Apple Crisp

We keep getting apples in our farm share, and we keep forgetting to use them. And then it was cold and grey and there were buckets of rain, so I made apple crisp.

 

Those aren't all of our apples, and it turns out that five was the perfect number of apples, not seven. So we still have lots of apples, but now we have slightly less. (Seven apples might have been the right number, if I had been using a slightly larger pan.)

I largely made up the apple crisp recipe as I went, but I did measure everything, and kept track of it.  made a few calls to my mom, who has spent the past two falls living among apple trees and making lots of apple crisp with all the apples, and then I added things all on my own. Like fresh grated ginger, which makes it even more warming and delicious. The best part, of course, is the crumble on the top, all oat and butter and sugar and cinnamon and ginger (and some flour, to help make it all stick together). There is rather a ridiculous amount of butter in this recipe, it's not really healthy at all.

 

Like the oat mixture, there's cinnamon and ginger in the apples. There's also lemon juice and maple syrup and apple jack liquor. Stirred altogether and then poured in a greased pan and covered with topping.

 

Bake it. The butter should melt and the juices from the apples and maple syrup should soften up the oats. But if there are bits of oat that don't get wet and juicy, melt more butter, and pour it on. It's best warm with vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream. It's tasty without, too.

Apple Crisp

5 apples

1/2 c maple syrup

dash of apple jack

juice of one lemon

generous dash of cinnamon

grated ginger to taste

1 stick salted butter, frozen

1/2 c flour

2 c oats

1 c raw sugar

generous dash of cinnamon

grated ginger to taste

Cut, core, and peel the apples. I cut them into quarters, and then cut the quareters into sixths or eights, depending. Toss with cinnamon, lemon juice, ginger, and applejack.

Cut the stick of butter into the flour, until the flour is full of super small bits of butter. Add the oats, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Toss.

Pour the apples into a greased baking dish. Cover with the oat topping. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until crispy and brown.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Lemon Ginger Marshmallows

Lemon Ginger Marshmallows

I do realize I've been away from the blog forever. I moved and misplaced my camera and the I found my camera and I lost my card reader. I actually made the lemon ginger marshmallows back in July or August, and certainly lemon and ginger are more summer flavors than fall. But they were delicious, and they need to be shared.


Homemade marshmallows are an entirely different sort of beast than store-bought marshmallows the first time I ever made marshmallows I went with traditional vanilla, and they tasted, I swear, like the way vanilla extract smells. (I am an adult. I should be able to remember that vanilla extract doesn't taste like it smells, but I forget constantly.)


In a pot, mix together lemon juice, lemon zest, ginger, sugar, and corn syrup. There are tricks for working without corn syrup, and sometimes I use them and sometimes I don't bother. This was a corn syrup batch.


While all that is cooking, there should be gelatin and more lemon juice in the bowl of the mixer. This "proofs the gelatin" or something, it softens up. Candy thermometers are key, and when it reaches the right temperature, add it to the gelatin. I don't know what happens if you don't cook it hot enough, but if it gets a too warm, it caramlizes too much and doesn't beat.


I love my Kitchen Aid. Love. My old roommate had a thing against kitchen gadgets and would do things like make angel food cakes and chocolate mousse with a whisk instead of using my mixer. This is not an option with marshmallows, really, because you beat them for like fifteen minutes. And it's hot. And you beat it on high. If you don't have a good mixer, I recommend not making marshmallows.


As it whips, it turns white and fluffy. It's like magic. It's tons of fun. It goes from yellow syrup to white clouds. When it is almost finished, turn down the speed, slowly add vanilla extract, and then turn it back up to high. If you don't turn the speed down, the vanilla will splash on you. (Ask me how I know!) Pour it in a pan, powdered with powdered sugar and let it sit out to dry. I usually start marshmallows at night, and finish it up in the morning.



Put more powdered sugar on a cutting board, and pull the marshmallow. Cut it up, into cubes, and roll in powdered sugar. Rolling it in powdered sugar keeps them from sticking to each other.


And voila. Delicious lemon ginger marshmallows. It's worth noting that these marshmallows do not roast. They just melt back into sugar. This is true for all of my marshmallows. Do not try to make them in brownies or on sweet potatoes (not that I would ever try such a thing.)

Lemon Ginger Marshmallows

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 c regular white sugar
1 c light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 T vanilla extract
zest of at least two lemons
zested ginger root, to taste. I haven't overdone it on ginger yet.
confectioners sugar for dusting

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 c lemon juice in the bowl of an electric mixer. Let it sit while you cook the syrup.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, salt, lemon zest, ginger zest and 1/2 c lemon juice in a saucepan and cook on medium until the candy thermometer reads 240.

Set the mixer going slowly, and slowly pour the syrup into the gelatin. Once it has all been poured, gradually raise the speed to high. Beat on high until it is very thick and white, it takes about fifteen minutes. Turn down the speed, add the vanilla, and bring back up to speed.

Dust a pyrex 8x12 non-metal baking dish with confectioners sugar. Pour marshmallow into the pan, dust more. Let dry over night. Powder a cutting board with more powdered sugar, and cut. I use both a pizza rolling cutter and a paring knife. Roll in powdered sugar.