APPLE PIE BITES with Almond Streusel & APPLE PIE PANCAKES

APPLE PIE BITES with ALMOND STREUSEL

Yield = 36 mini pies; [18 servings (2 mini 2-inch pies per person)]; Prep: 20 mins; Inactive: 1 hr; Cook: 45 mins (15 mins stove, plus 30 mins oven)

We were invited to a potluck celebration for the 4^th of July and our good friend made a request for me to make Apple Pie.  Personally, I am not the biggest fan of pie, so to please our friend (and myself) I came up with the following recipe for bite-sized mini apple pies.  There is quite a bit of labor involved, but these travel well and are great at room temperature.  They did NOT last long at the potluck!  Hooray!  –TC 

Special Equipment: 

3 mini muffin tins* (12 molds per tin), *You may also use regular sized muffin tin with 12 molds;

I estimate you’ll get about 12 pies about 2 inches high --TC

rolling pin or straight sided glass
biscuit cutter  or straight sided glass with opening slightly larger than your muffin molds

Apple Pie Filling:

3 TBSP butter *I used 3 TBSP light unsalted butter --TC
3 TBSP brown sugar, packed  
2 large apples (about 1 lb.), cored, peeled, and cut into a medium dice *I used Fuji apples this time --TC
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg *I used about 10 scratches of fresh nutmeg --TC
1 (21 oz) can Apple Pie Filling *I used ‘Comstock Pie Filling & Topping’ --TC
Non-stick spray
1 (14.1 oz.) pkg. Pillsbury Pie Crusts (2 rolled out pie crusts in package)

Almond Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg *I used about 10 scratches of fresh nutmeg --TC
pinch kosher salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted & chopped optional

Pie Filling:  In a small sauté pan, melt the butter and brown sugar.  Add fresh diced apple and sauté until they begin to soften and most of their liquid has evaporated.  Add cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg; sauté 2 to 3 minutes longer.  Set aside and allow mixture to cool a bit. 

Using kitchen scissors cut canned apples into smaller pieces – about the same size as your diced apple. Stir the cooled sautéed apples into the pie filling (the now smaller apple pieces and all the filling).

Streusel topping:  In a medium bowl, mix the first 6 streusel ingredients.  With a fork, two knives or a hand-held pastry blender, cut in the butter until ‘small peas’ are formed with the butter and other ingredients.  Blend in the almonds.  Cover and place into the refrigerator until needed.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Generously spray your muffin tins with non-stick spray.  Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll our pie crust a little thinner.  Using a biscuit cutter (or a glass) dipped in flour, cut circles about 3/4"-inch larger than the diameter of your muffin molds.  Take each round of dough, gently bring four sides together in the middle (somewhat like a ‘flower’) and place center of dough into the muffin mold.  Tenderly press the ‘petals’ out to the sides of the mold.  It is OK if the dough overlaps a bit on the sides.  [Think: rustic = homemade!]  Repeat with all dough circles.  Place tin into the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the dough.

Fill shells:  With a heaping teaspoon (if using mini muffin molds), add apple filling to prepared dough molds.  Repeat with the rest of the molds.  Add a generous amount (approximately ½ tsp) of Almond Streusel to the top of each mini pie.  Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the filling is hot and bubbly and the bottom of the crust is golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.  Remove each mini pie to a cooling rack.  Cool 10 minutes more and serve immediately. 

If wanting to use for a later date, cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  To freeze at this point, place pie bites on a sheet pan until frozen, and then transfer to a freezer proof dish, layering parchment paper or waxed paper between layers of mini pies.  Freeze up to 1 month; allow to thaw a few hours in the refrigerator prior to re-heating.

To reheat:  Place on a microwave safe dish and reheat for 10 seconds at 70% power.  Depending on your microwave, you may need a little more time to heat your treat.  (Be careful, inside can get insanely HOT!)  Enjoy with ice cream and/or whipped cream if desired.  I have mine as is with a nice hot cup of coffee!    –Courtesy Sabryna Roberson, The Traveling Culiarian – July 2012.

APPLE PIE PANCAKES with ALMOND STREUSEL                        

Yield = 6 servings (about 12 3-inch pancakes); Prep: 5 mins; Cook: 20 mins oven

“Pancake Saturday” is a weekly tradition in our family.  I had some leftover pie filling and streusel topping from my Apple Pie Bites, so my husband & I made this week’s pancakes All-American!  –TC 

1 3/4 cup Trader Joe’s Buttermilk Pancake & Baking Mix
1 egg
1 cup water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup apple pie filling (leftover from APPLE PIE BITES with ALMOND STREUSEL recipe above)
1 batch almond streusel (see recipe above APPLE PIE BITES with ALMOND STREUSEL)
3 TBSP butter or non-stick spray

Preheat your griddle (electric or stove top) to medium-high.  (While cooking, adjust the heat down to medium if necessary.)

In a large measuring cup mix the first 4 ingredients until just moistened.  Fold in the apple pie filling.

Spoon batter onto a buttered or sprayed HOT griddle; sprinkle batter with almond streusel topping. Once bubbles form and pop on the top of the pancakes, gently flip them over and cook until lightly browned on other side.  Serve immediately.   

*Tip:  You may wish to wipe your griddle clean prior to each batch of pancakes, as the Streusel Topping may burn…  –Courtesy Sabryna Roberson, The Traveling Culiarian – July 2012.

Salmon with Chinese Noodles and Sauteed Vegetables

SALMON with CHINESE NOODLES and SAUTEED VEGETABLES Serves 4

Most stir-fry recipes call for a long list of ingredients, including mine!! In this recipe I used 'Soy Vay Hosin Garlic Asian Glaze and Marinade' to scale back the ingredient list without sacrificing the end result!! (You're welcome!!)

This is a satisfying and relatively quick dish to please the taste buds of the family or your guests! A variety of vegetables can be used – just add them in order of cooking time… A mound of sliced bok choy leaves under the stir-fried cooked noodles, plus a lovely piece of baked salmon and your meal is nutritionally rounded out!

1 (16-oz.) fillet of salmon, cut into 4 equal-sized pieces
2 TBSP Soy Vay Hosin Garlic Asian Glaze & Marinade
fresh cracked pepper, optional

1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded, deveined & chopped
5 oz. fresh shredded carrots (about half a 10 oz. bag of pre-shredded carrots)
2 heads of fresh bok choy, trimmed and washed -- thinly slice the whites and slice wider 'ribbons' of the green leaves (separate the two parts of the bok choy)
5 oz. fresh snow peas, chopped (about half a 10 oz. bag of snow peas)
1-1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup Soy Vay Hosin Garlic Asian Glaze & Marinade
2 TBSP cornstarch

1 pkg Nasoya Chinese Style Noodles (found in the produce coolers of most grocery stores)

Toasted almonds, for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place fillet on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or sprayed with non-stick spray. Brush salmon with 2 TBSP Soy Vay Hosin Garlic Asian Glaze and Marinade and season with pepper. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes until salmon is cooked to your desired doneness.

In a small bowl, whisk together COLD 1/2 cup Soy Vay Hosin Garlic Asian Glaze & Marinade and cornstarch until smooth. Place bowl near your stove at the ready.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions in the oil until they begin to caramelize -- about 3 to 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, sauté 1 minute. Add carrots, sauté 1 minute. Add the whites of the bok choy, sauté 1 minute. Add snow peas, sauté 1 minute. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, whisk in the Soy Vay and cornstarch mixture. Continue to boil until sauce tightens up -- about 3 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, drop Chinese Style Noodles into 4 to 6 quarts of boiling water in a large stock pot. Cook the noodles per package directions (about 3 minutes). Drain and rinse with cool water, drain well. (When getting ready to serve the kids, I “cut” the noodles with my kitchen scissors while they are still in the colander!) Add noodles in sauté pan with sauce and vegetables until well-coated.

To serve: Mound the ribbons of bok choy leaves in the center of a serving dish, top with noodles and shingle salmon around base of noodles. Garnish with toasted almonds and enjoy! --Courtesy of The Traveling Culinarian – March 2011.

Worth the Wait...

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I have been traveling quite a bit over the past few months. A wedding here, a family getaway there, but mostly home to help my family. My mother was very ill, but thankful she seems to be doing well now.... Another positive -- I am now the legal mother of the two wonderful children who came into our lives last year! We formally adopted the brother and sister duo in October and could not be more delighted!


Now, let's go back to October 2009. I had the opportunity to visit with my sisters in Brooklyn, NY. We had an amazing time walking and eating our way through Brooklyn and Manhattan!!


Here is my version of my favorite dish of that trip!

The TRAVELING CULINARIAN’s version of FRANNY’s COLD SQUASH SALAD
Servings - Varies; Prep Time: 20 mins; Cook Time: 25 mins; Inactive time: about 1 hour

My sisters and I dined at a restaurant named FRANNY’s in Brooklyn, NY, in October 2009.
We had a fantastic dining experience -- from the sumptuous foods, lovely wine, knowledgeable yet, friendly service and warm ambiance of the restaurant as well as the other clientele...
I wrote to the restaurant requesting the recipe for the amazing dish we all rave about to this day! The chef Danny Amend graciously emailed me back with the details of the dish. I thanked him and the rest of the staff at FRANNY’s for their time, efforts and fabulous establishment!!

Chopped raw almonds
Winter squash – outer skin washed & peeled if necessary, seeded and cut into slices or wedges (Delicata, Kobacha, Acorn, Butternut, etc.)
Olive oil
Geasoning (or your favorite seasoning blend) or Kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper
Golden raisins *I used Zante currants, but cranberries or dried cherries would be nice too!
Cider vinegar, HOT
2 TBSP Agave nectar (I thought the vinegar on its own was much too tart!!)
Fresh mint, chopped
Fresh chiles, chopped fine *I had none available, so I used chopped Roland brand ‘Pepper Sweeties – Sweet Piquant Peppers’ (they are pickled and have a bite of heat!)
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
While oven is heating, dry roast almond pieces; stirring every 3 to 5 minutes to prevent burning. Remember, the nuts will continue cooking when removed from the heat!! A good rule of thumb: when you smell the nuts they are nearly ready!
Toss slices of winter squash with olive oil, seasoning blend and sea salt – to coat. Line a baking sheet or two with parchment or non-stick spray. Spread pieces of squash out in a single layer; do NOT crowd as you wish to roast the squash, NOT steam it. Turn every 7 to 10 minutes depending on thickness of squash. Remove when just fork-tender. Cool completely. *Note: I turned my thinner slices of squash once for (total cooking time: about 17 mins). I turned my thicker slices twice (total cooking time: about 24 mins).
While the squash is cooking, pour ½ cup HOT cider vinegar over raisins, currants or cranberries in a small stainless steel or glass bowl. Let mascerate until cooled. Even after they had mascerated, the pickled dried fruits seemed more tart than I remembered – not how I remembered the delightful dish served at FRANNY’s, so I added some agave nectar to balance the flavors. [Store covered in the fridge up to 2 weeks.]
Arrange cooled squash slices on a serving platter, drizzle with olive oil, pickled dried fruits, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice; season with salt & pepper. Garnish with the mint, chiles and the toasted almond pieces. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do!! --Courtesy of The Traveling Culinarian, at home in Sacramento, CA – November 2010.