Raisins steeped in dark rum mingle with tart and sweet apples in this updated version of an American favorite. It's a showstopper when paired with lightly sweetened whipped cream. Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servingsActive Time: 35 min Total Time: 4 1/4 hr  3 tablespoons dark rum 1/3 cup raisins 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon salt 6 medium apples, ranging from sweet to tart (2 1/2 lb) Pastry dough for a double-crust > pie 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 2 teaspoons milk 1 tablespoon sanding sugar  Bring rum with raisins to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 1 hour. Put oven rack in middle position with a large heavy baking sheet on rack and preheat oven to 425°F. Rub together brown sugar, flour, zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt with your fingers in a large bowl until no lumps remain. Peel and core apples, then cut into 1/2-inch-wide wedges and add to sugar mixture, tossing gently to coat. Add raisins with any liquid and toss until combined. Roll out larger piece of dough into a 13-inch round (keep remaining piece chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate (4-cup capacity) and trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Chill shell while rolling out top crust. Roll out smaller piece of dough on a lightly floured surface with lightly floured rolling pin into an 11-inch round. Spoon filling evenly into shell, then dot top with butter. Brush pastry overhang with some of milk, then cover pie with pastry round. Trim pastry flush with edge of pie plate using kitchen shears, then press edges together and crimp decoratively. Lightly brush top of pie with some of remaining milk and sprinkle all over with sanding sugar. Cut 3 steam vents in top crust with a small sharp knife. Bake pie on hot baking sheet 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes more. Cool pie on a rack to warm or room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours. Cooks' notes: •To achieve an ideal balance of tart and sweet apples, we used 2 Golden Delicious or Gala, 2 Winesap or Granny Smith, and 2 McIntosh or Northern Spy (you'll need 6 apples total). •Raisins can be soaked in rum 1 day ahead, cooled completely, and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. •Pie can be made 8 hours ahead and kept, uncovered, at room temperature. |
Yield: Makes 6 servings Active Time: 1 hour Total Time: 1 hour For stuffing 1 Granny Smith apple 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon caraway seeds 1 medium onion, chopped 1 1/2 celery ribs, sliced crosswise 1/8 inch thick 1/2 cup coarse fresh rye bread crumbs (with or without seeds) 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 3 tablespoons dried currants 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper For chicken and pan sauce 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 lb) 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour 1 cup unfiltered apple cider 1 cup chicken broth Make stuffing: Peel and core apple and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Melt butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté caraway seeds, stirring, 1 minute. Add onion and sauté, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add apple and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining stuffing ingredients. Cool stuffing completely. Stuff chicken: Preheat oven to 425°F. Pat chicken dry and arrange, skinned sides down, on a work surface. Remove tender (fillet strip on side where breast bone was) from each breast half if attached and reserve for another use. Cut a pocket in each breast half: Beginning at center of thicker end of breast, insert a small knife horizontally, stopping about 1 inch from opposite end. Open incision with your fingers to create a 1-inch-wide pocket. Pack one sixth of stuffing into each pocket. Cook chicken: Pat chicken dry and season with salt. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken in 2 batches, about 2 minutes on each side, transferring to a small roasting pan as browned (reserve skillet). Roast chicken in middle of oven until just cooked through, 14 to 16 minutes. While chicken is roasting, stir flour into fat remaining in skillet and cook roux over moderately low heat, stirring, 1 minute. Whisk in cider and broth and bring to a boil, whisking, then boil, whisking occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 1 cup, about 8 minutes. Let chicken stand 5 minutes, then cut each breast half diagonally into thirds. Add any juices from roasting pan and salt and pepper to taste to sauce and spoon over chicken. |
This fruit butter makes a quick dessert. It's also a great snack on bread or toast. We use it in a low-fat recipe for a moist and chunky apple butter spice cake. We have found preserving in half-pint (250 mL) jars convenient, since that recipe calls for that amount of apple butter. But if you use larger jars, you'll have lots left for other uses. Yield: Makes 7 cups (1.75 L)2 pounds (1 kg) McIntosh apples, peeled and cored (6 large apples) 2 pounds (1 kg) Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored (4 large apples) 1 cup (250 mL) apple cider 2 cups (500 mL) granulated sugar 2 tablespoons (25 mL) lemon juice 1. Cut McIntosh apples into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Cut Granny Smith apples into smaller dice. 2. Combine apples and cider in a very large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and boil gently for 20 minutes or until mixture is reduced by half. 3. Stir in sugar and lemon juice. Return to a boil, reduce heat, and boil gently for about 25 minutes or until mixture is very thick. There should still be some tender apple chunks remaining. Remove from heat. 4. Ladle into sterilized jars and process as directed for Shorter Time Processing Procedure . Variation: Spiced Apple Butter Add 2 tsp (10 mL) ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each ground cloves and allspice with the sugar. Kitchen Tips: • This recipe uses a mix of two varieties of apples for greater flavor. "If these types are not available in your area, go for what's fresh and local," says Topp. "This might change the texture of the butter slightly, but starting with quality fruit is the most important thing." • "This sweet spread does not need to be processed as long as a relish or pickle recipe," says Topp. "The sugar does most of the preserving — you just need to briefly boil the jars to kill off any contaminants that might have gotten in during filling." |
