spork me

Caramel Apple Pie

I couldn’t tell you how I did this year with the apple pie I baked. In fact, I’m not sure anyone could. We ate so much food that it sat in the corner until about 10pm, when I caught someone eating the from the center of it with a fork. I’m not sure that person remembers much.

Caramel Apple Pie

I’ve made the same Thanksgiving desserts for the last 3 years, and I swear by this recipe. Tyler Florence’s Caramel Apple Pie recipe is incredible and just a bit different than your typical apple pie. Worth a try if you ever feel like baking.

Finnish Apple Tart

I’m kind of obsessed with this blog. I want to eat everything on there, I haven’t seen a single exception. I took a stab at the Finnish apple tart with “poor man’s ingredients” and it was still mind blowing, as well as simple to put together. Instead of the vanilla sauce I mixed a bit of vanilla extract with greek yogurt, and I replaced the organic/spelt/fancy ingredients with regular flours and sugars, and it was just amazing.

Pan Seared Rump Steak with Celeriac Fries and Brussel Sprouts

Ever so slowly, we have started working our way through The Meat. As well as The Celeriac. I made a less-than-picturesque (although very tasty) gratin out of it the night before, with some bacon and leeks, but I tried something a little more healthy with it last night. I know… brussel sprouts, yuck, right? Wrong. Burn these suckers to bring out a completely different nutty flavor that you’ll actually want to eat.

Ingredients (steak):

2 rump steaks, or similar nice cut
Thyme, chopped
Dash of Worchester, salt, pepper, and olive oil

Marinate the above for an hour or 2 before cooking, and simply pan sear if you don’t have a grill (man, I want a grill).

Ingredients (Celeriac fries with brussel sprouts):

1 small celeriac (or a portion of a larger one), cut into matchsticks
About 15 brussel sprouts, cut in half
1 apple, cut into matchsticks
Sprinkle of nutmeg, chopped up fresh sage, salt and pepper, and some crushed garlic
Olive oil

Ingredients I wish I had (usually I add these to the brussel sprouts and they’re amazing, but didn’t have them in the pantry):

2-3 tablespoons of balsamic
Chopped walnuts
Optional: top with creme fraiche

Start out by adding the brussel sprouts, centers down, to a very hot pan that’s been prepped with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the celeriac on top, and leave them there until they start to almost burn (note: let them burn even more than the photo… trust me, I just got impatient). Stir, and add nutmeg, sage, and garlic. Let it sit and get crispy. Stir again, and add walnuts and balsamic. Stir occasionally until everything is getting VERY brown, make sure you let it sit long enough to get crispy before you turn. If the balsamic starts to burn off, add a touch more and some more olive oil to keep the pan from burning. For the last 5 minute, add the apples for a nice sweet note, and if you’ve got it, top with a touch of creme fraiche once you plate it.