Apple Pie with Oat Streusel

This could easily be called The Great Deflating Pie.  That's probably a good thing. Apples get soft when they get baked, so when the filling first gets added to the crust, it is an eye-popping  mountain of apple. While baking, the apple softens, the voids between slices are filled and the mountain of apple lowers into an even, dense, layer of apple goodness (with some golden brown sugar, cinnamon and allspice mixed in).

Oats are rolled into the outside of the crust and the topping (thankfully tolerant of all of these volume shifts) is a streusel of golden brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, butter and oats.

It's a wholesome, homey comfort dessert perfect for this time of the year.

Poached Apples with Vanilla Yogurt

This is definitely one of the most luxurious desserts this week.

The base of the dish is Greek style yogurt with honey and the seeds of a vanilla bean. Placed on top of that is an apple that was poached in a Syrah (a fruity red wine) with sugar, orange juice, orange peel, lemon peel, cinnamon and star anise. It's topped with a syrup made from the Syrah mix.

The combination should be assembled immediately before serving. Orders for this will be filled by providing separate containers with each of the three elements for assembly when served. While samples included portions of an apple, each serving should be an entire apple, cored, but intact, for an elegant individually plated dish.

Grape and Apple Pie

Why should apples have all of the fun? What about grapes? Grape and Apple Pie?  Can I call it a Grapple Pie? Call it what you want to call it, but it's great pie and it is bubblelicious!

The crust is home-made. The dough is a little bit tricky to work with but definitely worth the effort.  No pre-made crusts in this kitchen. I realize that may mean that I'm a glutton for punishment but I don't care. I just like it better. It tastes better and there is more flexibility in terms of pie size and decor. The filling is simple, having apples, grapes,sugar and flour.  The tragedy is that it is almost too pretty to eat. When I cut this one up to give away samples, it kind of broke my heart.