An apple pie you'd like to meet

An apple pie you'd like to meet

 

I love apple pie and have for a very long time. When I was a kid growing up in Toronto, Ontario we used to go Milton and visit Chudleigh's Apple Farm. It was a highlight every year. They had hay rides, a cool barn you could play in and to cry for apple pie with a crumble top. You could buy so many types of apples. You could sit down and order a slice of pie or take one home. We often had a slice while we were there and then bought a pie to take home.  Once we got home I remember the warm spices of the pie heating up in the oven and the excitement I would have when mom would say it was ready. It's a memory I still cherish to this day and I can still taste that Chudleigh apple pie crumble topping.

Living on Vancouver Island and selling at farmer's markets I see apples everywhere. In fact we have our very own apple and pear trees out back. This year we got an abundant crop and so we've been collecting them and finding all sorts of ways to use them. So naturally knowing we had too many apples and pears I decided to share with you our version of the Chudleigh apple pie that I treasured so many years ago as a kid.

As a side note this version comes from my time in Seattle, Washington. I got my bachelors degree in English in California and one of my good friends lived in Washington so I had the chance to spend time with her one summer.  Well, I ended up with a oven mitt (I think it was a gift). This is a twist on the Space Needle Apple Pie but it very similar to the Chudleigh Apple Farm version.

Okay let's get started.  

Apple Crumble Pie by Two Blooms

• 4 apples (as many as you think you'll need to fill a 9" pie plate or whatever container you decide to use
• 4 pears
• a dribble of lemon juice
• a shake or two of nutmeg
• 3-4 shakes of cinnamon
• 1 TBSP flour (can sub with gluten free flour or finely ground oatmeal)
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1/2 cup of sugar

If you are following this portion to a T then peel and slice apples and pears (we leave the skin on). Then add all other ingredients and mix well. Put in a 9' pie plate. If you want you can use a store bought crust or whip up your own. We like to save on the calories so skip the crust part.

Cut apples and pears from our bounty.  

Now this above part is really ab lib so experiment. What Caron (the other bloom) and I did was skip all the additions and just cut up our apples and pears and plopped them in our corningware dish and then went straight to the topping part and it was still divine.

Okay onto the dreamy filling:

• 2 cups of flour (feel free to sub this with gluten free flour, we used oatmeal in our version and we didn't grind it either)
• 2 cups of brown sugar (we used only 1 cup and used that organic coconut sugar)
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup of margarine (we subbed in 1/4 of olive oil and 1/4 cup of coconut oil)
• 1/2 cup of walnuts (optional) we skipped this part

Mix until moist, I found with our substitutions that we needed more moisture so just kept adding water until it looked just right.  Bake at 350 degrees Farenheight for 40 minutes.

 Mixing the oatmeal topping

 Once you have the topping mixed you just add it to the top of the fruit. I just put it on top with a spoon.

The cooked Apple Crumble Pie

 

Have fun with this recipe. Add in other fruits for the crumble.  It's wonderful on it's own or pair it with frozen yogurt or ice cream. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts if you make it. This time of year it's perfect for autumn weather.

If your looking for skin food to compliment this recipe try our Organic Vanilla Earl Grey or Organic Tofino Morning Chai Soap.  

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Hi, I’m Michelle the founder of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. I’m in charge of production, designing all of our labels in house, photography, customer service, alchemist behind all of our scent blends, designer, creator and pretty much whatever else needs to be done.

The Best Coconut Custard Pie Now

Many of you will remember The Classic British Dessert Recipe I did many posts back.  It was one of our most popular posts. I think it's because custard is a favourite. It's comforting, sweet, yet light and the sunny cheery colour just perks up your mood. It's perfect almost any time of the day which reminds me of our naturally blissfully scented candles that bring about that cozy warm feeling. Even better why not have a piece of pie while you light one of our candles on a rainy fall evening. If you loved that recipe you will love this one even more. It's one of my all time favourites from my mom's recipe book and I've perfected the recipe. I love how light it tastes and it has no crust so gluten free people can rejoice.  This recipe is not vegan and I have not yet attempted to try it without eggs.  If you do try that let me know as I'm not sure if it would work well or not. The eggs give it the flurry sponge like texture.

The Recipe:

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup of flour (gluten free flour can be used here)
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of shredded coconut flakes
• 3 TBSP of margarine
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 tsp of vanilla

Put all the ingredients in the blender (I love using my Vitamix) except the coconut flakes and blend several seconds.  Then add the coconut. Pour into a greased 10" pan. The pie will form it's own crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Serves 8.

It's delicious on it's own but feel free to add maple syrup as a topping. To make it even more decadent it's wonderful with ice cream, frozen yogurt or add some raspberries or blueberries on top.

I'd love to hear your thoughts it you give it a try.

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Hi, I’m Michelle the founder of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. I’m in charge of production, designing all of our labels in house, photography, customer service, alchemist behind all of our scent blends, designer, creator and pretty much whatever else needs to be done.

The Classic British Dessert Recipe

Photo Credit:  Pinterest

Years ago my mom went to England and loved the way they served custard. They poured it from a pitcher (they made it thinner, so it poured.)  Ever since then we’ve made it often for a dessert. The creamy yellow sunshine like colour is so comforting and delicious. Some people like their custard runny but we like ours a bit thicker.

We made it last night for dinner and I ran and grabbed my camera to take some shots of this yummy treat and thought I’d share a new twist we’ve added to this.

Let’s get started, you will need:

• a pot
• pan to pour your custard into
• a spoon to stir with
• graham wafers
• bananas are optional but make a nice addition
• whisk 

 The other half was devoured before I could snap a photo.  Photo Credit:  Michelle Somers

• 1.  Mix 6 TBSP of custard powder and 6 TBSP sugar in a saucepan.
• 2. Gradually add 5 cups of almond milk (regular milk is fine) stirring with a whisk until well combined.
• 3. Bring this mixture to a full boil on medium heat stirring often. Serve warm or chilled (I really like it room temperature myself)
• 4. Lay graham wafers on the bottom of a pan (I used a square brownie size pan). You can also add a layer of bananas on top of the graham wafers.
• 5. Top with warm custard and let set.

 Photo Credit:  Michelle Somers

It is sweet on it’s own, if you want it a bit sweeter you can top your custard with maple syrup for a really nice maple taste. Or you can use agave.  Honey would also make a great choice.

Custard is also great as a filling for cakes as it adds a nice layer of creaminess.

Have you tried custard and if not what is your favourite treat to whip up?  #IBN30

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About Michelle
Michelle is one of the blooms and founder of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is in charge of production, designing all of our labels in house, photography, customer service, alchemist behind all of our scent blends, designer, creator and pretty much whatever else needs to be done.