Mushroom Calzones

Adapted From both:
• 1,001 Low-fat Vegetarian Recipes by Sue Spitler
• Michele Decoteau’s March 2009 Casserole Club recipe

Ingredients

16 oz (2 cups) sliced or chopped mushrooms
½ c. chopped onion
2 T minced garlic
1 t. basil (dried)
1c. ricotta cheese
1 c. mozzarella cheese
2 T. parmesan cheese (I may have forgotten this in casserole club but I'm including here b/c I recommend it)
¼ c. sour cream

1 package dry hot roll mix (16 oz.)
1 ¼ c. very hot water (120 degrees)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Skim milk, to glaze

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Spray skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot. Add mushrooms, onion, garlic and basil to skillet. Cook, covered over medium heat until mushrooms have wilted, about 5 minutes. Cook, uncovered until vegetables are tender, 5-8 minutes.

2. Mix sautéed vegetables, cheeses and sour cream; season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Make hot roll mix according to package directions for pizza, using 1 ¼ c. hot water and 1 T. olive oil. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Flatten 1 piece of dough on floured surface into 6-7-inch circle. Spoon about 2/3 c. mushroom mixture onto dough. Fold in half. Press edges of dough together and pinch. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

4. Brush tops of calzones with milk. Bake calzones at 375 degrees until browned 15-20 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 5 minutes before serving.

NOTE: If freezing, bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes, allow to cool completely, then place on cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper in freezer. Freeze completely, then place in labeled freezer bags. To bake from frozen, glaze with milk and bake on lightly greased cookie sheet in preheated 375 oven for about 40 minutes, or until golden.

Cappuccino Bites

1/3 c butter, softened
1 c packed brown sugar
2/3 c baking cocoa
1 T instant coffee
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1 egg
1/3 c vanilla yogurt
11/2 c flour
1/3 c sugar

Cream butter then blend in brown sugar, cocoa, coffee, baking soda, and cinnamon. Mix in egg whites and yogurt. Blend in flour. Place sugar in a small bowl. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls into sugar. Roll into one-inch balls. Arrange two inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Makes 21/2 dozen - 3 dozen.

Apple Crisp

INGREDIENTS
Fruit Mixture:
7 apples - I used 2 macoun, 2 Cortland, and 3 Granny Smith
2 T lemon juice
1/4 C granulated sugar
1/8 C all-purpose flour
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg

Topping:
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C light brown sugar, packed
1/2 C oats
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
1/2 C butter

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Peel, core, and cut the apples into slices. Place apples in a large bowl and toss with rest of Fruit Mixture ingredients.

Combine Topping Ingredients. Most recipes I’ve read say to cut the butter into the mix, but I’ve always softened it in the microwave till mushy and stirred it all together.

Spread the topping (it will be chunky/crumbly) as evenly as possible on top of the apples.

Bake uncovered in oven for 30-45 minutes – until top is lightly browned and fruit is bubbly.

Note, this is also good with chopped, fresh cranberries tossed in the Fruit Mixture.

Toasted Coconut Creme Pie

This pie may also be made with a chocolate graham cracker crust, which sounds great. I took the easy way out and purchased deep dish ready-made pie crusts after making this one from scratch, which was too labor intensive for me.

Coconut Cream Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon coconut extract

Topping
2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/4 cups chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon coconut extract

For crust: Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle 4 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Process just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic. Chill 1 hour. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to 14-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold overhang under. Crimp edges decoratively. Pierce bottom of crust all over with fork. Freeze crust 15 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep frozen.) Preheat oven to 375°F. Line crust with aluminum foil. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 20 minutes. Remove weights and foil. Bake until golden and set, about 10 minutes. Cool. (Crust can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature.)

For filling: Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, egg yolk, and flour in medium bowl. Bring milk and coconut to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add hot milk mixture to egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return to same saucepan; cook until pastry cream thickens and boils, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in vanilla and coconut extracts. Transfer pastry cream to medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface to prevent formation of skin. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. Transfer filling to crust. Cover; chill overnight.

For topping: Toast coconut in heavy small skillet over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Cool completely. Using electric mixer, beat cream, sugar, and coconut extract in medium bowl until peaks form. Spread whipped cream all over top of filling. Sprinkle evenly with toasted coconut. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Serve cold.

Pumpkin Maple Pie

Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Streusel Topping

Recipe makes two pies

Pie Crust

From Cooks Illustrated

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon table salt

2 tablespoons sugar

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening , cut into 4 pieces

1/4 cup vodka , cold

1/4 cup cold water

Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Pumpkin Maple Pie Filling

From Moosewood Restaurant Celebrations Cookbook

32 ounces pumpkin puree

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

5 eggs

2 cups milk, half-and-half or evaporated skim milk

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine all ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Pour into prepared pie shell. Bake at 375 degrees for 55-65 minutes. Add Streusel topping half way through baking.

Streusel Topping

8 Tablespoons Butter

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup flour

Mix sugar and flour together. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.

Aunt Pat's Cranberry Pie

At the intersection of pie, cake, and the abundance of fall harvest in New England is Aunt Pat's Cranberry Pie. This is not really a pie and not really a cake but a dessert that fully celebrates our state berry. Combining tart cranberries, flavorful walnuts and a luscious moist cake, this simple pie is the perfect antidote to the array of sweets and chocolate of the season.

Combine 2 cups of cranberries, 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts with 1/2 cup sugar. Put this in a generously greased pie plate or round cake pan depending on which side of the pie and cake debate your preferences lie.

In a separate bowl, combine 2 eggs, a pinch of salt, 1 cup unbleached flour, and 1 stick of melted margarine. A note from Aunt Pat reminds us to learn from her mistakes and not to substitute butter. Oh the mystery....

Pour the batter a top the cranberries and nuts. I like to mix things up, as you well know, and tend to stir this batter into the berries a bit to better combine. Sprinkle the top with a touch of sugar to make a crispier top.

Bake in a 350' oven for 40-50 minutes or until a cake tester, or a toothpick in my hands, comes out clean. This dessert needs to cool before serving. If you absolutely cannot wait, you will find that there is a sugar syrup on the bottom. This will reabsorb into the cake as it cools.

Serve with good friends and a really good vanilla ice cream.

For the swap, I would slide the frozen pie in to a preheated oven and plan to wait about an hour or even a bit longer before it is done baking.

Breton Apple Pie

Summary:
A gateau Breton is a specialty of Brittany; this nontraditional version adds a cooked-apple filling between 2 layers of dough with a cakelike texture.
You'll need a 10-inch round cake pan, 2 inches deep, and two 10-inch or larger cardboard disks or tart bottoms.
Keep the Breton loosely covered with plastic wrap at room temperature if you are serving it the day it is baked. Wrap well and freeze for longer storage. Defrost and bring to room temperature before serving.
Serve with sweetened whipped cream.
Makes one 10-inch pie, about 12 servings

Ingredients:
For the filling
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 pounds golden delicious apples, peeled, cut in half and cored; cut each half into 6 wedges
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the dough
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the cake pan
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large egg yolks, plus an egg wash of 1 large egg beaten with a pinch of salt
• 2 3/4 cups flour (spoon flour into a dry-measure cup and level off)

Directions:
For the filling: Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pan that has a tight-fitting cover, such as an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven. Add the apples and sprinkle them with the sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Cook, covered, for about 10 minutes, checking them and stirring occasionally, until they are swimming in liquid. Uncover and cook for about 10 minutes, so the liquid evaporates; stir occasionally to keep the apples from sticking or scorching. (Most of the apples will disintegrate while the filling is cooking, making it like a chunky applesauce.) Remove from the heat and let cool while you make the dough.

For the dough: Set an oven rack on the lowest level of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Use a little butter to grease a 10-inch round cake pan. Cut a round of parchment or wax paper to fit in the bottom, then butter the paper. Have ready two 10-inch cardboard rounds or tart bottoms.

Combine the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of a mixer. Beat at medium speed for 5 minutes, until the mixture is very light and aerated. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a large rubber spatula to incorporate the flour.

Place half of the dough in the bottom of the prepared pan. Use your fingertips to press the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the sides. Spread the cooled filling over the dough.

Flour the remaining dough lightly on both sides and press it into a 10-inch disk (use a cardboard or tart pan bottom as a guide). Run a long-bladed knife or spatula under the dough to keep it from sticking. Invert the dough onto a separate floured cardboard and slide it onto the filling.

Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash. Use the tines of a fork to trace a lattice pattern on the top. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the dough is nicely colored and baked through. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then invert, unmold and turn right side up again (it's good to use one of the cardboard disks or tart bottom for this). Let cool completely.

To serve, slide the Breton pie onto a platter and cut it into wedges at the table.

Recipe Source:
Adapted from "The Modern Baker," by Nick Malgieri (DK Publishing, 2008).

NOTE - one time I forgot to bake this on the lowest rack in the oven and the bottom was undercooked, so it's pretty important to bake it on the lowest rack.