Cinnamon streusel crumb pie topping

This simple recipe is perfect for creating a Dutch-style crumb topping for apple or cherry pies.

Cinnamon streusel crumb pie topping

• 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Combine butter and sugar in a small bowl. Blend with a fork until creamy.
2. Mix in egg white and vanilla and stir until incorporated.
3. Sift flour, cinnamon and salt into butter mixture and stir until combined.
   
4. Refrigerate while making filling.
   
5. Crumble topping over filling, leaving some fruit showing so steam can escape from filling as pie bakes.
6. Bake pie according to recipe. Allow crumb topping to brown nicely. If edges brown to quickly, cover in aluminum foil and continue to bake.

Deep-dish Apple Pie

My recipe for a truly crowd pleasing apple pie. This pie can be baked double-crust style and dusted with delicious golden sugar, or Dutch-style with a sweet and crunch cinnamon streusel topping (refer to next recipe for a simple streusel topping).

Deep-dish Apple Pie

serves 6

For pie filling:

• 1/2 cup superfine bakers' sugar
• 3 tbsp plain all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• finely grated rind of 1 orange
• 2 lb tart cooking apples (pippin apples or granny smith are best)
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
  
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar or golden sugar
• whipped cream, to serve

For pastry:

• 3 cups plain all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup butter, diced
• 5 tbsp chilled water
• or use 2 pre-made pie shells.
  

1. If using a pre-made pie shell, skip to step 3.
   
2. To make pastry, sift flour and salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter. Sprinkle over the water and mix to firm, soft dough. Roll into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 mins.
3. Combine the bakers' sugar, flour, cinnamon and orange rind in a bowl. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Add to the sugar mixture, then toss gently.
   
4. Put a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 400 F. Roll out just over half the pastry and use to line a 9-inch pie dish that is 1 1/2-inch deep. Allow to overhang the edges slightly. Spoon in filling, doming it in the center.
   
5. Roll out remaining pastry to form lid. Lightly brush edges with a little water, then place the lid over the apple filling. Trim the pastry with a sharp knife. Gently press the edges together to seal, then knock up the edges. Re-roll the pastry trimmings and cut apples and leaf shapes (optional, mostly to make a fancy decorative top). Brush the top of the pie with egg white and arrange the pastry apples and leaves on top.
   
6. Brush again with egg white (or for the first time if omitting pastry cutout layer), then sprinkle with golden (or light brown) sugar. Make two small slits in the top of the pie to allow stem to escape.
   
7. Bake 30 minutes, then lower temperature to 350 F and bake for a further 15 minutes until pastry is golden and appled are soft - check by inserting a small sharp knife or skewer through one of the slits in the top of the pie. Serve hot, with some whipped cream.
   

American Pumpkin Pie

This is my favorite pumpkin pie recipe. It's perfect to help welcome in the holiday season!

American Pumpkin Pie

serves 8

For pie filling:

• 2lb piece of sweet pie pumpkin (not your garden variety Halloween pumpkins! These pumpkins are naturally sweeter and can be found at most grocery stores around the holidays)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 4tbsp light corn syrup
  
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp mixed spice or pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Confectioners' (powdered) sugar, for dusting
• 
  

For pie crust:

• 1 3/4 cup plain all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter, diced
  
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp chilled water
  
• or 1 pre-made pie shell (bottom only)

1. Skip ahead to step 3 if using a pre-made pie shell.
   
2. To make pastry, sift flour and salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter, then mix in egg yolk and enough chilled water to make a soft dough. Roll into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 mins.
3. Peel and seed pumpkin. Cut the flesh into cubes. Place in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender. Mash well until smooth, then spoon into a sieve (strainer) and set over a bowl to drain. Preheat oven to 400 F.
   
4. Roll out the pastry. Line a 9in loose based flan tin (pie baking pan). Prick base all over with a fork. Line with foil and baking beans (uncooked dry beans or uncooked rice can be used in place of ceramic baking beans). Chill for 15 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes, remove foil and beans, then bake further for 5 minutes.
   
5. Lower oven temperature to 375 F. Tip the pumpkin into a bowl and beat in the eggs, sugar, syrup, cream, spice and salt to make a smooth filling. Pour into the pastry shell. Bake for 40 minutes until set. Dust generously with icing sugar. Serve at room temperature.
   

Nutritional info per serving: 416 cal. ; 5.3g protein ; 38.2g carb. , 18.6g from sugar ; 28g fat, 16.9g saturated fat ; 114mg cholesterol ; 98mg calcium ; 1.9 fiber ; 360mg sodium.

knob craze

have you seen the wonderful assortment of drawer pulls and knobs available at Anthropologie?

tea, teapots, and tea party.

Teavana

http://www.teavana.com/

Location: Westfield Valley Fair, Santa Clara, CA

Some of the best tea I have tasted in a while.

I recommend:

Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls Green

and look, a tea pot for me:

a delicious experience

Cocola Bakery
delightfully delicious french breads and pastry

http://www.cocolabakery.com/

Location: Santana Row, Santa Clara, California

www.santanarow.com

may i recommend a heavenly sweet french macaroon or a sensational mango and passion fruit mousse :

Hopelessly Waiting

Hopelessly waiting and watching your every move
What would it be like to have
all the eyes on you
Tell me I'm beautiful why do I care if you say
You'rebeautiful, so beautiful
If you look deeper you might find there's somethingthat shines
I just want someone to read between the lines
They're all watching somebody else
won't you look at me
I'm not so bad, I'm not that bad
Once in a while I see through your eyes
And its not your style to leave me
Shamelessly hoping to be more than a girl in the crowd
Someone to notice me twice when they looked around
It seems everywhere that I look all the eyes turn away
Do you see me, can you see me
Once in a while I see through your eyes
And its not your style to leave me
Once in a while you're more than
you're seeming to be
But I go on living and waiting and dreaming that...
It would be great to know somebody cared about me
Thought I was more than justsomeone you pass on the street
Am I just nothing that you find remotely profound
What's wrong with me, what's wrong with you
What's wrong with me,what's wrong with you...
Hopelessly waiting and watching your everymove...
Why can't I see what is wrong
You must hate me that's too bad