une tarte aux pommes

mmckean — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:35:01 +0000

Hello my little foodies. Last weekend for the first time this year, it felt like fall (here in Florida, we are a little behind the times)! It was wonderful! So, in the spirit of autumn, I opened the windows and baked a french apple tart. And boy, was this one GOOD tart! I used a recipe from the fabulous Ina Garten after being inspired by this blog post on yet another one of my favorites. I decided to make a gluten and dairy free version of the tart with as little sugar as possible. Yum, yum, yum!

Delicious looking granny smiths

GF baking mix

I went to our lovely Greenwise Publix and bought some delicious granny smith apples, some organic sugar and some gluten free baking mix, which seemed a wise option, as xanthum gum (highly recommended for gf baking) was $13.99 a bag. The mix included white and brown rice flours, garbanzo bean flour, xanthum gum and salt.

I wish I could give you the recipe I used, but beyond using Ina’s recipe as a basis, I pretty much made it up as I went along. I used Earth Balance soy butter for half the butter amount the recipe called for and for the other half I used applesauce. I must say, the tart turned out better than I imagined and it was beyond tasty. I ate about half of it while it was still warm and saved the rest for the next day (or about one hour later).

voila! une tarte aux pommes!

the apples made such a pretty design

les onions

mmckean — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:45:10 +0000

I must admit I have been slow to jump on the onion train, but am quickly starting to realize the benefits of cooking with these little guys. For starters, there is a rather large variety of onion types to choose from, meaning there is an option for almost any meal. I am especially partial to red onion, but after tonight’s meal, I think I have a new favorite.

After reading this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, I decided to make a variation for myself. The recipe calls for cipollini or boiling onions, which are small mild white onions that are usually used whole in stews and soups. I decided to cook them and add them, along with some tomato, to haricots verts, and let me tell you- SO GOOD! The onions baked up soft and sweet, almost like carmelized onions but without all the butter and brown sugar. I am already envisioning how I can use them again. The recipe was super simple and along with my favorite tuna burgers, made a quick and satisfying meal.

Because the onions are so small, I made them easier to peel by putting them in boiling water for 10 seconds and then tossing them into a bowl of cold water. Then I made a slit down the side of each with a small knife and peeled off the outer layer. Once peeled, I put the onions on a baking sheet with small olive oil and a little salt, stuck them in the oven at 350 degrees and let them cook for about 40 minutes, turning them over every 15 minutes (until they are soft and the outside is blistered). Once the onions were done, I put them in a pot with green beens I had previously boiled for 3.5 minutes and blanched and a chopped up tomato, added some red wine vinegar, a pinch of parsley for fun, salt and pepper and was finished. Super simple, healthy and soooo good.

yummy ingredients

le bon plat

une tarte aux pommes

les onions