Thursday, October 03, 2013

Polly's Lazy Apple-Plum Pie

Why do I call it Lazy?  because I couldn't wait to go to sleep for an hour.  So I thought what would a busy person do?  Buy a pie.  But I have tons of Fuji Apple and end of summer plums.  So the next tactic is to precook the Pie Filling ahead; then bake them in pie shells.   It worked out great!   It tasted so good.


Ingredients for Pie Shell:
2-1/2 C AP Flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 C Vegetable Shortening
1/2 C Butter - (1 Stick Butter, sliced into 8 pieces)
6 TB ice cold water
Cut shortening into flour with your fingers.   Leaving big chunks about the size of nickle, here and there.
Add 5 Tablespoons of ice cold water.   Mix.  Add more water to gather all dry flour off the side of the bowl.
Knead into a ball in 'Folding' motion, sometimes give a bit of push down with the palms of your hand. Repeat for 1-1/2 minutes.  Divide the dough into 2.  One larger than the other for the deep pie dish.  Wrap up and refrigerate for min. 30 min to relax the dough.

Ingredients - Pie Filling:
Peel, Core and slice 2 lb Fuji Apples - 1/2 inch thick - Do not cut into small pieces.
Peel, Core and slice 1 lb Plum
Squeeze lime juice over the apple in a large bowl as you place them into a bowl
1/4 C KATAKURIKO - Japanese Potato Starch
3/4 C Regular Sugar
1/2 C TRUVIA
1 Stick Butter sliced into 8 pieces
Add 6 slices of butter into a saute pan, and add sugar on top.  Turn heat to Medium Low.  Let the butter to melt, but do not brown.
Add fruits on top.  Fold over to mix well.  Cook until apple is 90% tender over Medium heat.  Stir often.  Do not leave kitchen.
The mixture should be hot and bubblish.
Mix Potato starch in a small dish with 2 TB water.   Make a space in the center of the fruits mixture.  Add the slur.  Stir immediately.  It will thicken the fruits mixture rather quickly.  Cook for 45 sec to a minute.
Turn off and cool right away with fan.
 Make sure the pie filling is cool, but Warm is okay.   *The idea is that it is not so hot that it will "melt" the shortenings in the pie shell.  But warm enough that it will be bubbly while the pie shell is being browned.
 Preheat oven to 400'F.
Prepare Pie Shell.  Brush inside of the shell with beaten egg white to keep from 'soggy' shell.  Save the Egg Yolk in a separate bowl.
 Add the pie filling.  Transfer the Prepped Pie tops to the top and crimp the edge of the pie shells over or any way you like.  Mix egg yolk with some water.  Brush pie shell.
 Bake till the shell is nice and beautiful.

Enjoy!

Celebrating at KENZO All You Can Eat Sushi, Campbell

 Wow! Beautiful colors.





Naaaa.... guys had these.  I stayed with the delicious Bento Box.

Tasty Meal Recipe from Sambazon Diet Book

Since I have to watch out for Salt intake, I started on this SAMBAZON diet.  Just to keep me on track and away from too much salty food.
 
 What!  I thought it was for a Single serving.  So I stack two patties of vege burgers.  Found out that the recipe was for two servings.  But I was so hungry.  I enjoyed both patties.
Vege burgers, shredded veges - kale, lettuce, red and green cabbage, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, fresh organic home grown tomato slice, sauteed mushrooms with onions, sliced avocado.  
 Lightly sauteed beet greens, vegetable mix, beets, and topped with orange slices.  Slightly seasoned with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar.

Year 2013's Home Grown Veges and Fruits

 Very first home grown Cantaloupe.  I thought it was watermelon!
 



 Japanese FUYU KAKI
 Home Grown Heirloom Tomatoes from my mom's garden.


Camping at Henry Coe State Park

Just Beautiful.




 Can you tell if this crawdad in the Frog Lake is alive or not?   So I used a stick to gently poke at it - we all screamed! in surprise.  It is alive.   Sorry Mr. Crawdad.  We didn't know you were enjoying a Mud Bath.


 And of course, what is a camping without the candy raid by a 3 feet tall Raccoon.

Updates on Lotus Seed Germination - My Pink Lips Lotus Seeds

This is the 3rd years of Pink Lips, and it has given me many joyful hours.   The 2nd Blossom produced 16 seeds that germinated.  Strangely this year, the germination took many days, contrary to the first year, it only took few hours to sprout and start to grow within 2 days.  These groups took more than 2 weeks+.  Regardless I am so very thankful for their rebirth.  I hope I can keep them alive through the winter, as the other two - CHAWANBASU and PINK LADY have decided to return to earth after last year.



 


 Breached Sprouting!!!

 Finally after two weeks later...   (using clean egg shells to keep them from floating.)




 Time to transplant to their permanent home.