Easy Apple Pie Recipe

Everyone loves apple pie! It's tender and crunchy at the same time, amazingly delicious! It might seem very complicated but it's so easy to make. It's a little bit embarrassing to say but this is my first time ever baking and eating apple pie in the U.S. This is also my first attempt trying to bake it but I must say, it's not as complicated as it seems. In fact, it's extremely easy that everyone can make it. So let's give it a try! 

Ingredients:

1. Pastry for 2 crust pie (2 frozen pie crusts) - I'm using frozen pie crusts for this recipe because I didn't have time to make my own pastry, but if you really want to make your own pastry, check out this pastry recipe. 
2. 6 Granny Smith (green) apples (or any other apples, I'm using Granny Smith apples because I don't like my pie to be too sweet)
3. 1/2 Cup brown sugar
4. 1/2 Cup white granulated sugar
5. 2 tsp. unsalted butter
6. 2 tsp. all-purpose flour or corn starch
7. 1 tsp. lemon juice 
8. 1/4 tsp. salt

Recipe:

Here are 6 fresh Granny Smith apples that I got from WholeFood!

1/ Peel and cut each apple into quarters.

Then slice each quarter into thin slices 

Put all the peeled and sliced apples into a big bowl

2/ Add 1/2 Cup of white granulated sugar and 1/2 Cup of brown sugar to the apples 

3/ Add 1/4 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. lemon juice and mix everything up well 

4/ Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to a few hours 

5/ Place the apples and their juices in a strainers that is placed over a large bowl for another 15-30 minutes. This will help to capture all the juices from the apples. If you bake apple pie right after without capturing the juice, it would be very watery; the fillings and the crust won't be combined.  

6/ Take the juice collected from the apples and boil over medium-high heat along with 2 tsp. of unsalted butter until the liquid is reduced to about 1/3 Cup and is lightly caramelized (syrup-alike texture)

(Alternatively, You can also put the juice in the microwave for about 5-7 minutes)

Frozen Pie Crust

Chilled pie crust 

7/ Meanwhile, take out the frozen crust and let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to soften

8/ Mix the drained apples slices with the cornstarch (or all-purpose flour) then pour the reduced syrup over the apples and toss well. 

9/ Pour the apples and the syrup into the chilled pie crust. 

10/ Place the top crust over the apples. Tuck any excess pastry under the bottom crust and them crimp the edges using a fork. 

11/ Using a sharp knife to make 5-6 slits (1.5 - 2 inches) from the center of the pie out towards the edge to allow the steam to escape.  After that, cover the pie with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill the pastry

12/ Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (225 degrees C) 

*Remember to place a pan or a piece of aluminum foil to capture the juices from the pie* 

13/ Bake for about 35-50 minutes or until the juices start to bubble through the slits. The apples should feel tender when a fork/knife is inserted to test through one of the silts. 

Optional: To make the pie achieves a beautiful golden brown color, lightly beat an egg to make a wash and brush onto the crust. 

Remove the pie from the oven and place on a write rack to cool about 3-4 hours before cutting 

The pie should have a beautiful golden brown color like this! :) 

Close-up on the center slits 

You can serve warm at room temperature with vanilla ice cream 

The fillings is very tender, not to sweet and buttery. The crust is crunchy and flaky. This apple pie is just perfectly delicious. Everyone can make this easy and yummy dish, give it a try! 

Cheers!

Happy cooking

Cher

August 12, 2013 

Banh Canh Cua - Vietnamese Thick Noodles in Crab Soup Recipe

Hello guys! Today I have decided to do something different. I have created a Youtube channel especially for this blog and I've uploaded my first (cooking) video! For this recipe, I have conducted all the information I found online and created my own version of Banh Canh Cua! If you live in any Asian country, lucky you because you'll be able to find every single ingredient from the original recipe. However, for some of you who are currently living in Western countries, I know it'd be harder for you guys to find such ingredients. I feel you haha! It's really hard to find the exactly same ingredients here in the United States, unless you live in California. So I've created this recipe especially for foreigners and studying abroad students. I hope you guys enjoy! 


Here is my video recipe on Youtube: 

Ingredients: 

Shrimp Cakes: 
1. 1/2 lb. of headless shrimp
2. 2-4 garlic gloves (mashed)
3. 1 tsp. of all-purpose flour/corn starch
4. 1 tsp. sugar
5. 1/2 tsp. salt
6. 1 tsp. pork/chicken powder
7. 1 Cup of vegetable (cooking) oil

Broth: 
1. 8 oz. of crab chunks
2. 5-6 shrimps with shells 
3. 1/2 tsp. sugar
4. Salt
5. Fish sauce
6. 1/2 tsp. pork powder
7. Shrimps shells (leftovers from Shrimp Cakes)
8. ~3 bowls of water

Coloring Oil:
1. Cooking oil
2. 1/8 Cup of Paprika 

Toppings: 
1. 6 oz. of crab meat
2. 1 tsp. fish sauce
3. 1 tsp. pork powder
4. Salt
5. 1/3 Paprika oil (from Coloring Oil Step)
6. Udon noodles/Vietnamese thick noodles 
7. 1/2 tsp. corn starch/tapioca starch 
8. Vietnamese Cilantro
9. Green onions/scallions 
10. Bean sprouts 
11. Straw mushrooms (optional)
12. 1/2 lb pork lean (optional)

Recipe:

1. Wash 1/2 lb. of shrimps under cool running water. Take off the shells (but don't throw them away!) and take out the black veins on the shrimps' backs (these veins are basically waste). Wash them once again and dry with kitchen towel. 

2. Mash about 2-3 gloves of garlic in pestle and mortar then put the shrimps in and continue mashing until combined. You can either marinate the shrimps before mashing or marinate the shrimps after mashing (Marinate with 1 tsp. of sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pork powder). After that, add about 1tsp. of corn starch in the shrimp paste to hold everything together. 

3. Heat a generous amount of cooking oil in a small skillet over high heat. Shape the shrimp paste into small and round balls (aka "shrimp cakes"). Wait until the oil is hot enough, lower the heat to medium then put the shrimp cakes in. There should be a 1/2 inch distance from each of the shrimp cakes to prevent sticking. Deep fry until the shrimp cakes reach golden brown color on both sides. Take them out and put on a kitchen towel to let the towel absorbs all the excess oil. 

4. Marinate 8 oz. of crab chunks and 5-6 shrimps (with shells) with 1 tsp. of sugar, a pinch of salt, a bit of fish sauce, and 1/2 tsp. pork powder. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

5. In a medium pot, pour in a little bit of cooking oil. Wait until the oil is hot enough, toss in some mashed garlic and stir until golden brown. After that, put in the shrimp shells in and stir until they're cooked. Put the shrimps & crab chunks mixture in the pot and stir until cooked. Then, add about 3 bowls of water (depends on the servings) then bring to a boil. After it's boiled, lower the heat to low and  shimmer for about 30 minutes - 1 hour. Season to your taste; I usually add pork powder/fish sauce.
*For this step, you can substitute the shrimp shells with pork bones/chicken bones. I couldn't get any the day I was cooking so I just improvised (and it also made the recipe easier).

6. Meanwhile, make the Paprika coloring oil. In a small skillet/pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Wait until the oil is hot enough, put in about 1/8 cup of Paprika powder and stir constantly until it's all dissolved and has a nice red color. Turn off the heat and pour the oil into a bowl.
*The original recipe requires annatto oil (from annatto seed) which I can't find it anywhere in the supermarket. But if you have it, you can substitute it with Paprika.

7. Marinate 6 oz. of crab meat with 1 tsp. of fish sauce, 1 tsp. of pork powder, a little bit of salt and 1 tsp. of sugar. You can also add the coloring oil to make the color appear better.

8. Heat up a small skillet with a bit of oil. Cook the crab meat for about 1-2 minutes then leave it aside.

For the toppings, you can also add some straw mushrooms in the broth if you like. Plus, you can also cook a small piece of pork lean in the broth/separate pot and cut it into thin slices to serve with the soup later on.

9. Pour 1/3 of Paprika coloring oil in the broth for better coloring.

10. Mix 1/2 tsp. of corn starch with water and pour it evenly on the surface of the broth then stir well; this will make the soup thicken. If you do not wish your soup to be thick, skip this step.

11. Either drain/cook the Udon/Vietnamese thick noodles in the broth and it out into a nice bowl.

And now, time for assembling!

12. Assemble the bowl of noodles with cooked crab meat, thin sliced pork, some deep fried shrimp cakes, Vietnamese cilantro, bean sprouts, scallions, fried shallots (optional) and pour the soup on top.

There you go, a delicious and traditional Vietnamese noodles in thick crab soup! :)

Happy cooking, 

Cheers,

August 7, 2013