and tomato and fry for another 5 minutes. Once all of the water is gone, add 1 cup boiling water (plus the coconut milk) or 1 1/2 cups of boiling water (if not using coconut milk). Add salt to taste. Bring the curry to a boil and then let it simmer over medium heat for 8-12 minutes, or until the gravy has thickened to your liking. Add the chopped scallions towards the end. Serve with rice and enjoy!

Frying the crab (before adding water)

After the water is added

   

Lemon Chicken

I went to the supermarket this week and found lots and lots of lemons. Here in Grenada, you don't always have a big variety of produce at any one time, but when they have something there are tons of it! The good thing about that is that it is very easy to tell which fruit and veggies are in season. I had some chicken breasts in my freezer, so I decided I would try my hand at lemon chicken. I picked up a bottle of sweet wine wine and I went on my way. This dish is a simple, light, and delicious, and does not take very long at all to make.

Ingredients:

     4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds worth)

     1/2 cup flour

     2 eggs

     1/2 teaspoon salt

     1 large lemon

     4 tbsp olive oil

     3 tbsp butter

     1 cup chicken broth

     1/2 cup white wine

     Black pepper, to taste

     handful of chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Slice each chicken breast horizontally to make two thinner pieces. Pound out the chicken breasts to make them a little thinner (about 1/3 inch). Wash the chicken pieces and pat dry with a paper towel and set aside. Whisk the eggs with about 1/4 teaspoon of salt. In another shallow dish, Combine the flour with about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, and add one tbsp of butter. Dredge each of the chicken breasts in the egg, followed by the flour mixture, shake off the excess flour, and add to the pan. Fry over medium heat for about 4 minutes per side, turning once. Once each of the chicken breasts are cooked, transfer them to a plate. 

In the same pan, add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil add 1 tablespoon of butter. Once that has melted, add the juice of the lemon, the white wine, chicken broth, and black pepper to taste and bring to a boil. Boil over high heat for about two minutes to allow the sauce to reduce. Return the chicken to the pan and lower the heat to low. Allow the chicken to simmer in the sauce for about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken again, and add the parsley to the sauce. Once the sauce comes to a boil, remove from heat and add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the sauce. Swirl to melt and combine. Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts, and garnish with lemon slices. 

Chocolate Chip Blondies

This recipe came about with me attempting to make a chocolate chip cookie pie. The consistency was more like that of a dessert bar so I called it a chocolate chip blondie (the no-cocoa version of a brownie) instead. The blondie recipe is very versatile: you can add things like nuts, marshmallows, or peanut butter chips, or you can omit the chocolate chips and have just a blondie. Another thing that is variable is how long you can bake it for. If you like a more crumbly cake texture, you can bake it until a test toothpick comes out clean. If you like it more moist and cookie dough-like, just bake it until the center is almost set.

Ingredients:
     1 stick (1/2 cup) margarine, melted
     1 cup light brown sugar
     1/4 teaspoon almond essence
     1 egg
     1/8 teaspoon salt
     1 cup of all-purpose flour
     1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375F. In a small mixing bowl, add the melted butter and the brown sugar. Mix until the sugar is dissolved, then add the essence, egg, and salt. Once those are well combined, add the flour a little at a time while mixing. Do not over-mix once you have added the flour, just mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, and spread the mixture evenly into a greased 8x8 pan. (Note: I like to line my baking pans with waxed paper to make it easier to remove from the pan once baked.) Bake for 20-25 minutes for the crumby cake-like texture, or 15-20 minutes for the moist, gooey center. (You can also double the recipe to make thicker bars if you are looking for a moist cookie dough center.) Allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes, then cut and serve.

Mongolian Chicken

This recipe is an adaptation of the P.F. Chang's Copycat Mongolian Beef recipe found here: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/03/pf-changs-mongolian-beef-copycat-recipe.html. That recipe was fantastic, however, I found it to be too salty for my taste and the amount of sugar to be way too much. What I did to change it was use reduced sodium soy sauce, less sugar, and added carrots for some natural sweetness to tone down the soy sauce even further. I used chicken instead of beef, and found that either one works great in the recipe. It is a fabulous recipe, and makes you feel like you are having Chinese takeout from your own kitchen!

Ingredients:
     2 chicken breasts
     1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
     2 carrots, cut into sticks
     2 scallion stalks/green onions
     1/4 cup cornstarch
     1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
     1/2 cup water
     1/2 cup brown sugar
     1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
     1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
     Vegetable oil

For the sauce: Add two teaspoons of vegetable oil to a small saucepan and heat on a medium flame. Fry the red onion, then remove and set aside. Add the garlic and ginger, and allow them to fry, being careful not to brown the garlic too much. Add the soy sauce and water, heat to boiling, and then add the sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar, and boil for another 2 minutes to reduce and slightly thicken the sauce. Remove from heat.

Slice the chicken (or beef) into thin strips. Dust the chicken pieces in cornstarch and shake off the excess. Set aside and heat some oil in a frying pan. Pan fry the chicken over medium heat until just cooked, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Reheat the sauce until just simmering, and add the carrots to it. Boil for about 3-4 minutes, then add the scallions, fried red onion, and chicken. Cook for another minute or so and remove from the heat. Serve with white rice.