Apple Crumble Pie

Apple crumble pie is one of my favorite desserts!  Below is how I make this delicious pie.

Ingredients
    Filling:

• 6 Granny Smith apples ( diced )
• 1/8 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons of salted butter
• 1/8 cup of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup of walnuts
• 1 pie crust ( thawed)

Topping:

• 3/8 cup of flour
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup of butter

Directions ( preheat oven to 400F)

1. Mix diced apples with flour, sugar cinnamon and walnuts in a bowl
2. Pout apple mix in thawed pie crust
3. Dice up butter and spread evenly over apple mix
4. In another bowl, mix flour, sugar and cinnamon
5. Melt butter and pour into flour mixture
6. Stir until all ingredients and evenly mixed
7. Pour crumble mix of apple and spread evenly until every apple is covered
8. Bake pie for 40 minutes
9. Enjoy with a scoop ( or two) of french vanilla ice-cream

Notes:

• You can also use puff pastry instead of pie crust
• You can also make this recipe without using a pie crust
• When dicing the apples, I like to leave the skin on...a little fiber in this sinfully, delicious dessert! :-)  
• When I have more time, I make the pie crust using the pie recipe from the cookbook "Akwaaba: A Taste of Ghana".  

Strawberries and pear with cream

Yesterday, I decided to try a little something different ...a light, healthy dessert with a hint of naughty so I opened my fridge and found some strawberries, Anjou pear and some french vanilla ice cream. Here is my take on some fruit and cream...something different from using whipped cream.

Ingredients:

1 Anjou or Bartlett pear
4 strawberries
2 scoops of French Vanilla Ice-cream

Directions:

1. Slice up the pear into bite-size cubes
2. Slice up the strawberries
3. Place 2 scoops of the ice-cream in a small serving bowl and microwave
for about 15 - 30 seconds ( depending on your microwave)
4. Place sliced fruit into warm ice-cream
5. Grab a tablespoon and enjoy!

Helpful Hints:

1. Make sure ice-cream is lukewarm and not hot
2. You can add an extra scoop of ice-cream before microwaving

Apple tarte tatin

This is my new favorite dessert and if you have tried this dessert before you will understand what I am talking about! I haven't had this dessert in a couple of years and decided to try making it a few weeks ago and I have to say....I was quite impressed with myself!

Apple tarte tatin is an upside down apple tart in which the apples are caramelized in sugar and butter. It is very very delicious and goes great with french vanilla ice-cream. Below is my recipe...let me know how it turns out and how you like it!

Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry (thawed)
5 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup of salted butter
1 small egg (for egg-wash)
1 tablespoon of water


Directions:

1. Pour sugar in a pot / frying pan and let completely melt on low heat
2. add butter to caramelized sugar and stir in until completely melted
3. Pour into a 9-in Pyrex pie dish and let cool
4. beat egg and 1 tablespoon of water in a cup and place on the side
   
5. while the caramel cools, peel apples
6. cut each apple into four (make sure the cores are removed)
7. place and pack apples tightly in the pie dish
   
8. preheat oven to 375F
   
9. unfold puff pastry on floured surface
   
10. using a rolling pin, roll pastry sheet and place over the apples
11. brush the puff pastry with egg mixure
12. use a fork and poke a few holes in the pastry
13. place the pie dish on a baking tray, place in pre-heated oven and bake for 35 minutes
14. let the tarte tatin cool for about 15 minutes
    
15. loosen the edges of the tatin with a knife then place a plate over the baking dish and flip it over so the caramelized apples are on top

This is a great dessert on its own but also great with a nice scoop of french vanilla ice cream!