Mushroom and Leek Tart

 

I am making the beginnings of this delicious mushroom and leek tart today because I have both leeks and mushrooms that need to be used. I'll cook these two ingredients and then freeze it and make the tart when company comes. Because it is company worthy. Warning: Must like sharp cheese. I think I used gorgonzola when I made this. This recipe is adapted from Olivemagazine.com. 

Ingredients

1 pie crust

2 Tbsp. butter

2 leeks (or one large, use your judgment)

1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms

1/4 crumbled blue or stilton or gorgonzola cheese. Technically, it calls for 5 oz., so go heavy.

1 cup double cream. Or if you're like me, 1 cup of something liquid and white that's come out of your refrigerator.

3 eggs beaten

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Put the pie crust in a quiche dish. Or the recipe says to use a tart tin with a removable base.

3. Prick the base all over with a fork, trim the edges flush with the tin and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

4. Cover pastry with a large circle of baking paper and fill the centre with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 15 minutes, the remove the paper and beans and cook for a further 7-10 minutes, until very pale golden.  

5. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the heat down to 325 degrees.

6. In large frying pan melt the butter, add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cover with a lid and cook on low-medium for 5 minutes. 

7. Remove the lid, turn the heat up, add mushrooms and cook briskly for a few minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and lots of black pepper.

8. Spoon leek mixture into quiche pan. Scatter cheese.  Beat the milk and eggs and pour in carefully. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden and just set. Cool before cutting.

Chopped Autumn Salad

This recipe came to me from my dear friend and great cook, Amy Niendorf. She got it from Espressoandcream.com. It is a crowd-pleaser. And it provides a great opportunity to get creative with the various ingredients or to adapt to what you have on hand. Apples instead of pears? Almonds instead of pecans? Bleu cheese or goat cheese instead of feta? Add diced chicken? Maybe add chow mein noodles? Whatever you end up throwing into it, the ingredients and the two different dressings really knock this out of the park.

Ingredients
6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 medium pears, chopped (or one can chopped)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans
8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Poppy seed Salad Dressing (I like T. Marzetti)
Balsamic Vinaigrette (I made my own since it called just a little. 1/8 cup each balsamic vinegar and olive oil. 1 Tbsp. honey. 1 tsp. Dijon. 1 minced garlic clove. pinch of dried thyme. Salt and papper. Shake it up.) 

Instructions
On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. (I would estimate that I used about a cup of dressing: 70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette) If you prefer your salad to have more dressing, feel free to experiment with the combination.

Apple Pie

 

I am posting this recipe for apple pie because I made it last night for an Ann Arbor gathering and it got so many compliments that I didn't want to risk forgetting which recipe I followed. It calls for Granny Smith apples, which I may try next time. But this time I had Macintosh and we all really loved them in this pie. I only ever use store bought pie crusts. Thank you to Little Spoon Farm, whose recipe this is and which also has a recipe for pie crust there. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (9") pie crusts
• 7 large Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and sliced into ½ inch slices)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar (loosely packed)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (plus the zest of half of a lemon)
• 1 large egg (lightly beaten in a small bowl for egg wash)
• 2 tablespoons sanding sugar (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Place oven rack in the center position and Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).

1. In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice and lemon zest; toss to coat evenly.
2. Remove the pie crust dough from the fridge and let rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc into a 12" circle that is ⅛" thick. Carefully lay the crust into the bottom of a deep dish pie plate.
3. Spoon the apple filling over the bottom crust and discard juices at the bottom of the bowl. Roll out the second disc of pie crust until it is ⅛" thick and lay it over the apple filling.
4. Use a sharp knife to trim the dough along the outside edge of the pie plate. Lift the edges where the two pie crust meet, gently press to seal and fold them under. Rotate the pie plate and repeat this process until edges are neatly tucked under themselves. Cut 4 slits in the top of the dough to allow steam to vent. Place the pie on a baking sheet.
5. Brush the surface of the pie crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Cover the edges with a pie shield or a strip of foil to keep them from over browning during the first 25 minutes.
6. Bake at 400°F (204°C) for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the pie shield, turn the oven down to 375° and continue to bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbly. Cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours.