Showing posts with label Apples and Nutella. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apples and Nutella. Show all posts

Monday, October 3, 2011

Make it Yourself

Nutella,
can be made at home. Does not, should not be store bought. Like a million other things, that you can make yourself. Monday posts are soley for this one reason: to show people how to make things they always buy, although they can make it themselves. Some people think that it would be very time consuming to make it themselves, which is sometimes the case, but Nutella isn't. It takes me under five minute to make nutella, as long  as it would take me to find a jar of it in the store.
Recipe from PopSugar Living

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups (220g) roasted hazelnuts
  • 1/2 cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup (230g) powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
  • Sprinkle of salt
  • 3 or more tablespoons of hazelnut oil

Method:
1. In your food processor, blend the hazelnuts until they become smooth and creamy about 5 minutes.(this is hazelnut butter at this point.)
2. Add the cocoa,powdered sugar,vanilla salt and two tablespoons of the hazelnut oil, and process for 2 more minutes.
3. Add the third tablespoon of hazel nut oil, and if neccassary as much as you need for your desired consitency.
As you may have guessed from the picture, I love dipping my apples in my homemade nutella, which works out great because my nutella was really runny. I wasn't patient enough to wait and thought my nutella wasn't smooth enough, so I added more oil, then some more, you get the picture. It's easy but you need to have a patience span of 5 minutes. If you don't have roasted hazelnuts already you can roast them in a 400F/200C oven for ten minutes, and let them cool slightly before you toss them in your food processor.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Everyone's Favorite

Who doesn't like Apple Pie?
I don't. But since the entire rest of the world seems to be obsessed with it I find myself making it more often than not: for fall barbecues,get togethers, brunches and afternoon tea. Simply because everyone likes eating it. I don't know what it is that makes people love it, or why I am not part of that group of people. I don't really use a specific recipe for the filling or the pie, all I have added to my original pie crust recipe is apple cider vinegar, which i tried out after watching Chef John from foodwishes.com do so, and it makes it a lot flakier.

Pie Crust:

  • 12 ounces (340g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 sticks (200g) unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
  • Sprinkle (1/2 tsp) of salt
  • 7 or more tablespoons ice cold water


Method:
1. Cube the butter and stick it in the freezer for about 1/2 hour.
2. In your food processor place flour,salt and butter and whizz until the mixture looks like crumbs.
3. While your food processor is running add 7 tablespoons of the water and the apple cider vinegar and turn your food processor off when there are walnut-sized clumps of dough. (don't wait until a whole clump of dough forms.
4. Wrap the dough up and refrigerate for 1/2 hour or until you need it.
Apple Filling:
  • 6-7 Tart apples (such as Granny Smith)
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup (50g) honey
  • Almonds, chopped 
  • 1 egg beaten 
Method: 
Pre-heat your oven
1. Peel and cube the Apples and place in a large bowl.
2. To the apples add the cornstarch,lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and honey and combine them, using your hands.
3. Roll out  half of your pie crust and place in your pie pan, sprinkling over chopped almonds if you like.
4. Add the apple-honey mixture and spread evenly in the crust.
5. Roll out the other half of your pie dough and place it over your apples.
6. Using a knife cut off any excess pie dough, anything that is more than an inch.
7. Fold both layers( the bottom and top) of your pie dough, and tuck them over.
8. Brush the beaten egg over the pie and cut 4-8 slits in the top of the pie.
9. Bake for 1 hour until brown on top, brushing with egg every ten minutes.

Although I have tried this apple pie I can't really say if it is good or not because I haven't really eaten any others. The only reason why I put almonds in this pie is because they were sitting on the table while I was making the pie, so they are completely optional, as is the egg wash, although I think it gives it a rustic look. Make sure to let the pie cool ten minutes before serving, and don't worry, it will still be hot and fresh. I make this in the fall, because there is an abundance of apples, that's why I decided to post all about apples this week.(hint:I like eating Apples with Nutella)