Apple Pecan Croustade Food

APPLE CROSTATA

Steps:

• Combine 1 1/2 cup flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter using 2 knives or a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Mix water and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Stir into flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together. Gently roll into a ball and flatten slightly. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Toss apples with 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons flour in a large bowl.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll dough out to a 12-inch circle on a floured work surface. Transfer to the baking sheet. Arrange apple slices in the center of the circle, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Fold up border over apples, pinching together slightly.
• Combine 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle over apples.
• Bake crostata in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

RUSTIC APPLE PIE CROSTATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine the apples with 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, the cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon. In another small bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons brown sugar, the oats, butter, flour and salt.
• Place the piecrust on the prepared baking sheet. Spoon the apple mixture in the middle of the pie, leaving about a 1-inch border. Fold the crust edges over the filling, pleating occasionally. Spoon the oat mixture over the apples. Brush the crust with the egg and sprinkle with the raw sugar. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the apples are tender, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Pulse the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Add about one-third of the butter; process until the butter is combined. Pulse in the remaining butter in 5 or 6 pulses to form coarse crumbs. Add the vinegar; pulse quickly a few times while adding 1/3 cup ice water. Squeeze some dough between your fingers. It should just hold its shape; if it's still crumbly, quickly pulse in more ice water by the tablespoonful. (Do not overwork the dough.)
• Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap the dough, then press and flatten into a thin round. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Roll out the dough into an 11-to-12-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick, on a lightly floured surface. Center over a 9-inch pie plate. Fold in the edges and crimp as desired. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before using.

APPLE CROSTATA

Steps:

• For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet.
• For the filling, peel, core, and cut the apples into 8ths. Cut each wedge into 3 chunks. Toss the chunks with the orange zest. Cover the tart dough with the apple chunks leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.
• Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together. Sprinkle evenly on the apples. Gently fold the border over the apples to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle.
• Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

APPLE CROSTATA

Steps:

• Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the ice water and pulse until moist clumps form. Gather the dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. (If the dough still crumbles and does not form into a ball, add another tablespoon of ice water.) Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the apples, 1/4 cup of the sugar and lemon juice in large bowl; toss gently to blend. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, dust a large sheet of parchment paper with flour and roll out the dough on the paper to an 11-inch round. Transfer the dough and parchment paper to a large heavy baking sheet. Spoon the apple mixture over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8-inch round, leaving the apples exposed in the center. Pleat loosely and pinch the dough to seal any cracks. Brush the crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.
• Bake the crostata until the crust is golden and the apples are tender, about 40 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack; cool for 10 minutes. Slide a metal spatula under the crust to free the crostata from the parchment. Cool the crostata to lukewarm. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve.

PECAN-CRUSTED PORK CHOPS WITH APPLES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• 2. Nut Crust: Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl; set aside.
• 3. Pork Chops: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, season the pork chops on both sides with salt. Arrange them in a single layer in the skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned. Turn over and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet. Top each pork chop with reserved crust. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until nut crust browns and pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
• 4. Meanwhile, cook the Granny Smith apple slices with the honey in the pan where the pork chops were cooked over medium heat. Stir occasionally, until tender, 5-8 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, set aside.
• 5. Arrange the pork chops on a platter on top of the apples. Serve immediately.

PECAN-CRANBERRY GALETTE

Steps:

• Make the dough:
• Pulse flour, pecans, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor until pecans are finely ground. Add butter and pulse until sandy. With the motor running, slowly pour in 1 Tbsp. cold water, then pulse until dough starts to clump together. Form into a ball with your hands. Tightly wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
• Make the filling and assemble:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring cranberries and whiskey to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat (or microwave in a small heatproof bowl). Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes. Strain cranberries through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding (or drinking) the booze.
• Whisk egg in a large bowl. Set aside about 1 tsp. beaten egg in a small bowl to use for brushing crust. Whisk brown sugar, butter, and salt into remaining egg in large bowl until smooth, then stir in cranberries and pecans.
• Let dough sit at room temperature 10 minutes. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to an approximately 11" round. Don't worry if your circle isn't perfect or the edges are cracked-that's okay. Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
• Spoon filling onto center of dough, leaving a 2" border. Fold dough up and over filling, overlapping slightly and using parchment to help lift the dough. Brush dough with reserved egg wash, then sprinkle generously with coarse sugar. Chill for 10 minutes.
• Bake galette until filling is puffed and set and crust is golden brown, 25-30 minutes. If some of the filling leaks out, don't worry-just trim that off before serving. Let galette cool slightly. Serve with whipped cream.

APPLE CRUMB CROSTATA

Steps:

• Make the crust: Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and blend for 5 seconds. Add butter, pulsing, until mixture resembles small peas. Add ice water and continue to pulse until mixture comes together in moist clumps; if mixture is too dry add a bit more water a tablespoon at a time. Gather dough into a ball, flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour or freeze for up to a month.
• Make the filling: In a large bowl toss together sliced apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, zest and vanilla. Set aside.
• Make the crumble: In a medium bowl, mix together granulated sugar, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Drizzle in melted butter and, using a fork, stir until mixture is crumbly and all the flour is incorporated; the crumbs should be smaller than 1 inch.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 14-inch circle. Transfer to baking sheet and chill until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Remove baking sheet from refrigerator and let soften for 1 to 2 minutes. Arrange filling evenly in the center of the dough, leaving a 4-inch border all around; reserve the juices. Brush exposed dough border with beaten egg and fold edge in up over fruit, making pleats every 2 inches. Pour remaining juices over exposed fruit, brush the folded outer edge with beaten egg, and sprinkle with raw sugar. Cover exposed fruit with about 1 cup crumble.
• Bake crostata until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove and let cool before serving. Serve with bacon toffee sauce, if desired.

ULTIMATE APPLE PECAN CRISP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• To make the filling--In a 9-inch pie pan that's 2 inches deep (or a similar baking pan), toss the apples with the sugar to taste, cinnamon, and flour.
• To make the topping--In a medium bowl, mix together all the topping ingredients with your fingers or a pastry cutter until small pebbly pieces of butter are distributed throughout the mixture.
• Sprinkle the entire mixture over the apples.
• Bake until the topping is golden and the fruit is bubbling and tender, about 1 hour and 15 minute.
• for a large crisp and 1 hour for individual crisps.
• Cool slightly before serving.
• You can make individual crisps by dividing the filling and topping among six ramekins or individual gratin dishes.
• Serve with heavy cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• Serves six.

APPLE PECAN CRUMBLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly butter a 10-inch baking dish or pie plate.
• In a medium-size bowl, combine apples with lemon juice and zest. Sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon and flour over the apples and stir to combine. Spoon into the baking dish.
• For the crumble topping, combine the dry ingredients in a medium-size bowl. Stir in the melted butter. Spread the topping evenly over the apples.
• Place baking dish on a parchment- or foil-lined baking sheet; bake until the juices are bubbling and thick, 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.