I baked my first apple pie from scratch this holiday season. Paul had requested several times and I figured now was the perfect time to do this for him. I found a great recipe at Martha Stewart with delicious lemon zest, spices, and brown sugar. It turned out awesome and a definite success. Some of the comments were, “you should open a bakery” and “yum this tastes really gourmet”. I’m all “wow, thank you Martha!”. I wouldn’t modify anything other than maybe the amount of apples. I found 5 pounds of apple to be a bit too much stuffing. I would say 3 to 4 pounds is plenty. Happy Baking!

Who else but my mom helping me with the dough.

Ingredients
Pate Brisee
5 pounds Granny Smith Apples
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

This is where the art comes in…it’s all about the craft ladies.

Directions
1. On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Trim edges flush with rim. Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Roll remaining disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick. Using a 1 3/4-inch fluted round cutter, cut out about 70 rounds, rerolling scraps if necessary. Place rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Peel and core apples. Thinly slice half the apples, and cut remaining apples into 1-inch pieces.
4. Toss together apples, lemon zest and juice, sugars, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Place filling in piecrust, mounding it in the center. Dot with butter. To make egg wash, whisk together egg yolk and cream in a small bowl. Lightly brush edge of piecrust with egg wash. Arrange dough rounds over filling, working in a spiral from the outside in to the center, overlapping them slightly. Lightly brush top of each round with egg wash as you work to help them adhere to one another. Once the filling has been covered with rounds, lightly brush entire top of pie with egg wash. Sprinkle top with sanding sugar. Refrigerate pie for 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in the middle and lower positions. Place a foil lined baking sheet on lower rack to catch any juices. Place pie on middle rack and bake until crust begins to turn golden brown, about 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375, and bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour and 10 minutes more. Tent with foil if crust browns too quickly. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

[photopress:souk_el_tayeb_1.jpg,full,alignleft]

A few weeks ago in Beirut, we noticed an outdoor market outside of Saifi Village. When I got back here I did some research and found some delighful information on their website at soukeltayeb.com.

Souk El Tayeb is the first famer’s market in Lebanon. With the country’s tradition of Middle Eastern souks broken by the long civil war, the market was created by well known journalist Kamal Mouzawak in 2004. Souk El Tayeb features only fresh, seasonal produce and products from Lebanese farmers, artisans and producers. The market has a special emphasis on organic produce and aims to provide a forum where consumers can interact directly with farmers and producers. Souk El Tayeb also features a school program designed to raise kids’ awareness of healthy food and food traditions.

Souk El Tayeb’s Seeds for Peace program supports farmers and producers with high quality products and raises awareness of the country’s cultural heritage of food. Through its Asdiqaa’ El Ardd ‘Friends of the Earth Award’, small farmers and artisans are recognized for their contributions to agriculture, food production and social affairs.

Souk el Tayeb is held every Saturday in Saifi Village parking (from 9 to 2) and soon again every Tuesday in Hamra ( from 9 to 2)

Hallab sweets from Beirut., originally uploaded by Carcura.

George, got back last week from two weeks vacation in Lebanon and brought back these delicious sweets from Hallab. The green ones are a layer of pistachio nougat with crunchy pistachios on top of layer of green gummy candy. Awesome textures, crunchy, creamy, and chewy with a really nice subtly rich after-taste. The cream ones are like the pistachios but with peanuts instead. The white round candies are coconut. Delicious afternoon treats from home.

Fresh Saudi Dates., originally uploaded by Carcura.

Just after prayer, we went grocery shopping at Al Jareer Supermarket. This is the third gocery store I try here. The two previous grocery stores I had been to were unique in their own way. I found things at one that I didn’t find at another. I found Al Jareer to be the most authentic so far. Most of the products here are middle eastern, lots of herbs, spices, and produce from the region. I saw these delicious dates that took me way back when I was six or seven years old. They are so delicious!

Butter Cookies.
Originally uploaded by Carcura

Houston’s on Fountainview., originally uploaded by Carcura.

Houston’s is one of my favorite restaurants EVER!! Burgers, prime rib and steaks are the specialties of the house, and the menu includes salmon, salads, pork chops and roasted chicken which are all delicious and freshly made from scratch. When you come here, you have got to try THE CHICAGO STYLE SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE DIP, IT”S SOOOO GOOD! Their seasoned fries are also delicious!!

Me and Daddy Kay.
Originally uploaded by Carcura

My little brother treated to me to a delicious dinner with his own pocket money, which meant alot to me. We laughed, we talked, and really enjoyed the atmosphere, as we sat in a deep booth done up in fine upholstery and lit from above by pin spotlights. The interior is burnished brass, stained wood, and brick, which makes it super cozy and very comfy!! Had a fab time and will definitely miss this kind of dinner in Saudi.