Homemade Shallot, Currant and Cranberry Sauce

I love cranberry sauce, I love it on everything. This year I choose to dress up mine with some excellent bourbon, shallots, butter, dried currants and of course, cranberries. I love to eat it cranberry sauce but I also love to make it. It is so tootin easy. So, please do make some and enjoy you for your holiday season. 

What you need: 

1 tablespoon of butter

2 shallots diced

1/2 cup of dried currants

1 bag of fresh cranberries

1/2 cup of honey

1 oz of bourbon

salt to taste

What you do: 

1. Saute the shallots with butter over medium heat until tender and translucent. 
2. Add the currants, cranberries, and honey. Cook over medium heat until the cranberries burst, stirring occasionally to ensure the bottom does not scorch. 
3. Add the bourbon and cook for another minute or two. 
4. Let cool off of the heat and enjoy. 

As always, much love, many blessings, and happy Christmas! 

Apple Pie

So this is my apple pie recipe as of yesterday, it changes often and without notice, but we all really enjoyed the current incarnation. I prefer a crumb crust to a double crust, because I love the crunchy texture. I like to cook my apples ahead of time because I think it makes them taste better and less runny in the pie. I add slivered almonds because that is what I had handy but you could add any nut or even oats to the top crumble.

Here is what you need: 

A pie crust any good pie crust either homemade or store-bought

8-10 apples depending on size

1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice or your own spice blend

1/4 cup of brown sugar for the filling 

1/2 cup of water

1/2 a lemon squeezed for juice

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup of nuts or oats

1/4 cup of brown sugar for the topping

2 Tablespoons of melted butter

Here is what I did: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 

2. Peel and slice your apples. I love using my mother's apple corer slicer tool. I don't know why I just do. Dump them in a heavy bottomed skillet, add the spices, sugar, water, and lemon juice, let cook for 10 minutes or so while you roll out your dough and make the pie crumble topping.  

3. Roll out your dough and lay your pie crust in your baking dish. I like a glass pie dish so you can check the bottom of the pie to make sure it is done. 

4. In a bowl mix together the flour, nuts/oats, brown sugar, and melted butter. Mix with your fingers until you have some clumps, some dust, and some rubble. This would be an excellent job if you have a little chef in the kitchen providing they have clean hands and won't eat it all. 

5. Ladle your apples into the pie crust using a slotted spoon, so that you don't bring in extra liquid. You can save that delicious juice for something else, but you don't want it in your pie because it will make your crust soggy. 

6. Put the crumble topping over the apples and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the apples are bubbling and the crumble is toasted gold brown.

7. Let the pie cool and enjoy with coffee and ice cream or whipped cream, and good friends.

As always, lots of love, many blessings, and happy baking.