Sunday, June 30, 2013

Apple Strudel

Apple Strudel

Ingredients:


2 medium to large apples, cored and sliced  into 1/4 wedges
1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbs. flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 package puff pastry, thawed

 

Directions:


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle roughly 22 inches long and 18 inches wide (making sure the length will fit on your baking sheet.

Once dough is rolled, transfer it to the baking sheet.  Make angled cuts approximately 1" in width from the edger, cutting about a third of the way to the center on both sides of the dough.



Wash, core and slice the apples.
Toss the apples with the lemon juice.  Add the sugar, cinnamon and flour and toss to coat the apple slices.
Arrange the apples down the center of the dough. Top with the chopped walnuts.
Starting on one side, bring one of the cut strips to the center, repeat with the following side and continue,
covering the apples to the end.  Sprinkle the top with sugar.


Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the crust is brown and the apples are tender.


....and that's What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Lemon Blueberry Cookies

It's a classic.  Lemons and blueberries.  They just go together naturally.  What better way to enjoy the combo than in a cookie!

I found this recipe at Domesticfits.com and just had to give it a try.  I had to tweak the baking time a bit to get the lightly golden results and that change is reflected in the directions below.  Keep a close eye on the oven when you bake them, the time may vary slightly oven to oven.  This is a great recipe and these cookies are fantastic!

Lemon Blueberry Cookies


Ingredients:


1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into cubes
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/3 cup sour cream
 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions:


Preheat the oven 350 degrees.
In a medium sized bowl mix together the flours, baking soda and salt.  Set aside
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat both sugars and butter until light and fluffy.  This took about 8 minutes to achieve a good fluffy consistency.
Add in the egg yolk, beat until well combined.
Add in the sour cream and lemon juice and mix until well combined.
Sprinkle the dry ingredients and lemon zest over the creamed mixture.  Stir until just combined.
Remove the mixing bowl from the stand mixer.
Add the blueberries and gently stir them into the dough.








Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop the dough into golf ball sized mounds into the parchment.
Bake in the 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the top just starts to turn light golden brown.
Slide the parchment onto cooling racks and let the cookies cool to room temperature.







and that's What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Rhubarb Blueberry Skillet Pie



This recipe came along as a whim because I have a flourishing rhubarb plant in my landscaping around my back patio and a couple of pints of blueberries in the fridge.

Fresh rhubarb is one of my favorite parts of spring.  I always anxiously await those first stalks breaking through the ground.    I like strawberry rhubarb, so I thought why not try mixing it with the blueberries and see what happens.


I'm a huge pie fan.  Given a choice, I'll pick pie over cake any time.  I have to admit I was blown away by this combination as was by boyfriend.  He's pretty used to my cooking and baking, and will often comment that something is good.  However, last night when he had his first bite of this pie, he exclaimed "Wow, this is good!".  So there's your endorsement!  Grab your iron skillet, harvest some rhubarb from your garden, farmer's market or local grocery, and make yourself a skillet pie!