Apple & Cranberry Harvest Pie

Posted on October 1, 2013 by skibootsinthekitchen

Happy October! The mornings are getting cooler, the nights are getting dark to quickly… fall is really here and I have no idea what happened to September. Since September slipped away without me noticing, I have a feeling October might go equally as fast and then… Its my favorite holiday… Thanksgiving! Which is why I’ve decided to dedicate the month of October to “Thanksgiving Menu Prep.” It’s time to pull out my collection of old Bon Appetit Thanksgiving issues, family recipes and classic Thanksgiving traditions, to find the best recipes for your Thanksgiving table. This year don’t showing up at your Thanksgiving feast with plain mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. It’s time to jazz up your menu with some fun, different and most importantly DELICIOUS dishes! This recipe for Harvest Pie from Morning Glory Farm on Martha’s Vineyard is one of my mother’s favorite holiday desserts. The flavors and spices of the pie are the definition of fall and the holiday season. The tartness of the cranberries balances the sweetness of the apples and raisins making for a truly awesome but not too sweet dessert. If you’re ready to mix up the dessert table from the plain (and over done) apple and pumpkin pies, this is your recipe! Top this pie with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or serve it a la mode. The original recipe calls for a streusel topping however, I prefer the recipe with a lattice pie crust which doesn’t overpower the fresh fruit with too much ‘stuff’. To make this pie super easy you can use Pillsbury pie dough from the dairy section of your grocery store (when in a hurry I cheat and use this… no one will ever know!), or if you’re feeling ambitious make your own dough. Streusel topping, classic crust or lattice top this pie will become your new favorite holiday dessert too! Enjoy!

Harvest Pie (Click for printer friendly version)

Prep Time	Cooking Time	Serves
30 Minutes	40-55 minutes	8-10

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh apples, diced
1 Cup fresh cranberries
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 ½ Tbsp. orange zest
1 ½ Tbsp. butter, melted
1/8 Cup orange juice
1/8 Cup flour
½ cup sugar
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare piecrust or streusel topping (below).
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Pour into prepared piecrust. Top with streusel topping or lattice piecrust.
Place pie in oven and immediately reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until the apples are tender and the crumb or crust is golden brown.

Pastry Dough (Makes two 9-inch piecrusts) This pastry dough freezes well and will work with any pie!

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup cold vegetable shortening
3 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small chunks
6 Tbsp. ice water

Directions:

Sift flour. Cut shortening and butter into flour with pastry blender or fingers until mixture has the consistency of small peas.
Add ice water and blend just until dough holds together.
Divide the dough into two pieces; if you are doing the streusel topping store one for later use. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll out into a 10-inch circle.
Place dough in pie plate and crimp as desired.

Streusel Topping:

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups white sugar
2 cups all- purpose flour
1 cup butter, melted

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients, then fold in melted butter, stirring until it clumps. Sprinkle evenly on top of pie.

Original recipes from Morning Glory Farm

Quinoa, Kale & Corn Salad with Cranberries and Feta

Posted on August 2, 2013 by skibootsinthekitchen

Where did the week go?! It’s Friday, It’s August and I feel like my summer has been in a vacuum! There have been so many fun things going on this summer including getting married, going to other friends weddings, concerts, camping, cooking… time flies when your enjoying life! Each time I go to the farmers market the produce gets a little more plump, ripe and delicious for new recipes! Yesterday was scorching hot and the last thing I wanted was a warm lunch. This quinoa salad is a perfect cold side for lunch, dinner or afternoon snack! The sweetness of the cranberries and corn balance the tartness of the feta and kale for the perfect mix of summer flavors. Enjoy the weekend!

Quinoa, Kale & Corn Salad with Cranberries & Feta by Ski Boots in the Kitchen (Serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa
4 cups chopped kale
2 ears of corn, kernels cut off
1/2 a small red onion, chopped
1/3 cup toasted almond slivers
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup crumbed feta cheese
1/4 cup good olive oil (plus extra for sauteing)
1 lime, juiced
Freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium saute pan, drizzle olive oil to coat the bottom (two turns around the pan)
Saute red onion and corn until the onion is translucent and tender. Add kale. cook until kale begins to wilt and turns bright green- about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside and allow it to cool.
In a large bowl, add cooked quinoa, kale, corn and onion saute, toasted almonds, and cranberries. Drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil and juice of 1 lime over the ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Add Feta cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss once more and refrigerate for 1 hour or serve immediately. Enjoy!

(This is the color of the finished kale, corn and onion saute)

Morning Glory Cranberry and Orange Scones

Posted on November 18, 2012 by skibootsinthekitchen

I was in the mood for some baked goodness this weekend and the best baked goods always come from Morning Glory Farm. So I took out my favorite cookbook for some Vineyard scrumptiousness. Scones are kind of intimidating, you’ve got to get the butter nice and cold and work the rock hard butter into the dough with out over work the dough… My mom has a great way for cutting the butter into scones which makes the whole process a breeze! The fresh cranberries and orange zest give the scones a wonderful tart flavor and are a perfect fall treat. Enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Scones

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter (put in the freezer for 1 hour)
2 cups fresh chopped cranberries (ruffly chop berries- do not cut too small)
1 Tbsp. orange zest
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 eggs
Milk and sugar for top of scones

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two regular sized cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
Now for my moms trick… using a grater/zester or box grater, grate 1 1/2 sticks of butter into flour, cut in cold butter until flour mixture seems mealy and resembles small peas.

Once butter is well incorporated stir in fresh chopped cranberries and orange zest. In a separate small bowl, stir heavy cream, orange juice and eggs until well blended. Using a pastry cutter or large fork mix the egg, cream and juice mixutre into the dry ingredients just until a rough dough has formed.

Flour the surface of a wooden cutting board and turn the dough out on it, gently shaping the dough into a ball and flattening slightly.

Using a dough cutter or knife, cut the dough into 10 equal triangles. Place triangles evenly spaced about 2 or more inches apart on the parchment paper on the prepared pans and flatten slightly.

Using a pastry brush, brush lightly with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

I added an extra 1/4 cup of flour to the recipe since I live above 6,000 feet (they also required extra time in the oven at altitude, about 10min. Keep checking them to make sure they are golden brown and do not burn if you leave them in longer!) Enjoy with fresh jam, honey or as they are!