Apple hand pies, because I love making pie dough, and this small size is easier to share with friends than an actual pie. I used mostly butter (for flavor) in the crust, because I only had about 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening (for tenderness) at home. I chopped the apples up and sauteed in butter with brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of ground cloves. After filling and baking the hand pies, I glazed them with a powdered sugar and water mixture. The perfect 2 - 3 bite dessert!
Making apple pies also gave me another chance to test out my new oven! (The 22 year old one died on Easter Sunday.) The new one is a GE, and thankfully it was on sale at Lowe's.
Next up, broccoli slaw with apples. This is a nice and healthy dish too. I used half a bag of broccoli slaw, and then julienned (matchstick cut) some of the apples. For the dressing, I used mayo (you could use Greek yogurt or sour cream), apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, grainy Dijon mustard, and roasted, chopped walnuts for extra crunch.
Central Market takes their day old Seedsation bread, and cuts them really thin and bakes them to make crisps or toasts, whatever you want to call them. Either way I love them! Using them as the base, I put a very thin layer of Austin Slow Burn Green Chile Jam on them, and topped with a piece of jamon serrano (you can use prosciutto or speck), aged manchego cheese (sheep's milk cheese from Spain), and thin apple slices. A couple of these and the broccoli slaw were perfect for dinner. And as the weather starts to get hotter, no-cook meals become a necessity.
