Apple-Banana no-crust Pie

Main Ingredients

Ingredients (Serve 4):

• 3 Cooking organic Apples
• 2 Organic ripe Bananas
• 3 Tablespoons of Organic No-salt Butter
• 1 free range Egg
• 1 teaspoon of Ginger Powder
• 1/2 cup of Organic Powered Sugar
• 2 tablespoons of organic stone-ground Whole Flour
• 1/2 cup of organic Half & Half
• 1 teaspoon of pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 tablespoon of Cognac
• Natural Parchment Paper

How to do it:

• Cut the Parchment paper to fit the bottom of a baking pan and butter lightly the Parchment with a Butter Stick.

• In the bowl # 1 mix the melted Butter, Sugar, Half & Half, Egg, Vanilla and Cognac.

• Add slowly the Flour and mix well.

Bowl # 1

• Cut the Bananas in small pieces and crush them in bowl # 2 with a fork until you get a paste.

Bowl # 2

• Peel, remove the seed and cut the Apples in small pieces and mix in the the bowl #2 with the banana.

Bowl # 2

• Pour content of bowl # 1 into bowl # 2 and mix very well.

Pour bowl # 1 into bowl # 2

• Pour the content of bowl # 2 in the baking pan. Arrange the mixture with more of it at the center and less at the edge of the pan.

• Bake in the oven at 250 for 2 hours.
• Before serving dust with Powered Sugar and put in the oven at 450 for 5 minutes, it will caramelize the top.

• Serve and enjoy!

A portion of the Apple-Banana no-crust Pie on a serving plate

Choucroute Garnie Alsacienne (Sauerkraut Alsatian style)

The main ingredients

The finish product served on a plate

Ingredients to serve 4:

NOTE: Made with ingredients generally available in US and Canada

• 2 lb of Organic Sauerkraut
• 3 Tablespoons of Goose or Duck Fat (if not available use unsalted butter)
• 1/2 lb Natural Salted Cured Pork
• 2 Smoked Pork Shops (about 1/2 lb each)
• 4 Knackwursts (natural - cooked)
• 6 Uncured Wieners Sausage 
• 8 Small Potatoes
• 1 Onion medium size
• 2/3 Cup of Riesling White Wine
• 1/2 Cup of Organic Chicken Broth
• 1 Teaspoon of Garlic Granules
• 4 Coriander Seed
• 4 Juniper Berries
• Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

How to do it:

• Wash well the Sauerkraut, press it to remove the excess water and then press in a cloth to remove more water.
• Spice bag: in a cheese cloth put the Coriander Seeds, the Juniper Berries, and the Garlic Granules.
• Mince the Onion and cut the Salted Cured Pork in slices (1/4 inch thick).
• In a cast iron skillet put the minced Onion, the Duck Fat and the slices of the Salted Cured Pork.  Heat at medium until the onions are very translucent.

• In an Oven Pan put at the bottom half of the Salted Cured Pork slices.
• Put on top half of the Sauerkraut and half the Onions.
• Bury in the Sauerkraut the Spice bag.
• Put over the Smoked Pork Shops and cover them with what is left from the onion.

• Cover with what is left from the Sauerkraut and cover with the Knackwursts (poke their skin with a knife).
• Pour the Wine and Chicken Broth.

• Salt and Pepper.
• Cover and put in the oven at 275 for 1 hour 30 minutes.

• Peel the Potatoes and boil them for 10 minutes in water with Salt and Garlic Granules. Remove the Potatoes from the water and keep them aside warm.
• Remove the Choucroute from the oven and put the Potatoes on top. Cover and cook in the oven at 225 for 30 minutes.
• Put the wieners (poke their skin with a knife) 5 minutes in boiling water before serving the Choucroute.

Note: You can let cool the Choucroute after cooking and keep it in the fridge. Reheat in the oven within the next 2 days at 250 for 30 to 40 minutes.

• Serve the Choucroute.

Choucroute serving on a plate

D.I.Y Cooking Handbook

From the New York Times Online.  

Click the picture below to get the links
to the recipes.

The recipes in the D.I.Y. Cookbook are:
Chinese Chili-Scallion Oil
Chocolate-Hazelnut Paste
Corn Muffin Mix
Crème Fraîche
Cultured Butter
Fresh Cheese
Horseradish Beer Mustard
Kimchi
Maple Vinegar
Preserved Lemons
Tesa (Cold-Cured Pork Belly)
Tomato Chili Jam
Vin d'Orange

Chilean Salsa

From the Fast Company website

Apple Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
• 1/2 cup chopped Onion
• 4 (1/2-inch thick) natural Pork Chops (with bone)
• Salt to taste
• Ground Black Pepper to taste
• 3 cooking Apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/2 tablespoon Hot Mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1 table spoon of Lemon Juice
• 3/4 cup Dry White Wine

How to do it:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

• Seasoning: In a small bowl, combine and mix well Hot Mustard, Lemon Juice, Cloves and White Wine.

• Heat 1 table spoon of Coconut Oil in large skillet. Saute Onion in oil until tender. Remove Onion and set aside.

• Brown Pork Chops on both sides in 1 table spoon of Coconut Oil.

• Place chops in a baking dish.

• Brush the Pork Chop with the Seasoning on both sides

• Cover the chops with the Apples and cooked Onion.

• Pour the Seasoning over.

• Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes

• Enjoy!   

Served in your plate