"Just in time for cool fall evenings"...(Apple Crumble)

Crumble is really one of the simplest desserts you can make, which is why I like it so much! In a short time, you can whip up something that looks, taste and smells so lovely that people will ask for seconds for sure! Not to mention, it is so inexpensive it is to make. 


Growing up in a Puerto Rican family (and proud), our desserts mainly consisted of flans, cheese cake, rice puddings and coconut cream Popsicle most of the time. Crumbles, apple pies and anything of that sort was what I would see in movies, grocery stores or my "all American" friends houses for the holidays.


My very first crumble experience was actually made by my dear friend Rite. She is a lovely woman I met during my years in Spain. She is incredibly brilliant on so many levels and my life has definitely been enriched by her. Every time I make a crumble now, I think of her and how much she has inspired me to give my all in whatever  I do! Rite would use this mix of frozen berries and it was just delicious!! 




INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cooking apples, pared and sliced
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 table spoon of lemon juice
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 pinch salt
• Cream or vanilla ice cream

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Butter a 9" pie plate.
• Pile apples in plate and sprinkle with 2/3 cup sugar, 3 TBS butter, cinnamon and lemon juice.
• In food processor, pulse butter and sugar until combined; add flour and salt, pulse till combined.
• Press this crumbly mixture firmly over apples. 
• Bake for 45 minutes or until apples are tender.
• Serve garnished with heavy cream (the way I like it), whipped cream or ice cream if desired.
• *Note:  I used Gala, but your favorite will do just fine. For variation, recipe can be made with frozen or fresh berries or peaches.

Thanks for reading. I'd love to see pictures of your crumble! Also if there are any yummy dishes you would love to share with me, I would be more then happy to feature your yummy recipe or video on My Terracita blog.


Un beso, Carissa


PS: This month I am giving away a free cookbook. Make sure you enter the contest by commenting on my page (https://www.facebook.com/myterracita). Leave a comment saying that you LIKED the page (not the post but the actual page), and also by SHARING my blog on your personal facebook wall! This is your way to show some love and get the word out about My Terracita.


Adios!!

EGGPLANT FRITTERS IN MOLASSES (Berenjena frita con miel de caña)

You will love this tapa, one of my personal favorites! This recipe is from Claudia Roden´s cookbook "The food of Spain", great book to have if you like Mediterranean cooking.

Ingredients:

2 eggplants (about 1/4 pounds)

About 2 cups milk

Flour for dusting or dredging

Salt

Olive or sunflower oil for deep-frying

Molasses, orange blossom honey or other aromatic runny honey

Directions:

Peel the eggplants and cut them into slices about 1/3 inch thick. Put them in a bowl, add enough milk to cover, and put a small plate on top to hold them down. Let soak for 1 to 2 hours; drain.

Cover a plate with plenty of flour mixed with a sprinkling of salt. Working in batches, turn the eggplant slices in this so that they are entirely covered with flour, then shake them to remove the excess. Deep-fry in sizzling but not too hot oil, turning the slices over as soon as the first side is brown. Drain on paper towels.

Serve hot with a dribble of molasses or honey and a cold Malta drink and there you go!

*You can do these with a simple batter as well, they are equally as tasty =)

un abrazo,

cari

WIN A FREE COOKBOOK...

My Terracita is giving away 1 FREE COOKBOOK  choose from either "Tapas (revised) The little Dishes of Spain" by: Penelope Casas OR "Ultimate Everyday Cookbook " by: Kim Barnouin. 


To enter this contest simply visit my Facebook fan page at: www.facebook.com/myterracita?ref=ts and LIKE my page. Then leave me a comment letting me know you did it. For an extra entry SHARE the link to this listing on your Facebook page and leave me an additional comment letting me know you shared. I will choose and announce a winner at random on Sunday November 20th 2011. Winner will receive 1 free cookbook with free shipping (within continental US only!!) Best wishes, anyone of these book would be a great addition to any kitchen!

Penelope Casas, who introduced the classic little dishes of Spain to American cooks more than twenty years ago, now gives us a splendid updated edition of that seminal book—with fifty exciting new recipes and eight full pages of new color photographs showing tapas in all their glory.

Here are all the appetizer dishes that have long been a tradition in Spanish cuisine—mélanges of seafood in aromatic sauces; little ragouts of meat, sausages, beans; colorful salads and marinades; the omelets calledtortillas that enclose a variety of tasty tidbits; banderillas, zesty combinations on skewers; and empanadas, savory delights encased in pastry. The new recipes Casas includes reflect the influence of the innovative cooking in Spain today—dishes seasoned with soy sauce or balsamic vinegar; ingredients wrapped in flaky phyllo pastry; accents of goat cheese and arugula; foie gras in elegant presentations.

Author Kim Barnouin has grown as a cook, a nutritionist, and a mom. Now she delivers the “Ultimate” cookbook that will be for everyone looking for a healthier way to feed themselves, their families, and friends. Kim’s emphasis is on “easy,” and her kick-ass recipes feature seasonal produce (no fake meat or hard-to-find ingredients) and provide a versatility of tastes and cuisines, from Mediterranean to California-fresh. With almost 150 recipes, full-color photos, complete nutritional breakdowns, and simple “switch-outs” for quick variations, it will be the new “gotta have" on any healthy girls bookshelf.