Feels Like Fall 2: Mini Dutch Apple Tarts

It was great to feel "back to normal" by mid week.  I was still a little queasy and weak when I went to work on Monday, but by Friday, I was BACK!  Both Ds spent a day out of school this week with miscellaneous ailments, but both of them seem BACK as well.  Unfortunately, by last night I felt under the weather again...sinus-y, scratchy throat, cold sore...yet totally different symptoms than the previous week.  I was hoping to begin the fall season with good health, but perhaps 2 out of 3 of us being healthy isn't too bad.

In a few weeks, the first quarter of the school year will be ending.  Most of my students are passing, and I have been pleasantly surprised at how they have been willing to rise to the challenge of SpringBoard.  This commitment to working steadily at something difficult will serve them well in the future.

Speaking of working steadily, The Help was extremely busy this week.  He took on the daunting project of cleaning the fishpond filter.  In spite of having a UV sterilizer, the fishpond had been looking rather dirty recently.  He also ordered new gaskets for one of the pool controls, cut back the bambusa chungii clump in the back yard, took my car for a safety check, and was finally able to pick up his car from the dealer in Kona.  He made a second trip to Kona on Saturday to take me to Costco and shoot the high school football game.  Whew!

Since he was already on the other side of the island on Wednesday, The Help made a quick stop at Costco to pick up provisions.  I told him to buy a tray of apples, and he came back with SweeTango apples for us to try.  I never heard of SweeTango apples before, and after eating them, I can honestly say I didn't care much for them.  I prefer a sweeter, crisper apple like Fuji or Envy.  SweeTango is known as an extremely juicy apple, but I guess juiciness is not a characteristic I value in an apple.  So not wanting to have to force myself to eat a dozen "not my cup o' tea" apples out of hand, I decided to make some type of dessert with the apples, after all, my fresh apple cake has become my most popular blog post.

TBH, I am really not much of a pie person.  I hate to make the crust.  I am not good at rolling out the dough in to a flat, even disk.  My rolled-out crust dough often is scraggly and has pukas (holes) everywhere.  While I don't like to get my hands dirty, pressing a crust into a pan is preferable to the whole rolling out process.

Perhaps that's why I've taken so well to mini tarts.  A few weeks ago, I posted a recipe for Chinese egg custard tarts.  I actually enjoy making those tarts because they seem like they are a lot of work when they really aren't so difficult.

These mini Dutch apple tarts really aren't the hell work they seem to be either.  The crust comes together so quickly.  The filling is also easy to prepare.  While the posted recipe doesn't make a lot, my suggestion would be to at least double the recipe if you plan on serving this to more than 4 people. 

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Mini Dutch Apple Tarts

Crust:  1 1/2 c flour

            1 tbsp sugar

            1/2 c cold butter

            2 tbsp cold Crisco shortening

            1 egg

Filling:  2 apples, chopped (best to use at least 2 different types)

             1/4 c sugar

             1/2 tsp cinnamon

             1 tbsp minute tapioca

Topping:  2 tbsp sugar

                3 tbsp flour

                1 1/2 tbsp cold butter

For crust, combine flour, sugar, butter and Crisco in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until fine crumbs form.  Add egg.  Process just until dough holds together.  Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface.  Knead 15 seconds.  Divide into 18 pieces.  Press each piece into a 2 1/2" mini tart pan.  Place on a flat baking pan and chill while preparing topping and filling.  In same food processor bowl, make topping by combining all ingredients.  Place in a small bowl and keep chilled.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Make filling by combining apples, sugar, cinnamon and tapioca.  Divide evenly among tart shells.  Spoon topping over filling.  Place on foil/parchment/silpat lined baking sheet.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Let cool on rack (in tart pans) for 10 minutes.  Carefully remove from tart pans and leave on rack to cool completely.

Makes 18.

Crock Pot Food: Beef Stew

Now that there is a definite nip in the air, I'm all psyched to cook hearty, cold weather food.  And there is nothing that screams "hearty" like beef stew.

Before I go on, let me get this off my chest:  I am not a huge fan of beef stew.  I am not kidding.   Yes, I grew up in Hawaii.  Yes, beef stew is served at practically every self-respecting "local" restaurant.  Yes, it was served in my house growing up.  Yet, I am not a big fan.

So why would someone who is clearly not a fan of beef stew be dedicating a precious weekly post to the unofficial most popular home-cooked meal in Hawaii?  Its because the majority of people I share my house with are huge fans.

My dislike for stew goes back years decades.  I remember my mom making it.  I remember my grandma going to the emergency room because she nearly sliced her index finger off while trying to cut out all the fat from pieces of stew meat.  I even remember my older cousin trying to force me to eat a bowl of it, indignantly telling me after the 3rd time I declined, "My mother made it."  I still didn't eat it.

The stew I grew up with was rather thin, and it didn't have much color.  The meat chunks tended to be large and fatty.  The vegetables were huge and it seemed to be more liquid that chunks.  Maybe that explains why stew seemed like it lasted forever, another demerit for stew.  We weren't poor, so it beats the crap outta me why my parents HAD to make a huge pot of stew every time.  Kikukat Mom did not make stew with any tomato base either.  It was "brown" or "natural", as Kikukat Dad once called it.  I can't remember what kind of stew my grandma made...main thing it didn't contain any finger bits! 

When I was living on my own in Honolulu (when I started working), I decided to have another go at stew.  I bought one of those packet mixes and followed the directions.  It was horrible...there was some spice in there that I found irritating.  I even tried some stew special at Zippy's.  It was nasty too.  I decided to avoid making/eating stew.  This worked out okay because Mr. Dependable didn't like stew either!

And then the Ds came along.  Having dinner at my parents' house, they both ate "stool soup" and would come home raving.  Ugh.  I was actually impressed at how fitting the term "stool soup" was for it because that's what I was thinking for years.  And one day, the unthinkable happened.  Someone bought me dinner from Cafe 100. . .and it was beef stew!!!  I can't remember the exact situation, but I was forced to eat it, and thats when things began to look a little brighter.

Cafe 100 beef stew has a tomato base.  Eating it, I realized that stew tastes pretty decent when eaten with a scoop of potato salad.  I also noticed that there were pieces of meat and vegetables enrobed in a hearty sauce (not thin and watery).  Turned out that the Ds weren't picky...they loved tomato-based stew too.

Since then, I've actually gone back to making and (sometimes) eating beef stew.  I've even made it for parties, as I've come to realize that some of my uncles love beef stew (one of them goes there weekly to get it).  I've made it in a pressure cooker for a quick meal (must have a fat separator), and most recently, I made it in the crock pot.  The crock pot method works best if you have enough forethought to make it a day before you plan to eat it.  Chilling the mixture before reheating the next day will allow you to remove the hardened fat.  The best part about crock pot stew is that the meat does not require browning prior to cooking.

My parents still make the same stew I grew up eating, and I still decline (politely) when they offer some to me.  But now, I make my own stew and offer it to them (and they always accept).  The Ds both boldly proclaim "grandma makes the best stew".  I suppose I should prepare myself for the day one of the Ds offers me some"natural" stew.  Blecchhhhh.

What kind of stew did you grow up eating?

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Crock Pot Beef Stew

     2 lbs beef stew meat
     1 large onion, diced
     1 c celery, sliced
     2 large carrots, cut in 1" chunks
     4 potatoes, cut in 1 1/2" chunks
     3 tbsp minute tapioca
     1 tbsp sugar
     2 1/2 tsp salt
     1/2 tsp pepper
     1 can tomato soup combined with 2 c water

In a 5 quart crock pot, layer ingredients in the above order.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  Refrigerate overnight.  Spoon off hardened fat.  Reheat on high for 2 hours, stirring after 20 minutes.

Way to go, Vikings!

First football victory (that I know of. . .and I will be the first to admit I don't know a whole lot about high school football) over the Kealakehe Waveriders!  The final score of this defensive brawl . . . 6-3.

And what great timing. . .Homecoming!

Tapioca and Coconut Milk Dessert

Now that the weather is getting warmer (actually got to go swimming yesterday. . .water temperature was 84 degrees), I'm looking forward to cool salads and desserts (of course, I'll never pass up a slice of cake).  No doubt, we're entering the season of outdoor eating.

As the potlucks and gatherings ramp up, consider making this refreshing dessert, especially if you want something to complement fruit.  This dessert can be made ahead of time, and can be easily increased or decreased by varying the amount of fruit.

I love this with mango (as pictured), but when mango is not in season, I usually have The Help make a fruit salad:  melon, orange supremes, apples, maraschino cherries, grapes (I won't eat), blueberries, strawberries, etc.  The juice that comes out in the process of making orange supremes is enough to keep the apples from turning brown.

Purple Okinawan sweet potato can be substituted for fruit.  Steam a small sweet potato until soft, then peel and dice. 

I like this dessert on the thick side (like the pictures), but some people prefer it to be more soup-like.  If you prefer more of a soup instead of a pudding, add a few ice cubes to the tapioca before transporting.  The ice cubes will keep things nice and cold until serving time.  If you're in a hurry to thin the tapioca, use ice chips instead of ice cubes. 

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Tapioca and Coconut Milk Dessert

     7 c water

     1 c tiny pearl tapioca (size of pin head)

     1 1/2 c sugar

     1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk

     fresh fruit or cooked purple sweet potato, diced into 1/2" pieces

Bring water to a rolling boil.  Add tapioca.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.  Turn off heat and let stand for 20 minutes.  Add sugar.  Cool for an hour.  Add coconut milk.  Refrigerate overnight.  Just before serving, combine with fruit (and juice) or sweet potato.