Some Fall Recipes

I just love fall.....it is my absolute favorite time of year. I love all of the colors and the smells associated with it........just wanted to share a few fall recipes with you since it is that time of year for hot apple cider and apple pie!! Yummy!! I love both of these recipes and I promise they are both worth the little extra effort it takes to make them!!



Classic Apple Pie (recipe from my favorite cookbook, America's Test Kitchen)
We tasted a wide variety of apples in the filling and learned that a combination of two distinct types — tart Granny Smith and sweet Mclntosh — yields the richest apple flavor. They also cook at different speeds, which makes for a multi-textured filling: The Granny Smiths soften a bit but stay pretty firm and the Mclntoshes break down to become mushy. For the crispest crust, we found that it's important to first bake the pie at a very high temperature, then reduce the temperature so that the filling cooks completely. Baking the pie on the lowest rack of the oven, on a heated baking sheet, ensures that the bottom remains crisp.

Ingredients for the crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Make the crust
1. Process the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Scatter the shortening over the top and process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and, using short pulses, process the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture. Stir and press the dough together, using a stiff rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. If the dough does not come together, stir in the remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does.

3. Divide the dough into two even pieces and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap the disks tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let the chilled dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling it out and fitting the bottom crust into a pie plate.

To Make Ahead: The dough can be refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Let the frozen dough thaw on the countertop until malleable before rolling.

For the pie
2 pounds (4 to 6) Mclntosh apples , peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 pounds
(3 to 4) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
3/4 cup plus
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 recipe Double-Crust Pie Dough, bottom crust fit into pie plate
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Make the pie
1. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position, place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Toss the apples with cup of the sugar, the flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and spices, and set aside.

2. Roll out the top crust to a 12-inch circle. Spread the apples in the unbaked pie crust bottom, mounding them slightly in the middle. Loosely roll the top crust around the rolling pin, then gently unroll it over the apples. Trim all but 1/2-inch of the dough overhanging the edge of the pie plate with scissors. Seal the edge by pressing the top and bottom crusts together, then tuck the edges underneath. Crimp the edges, and cut four vent holes in the top. Brush the crust with the egg white and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.

3. Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and lower the oven temperature to 425°F (220°C). Bake until the top crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet, reduce the oven temperature again to 375°F (190°C), and continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.

To Make Ahead: The pie can be stored at room temperature, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil, for up to 2 days.



Pumpkin Rolls
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt

FILLING:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 pkg cream cheese, softened, (8 oz)
4 Tbs. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup nuts, if desired

Beat eggs on high speed 5 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice.
Combine and sift flour and remaining dry ingredients (not the nuts). Fold the flour mixture into the pumpkin-egg mixture.
Spread in a 15"x 10" pan or 12" x 18" lined with waxed paper. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees.
Loosen edges with a knife, then turn onto a towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll towel and cake together.

Combine all filling ingredients and beat until fluffy. Unroll cake and spread filling over cake. Top with nuts and roll. Chill.

Serving Suggestions:
1. Cut each slice of cake and sprinkle with cinnamon. Arrange on a plate and serve.
2. Goes very well with Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Storage suggestions:
Cover and store in refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keeps well in freezer for 1 week.