apple + sage pie

 

happy official fall!!!!!!

i cannot contain my excitement. the pumpkins are on the front porch, the sweaters are out & the apple pie is in the oven. it is going to be a magical season my friends. soon the leaves will start changing & we can sip on all the hot apple cider our hearts desire! we are off to prince edward country this week for a little fall weekend getaway at the drake devonshire. however, before we are off i had to celebrate the arrival of fall with a pie!

today i am partnering with wüsthof canada to bring you the most delicious apple + sage pie. as you know by now, i love mixing savoury herbs into my sweet baked goods. they always pair so well together. once fall comes around, sage is my herb of choice. it has such a distinctive flavour that pairs perfectly with the naturally sweet apples.

to create this pie, i used wüsthof's classic ikon 8" chef's knife. it is the perfect multi purpose knife for both cooking & baking. i use a cook's knife for just about everything.. slicing, mincing, dicing & so on! even to clean cut pie dough so i can create beautiful lattice designs & braids. all of wusthof's knives are made in germany with a ergonomic handle design perfect for both the home cook & professioal chef. guess what?! i will be giving away one of these beautiful knives over on my instagram next week! be sure to keep an eye out. with the holiday's coming up, you are going to need a top knotch knife in your kitchen!

ingredients

for the sage pie dough

  • 3 cups all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed
  • 1/3 cup shortening, cold
  • ½ cup ice water
  • 1 egg, whisked with 1 tablespoon of water for egg wash

for the apple filling

  • 5-6 cups sliced apples
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

directions

for the sage pie dough

  • in a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, sage & salt.
  • add the butter & shortening. using your hands or a pastry cutter, work the fat into the flour until a pea-sized crumb mixture is formed.
  • add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture begins to come together.
  • shape into two even discs, wrap in cling wrap & refrigerate for a minimum of two hours.

for the apple filling

  • in a large mixing bowl toss together the apples, brown sugar, nutmeg, cornstarch, salt, vanilla extract and lemon juice. set aside while you prepare the dough. drain excess liquids.

for assembly

  • roll out one disc of dough to a 1/4 inch thick circle and transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. shape the dough & cleaning up the edges.
  • add the apple filling and evenly distribute throughout the baking dish.
  • roll out the remaining dough to 1/4 inch thick and create desired lattice top.
  • brush the top with an egg wash & bake at 375 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. if the crust begins to brown too soon, simply cover the top with foil.
  • let cool completly to room temperature before slicing & serving!

stovetop beef bourguignon

 

oh my gosh, you guys! this beef bourguignon is so good i don't even know where to start. i could seriously eat this dish every single day & not get sick of it. it uses simple ingredients & packs a ton of flavour. for all you red wine lovers out there this is for you. because wine is such an important part of this dish, i cannot stress enough that you should only use a quality bottle of pinot noir. i know a lot of people think it is okay to cook with a cheap wine (cough, mom), but the end results will suffer.

i prepared this dish in the most beautiful strate by cristel stew pan. the strate line is a french made collection of stainless saucepans & cookware with a modern design. it looks so pretty on that french range too, doesn't it! the coolest part about these pots & pans is that they offer removable handles & grips. so not only can you switch it from a sauce pot, to a double handled pot.. but you don't need to add the handles until you are ready to remove the pot from the stove top! a.k.a. no more burning your hands on hot handles & you can serve it straight from the pan. lastly, by removing the handles it helps save space! you can stack & fit up to 26 pots in one pot drawer. for someone who is always running out of storage space in the kitchen, this is an amazing feature.

anyways, i hope you love this recipe as much as i do! the weather will be chilly soon (fingers crossed) & we are going to need all the cozy meals to warm us up.

ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 pound double smoked bacon, diced
  • 2 pounds fresh stewing beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4-5 medium carrots, sliced into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 large cooking onion, sliced
  • 3 cups quality pinot noir (i used cambria wines pinot noir)
  • 2 cups low sodium beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 1 pound pearl onions, whole
  • 1 pound small cremini mushrooms, halved
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 pound pappardelle, cooked to al dente (see notes)

directions

  • add olive oil to a large pot over medium heat & add the bacon. cook until bacon is lightly browned & transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon. set aside until ready to use.
  • add the beef cubes, working in single layer batches. sear the beef on each side until browned & season with salt + pepper. transfer to a bowl & set aside until ready to use
  • in the same pot add 2 tablespoons of butter, followed by the garlic, carrots & sliced onions. Season with salt + pepper & cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
  • add the bacon & beef back to the pot, followed by the pinot noir, beef stock, tomato paste & 1 tablespoon of thyme. place the lid on the spot & bring to a gentle simmer. let cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
  • in the last 30 minutes, add the pearl onions to the pot & begin to prepare the mushrooms.
  • in a skillet over medium heat melt together the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter & 1 teaspoon of thyme. add the mushrooms & season with salt + pepper. cook, constantly stirring, for 10 minutes until the mushrooms begin to soften.
  • spring the mushrooms with the flour & transfer to the pot. stir to combined & let simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

NOTE: i like to cook the pappardelle pasta to al dente & toss is with a little olive oil, salt + pepper. this gives in a light flavour base & ensures the noodles don't stick together.

broccoli, feta + chicken quiche

 

this post was created in partnership with saputo! the opinions on this blog, as always are my own. you can follow ingredients by saputo on facebook, instagram + pinterest for more recipe inspirations.

to me, fall means baking ALL the cozy pies & comfort dishes. this quiche is the best of both worlds! a comforting cheesy filling, in a flaky & buttery pie crust. what is there not to love? this quiche packs so much flavour with the mixture of feta cheese, broccoli & chicken. if you didn't think quiche was your thing, this recipe will make you change your mind! it can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

for the feta cheese, i use Woolwich dairy feta cheese which is made from 100% goat's milk (the way feta should be made). the goat feta cheese offers the perfect amount of saltiness & tang to the dish. while i opted to make a pastry dough from scratch, if you are looking for a quick meal to whip up on a weeknight, don't hesitate to use a store bought crust! the filling is what brings the flavour.

happy fall!!! what dishes will you be cooking up this season?

ingredients

for the pastry

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed
  • 1/4 cup ice water

for the filling

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cups diced broccoli, blanched
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup nutrilait 35% whipping cream
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup roasted chicken breast, diced
  • 3/4 cup woolwich goat cheese feta, crumbled

directions

for the pastry

  • in a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt & pepper.
  • add the butter. using your hands, work the butter into the flour mixture until a pea sized crumb mixture is formed.
  • add the water one tablespoon at a time until dough begins to come together.
  • shape into a disc & wrap in plastic wrap. refrigerate for 60 minutes, while you prepare the filling.

for the filling

  • in a skillet over medium heat add the oil, garlic & onions. cook until the onions begin to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • add the broccoli. season with salt & pepper. cook for an additional 2 minutes. remove from heat & let cool to room temperature.
  • in a separate large mixing bowl whisk together the cream & eggs until fluffy. season with salt & pepper.
  • stir in the chicken, feta cheese & broccoli mixture. set aside while you roll out the pastry dough.
  • roll out pastry dough to 1/4 inch thick. transfer to a 9-inch round pie dish & crimp edges as desired.
  • pour the filling into the pie shell & smooth the top to evenly distribute filling.
  • brush crust with egg wash.
  • bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.