Alsatian Apple Pie

Autumn is there, and for me the time to bake again delicious apple pie ! Here is one typical recipe of apple pie as we do it where I come from : 


Ingredients

400 g (14 ounces) pie dough – 4 apples  – 2 eggs – 10 cl cream (1/2 cup) – 10 cl (1/2 cup) milk – 100 g (4 ounces) caster sugar – 1 tablespoon vanilla sugarPreparation

• Preheat the oven to 210 °C (thermostat 7 – 410 °F).
• Place the dough in a pie dish that has been buttered or lined with waxed paper and prick it with a fork.
• Slice the apples and arrange them on the dough.
• Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, prepare the custard by mixing the cream, milk, sugar, eggs and vanilla sugar.
• Pour the mixture onto the pie after baking, then brown again in the oven.

Flammekueche

Let's talk about some typical dishes of where I come from , first of all, my favorite , the Flammekueche :

It’s an Alsatian dish composed of thin bread dough rolled out in a circle or a rectangle, which is covered with crème fraîche, onions, and lardons. It is one of the most famous gastronomical specialties of the region.
Depending on the region, this dish can be called in Alsatian flammekueche, in German Flammkuchen, or in French tarte flambée. There are many variations of the original recipe, in terms both of the dough and of the garniture.
Legend says that the creators of this dish were Alemannic farmers from Alsace, Baden or the Palatinate who used to bake bread once a week. In fact, the tarte was originally a homemade dish which did not make its urban debut until the "pizza craze" of the 1960's. A tarte flambée would be used to test the heat of their wood-fired ovens. At the peak of its temperature, the oven would also have the ideal conditions in which to bake a tarte flambée. The embers would be pushed aside to make room for the tarte in the middle of the oven, and the intense heat would be able to bake it in 1 or 2 minutes. The crust that forms the border of the tarte flambée would be nearly burned by the flames.
The name itself comes from this method of baking, the English translation of the original Alsatian name being "baked in the flames."

And here is the recipe :

Ingredients

Starter for the Dough

• ¼ cup flour
• ¼ cup moderately hot water 
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 package yeast

Dough

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup beer
• 6 tablespoons (¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons) milk

Covering

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium onion (3 ounces/85 grams), finely chopped
• 1 cup crème fraîche
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 4 pinches nutmeg
• 3 ounces/ 85 grams bacon, cut into matchsticks
• grated cheese (optional)

Procedure

1. Mix the starter ingredients together in a small bowl, cover tightly, and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.
2. When the starter is light and bubbly, mix the beer and milk into the mixture.
3. Put the flour and salt into a food processor (or do it with your hands, as I do), then, with the motor running, add the yeast mixture through the feeding tube. Process the dough until it forms a ball. Add very small amounts of additional flour or milk if necessary.
4. Process the ball until it is smooth, elastic, and warm, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.
5. Butter a medium-sized bowl, roll the ball around in the butter, then cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch down and let rise a second time.
6. While the dough is rising, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.
7. Combine the crème fraîche, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. 
8. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and fry the bacon until lightly browned, stirring constantly. Remove and drain through a strainer.
9. Heat the oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit / 200 degrees celcius.
10. Oil a baking sheet. Roll the dough until slightly smaller than the baking sheet. Place it on the sheet.
11. Spread the creme fraiche mixture over the dough, leaving a very small raised rim all the way around, then dot with the bacon and onions (you can also then add grated cheese).
12. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tart is lightly browned.

Junior's Famous Cheesecake : recipe of the best cheesecake I know !

Ingredients for One 9-inch Sponge Cake Layer

1/2 cup sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

3 extra-large eggs separated

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 drops pure lemon extract

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions for the Thin Sponge Cake Layer for Cheesecake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and generously butter a 9-inch springform pan. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

2. Beat the egg yolks together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes. Then, with the mixer still running, gradually add the 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until thick light-yellow ribbons form in the bowl, about 5 minutes more. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts.

3. Sift the flour mixture over the batter and stir it in by hand until no more white flecks appear. Then blend in the butter.

4. In a clean bowl, using clean dry beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high until frothy. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the whites should stand up in stiff peaks, but not be dry).

5. Stir about 1/3 cup of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whites (don't worry if a few white specks remain).

6. Gently spoon the batter into the pan. Bake the cake just until the center of the cake springs back when lightly touched, only about 10 minutes (watch carefully!). Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack while you continue making the cheesecake filling. Do not remove the cake from the pan.

Makes Enough for One Cheesecake

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Filling

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese (the regular variety not light Neufchatel cream cheese), at room temperature

1 2/3 cups sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions for the Cream Cheese Filling

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and generously butter a 9-inch springform pan. Make the batter for the sponge cake as the recipe directs Evenly spread the batter on the bottom of the pan, and bake just until set and golden, about 10 minutes. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool (do not remove it from the pan).

2. While the cake cools, make the cream cheese filling: Place one 8-ounce package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 mintues, then beat in the remaining 3 packages of cream cheese.

3. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, then beat in the vanilla and heavy cream. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating the bating only until completely blended (just like they do at Junior's). Be careful not to overmix the batter.

4. Gently spoon the cheese filling on top of the baked sponge cake layer. Place the springform pan in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake the cheesecake until the center barely jiggles when you shake the pan, about 1 hour.

5. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 1 hour. Then cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it's completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the sides of the springform pan.

6. Slide the cake off of the bottom of the pan onto a serving plate. Or if you wish, simply leave the cake on the removable bottom of the pan and place it on a serving plate. If any cake is left over, cover it with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Makes Enough for One 8-Inch Cake, About 2 1/2 Inches High

Ingredients for the Macaroon Crunch

1/2 cup chopped mixed nuts (almonds, peacans, and/or walnuts)

1/2 cup angel flake coconut

Ingredients for the Strawberry Topping

1 quart large ripe strawberries

1 cup strawberry jelly

1/2 cup apricot preserves

Directions for the Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and butter a 9-inch springform pan. Make and bake the sponge cake layer. Make the cheesecake filling and bake the cake as for Junior's Famous No. 1 Pure Cream Cheesecake. Transfer the baked cake to a wire rack to cool, about 1 hour.

2. While the cake is baking and cooling, make the macaroon crunch: Spread the nuts and coconut on a baking sheet and toast in a 350 F oven until golden and crunchy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set the crunch aside to cool.

3. To prepare the strawberries: Wash, hull, and sort through the strawberries, then pat them dry with paper towels. Starting at the outside edge of the cheesecake, arrange the berries on their sides, in rows, with ends pointing toward the edge of the cake. Continue until the top of the cake is completely covered by strawberries.

4. Now make the strawberry topping: Melt the strawberry jelly and apricot preserves together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Strain and drizzle the warm jelly over the berries.

5. Sprinkle the macaroon crunch ina 1 1/2-inch border around the edge of the cheesecake, covering the berries around the outside edge. Loosely cover the entire cake with plastic wrap, being careful not to let the glaze stick to the wrap.

6. Refrigerate the cake until it's completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the cake from the pan and serve it chilled. Wrap any leftover cake in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

 Source : http://www.wchstv.com "Cooking with Good Morning America"

Welcome !

Hello everyone and welcome to my new blog which will be about 2 of my passions:
- Cooking: I'll share with you my own recipes, my favorite recipes and my favorite dishes, but also the food I might try when I eat out.
- Travelling: when I'll be somewhere around the world, this blog will be my daily diary so that you can follow my trips.