Wholesome and Delicious Apple Crisp

I am not usually a fruit dessert sort of person, but I have come to absolutely love this sweet dish. Not only does it satisfy your sweet tooth , it is good for you as well. I first tried to make apple crisp when someone sent me a recipe. I don't know why, but that recipe did not work for me, there was just not enough crisp in the whole thing. So I went about trying to get just the right texture and taste for me. This is a great dessert to make ahead of time since it can be refrigerated for at least 2 days and then reheated when you are ready to serve. It can also be served at room temperature, but I really like mine warm. A scoop of vanilla ice cream adds the final touch to the whole thing. This is a great alternative to the apple pie for Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:
Crust

• 1 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp of baking soda
  
• 1 cup of packed brown sugar
  
• 1 stick of cold, unsalted butter
  
• 1/4 cup of chopped nuts

Filling

• 3 tbsp of white flour
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
  
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
  
• juice of one lemon
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Whisk the oatmeal, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, baking soda, brown sugar together.
3. Unwrap the butter and use the wrapper to grease a 9 X 12 baking dish. There is enough butter left on the wrapper that it will give the baking dish enough butter so that the crisp will not stick to the baking dish. I would recommend using a nice baking dish since this is a dessert that goes from the oven to the serving table. I like using my Le Creuset cast iron dish.
   
4. Cut the butter into small pats and add to the oatmeal mixture. This makes incorporating the butter into the dry mix a lot easier.
   
5. Using a pastry blender, work the crust until the butter is incorporated into the oatmeal mixture. It will probably take about 5 minutes of blending. The crust should be crumbly.
   
6. Press about 1 to 1 1/2 cups into the bottom of the baking dish and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
   
7. Add the chopped nuts to the remaining crust.
   
   
   
   
8. In the meantime, peel and cut the apples using an apple cutter. You will have 8 slices at this point.
   
9. Cut each slice in half. Each apple will give you 16 slices.
   
10. In a container mix the flour, brown sugar and cinammon together. Add the apple slices. Make sure all the slices are well coated.
    
11. Using a slotted spoon, carefully place the apple mixture over the baked crust.
    
12. Sprinkle the remaining crust over the apple mixture.
    
13. Bake for about 40-45 minutes. The crust will be a golden brown and you will see some bubbling of the apple mix.
    
14. Let it cool for about 20 minutes before cutting.
    
15. Serve with a scoop of ice cream. Will generously serve 8-10 people.
    
16. The entire dish can be prepared up to 2 days in advance of serving. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. To serve, just warm in a 300 F oven for about 10-15 minutes or serve at room temperature. Don't forget the scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of hot tea.

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Copyright © 2007, 2008 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved

Hearty French Onion Soup

I love autumn in New England, especially because I get to enjoy my favorite soups. This soup is so filling that you can have just one bowl as a meal. It makes a great weekend lunch, or a simple weekday dinner. I just love the pull of the cheese with each spoonful.

The secret to this dish is a rich stock. This time I made it using lamb stock for a full flavor, but you can use chicken, beef, or turkey stock. I also used my Tasty Crouton Recipe instead of toasted french bread to add more flavor.

Ingredients:
For 2 BIG servings

• 1 Cup Dry Red Wine
  
• 2 Quarts Lamb, Beef, Chicken, or Turkey Stock
  
• 1/2 Cup Croutons or sliced toasted French bread
• 6 oz Swiss Cheese, shredded
  
• 2 Cups Mushrooms, sliced
• 1-2 Onions, sliced and separated.
• 1 tbsp Chopped Garlic
• 1/2 tsp Fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 2 pats of butter.
• 1/2 tsp salt, only if the stock has no salt. If you use a commercial stock that contains salt, omit this.
  
• 1 tsp of Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce.
  
• 1 tbsp General purpose flour

Directions:

1. Place the wine and stock into a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Keep boiling while you perform the rest of the steps. You will want to reduce it to about half of its original volume.
   
2. Pre-heat a large fry pan and cover the bottom with olive oil.
3. Add the sliced onions and fry until they are golden brown.
   
4. Slide the onions to one side of the and pan melt the butter in the open side.
5. Add the mushrooms to the butter and mix in. Stir in the garlic.
   
6. Saute the mushrooms until brown, mix with the onions.
7. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture, mix in and saute until brown.
8. Stir the pepper and cumin into the stock. Add the Soy, Worcestershire and salt (if any) to the stock.
   
9. Pour the mushroom and onion mixture into the stock, bring to a simmer. The flour will thicken the broth.
   
10. Add some croutons (or toast) to each oven safe bowl, sprinkle with some cheese
11. Ladle the soup into each bowl and top with the rest of the cheese.
12. Place the bowls on a cookie sheet and broil on high for 3-5 minutes.
13. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.

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Copyright © 2007, 2008 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved

New England Lobster Grill

Summertime in New England is very under rated. We have some great weather. Hot, but not for long. While we have had lots of rain this year, it has been a spectacular season for lobster. Prices are good, the shells are thin and the meat is buttery tender this time of year. Ti's the season. I have have enjoyed making boiled lobster for many years, but a few years ago I began to grill it. Let me tell you, I may never go back. Not to worry though, this technique is totally humane and the little dears never feel a thing.

I got this idea several years ago when I was in Japan. Among my favorite meals is Japanese grill, where you sit near the chef at the bar and he grills stuff and serves it to you. One of the great dishes I enjoyed was the grilled lobster. However, the Japanese chef had no qualms about bisecting the poor thing live, but the fire was so hot that it was not alive for long. Watching this was fascinating and the meal was delicious, but I came up with a tamer, more humane way to do this. I basically boil the lobsters for 1 minute prior to processing them. I cooked this dish on an apple wood fire in the Stone Pony, my outdoor stone oven, but you can use a good kettle grill or a gas grill too. If you want to experiment with cooking it on an open fire, I recommend you dig a pit for safety, also have a hose handy.

Ingredients:

• Lobster
  • 1 Live Lobster per person, I find that 1.5-2 pound lobsters are ideal. I prefer them bigger.
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp chopped garlic
  • 1 handful fresh chives
  • 1 pinch fresh oregano
  • 1 pinch fresh parsley
  • substitute your favorite fresh herbs, these are what I grow in the garden
• Sides
  • 1 ear of fresh corn per person (leave the husk on)
  • 1 medium Yukon Gold potato per person
  • 1/2 bunch of mustard greens, Swiss chard, or Chinese broccoli
  • 1 stick of butter

Directions:

1. Soak the corn, husk and all in cold water and wash the potatoes thoroughly.
2. Light the grill. Place the corn and potatoes on the warming rack at least one hour before cooking the lobster, cover the grill. Flip after half an hour.
3. Mix the olive oil, herbs, and garlic in a bowl.
4. Boil a large pot of water.
5. Boil each lobster for 1 minute, not enough to cook them, but long enough to kill them.
6. Drain the lobster and cut down the middle of the front from the head through the tail.
7. Spoon the herb mixture into the crevice. Don't forget to remove the rubber bands off the claws.
8. brush the remaining herb mixture onto the mustard greens
9. Turn up the heat of the grill and place the lobsters stomach side up on the grill. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
10. Flip the lobsters, place the vegetable on the grill. Cook an additional 3-5 minutes.
11. Place the butter in a bowl, add some olive oil and microwave for 30 seconds. Add some chives to the butter. The olive oil helps make the butter more liquid and tastes good too!
12. Serve the lobster over the vegetable with the corn and potatoes on the side.
13. You are now in heaven.
14. For those of us who like to have seafood chowder, don't toss out the lobster shells when you are done indulging. The shells make a fine stock which can then be used to make any seafood sauce or chowder.

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Copyright © 2007, 2008 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved