Dulce de Leche Apple Pie

The reason that I was so enthusiastic about making the dulce de leche was that I had recently seen this recipe for a dulce de leche apple pie on The Cooking Photographer that looked so good. Caramel and apples go so well together and with the thought of a caramely dulce de leche apple pie there was no way that I could resist making it! With so many apples at the farmers market these days it was the perfect time to make the pie and I used a mixture of different types of those wonderful varieties of apples. This pie was pretty easy to make with you only needing to mix the apples, dulce de leche and a few other ingredients, assembling the pie and baking it. The hardest part is waiting for the pie to finish baking and then letting it cool while you are intoxicated with its heavenly aroma. The dulce de leche turned out amazingly well and it was very tempting to have seconds of dessert each night! The dulce de leche and apple flavour combination is just as good as the caramel and apple combo and I look forward to using this combo again! Of course I served the dulce de leche apple pie with a scoop of melting vanilla ice cream.

Dulce de Leche Apple Pie

(makes 1 pie)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
6 cups of apples (cored, peeled and sliced)
1/2 cup dulce de leche
2 tablespoons apple cider
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt
2 pie crusts
1 egg white mixed with 1 teaspoon of water

Directions:
1. Toss the apples in the dulce de leche, cider and vanilla,
2. Mix the sugars, cornstarch, spices and salt in a large bowl.
3. Mix the wet and dry ingredients.
4. Fit one of the pie crusts into a 9 inch pie plate and pour the apples in.
5. Fit the remaining pie crust on top and brush with the egg white mixture.
6. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 400F oven for 40 minutes.
7. Reduce to 375F, remove the foil and bake until golden brown, about 30-40 minutes.
8. Let cool completely.

Similar Recipes:
Vanilla Apple Crisp with Caramel Sauce
Apple Crisp with Amaretto
Apple Pie Pizza
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Homemade Dulce de Leche

I have been seeing dulce de leche around the food blogging sphere since I started food blogging and it has always looked and sounded so good! Unfortunately I have had problems finding it. I could not find it for a long time but after I had given up I did come across some and I picked up a jar right away. The dulce de leche was a lot like a caramel sauce and it was so good that it disappeared really quickly leaving me craving more. When I went back to get some, it was all gone and I never did run into it again. I finally got tired of waiting to find it and I just decided to make my own.

Luckily there are lot of articles around as to how to make your own dulce de leche! Dulce de leche is made by slowly heating sweetened condensed milk until it caramelizes and turns a golden brown. The easiest way to make dulce de leche it to simply simmer a can of sweetened condensed milk in water for several hours. The down side of this method, and the reason that I held off on making my own for so long, is that apparently there is a risk of the can exploding. (Who wants to be cleaning caramelized sweetened condensed milk from their ceiling?) One thing that I noticed about the instructions that I found was that different ones called for different cooking times. From what I could piece together, you want to simmer for 2 hours to get a light and mild dulce de leche and the longer you leave it in for after that the darker and more flavourful it gets.

I finally had enough incentive to make my own dulce de leche that I gave it a try. I used my old stock pot because I didn't want any possibility of rust touching my good pot and I made sure to keep the lid on and that the can of sweetened condensed milk was covered in water at all times. For the cooking duration I decided to leave mine in for 4 hours to get a nice dark rich tasting dulce de leche. Making the dulce de leche couldn't have been easier and I did not have any problems. I could barely wait for it to cool and when I cracked open the can, it was dulce de leche, and it was a nice deep brown and it smelled amazing. I could not resist putting a finger into it right away and I was rewarded with an amazing caramely flavour! It was so worth making! I will definitely be making my own dulce de leche from now on and I will probably be doing it frequently!

I had not planned to make the recipe that used the dulce de leche until the next day but I could not wait that long so I enjoyed some of the dulce de leche with sliced apples. The thick, creamy and caramely dulce de leche goes so well with crisp juicy apples! It was a real treat!

How to make dulce de leche:

Dulce de Leche

(makes 1 cup)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk (label removed)

Directions:
1. Place the can in a large pot and fill with water making sure to completely cover the can.
2. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2-4 hours depending on how dark you want it. Note: Make sure that the can is always completely covered in water.
3. Turn the heat off and let the can cool in the water.

Similar Recipes:
Caramel Sauce

Thanksgving Leftovers Ideas

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Despite the fact that I really enjoy coming up with a great Thanksgiving meal plan I think I like coming up with new ways of enjoying the leftovers even more! Sometimes I like to reuse the same flavour combinations in different forms and sometimes I try using the leftover ingredients to make something completely new. Here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers:

Turkey Sandwich with Cranberry Sauce - The absolute first thing that I have to do with the Thanksgiving leftovers is to make a turkey and cranberry sandwich. There is just something magical about the turkey, cranberry and mayonnaise flavour combination and I just can't get enough of it!

Grilled Turkey and Brie Sandwich with Cranberry Chutney - This year I made a cranberry chutney that reminded my of a baked brie with cranberry sauce which inspired this sandwich which turned out to be so amazingly good!

Turkey and Squash "Thanksgiving" Risotto - I always enjoy making butternut squash risotto during the winter and a great way to change things up a bit is to include some leftover turkey, dried cranberries, pecans and spices to give a really nice holiday feel to it!

Turkey and Cranberry Quesadillas - I always enjoy experimenting with combining different cuisines and turkey and cranberry sauce leftovers make for some really good cheesy quesadillas!

Turkey and Cranberry Sushi - This was another weird and wacky turkey and cranberry sauce leftover fusion dish that turned out surprisingly well.

Turkey White Chili - If you have lots of leftover turkey it makes a really mean and tasty white chili and I can never resist having seconds!

Turkey Congee (Rice Porridge) - Congee or a rice porridge is always nice and creamy and it makes for really nice savoury breakfasts. Leftover turkey congee is always good and what makes it even better is using the turkey bones to make your own turkey stock to use in the congee!

Turkey Po - If you are looking for something lighter after that heavy holiday meal you can't go wrong with this light, fresh and tasty pho! Once again this soup benefits greatly from using your own home made turkey stock.

Turkey Ramen - Japanese style ramen is another great way to enjoy some leftover turkey and freshly made turkey stock!

Turkey Salad Sandwich - Of course there is always this turkey take on the classic chicken salad sandwich spruced up with some apple, cranberries and pecans.

Pumpkin and Mushroom Pasta with Gorgonzola

The squash, caramelized onion, sage and gorgonzola flavour combo has been on my mine a lot ever since I tried it in the roasted butternut squash and caramelized onion pizza with gorgonzola and crispy fried sage. I was trying to think of new ways to enjoy this particular flavour combination when I realized that I had not had pasta in far too long. I had some pumpkin puree that I wanted to finish and I thought that a pumpkin, gorgonzola and sage sauce would go nicely on a pasta. For some reason I kept thinking about adding some mushrooms to the pasta and since I was going to be slowly caramelizing the onions anyways I figured that I might add some. In addition to adding some sage to the onions and mushrooms I could not resist frying some sage leaves in browned butter until they were nice and crispy and I used them to garnish the pasta. The pumpkin, gorgonzola, sage, caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms flavour combo was amazing and it worked really well as a pasta sauce! I can't wait to try experimenting with this flavour combo some more!

Pumpkin and Mushroom Pasta with Gorgonzola

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion (sliced)
8 ounces mushrooms (sliced)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 tablespoon sage (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 pound pasta
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup gorgonzola (crumbled)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1 handful sage leaves

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the onions and mushrooms and slowly cook them until they are nice and caramelized, about an 20 minutes.
3. Start cooking the pasta.
4. Add the garlic, sage, red chili pepper flakes and nutmeg and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
5. Add the pumpkin puree, cream, gorgonzola, salt and pepper and simmer to reduce for a few minutes.
6. Melt the butter in a pan.
7. Add the sage leaves and fry until Crispy.
8. Toss the pasta in the sauce and serve garnished with the crispy butter fried sage.

Similar Recipes:
Roasted Butternut Squash with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola and Crispy Fried Sage
Roasted Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Pizza with Gorgonzola and Crispy Fried Sage
Steak Tenderloin in a Mushroom and Blue Cheese Sauce

Take a look at the Presto Pasta Nights roundup on Kahakai Kitchen.

Pomegranate Tabbouleh Salad

The other day when I was enjoying my pomegranate and pistachio whole wheat couscous salad it reminded me a little of tabbouleh. Tabouleh is a Mediterranean parsley salad that also commonly includes things like bulgur, mint, tomatoes, etc. I always enjoy whole grain salads and I was thinking that one would make for a nice light day before T day meal. For the pomegranate tabbouleh salad I went with the standard tabbouleh components and then I added pomegranate seeds and some of the pomegranate vinaigrette from the pomegranate couscous salad for the pomegranate components. From there I added some chopped walnuts and some feta to make the salad a bit heartier. The pomegranate tabbouleh salad turned out great! The the bulgur was light and fluffy and the pomegranate vinaigrette ensured that it stayed nice and moist. I really enjoyed the salty feta and juicy sweet and tart pomegranate combo. The large amount of parsley and mint made the salad seem so fresh and vibrant. I will definitely be making this pomegranate tabbouleh salad again!

Pomegranate Tabbouleh Salad

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup bulgur
1/2 cup parsley (chopped)
1/4 cup mint (chopped)
1/4 cup green onions (chopped)
1/2 cup tomato (chopped)
1/2 cup cucumber (chopped)
1/4 cup walnuts (toasted)
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup feta
3 tablespoons pomegranate vinaigrette

Directions:
1. Bring the water to a boil and turn off the heat.
2. Mix in the bulgur, cover and let sit for 20 minutes.
3. Toss the bulgur with the parsley, mint, green onion, tomato, cucumber, walnuts, pomegranate seeds and feta in the pomegranate vinaigrette to coat.

Similar Recipes:
Tabbouleh
Pomegranate and Pistachio Couscous
Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Take a look at the Weekend Herb Blogging roundup at Cafe Lynnylu.

Slow Braised Chili Con Carne

I am a big fan of chilies! When I heard that Zantac was holding a Canadian Chili Challenge I immediatly set to creating a new chili recipe. Chili, like bolognese, is one of those dishes that I just can't resist playing with and trying something new each time. When I find something that I like, it gets carried forward to the next version, etc. Since I started food blogging I have seen a lot of chili recipes and many of them call for ground beef. Although I am going to have to try a ground beef chili one of these days, I find it really hard to resist taking the chance to get a good braise on. There is just something with those chunks of beef that are so tender that they literally melt in your mouth. Another thing that I like about a nice braise is that it takes a long time so all of the flavours have a chance to come out and mingle.

Bacon is a magical ingredient that makes everything better and it certainly works well in chilies. The bacon adds a ton of flavour and you can use the bacon grease to brown the beef and saute the onions so that you don't loose any of the flavour. Although I often like to use fresh chilies in chili, in the Winter they can be hard to come by and dried chilies work just as well. I like to use a variety of chilies and I almost always include some chipotle chillies for their smoky goodness. Next up is the sticky debate about tomatoes and beans and whether they belong in a chili or not. I like chilies both with and without them and this time I decided to go with them to bulk out the chili a bit. Adding some vegetables and beans made me feel a little bit better about the bacon. ;) Once you have all of you basic ingredients you are of course going to need some liquid to do the braising in. You could use water but why not take the opportunity to add some flavour and use some beef stock or better yet some beer and/or coffee. In addition to your standard Texmex spices I like to add a bit of cinnamon and chocolate to the chili to add that hint of something exotic.

Join in on the fun of the Canadian Zantac Chili Challenge or feel free to vote for my beer braised chili con carne recipe when the voting starts in December.

Slow Braised Chili Con Carne

(makes 4+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 ancho chilies
2 pasilla chilies
2 chipotle chilies
2 chilies de arbol
4 slices bacon (cut into 1 inch slices)
1 pound beef (chuck roast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
1 onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (19 ounce) can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup coffee
1 beer
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon oregano
salt to taste
1/4 tablet Mexican chocolate (grated)
1 handful cilantro (chopped)

Directions:
1. Toast the ancho, pasilla, chipotle and de arbol chilies in a pan.
2. Cover in boiling water and let soak for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large pan and set aside retaining the grease in the pan.
4. Add the beef and brown on all sides in the bacon grease and set aside.
5. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
6. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
7. Add the bacon, beef, tomatoes, kidney beans, coffee, beer, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne and oregano.
8. Drain the chilies and blend in a half a cup of fresh water and add to the pot. (Tip: Add the chilies a bit at a time taste testing as you go to get it to the level of heat that you desire.)
9. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the beef is fork tender, about 3-5 hours, adding more liquid if required.
10. Add the Mexican chocolate.
11. Remove from heat and mix in the cilantro.

Similar Recipes:
Black Bean and Quinoa Chili
Squash Chili Mole
Chili Verde
Turkey White Chili

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Medjool Dates

The last time that I came across medjool dates I tried stuffing them with cream cheese and the sweet and savoury combination was really good. Since then I came across the idea of taking it one step further and wrapping the stuffed dates in bacon! You really just can't go wrong adding bacon to anything and I immediately knew that I would have to try it the next time that I came across some medjool dates. You can stuff the dates with pretty much anything and this time I went with my favorite cheese, gorgonzola and some spicy chorizo sausage. I was also thinking that almonds or even pieces of olives would also make a good date filling. The bacon wrapped stuffed dates are pretty easy to make. You just need to pit the dates, stuff, them, wrap them and then bake them for a few minutes. For the amount of effort these take to make, they are so worth it! The salty bacon wrapping goes so well with the sweet medjool dates! I really enjoyed both the tangy gorgonzola and the spicy Spanish chorizo sausage fillings. These bacon wrapped stuffed medjool dates would make a welcome addition to any party and with them being in season now they would be a perfect appetizer for your Thanksgiving dinner.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Medjool Dates

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
16 medjool dates
gorgonzola cheese (or other cheese or chorizo or almonds, etc.)
8 slices bacon (cut in half)

Directions:
1. Cut the dates open along one side and remove the pits.
2. Stuff the dates with their filling and wrap each in a slice of bacon.
3. Place the bacon wrapped dates into a baking pan with the seam of the bacon down.
4. Bake in a preheated 425F oven until the bacon is cooked and slightly crispy, about 12-16 minutes, flipping once in the middle.
5. Let cool and enjoy.

Similar Recipes:
Dates Stuffed with Cream Cheese
Figs Stuffed with Gorgonzola
Jalapeno Poppers