Classic Cinnamon Apple Pie

Flaky, no fail pie crust? Challenge accepted.

I've never been great at making pies and this would be my first made-from-scratch pie without the help of a friend or family member. I'm glad it's a classic cinnamon apple pie, can't mess that up, can I? The instructions look easy enough.

Using a food processor, I combined 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. The Crisco all vegetable shortening is already measured out into one cup.

Just toss that bad boy into the food processor with the flour. Give is a few quick pulses.

Stop when it resembles coarse crumbs. You're at a good place here.

Beat 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of cold water, and 1 tablespoon of vinegar together to blend. Pour this mixture into the crumbs. Again, give the food processor a few pulses until everything comes together. The dough is now moistened and ready to scoop out.

Shape the dough into a disc shape, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes (of you can do this ahead of time and chill it overnight).

Can I say how much I love my apple peeler and corer? Made the job of slicing 8 Golden Delicious apples a lot easier!

Place the apples in a large bowl. Throw in 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt and nutmeg.

Give everything a good toss.

Take the chilled dough out of the fridge and roll it on to a floured surface. You'll need it to be 2 inches wider than your pie dish to accommodate the sides.

Gently and carefully place the dough into your pie dish. Place cinnamon apple filling onto the bottom pie crust. Spread and pack it down firmly. It's okay if the middle is slightly higher, the filling will shrink when it bakes. Place the remaining dough on top of the pie and brush with a beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake on the bottom rack of your oven at 425F for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 325°F. and bake for about 60 to 65 minutes. The crust should be golden and the filling will be bubbly.

What do you think? I think it is picture perfect! Fine, my pie decorating skills and trimming could use some work, but it looks good! I'm quite proud of it! And not only does it look good, the crust is flaky and the filling is delicious. A successful pie made in the afternoon makes for a great after dinner dessert.

CRISCO® No Fail Pie Crust
From Crisco®
For one double-crust pie or two 9” (23 cm) pie shells

2 cups (500 ml) of Robin Hood® Original All Purpose Flour
3/4 teaspoons (4 ml) of salt
1 cup (250 ml) of Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening
1 egg
2 tablespoons (30 ml) of cold water
1 tablespoon (15 ml) of white vinegar

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the shortening. Using a pastry blender, cut shortening into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.
2. In a small bowl, beat together the egg, water and vinegar. Add to the flour mixture and stir with a fork until moistened.
3. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape into a 4" disk. Wrap each with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. This will make it easier to roll out the dough.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out on disc of dough into an 11 inch circle. Carefully transfer to a lightly greased 9" pie plate. Fill with Classic Cinnamon Apple Pie Filling (recipe below).
5. Roll out second disc of dough to an 11 inch circle. Cover the pie with the rolled out dough. Tuck the edges under and pinch to seal. Flute the edges. Bake according to directions for the filling.

Classic Cinnamon Apple Pie
Adapted from Canadian Living

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Portion Size: 10 to 12

Filling:
8 firm cooking apples (such as Golden Delicious)
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Pinch each salt and nutmeg
2 tablespoon of unsalted butter, softened
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon of coarse sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Peel and core the apples. Cut into 1/4" slices and put in a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Sprinkle over apples. Toss the apples so all are coated with the sugar mixture.
4. Transfer apples to the prepared pie shell. Pack the apples down and dot with butter. Top with the second circle of dough. Tuck the edges under and pinch to seal. Flute the edges of the pie dough.
5. Whisk the egg yolk and brush on top of the pie. Sprinkle the sugar on top. Cut steam vents in the top.
6. Bake on the bottom rack for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°F and bake until the bottom is golden and the filling is bubbly, about 60-65 minutes. Allow to cool on rack.

And now the contest:
Snap a photo of your favourite pie. Share it using #CLEasyAsPie and you could win a $4,000 baking experience! For more details, visit Canadianliving.com/easyaspie!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Canadian Living and Crisco. I received compensation for it. There was no requirement to produce a positive review of this recipe. All opinions are our own.

Looking Back: 2013

Happy New Year!

Better late than never? Yes, I think so. Although we can technically say we're still celebrating the Lunar New Year (thank goodness there's two back-to-back new years for us).

2013 was a big year. Howard and I hit a lot of milestones and took many first steps together in our relationship. Normally, we would each share our top picks from the year, but since we had so many great ones, we thought we should share them together!

Chronologically speaking, 2013 started off great. As per tradition, we counted down with close friends and went out to try someplace new. Sure, the food wasn't great and the drunken atmosphere wasn't our scene, but we had fun that night! There were many Winterlicious experiences and dinner parties. Weeks passed and our close friends all introduced new additions to their family and to our group. These bundles of joy have cheered us up and we applauded them on their many small achievements (smiling, laughing, being able to hold Sophie the giraffe, flipping, sitting, and now they're moving from milk to other foods) throughout the months. What's more, Howard and I were blessed to be named godparents!

The summer went by in a blink and we continued our Summerlicious lunches and dinners. We finally went looking for a home and were taught many tough lessons from the real estate business. No such luck as we looked at tiny units after tiny units. How do people find affordable housing out there?

Autumn meant we would be embarking on our annual road trip to New York City. This year, we went on a macaron tour and feasted on some great desserts. Then, (even though I suspected it) Howard moved us into our next big step in our relationship by proposing in Central Park. Eeeee! Sparkly! Also during this trip, we found new favourite restaurants: Mile End Deli and Missions Chinese Food.

Back home, we answered many unanswerable questions about our upcoming wedding (which we still haven't started planning!) and continued our search for a place we could call home. Ladies and gentlemen, it did happen. We finally came across a place that we liked. Rushed to get a mortgage approved. Started looking for furniture and dreamed about future upgrades. Got our keys on the closing date. Cleaned the place from top to bottom. Waited for power to be restored and ice storms to pass. Settled disputes about parking spots, range microwaves, and cracked toilet tanks. S-l-o-w-l-y started to move in.

Tips for buying a home. Get a good real estate agent. You'll have many, many questions about the process and they should be able to answer everything to your satisfaction. Get pre-approved for a mortgage first. We were in no rush to buy and was casually looking at listings that we thought we would like, but when it came time to finalize the offer, you'll want that mortgage ready! Check and double check for anything that may need to be fixed or replaced before closing. Use your viewings and visits wisely. Get a good lawyer!!! We found our lawyer to be terrible at communicating with us and answering questions - they didn't seem to understand that first-time buyers need clarification sometimes!

So as you can see, we managed to keep ourselves busy from December to January. Sorry for the silence and lack of posts here! But so many great things have happened and we couldn't have done this without the support of our family and friends. Seriously. We want to thank everyone for their housewarming gifts and even tokens of congratulations for our engagement and new place.

Some of you may know this, but as a baker, I rarely cook! We are slowly learning our way around a new kitchen and learning new things about making savoury food. Roasted cauliflower - I like. Spaghetti sauce that lasts us a week - I'm on the fence. Pork cutlets - I love. Flank steak and salad - I love. Frozen lasagna for lunch - I try to avoid.

So in addition to baked goods, if we find something that works, that tastes great, and is easy to make, we'll be sharing it here with you.

I peeled string off beans for the first time last month and was so proud that I took a photo. Now you understand the level of noob I am at cooking. Heck, the first few weeks after we officially moved in, it took me almost two hours to get dinner ready. By the time we cleaned up and was ready for bed, it was way past my bed time. I think we're getting better are preparing quicker meals and packing lunches, it just takes practice and experience!

Sprinkles in the Southwest Giveaway
In efforts to keep the New Year joy going, I'm also hosting a giveaway for two cookbooks written by two fellow bloggers. One sweet and one savoury. Let me know in the comments below which one you'd like to win before midnight on Sunday, February 23, 2014. US and Canada only (sorry international friends).

Sprinkles! Recipes and Ideas for Rainbowlicious Desserts by Jackie Alpers

OR

The New Southwest by Meagan Micozzi

UPDATE: Congratulations to Stephanie, winner of The New Southwest. Congratulations to Dominique, winner of Sprinkles! Please check your inbox for an e-mail from me.

ACE Bakery's Best Sandwich Contest

Hi friends! We just wanted to let you know about Canada's Best Sandwich Contest, hosted by ACE Bakery, Bob Blumer, and food blogger, Julie Van Rosendaal of Dinner with Julie. They're searching coast-to-coast for the country's best sandwich recipe! If you have one or would like to make one up, it's super easy to enter. Make your sandwich, snap a photo of it (totally optional), and submit it here. That's all. And you could win the grand prize!

Canada’s Best Sandwich Contest: 20th Anniversary Edition will be accepting recipes on the ACE Bakery website from now through September 24, 2013. Each entry will then be reviewed by Bob Blumer, Julie Van Rosendaal, and ACE Bakery, and scored based on their taste appeal, creativity, innovation and originality.

On October 7, one regional finalist from Western Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba), Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland) will be announced. Each regional winner will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize, as well as a $1,000 donation to their charity of choice.

The regional winners will then be invited to Toronto to participate in a Sandwich Showdown on October 17, where they will prepare their own recipes. Bob Blumer, Julie Van Rosendaal, and Marcus Mariathas (ACE’s Master Baker) will judge the final creations and decide on the winning recipe. The creator of the winning recipe will be awarded an additional $20,000 – $10,000 cash prize to take home and $10,000 to donate to their charity of choice. Sounds good to me!

As a little nudge and inspiration for you to enter the contest, the lovely folks at ACE Bakery are also sponsoring a $100 gift basket of ACE Bakery products! Enter using the Rafflecopter embedded below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway:
- ACE Bakery will ship the prize directly to the winner.
- Only open to residents of Canada.
- The giveaway ends on September 29, 2013 at midnight.
- Winner will be contacted by email 48 hours after the giveaway ends.
- If you have any additional questions - feel free to send us an email!

Looking Back: 2012

Happy New Year! We hope you had a fantastic night, whether you were out celebrating, on your couch by the fireplace, or under the covers and asleep already.

There's always something nice about waking up to a new year, even though there isn't anything really different. I guess it's just the feeling. But it's nice, it does feel like a fresh start, even if it's all imagined in my head! It's the same feeling I get when I wake up on my birthday. Regardless, here's two of my favourite blog activities, looking back at some of the year's highlights and hosting a giveaway!

Howard's Top Highlights:

Lemon Macarons: When it comes to desserts I always prefer citrus flavour profiles, so these were extra delicious.

Mille Crêpes Cake: My favourite birthday cake ever. Also brought back a "look what the cat dragged in" memory Sylvia and I shared while we were in NYC on a rainy day the previous year. Fun times!

Chelsea Market: Food market! What else is there to say?

Dreams of Sushi: I'm salivating while dreaming of eating sushi made by Jiro. Doc, what should I do??

Pok Pok: I can't say I had fun getting to this gem, tired and wet after a long day of shopping. But I can say it was definitely worth the trip. Also, now I know how their recipe is supposed to taste. Attempt number three, here I come.

Sylvia's Top Highlights:

Um, my latest obsession with MACARONS! Chocolate filled macarons, lemon macarons, snowmen, festive macarons, and matcha macarons. I'm so happy to have had some success in making these temperamental cookies.

Decorating cupcakes to the theme of Jon Klassen's award-winning pictures books. I had an amazing palette of colours and characters to work with and seeing everyone's expressions when they saw the cupcakes was easily one of the highlights of my year.

Gosh, it was a really good year. 2013 is going to have a tough time topping this. I got to attend an event for Thomas Keller. I got to have brunch with Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. I even got to collaborate with some amazing kitchen and food brands this year. And even received a feature in Today's Parent magazine!

Making easy peasy pizza! I must have held a few D.I.Y. pizza parties all thanks to this recipe.

Well, I also found out that flan wasn't hard to make. So I made a bunch and luckily it's one of my parent's favourite desserts.

That pretty much sums the year up! We missed doing this in 2010, but if you want to look back with us, we did it for 2008, 2009, and 2011.

So now that it's a new year, we have to see what amazing cookbooks are missing from our wishlist. If you didn't receive these under your tree, in your stocking, or through a secret Santa exchange, you're in luck! We're giving away the following cookbooks:

Giveaway Regulations and Conditions:

• The New Year Giveaway is open from Tuesday, January 1, 2013 to Sunday, January 13, 2013. Entries submitted after 12 midnight EST on Sunday, January 13, 2013 will not be considered.
• There is one main way to enter: by commenting on this post. There are also some bonus entries in instructions #2-6:

1. Post in the comment section below: I want to spend my new year reading ______________. (Fill in the blank with one of these titles: La Tartine Gourmande, One Girl Cookies, or The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook)
2. To enter via Twitter, tweet: @abakedcreation I want to spend my new year reading ______________. (Fill in the blank with the title you would like to win.)
3. To enter via Facebook, post on our wall: I want to spend my new year reading ______________. (Fill in the blank with the title you would like to win.)
4. Follow us on Pinterest, let us know who you are in the comments below.
5. Follow us on Instagram, let us know who you are in the comments below.
6. If you're already following us on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, just mention it in the comments for bonus entries!

• Please leave a way for us to contact you (e-mail addresses or social media handles).
• Winners will be randomly chosen and announced here on A Baked Creation.
• The winners will have 7 days to claim their prize. If we do not get a mailing address, the prize is forfeited.
• This contest is available to residents of Canada and the U.S.A. only! However, if you have friends and family with a Canadian or American mailing address, feel free to enter. There will be three different winners, one for each book.

Best of luck!

UPDATE: Giveaway is now closed. Thank you to those who entered!
Congratulations to Amanda for winning a copy of One Girl Cookies!
Congratulations to Rebecca for winning a copy of The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook!
Congratulations to Carmen for winning a copy of La Tartine Gourmande!
Happy reading and cooking everyone!

Baking Cakes in Kigali

August 2009, I tweeted (here and here) little snippets from Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin. I had ordered a copy from work (perks of working in book publishing) and read the book during my commute. Well, you know what? I liked it and wanted to share it with you - so good thing the paperback version came out last summer!

It's been awhile now, but I'm pretty sure Baking Cakes in Kigali was one of my first "food books." (Since then, I've been on the look out for more - so stay tuned for those reviews.) Baking Cakes in Kigali is a combination of stories, all placed together by Angel Tungaraza. She is the professional baker in Kigali, Rwanda. As customers' place their cake orders, we hear about the joys and troubles in their lives. We get to follow along each event as they unfold because Angel also has a knack for problem solving.

Parkin illuminates the setting of Rwanda and successfully shows Angel's sweet personality with reappearing phrases and expressions. I enjoyed the interactions and the chipper attitude between Angel and everyone she grew attached to. While her baking doesn't overpower the book, there's just enough to satisfy you, as the focus is really about each character's tale. So don't expect recipes or descriptions of cakes being decorated in every chapter. However, you do get to read about each cake consultation and Angel's cake decorating ideas - which are far from being monochromatic.

The story that stood out the most to me was about little Safiya. I found her situation to be the most worrisome and was pleasantly surprised on how things turned out. I think Angel was also relieved to learn about the secret solution! I won't spoil it for you here, but I can say that it became a reminder that these practices still happen in different parts of the world. All in all, a good read consisting of different customs and humour.

Now, for a giveaway! Please take a look at the two covers:

Left: Hardcover, Right: Paperback

I'm simply being curious, which cover do you like better? Let me know, I'm giving away three copies of the paperback version.

I personally can't pick! I like both of the covers, I love the photograph for the hardcover and the placement of the text. The paperback version has the whimsical cake illustrations that I would spot if I was browsing in a bookstore. Overall, I am glad they kept the typeface and colours for both of the cover designs!

Giveaway contest regulations and conditions:

1. The Baking Cakes in Kigali giveaway contest is open on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 until Tuesday, April 5, 2011. Entries submitted after 12 midnight EST on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 will not be considered.
2. To enter, leave a comment below telling me which cover you prefer: the hardcover or paperback edition? Please leave a way for me to contact you (via e-mail or twitter).
3. A winner will be randomly chosen and announced on A Baked Creation.
4. This contest is available to residents of Canada and the U.S.A. only! However, if you have friends and family with a Canadian or American mailing address, feel free to enter.
5. There will be three winners. Winners will be chosen in a random draw. The winners will each receive an paperback copy of Baking Cakes in Kigali. Best of luck!

Disclaimer: I got copies of Baking Cakes in Kigali through an employee program at work. The three giveaway copies were given to me and I was under no obligation to review the book. No incentives were used to produce a positive review of this book or to host a giveaway.

New Owners of Our Favourite Cookbooks

Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a very nice holiday and rang in the new year with cheer!

It was so nice to sleep in and eat out for a week. And did we eat! Howard and I tried many desserts in Las Vegas and gave ourselves a dinner at Bouchon for Christmas. When we came home, we were met with many lunch and dinner get-togethers with family and friends. On New Year's Eve, I still remember that the last item I ate was a piece of cantaloupe and Howard's was a slice of cucumber with five cheese dip (we never did finish that fruit and veggie platter as we watched the countdown on TV). It wasn't until the day before work started that we actually ate at home! I guess we may have gotten plumper.

Before the holidays, we ran our Favourite Cookbooks Giveaway. We promised to announce the winners today, so we used Random.org's List Randomizer to generate them.

Aren't the covers and back covers of these cookbooks appetizing? The two lucky winners are announced below:

The winner of The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook: The Best Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Occasion by John Barricelli is:

Congratulations Ceri Marsh! Ceri shared What to Cook and How to Cook by Jane Hornby with us. Thank you! We hope you enjoy creating yumminess like this:

Next, the winner of Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes by David Lebovitz is:

Congratulations Sara! Sara shared Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. It's actually quite puzzling as to why we don't have this cookbook yet! Please enjoy the scrumptious creations:

Ceri and Sara, please e-mail info@abakedcreation.com - we will need your mailing information in order to ship you your cookbook (d'oh! I forgot to ask for e-mails again).

Thank you to everyone for entering and we wish you a delectable and delicious 2011!

Our Favourite Cookbooks of the Year

Hey Sylvia, do you want a new shirt or a new book? Book please. Are you a cookbook enthusiast? I hope so. I thought that I would recommend some of our favourite cookbooks that we got this year. In alphabetical order:

Ad Hoc at Home
by Thomas Keller with Dave Cruz, Susie Heller, Michael Ruhlman, and Amy Vogler
Photographs by Deborah Jones
Blackboard art by Dan Bunter and Nick Dedier
Hardcover, 368 pages
Published by Artisan
ISBN 9781579653774

Do I thank this cookbook for giving me my favourite carrot cupcake? Yes.

Apart from the delicious dessert recipes, this is one of those gift or coffee table books for those looking to be inspired to cook. There are beautiful photographs and the chalkboard design accompanying these stellar recipes.

Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented
by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
Photographs by Tina Rupp
Hardcover, 208 pages
Published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang
ISBN 9781584798507

You know I'm going to recommend the guys at Baked. If I didn't love their cookbooks that much, I wouldn't have ran through rush hour to meet them.

I love learning about reinvented desserts, I have enough cookbooks that share basic and classic recipes. This book is fun and filled with the right amount of twists and tweaks to old favourites.

Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook: Breakfast, Brunch, and Beyond from New York's Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant
by Neil Kleinberg, Diana H. Lahman
Photographs by Michael Harlan Turkell
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published by Little, Brown and Company
ISBN 9780316083379

This book gave us brookies. Need I say more?

This was also my first breakfast and brunch cookbook. I went and picked up others after this. Who knew there were such great treasures to be found in brunch cookbooks? Admittedly, I thought it would be all about pancakes, eggs, ham, and toast. I guess I haven't had a real breakfast until I've eaten at Clinton St. Baking Company!

Momofuku
by David Chang and Peter Meehan
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published by Clarkson Potter
ISBN 9780307451958

This book is a really good read, while you might not go out and make their soup stock, you'll still be satisfied learning about David Chang's restaurants.

I know that this is one Howard really likes because Momofuku Noodle Bar is one of his favourite places to eat in New York City. Watching him go through the cookbook to find dishes he's tried and then seeing him gasp at how much work it takes to make is priceless!

Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes
by David Lebovitz
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published by Ten Speed Press
ISBN 9781580081382

With a title like that and a cover like that, it is no wonder that I would pick this up. And am I glad I did!

Remember that I said I like new variations to classic desserts? This one also fits the bill! Most of the recipes are ones that I haven't seen elsewhere and I like that they intrigue and challenge me.

The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook: The Best Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Occasion
by John Barricelli
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published by Clarkson Potter
ISBN 9780307449450

I love curling up with this book in bed. There is such a feeling of comfort when you're with fantastic photography and yummy recipes at your fingertip.


Whoopie Pies: Dozens of Mix 'em, Match 'em, Eat 'em Up Recipes
by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell
Photographs by Antonis Achilleos
Hardcover, 120 pages
Published by Chronicle Books
ISBN 9780811874540

Yes, I discovered whoopie pies this year. I'm still on a whoopie pie high!

This is an adorable book with puffy covers. (Like a whoopie pie! Well thought-out ladies!) Hopefully this book will give you lots of fun and lots of inspirations from their different whoopie pie recipes.


Since it is also the season to be giving, I bought an extra copy of David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert and John Barricelli's The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook. Would you like to win them?

To enter our Favourite Cookbooks Giveaway:

1. Please tell us your favourite cookbook in the comments below! Also tell us which cookbook (Ready for Dessert or The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook) you're hoping to win. One entry per person please.
2. This contest is open to residents of Canada and the U.S.A. only! But, if you have friends and family with a Canadian or American mailing address, feel free to enter.
3. The Our Favourite Cookbook Giveaway is open on December 17th 2010 until January 3rd 2011. So you have plenty of time to enter! Comments submitted after 12 midnight EST on January 3rd will not be considered.
4. There will be two winners, one for Ready for Dessert and one for The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook. Winners will be randomly drawn.
5. The winners will be announced on January 4th 2011 on our blog, a nice way to ring in the new year.