Bacon Apple Pie To DIE For

Last week I attended our Cooking Club's first meeting of the year.  With a fall theme, this is a favorite time of year for flavorful comfort food.  But when my friend, Kristi, walked in with this Bacon Apple Pie, taking pictures of any other dish kind of went out the window.

Bacon Apple Pie.

I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into this one.

It was as tasty as it looked.  The combination of the cinnamon, nutmeg and clove apples with the saltiness of the bacon, was over the top.  I loved it.

The only modification Kristi suggested was to leave the bacon slices a little longer because they do shrink quite a bit during the baking process.

Here's the original recipe from, The Loveless Cafe.

Bacon Apple Pie

Ingredients:

9-inch pie shell, unbaked

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

6 cups 1/2-inch-thick sliced peeled apples (1 1/2-2 pounds) ~ My favorite for pie is the Granny Smith Apple

8-12 slices uncooked Loveless Cafe Country Smoked Bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the pie shell on a sturdy baking sheet and set aside.

In a large bowl, rub the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves together with your fingertips until blended. Add the apples and toss to coat. Dump the spiced apple slices into the pie shell, including any sugar and juices that have accumulated in the bowl.

Weave the uncooked bacon on top of the pie filling, starting from the center and working your way out to the edges. For a lattice topping you should have an over-under pattern with 5 pieces going vertically and five pieces going horizontally. Trim the edges and pinch into the crust to seal. Cover pie with foil and bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour. Remove cover. Continue baking for 15 minutes until golden brown and bacon is crisp.

Let pie cool for 1 hour before cutting.

For more information about different apple varieties, please visit U.S. Apple Association or the California Apple Commission

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Easiest Ever Green Beans

Are you looking for a green bean dish for Thanksgiving that steers away from the typical green bean casserole?  I have an easy, and I think, better green bean dish that you can whip up in minutes.

I love fresh, flavorful green beans cooked JUST right, which means not too long so that they end up limp and soggy.....I like them cooked tender and slightly crisp with  a lot of flavor.

Thankfully opting for canned green beans is not necessary where I live, fresh green beans are always available in California.  Don't get me wrong, canned green beans are just as nutritious as the fresh but it's a texture thing for me.  Limp green beans....just can't do it.

So to make the easiest green beans ever, all you need is a shallot or two, chopped, a package of french green beans....I buy mine at Trader Joe's or Costco when they have them, olive oil and Kosher salt and pepper.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet, throw in your chopped shallots, the green beans and sprinkle with pepper and Kosher salt.  The Kosher salt is a must for me, it adds so much more flavor than regular table salt.

Saute on medium - high heat until the shallots caramelize and the green beans become slightly soft but still remain crisp.

You're done!  That's it!  The ONLY thing that would improve this dish is the addition of bacon....next time :)

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"BOTW" Pumpkin Fudge

I have an overabundance of canned pumpkin taking up room in my pantry right now.  I completely stock up this time of year, so when I found this recipe for Pumpkin Fudge, online, it is now next in line for me to try.  I hope you'll enjoy it also!

Recipe and photo courtesy MidWest Living


Lower in fat than traditional chocolate fudge, I think it'll be a winner in my house.

Best of the Web:

Pumpkin Fudge

Ingredients

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 5 1/3 - ounce can evaporated milk (2/3 cup)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 12 - ounce package (2 cups) butterscotch-flavored pieces
1 7 - ounce jar marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1.    Butter a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Set aside.

2.    In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar, butter, evaporated milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

3.    Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat. Boil over medium-low heat until mixture registers 234 degree F (soft-ball stage) on a candy thermometer, stirring constantly (about 25 minutes).

4.    Remove from heat and stir in butterscotch pieces until melted. Add marshmallow creme, nuts and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

5.    Pour mixture into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Cool at room temperature. Cut into squares. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator. Makes 3-1/4 pounds.

Nutrition facts

Sat. fat (gm) 2, Cholesterol (mg) 5, Fat, total (gm) 3, Sodium (mg) 21, Calcium (mg) 10, Carbohydrate (gm) 10, Vitamin A (RE) 72, Calories (kcal) 73

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Fall Sky & Fall Pear & Red Onion Gratin

I've said it before, but I'll say it again, fall is my favorite season.  There are many reasons I can think of to enjoy it, one of them being, the evening sky we are presented with when the wispy clouds find there way into our skies above.

No words necessary.  Just the beauty to view.

Another favorite of fall for me, is all of the harvest foods waiting to be prepared and enjoyed.  I was scanning the internet for some fresh, new Thanksgiving Day recipes to try out for this year and I came across this delicious looking Pear and Onion Gratin and wanted to share it with you.  It involves fall pears and sweet red onions.  Need I say more?

I can see this dish accompanying a pork roast tenderloin for a nice harvest meal.

Photo by Eating Well

Fall Inspired Pear and Red Onion Gratin

8 servings

Ingredients
1 large red onion
3 ripe Bosc pears
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup coarse dry breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat (see Note)
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preparation
1. Fill a large bowl three-quarters full with water; add a handful of ice cubes. Cut onion into 16 wedges, place in a strainer and lower into the water. Let stand for 20 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400°F.

3. Halve and core each pear; cut each half into 6 slices. Drain the onion wedges well and place them in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish along with the pear slices, 1 tablespoon oil, thyme, salt and a grinding of pepper; toss to combine. Cover with foil.

4. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring twice.

5. Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs and cheese in a small bowl. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil; stir to combine. Remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the gratin, return to the oven and roast until the breadcrumbs are well browned, 20 to 30 minutes more. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipes you might enjoy:

Maple Chili Glazed Pork Medallions
Grilled Thai Tenderloin Cutlets

Happy Thursday!

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