Maida Heatters Free Form Apple Pie Food

MAIDA'S BIG APPLE PIE

Steps:

• For the filling, melt the butter in a large pan with a cover. Add apples and sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon. Cover pan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until apples have exuded juices. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender. About a third will have disintegrated, and the rest of the apple slices should remain intact. Cool the filling. May be made several days in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.
• To form the pie, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and set a rack in the lowest level. Roll dough to about a 16-inch diameter and center on pan. Spoon filling into center of disk of dough and fold overhanging dough in toward center of pie. Brush the top of the folded-over dough with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sugar.
• Bake the pie about 40 minutes, until the dough is a deep golden color and the filling is bubbling. Cool slightly before serving. Or cool completely and reheat before serving

MAIDA HEATTER'S FREE-FORM APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
• Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add water and toss with a fork until pastry holds together.
• Shape pastry into a ball and flatten into a disk.
• Wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Melt butter in a 12" skillet over medium heat.
• Increase heat to high and add sugar and brandy.
• Stir in apples and cover and cook 3 minutes, stirring apples twice.
• Uncover and add raisins and cook apples, stirring until tender and liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes more.
• Cool apples completely.
• Stir in nuts.
• Heat oven to 425.
• Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry into a 14 inch circle.
• Transfer pastry to a large cookie sheet.
• Arrange apples on pastry, leaving a 2 to 2 1/2 inch border around the edge.
• Fold edge of pastry over apples.
• The pie shell should be about 9 inches in diameter.
• Bake 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 400 and bake 30 minutes, until crust is golden brown.
• Melt preserves through a sieve into a cup.
• Drizzle over filling.
• Cool on cookie sheet.
• Transfer to serving platter when cool.

MAIDA HEATTER'S WALNUT MERINGUES (PASSOVER)

Steps:

• Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Using the small bowl of a stand mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites with the salt until they form soft peaks. Reduce speed to medium-low and add the sugar by the teaspoonful, blending well after each addition. When about half of the sugar has been incorporated, add the vanilla extract and lemon juice or cider vinegar, then add the rest of the sugar. Increase speed to high just until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the melted chocolate, folding it in with a spatula as lightly as possible and leaving streaks of white in the batter. Gently fold in the walnuts.
• Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, about 11/2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Use your fingers to lift the cookies off the parchment and carefully turn them on their sides to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

MAIDA HEATTER'S APPLE CRANBERRY MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, adjusting rack to the top position. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
• Wash the berries briefly in bowl of cold water, drain, and let dry on paper towels.
• In small bowl beat the egg just to mix. Stir in the grated rind, raisins, orange juice, and vanilla and reserve.
• Peel, quarter, and core the apples and cut them into 1/4-inch dice. Measure out 1 cup of the apples and reserve.
• Into a large mixing bowl measure both flours, baking powder and soda, the spices, salt and sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to flour mixture, cutting in with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add the egg and juice mixture and with a rubber spatula fold together only until the dry ingredients are barely moistened. Then briefly mix in the apples, cranberies, and walnuts. Do *not* handle any more than necessary.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. They will be mounded high above the tops. This is as it should be. Do not smooth the tops.
• Sprinkle the tops generously with additional sugar to give the muffins a light glaze.
• Bake for 25-28 minutes until just barely firm to the touch.
• Remove muffins from the pan and place on wire rack. They are best served warm or at room temperature; "the fresher the better," says Heatter.

MAIDA HEATTER'S APPLE CRANBERRY PUDDING

Steps:

• Adjust rack to middle of oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a shallow ovenproof baking dish with about a two-quart capacity (11 by 8 by 1 3/4 or 2 inches). Set aside.
• Place cranberries in bowl of cold water to wash, pick over them, and drain on a towel. Let stand.
• Peel, quarter and core apples. Cut each piece into one-half-inch chunks. In bowl mix cranberries with apples, pecans and sugar. Turn into baking dish and smooth top.
• In small bowl of an electric mixer beat eggs to mix. Beat in sugar then add flour and melted butter at the same time and beat until smooth. Pour batter evenly over bottom layer.
• Bake for about 50 minutes until top is golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, preferably with vanilla ice cream.

CHOCOLATE CHIP AND ALMOND BISCOTTI (MAIDA HEATTER)

Steps:

• First toast the almonds in a single layer in a shallow pan in a 350°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, shaking the pan a few times, until the almonds are lightly colored and have a delicious smell of toasted almonds when you open the oven door. Set aside to cool.
• Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat oven to 375°F If possible, use cookie sheets without raised edges; otherwise use any sheets upside down. Line the sheets with baking parchment or aluminum foil, shiny side up, and set aside.
• Sift together into a large bowl (preferably one with flared rather than straight sides) the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the sugar and stir to mix.
• Place about 1/2 cup of these dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Add about 1/2 cup of the toasted almonds and process for about 30 seconds, until the nuts are fine and powdery.
• Add the processed mixture to the sifted ingredients in the large bowl. Add the remaining toasted almonds and the chocolate morsels; stir to mix.
• In a small bowl beat the eggs with the vanilla and whiskey or brandy, just to mix. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until the dry ingredients are moistened (Use a large rubber spatula). Be patient.
• Place a length of baking parchment or wax paper on the counter next to the sink. Turn the dough out onto the parchment or wax paper. Wet your hands with cold water-do not dry them-and press the dough into a round mound.
• With a long, heavy, sharp knife cut the dough into equal quarters. Continue to wet your hands as you form each piece of dough into a strip about 9 inches long, 2 to 2-1/2 inches wide, and about 1/2 inch high (you will press, not roll, the dough into shape). The ends of the strips should be rounded rather than squared.
• Place two strips crosswise on each of the lined sheets. Bake for 25 minutes, reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back once during baking.
• Remove the sheets from the oven and slide the parchment or foil off the sheets. With a wide metal spatula transfer the baked strips to a large cutting board and let them cool for 20 minutes.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 275°F With a serrated bread knife, carefully cut on a sharp angle into slices about 1/2 inches wide. This is tricky. Cut slowly with a sawing motion.
• Place the slices, cut side down, on the two unlined sheets. Bake the two sheets, turning the slices upside down and reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back once during baking.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes (depending on the thickness of the biscotti). Turn the oven heat off, open the oven door, and let the biscotti cool in the oven. When cool, store in an airtight container.

MAIDA HEATTER'S PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Position oven rack 1/3 up from the bottom of the oven; preheat to 450°. Have the crust in the freezer for at least 20-30 minutes before baking (or longer).
• Add cream to a small saucepan, uncovered, over medium heat; let stand until a slightly wrinkled skin forms on top or tiny bubbles appear around the edges.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs lightly just to mix; beat in the vanilla, sugar, and salt.
• Through a fine strainer, add the spices; then add the pumpkin and mix well.
• Gradually stir in the hot cream.
• Do not remove the pie crust from the freezer until you are ready to bake it.
• Pour the pumpkin mixture into the frozen crust.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 450°, then decrease oven temperature to 350° and bake 30-40 minutes longer until a small sharp knife gently inserted into the middle of the pie comes out clean (every time you test the pie with a knife it will leave a scar that will increase in size as the pie cools; do not cut more than necessary).
• Place the baked pie on a rack; serve while still barely warm or at room temperature.
• In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, whip together the cream, sugar, and vanilla.
• If the pie is still slightly warm when you serve it, it is best to serve the whipped cream separately (the heat of the pie would melt the cream).
• Whip the cream until it is no too stiff, it should barely hold a shape and should be more like a thick sauce.
• But if the pie has cooled to room temperature, the cream can be whipped until it holds a definite shape and can be spread over the top of the pie.
• Either way, the cream can be whipped a few hours ahead, refrigerated, and then whisked a bit with a small wire whisk just before serving.