A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

Welcome Fall: Apple Pie in Finnish Cream Pastry

  

Welcome Fall!  I love fall with it's cooler days, smells of leaves and fireplaces and a bazillion scents of different apples in the produce section.  Yesterday, I decided to celebrate that apple smell in a big way. I also decided to take a new cookbook out for a walk around the block.

I've lately been thinking about my heritage, Swedish on both sides with lots of Norwegian, and a little Irish and Scottish mixed in.  I guess I can't regret something I didn't have a hand in, so instead let's say that I miss that my family has no Scandi recipes handed down from the Great-greats.  I wish I had some little "My great-great grandmother's sweet buns" or some such recipe in my repetoire but since there isn't I decided to explore on my own and find some new traditions based on other people's old ones.  One of the books I chose was The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas.  Finnish by birth, her parents immigrated to the northern states where she lived in a primarily Scandi community.  She's since traveled and lived in several Scandi countries, collecting favorite recipes along the way.

While I departed from her apple pie recipe when it came to filling, I absolutely loved, highly reccommend, and will use again the cream pie crust.  Rich but very flaky, the pastry was the perfect counterpoint to the crisp clean taste of the apples.

Mmmmm...Peach Cobbler Made of Brandied Peaches from the Amish Country Store

 

When you have fruit this good on its own, you don't need a lot of accoutrement.  Gene and I both love the brandied peaches we get from The Amish Country Store in Branson. We like to eat them straight out of the jar with a fork but if I pick up an extra couple of jars when I go I try to also save one to throw into a cobbler.  One quart is the perfect little cobbler for Gene and I for dinner and then  some leftovers for Gene's breakfast.

Here's the recipe:  remove peaches from the jar and slice.  In a bowl, mix the peaches with a Tbsp of all purpose flour, and a couple of Tbsps of juice from the jar.  Turn that into a greased 8"x8" pan or even a 9" or 10" round cake pan.  Then cover it with a pre-made pie crust from the freezer (my own or commercial).  Last night I got a little artsy and decided to roll roses and cut leaves out of the leftover crust. Brush egg white over the crust and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until crust is browned and peaches bubble.

It's that simple.

 

Check the blog Foodie Rachel out.  For one, it's a great blog, and for two, she also is a southwest Missouri blogger who's a big Amish Country Store fan.  Loved the baby marshmallows she bought.