Chicken, Apple, Walnut and Cheddar Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

I admit, I love the apple-cheddar combo. It's great, and this salad is the way to have it in a pseudo-healthy way.

I like to brine my chicken, and I have a brine that I've been enjoying lately. Sweetwater Spice Company makes a Chipotle Apple brine that works wonders (and only takes 30 minutes). Once the chicken is brined, feel free to grill or bake it. Whatever is easiest for you. If you bake, just cook for about 30 minutes at 400 in your oven.

2 cooked chicken breasts boneless/skinless, chopped
1 medium sized apple, chopped
3/4 cup cheddar, cubed
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1 bag of salad mix, any kind you like

When chopping or cutting up anything for a salad be sure to make everything approximately the same size. Also, get a salad bowl that is shallow. Deep salad bowls allow all the delicious cheese and chicken to sink to the bottom. Wide and shallow is best :)

Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette
2 TB Dijon Mustard
1 TB Honey (feel free to add more honey if you like it sweeter)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt/pepper to taste
Mix with whisk and pour over salad before serving

This is plenty for two for dinner! It would make a nice lunch for four.

Dining Out - Kristin's All-time Top 5

I don't know about you, but this past month has me all appled-out. Let's put down our knives, untie the apron and step out of the kitchen for an evening out, shall we?

Aaaahhhh, dining out. Is there anything better than putting on a nice outfit (maybe you take it for granted, but I'm a full-time mommy. Some of my nicer clothes haven't seen daylight in almost 3 years), making a reservation - or just wandering in - and hitting the town for a bite to eat? Nothing. In fact, despite our best efforts here at SaltySourSpicySweet, from some of the feedback we've been getting, I get the sense that many of you are doing a lot more dining out than in. So, that makes all of you qualified for some group participation this week.


We want to hear about your favorite places to dine. As foodies, it is our mutual responsibility to share with each other the best things around. So, spill it. Tell us about your favorite spots, favorite meals, favorite cocktails, favorite waiters...whatever you like, we want to know about it. Who knows, we may even be able to help you replicate some favorite restaurant recipes or at least encourage you to give some cool things a shot at home.


To get the ball rolling, I'll start. The following are my personal Top 5 favorite dining (or drinking) experiences. They are not all fancy, they are not all unique. Some might even debate whether all of them are even good. Regardless, they are mine and I love them. After putting the list together, I realize that it isn't really even about the food. It's more about the feel of a place and the memories it evokes than anything else for me. Give them a read and then e-mail us at SaltySourSpicySweet@gmail.com to share your faves. If you've got anything good to share with the rest of the class, we'll publish them. Besides, I am desperate for you people to write to me. You've reduced me to begging and I'm not above it. Dig deep and find your inner restaurant critic, but this time around, indulge in only the positive. Bring it on!


Kristin's All-Time Top 5 Restaurant Experiences

1. Paradiso, Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI - Gorgeous colonial Caribbean atmosphere with amazing food and wines. Totally elegant. Was there on my honeymoon and have since been back and I just love every minute of it. Feels a little like Hemingway just left only it's more refined than Papa's usual haunts.

2. Tapas Teatro, Baltimore, MD - On the average night, if you ask me where I'd like to go for a bite, this is it. I love eating in the tapas style and feeling like you got to experience everything that appealed to you on the menu but you are neither bloated or bankrupt. Other tapas places have opened around town and gotten more attention, but Tapas Teatro does it best with an outstanding collection of Spanish reds to back it up. The sangria is good too if you're into that.

3. The Black Pearl, Newport, RI - Right on the water in the heart of Newport, a town I love but never get back to since moving from New England to the mid-Atlantic, the Black Pearl has a casual, tavern-y side and a more formal dining room. I've eaten in both and never been disappointed. Again, it is also the ambiance that I love. It is just so cozy and so New England. Excellent soups and seafood and a great burger as well and you know I love a burger.

4. The Oak Room, The Plaza Hotel, NY, NY - Ya know, as I write this I'm not even sure what's going on with the Oak Room since the Plaza became condos (that gives me an idea for another story entitled Real Estate Transactions That Make Me Want to Die, but that's for another day) as I haven't been back for a while, but I love the gentleman's club elegance of the Oak Room. I've mostly been just for cocktails, but when they make a movie about my life, I'm gonna fix it so that something significant and romantic happens to me in the Oak Room. You can fictionalize your own life story, right? Anyway, they also have a pretty nice burger. The stately elegance of burger served on good china and a martini...perfection.

5. Tie : Foxy's Tamarind Bar AND The Soggy Dollar Bar, Jost Van Dyke, BVI - OK, so the food here is really not what it's all about, although there is some if I recall, (have a flying fish sandwich at Foxy's) but there is almost no place I would rather be at any moment on any given day - specifically grey, rainy days like this one - than on Jost Van Dyke. Soggy Dollar, so named because you can only get there by wading up to it from your boat invented and perfected the world-famous Painkiller cocktail. Now, anyone can tell you that I'm not an umbrella drink kind of gal, but I would drink these for breakfast, lunch and dinner and at the first opportunity, I plan to try.


There's my 5. I want to keep going, make it my Top 10, but I will resist the urge and leave the rest to you. Please send us your lists at SaltySourSpicySweet@gmail.com. Can't wait to hear from you. I have to go...all this typing is interfering with the Foxy's daydream.

Cutting Corners

Not only do I like to cook, I like to read about cooking, I like to watch cooking shows...all of it. But, I am just a humble home chef and sometimes submerging myself in the world of "professional food" just highlights my shortcomings. I don't have any professional training, my kitchen is the size of a small master bathroom, I therefore do not have a lot of fancy eqiupment and I am fundamentally lazy. This is not a pity party...I don't mind any of these issues except maybe for the tiny kitchen, but that's a story for another day. In fact, I frequently feel more proud and more satisfied when I manage to cook something delicious IN SPITE of my meager knowledge, space and equipment. Anybody can whip up a masterpiece with a degree from Le Cordon Bleu in the Iron Chef America Kitchen Stadium with every tool known to man and three assistants. I happen to think that victory tastes sweeter in my tiny dining room (adjacent to the tiny kitchen).

Of course, sometimes a lack of training, equipment and space means some corners must be cut. Take, for example, the recipe that follows. It is widely accepted amongst many of my closest friends and family that I make excellent baby back ribs, on a par with or superior to many local BBQ joints (yeah, yeah, I know...it's Baltimore, not Memphis. Hush.) but the technique I use would make any self-respecting pit master spin. It is absolute BBQ blasphemy. Why? Because at no point do my ribs ever come in contact with anything related to a barbecue pit, a grill or a smoker. Never. Ever. Not even for a second.


I sense you out there doubting the deliciousness. Go right ahead. But, for those of you dwelling in tiny kitchens with neither the space nor budget for a smoker who are willing to set aside a few hours for the recipe that follows, you might just thank me. I am about to make you an honorary Apartment Grand Master BBQ Pit Master. These ribs are as tender and delicious as any you've tasted and are just in time for the heart of football season. They'll make you wanna slap your waiter at Chili's (if you didn't already). If it makes you feel much better, fire up your grill and let the ribs hit the hot grid for a few seconds just before serving...you'll get some lovely grill marks and you can tell people they're barbecued.

One small thing with my apologies...you'll have to use a bottled sauce or devise one of your own since I am not about to publish my recipe. If I don't have the skills or game to get to Kitchen Stadium, I'm gonna make my billions bottling BBQ Sauce.

And, no, I didn't forget that it's still October here on the blog...see ingredients list for Apple Juice. See? More corners cut!




Kristin's Apartment Grand Master BBQ Ribs

Ingredients:

6 racks pork baby back ribs, preferrably pork loin ribs if you can find them...check Sam's Club.

2 12 oz. cans domestic beer

3 cups Apple Juice or Cider, divided

1 cup Rib Rub (you can purchase pork or BBQ rub in the spice aisle if you're so inclined. If you'd like to make your own, play around with combinations of salt, brown sugar, paprika, coriander, garlic powder, black pepper & cayenne. Make a flavor like Brown sugar or paprika your base or you'll run the risk of overwhelming with salt or spice.)

2 cups of your favorite BBQ Sauce - e-mail me if you want some tips on doing it yourself. If you use a bottled sauce, Mazel Tov, but know that I judge you. Slacker.

Special Equipment:
2 Reynold's Oven Bags, Turkey size
2 "disposable" (recycle them or I'll come find you) foil pans, large

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 275, making sure that your racks are spaced to accommodate the big pans with room for the oven bags to puff up. Open up the oven bags and place one in each of the foil pans. Place 3 racks of ribs in each bag, allowing them to overlap if necessary, but not cover each other. rub the tops of the ribs generously with the dry rub mixture. Pour one full beer and 1 1/2 cups of apple juice in each bag. Seal the bag shut with the twist-tie that comes with the oven bags. Place trays of ribs in the oven and allow them to cook, low and slow, for 3 to 4 hours.

Remove ribs from oven. Turn the oven up to 350. Working in your sink if possible, carefully lift the bags out of the foil pans. Cut the neck of the bag and allow the liquid to drain out. Using tongs, carefully remove the ribs from the bags and place them directly back into the foil pans. Baste ribs with about half of your BBQ sauce...don't smother them, just paint them with a liberal coat. Place the ribs back in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. This step can be substituted for some time - maybe 10 minutes on medium heat - on the grill if it'll help you sleep well, but be aware that where there is fire there is, well, fire, and BBQ sauce chars easily. I'm just sayin'.

Remove the ribs from the oven and allow them to cool for a minute or two. Using a really good knife, cut the racks into 4 rib sections and serve with remaining BBQ sauce. While you're cutting corners, may I suggest Ore-Ida Fast Food Fries as an accompaniment? Go ahead and buy a bag of salad while you're at it. Why start trying now?

BAC Melt (Bacon, Apple, Chedder)

I went out on a limb on this combination, but I figured how could it go wrong with bacon involved. Thanks to my good college friend Sarah (What up!), my husband and I received The Griddler -- a panini press/grill, not a Batman villain -- as a wedding present. It's similar to a Foreman, but a hundred times better.

Here's the link if you want to check it out, http://www.williams-sonoma.com/
products/6417778/index.cfm.

The Griddler is perfect for making a pressed sandwiches, although you do not need it to make this. You can make it in regular pan, just like you'd make any grilled cheese.

6 slices of bacon cooked
4-6 thin slices of apple (use whatever apple you like best)
4 thin slices of cheddar cheese (I recommend a sharp cheddar)
4 slices of sour dough bread

And butter for the outside of the bread.

*Makes 2 sandwiches

Heat up your pan or griddler. Butter the outer sides of of the bread.

Layer, bacon, apple and cheese on bread, and place in pan/griddler.

Cook at medium temperature. If you are using a sharp cheddar it will take a little longer to become all melty, so it's best to heat up slowly.

Cooking time will be about 4-5 minutes tops.

Enjoy!

Pork Burgers with Apple and Onion topped with Cheddar

My husband and I LOVE burgers. Our fondness for the controversial Rachael Ray is partly because of her love of burgers. She's always showing off a new themed burger on her show, and we think that's wonderful. On a side note, I'd like to tell all the Rachael Ray haters to go eat it. I won't disagree that she's overeager and occasionally irritating, but she knows what's at your grocery store and in your kitchen, and makes her recipes simple and straightforward. So THERE!

And I love her for her love of burgers. A search of burgers on the Food Network Web site turns out 70 recipes by Rachael :) Emeril comes in second with only 35.

Here's a sample of her burger recipes. They sound lovely, don't they?

Provencal Chicken Burgers with Pizzaladiere Topping, Blue-rugula Burgers, Spanish Burgers with Manchego and Chorizo Hash Browns, Chicken Sausage Burgers with Balsamic Onion Barbecue Sauce, Danish Burgers with Herb Caper Sauce and a Mod Salad, Paella Burgers and Spanish Fries with Pimiento Mayonnaise

The following recipe is in keeping with this blog's continuing tribute to all things apple for October, and to Rachael Ray's tireless contribution to the burger recipe pantheon.

Pork Burgers with Apple and Onion topped with Cheddar

1 pound ground pork
1/4 cup grated onion
1/4 cup grated apple
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg (beaten)
2 TB worcestershire
2 TB Dijon mustard
1 TSP Salt
1 TSP Pepper

4 slices of sharp cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients, and form into patties. If the mixture is too wet, add more breadcrumbs. If it's too dry add a little water. Cook on grill for a total of 6 minutes, 3 on each side.

Makes 4 normal size burgers.

Serve on any bread you like (sandwich-sized English muffins are particularly good) but be sure to top with sharp cheddar.

An Apple a Day

If you're one of our 12 regular readers - you know who you are - we hope you've been enjoying the October of the Apple. In keeping with our theme and as an homage to the age-old addage "an apple a day keeps the doctor away," I present to you my five favorite quick and easy apple "recipes." Please do make use of them because, despite the fact that my last post was frying-related and the fact that vodka figures prominently in one of the following recipes, we here at Salty Sour Spicy Sweet care about nothing more than your good health and vitality, dear reader. Enjoy.

And, if you have an apple shortcut that you'd like to share with the rest of the class, please do speak up. Just bring enough to share with the rest of your classmates.

Speedy Apple Recipe #1: Instant Applesauce
Ingredients:
4 apples of your choosing, peeled, cored and sliced or chopped
The juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 T. sugar (optional...apples may be sweet enough on their own. You decide.)
2 - 3 T. Water

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer over medium heat until desired consistency is acheived, about 12 - 15 minutes. If you prefer smooth applesauce, use a potato masher to take care of any heartier chunks. Enjoy.


Speedy Apple Recipe #2: Apple Blueberry Crisp
Ingredients:
5 medium to large apples of your choosing
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
2 - 3 T. Sugar (again, depending upon sweetness of apples)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) chilled butter, cut into cubes
1 c. oats
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x9"baking dish. Toss apples, blueberries, sugar and half the cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Pour into greased baking dish. In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, oats, butter and remaining cinnamon wogether with your fingers until it makes a coarse meal. Sprinkle over the top of apple-blueberry mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.


Speedy Apple Recipe #3: Caramel Apple Sundaes
Ingredients:
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
3 T. butter
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

18 Kraft Soft Caramels, unwrapped

2 T. chopped, toasted pecans (if desired)

8 scoops vanilla ice cream

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add apples and toss to coat in butter. Sprinkle sugar and salt over apples and sautee until soft but not mushy, about 4 minutes.
Place caramels in a double boiler over simmering water and allow to melt, stirring occasionally. Do not allow to boil or scorch. Remove from heat and allow to cool about 3 - 5 minutes.

Divide ice cream evenly in 4 bowls. Spoon about 1/4 c. of apples over each. Pour a few tablespoons of caramel over the apples. Sprinkle on chopped pecans if you choose. A little whipped cream never killed anybody.


Speedy Apple Recipe #4: Apple-Cinnamon Infused Vodka
Note: I was inspired by my favorite local wine bar, Grand Cru at the Belvedere Market, to figure this out because their apple cinnamon martini made me so, so happy.
Ingredients:
1 Litre good vodka (it doesn't make sense to use very, very top shelf, but it also doesn't make sense to use rot-gut. Go with Smirnoff, Absolut or Stoli)
3 Red Delicious or Macintosh Apples, washed thoroughly and sliced.
3 - 4 Whole Cinnamon Sticks

One 2-Litre or larger airtight pitcher or container

Combine all ingredients in airtight container and store away from sunlight in a cool, dry place for 2 - 3 days, tasting occasionally until desired flavor is acheived. Serve ice-cold, martini-style with a tiny splash of cranberry juice for nice apple-y color and garnish with a pretty apple slice. Mmmmm.


Speedy Apple Recipe #5: Apple Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 apple of your chosing, peeled, cored and diced into 1/4" pieces
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cugar

1 regular recipe of your favorite pancake mix, such as Bisquick, prepared to package specifications.

Mix first 3 ingredients together in a small bowl. Stir into pancake batter and prepare pancakes on hot griddle as usual. Serve with good maple syrup.

For an extra touch, soften 1/2 stick of butter and thoroughly mix in 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. Slather on pancakes. I love that word...slather.


So there's your apple-a-day for the next 5 days. Apologies for the vodka, ice cream, caramel and recurring butter. That old addage is very open to interpretation. They really should have been more specific.

Dangerous Information

I know myself well enough to know that there are certain things that I am better off not knowing. For instance, I should not know where to buy the very best doughnuts, how much money I spent on vodka in my twenties or my actual, accurate weight. None of these factoids can do anything except make me unhappy. See, knowledge is power and maybe I'm just not the sort of person who should have too much of it.

Sometimes, though, no matter how hard you try to stay ignorant, some knowledge seeps in by accident and that's where the real trouble starts. Case in point: I have always been reluctant to fry foods. I presume that it is not only fattening and messy and will make my tiny house smell like KFC, but also that it might be a slippery slope sort of thing. I might be one successful chicken fry away from frying everything from my morning cereal to snickers bars. Why? Because frying things, just like adding bacon to them, generally makes them taste wonderful. I don't need more ways to make things taste good, thanks anyway. (For verification, please see weight reference in paragraph 1, line 2.)

But, the other day while making some appetizers for a party, I sort of stumbled into a little puddle of oil. I've been playing around with a really good combination of flavors and was looking for an appropriate bread vehicle to make said combo into a tasty, hand-held morsel. I chose wonton wrappers and was all set to bake them up, but no where in any of the recipes listed by the helpful wonton wrapper manufacturer did it say anything about baking a wonton wrapper. The wrappers, it seems, want to be fried. Afraid to fail the delicious treats before me, I got out a nice wide, deep saucepan, my candy thermometer and some canola oil. I heated the oil to a toasty 350 degrees and floated 6 little wontons in it. They snapped and sizzled happily, I turned them once, waited another minute and transferred them to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. They. Were. Perfect.

There was no messy splattering, no exploding wontons, no terrifying fires or disfiguring burns. There were only perfect, golden, triangular snacks. Victorious, I resisted the urge to pillage the cabinets in search of other things to fry.

But now the frying seems so easy, so accessible. I have twice caught myself eyeing my peanut oil and seemingly-innocent things like bananas and wedges of cheese. I have yet to fry again, but it is indeed an oily, slippery slope, my friends. Stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy the tasty little treats below which celebrate both my new-found frying confidence AND our ongoing October-long salute to the almighty apple. Enjoy.

Sausage, Apple & Fennel Wontons with Applesauce Reduction

Ingredients:

1 pound hot Italian pork sausage

1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced to 1/4" pieces

1/3 cup fennel, diced

1 cup chicken stock

4 - 6 ounces chunky applesauce

about 50 Wonton Wrappers (the average package of wrappers seems to hold about 40 of 'em. Sorry.)

1 egg plus 1 T. water, beaten in a small bowl and set aside to chill

1 cup Applesauce Reduction (see below)

Instructions:

Heat a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Remove sausage from casings and brown thoroughly, crumbling as you go. You will want the sausage crumbled finely. The smaller the crumbles, the better. Remove sausage from pan when fully cooked and allow to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Drain the majority of the fat from the frying pan, but don't worry about wiping it clean.

Keeping the pan hot, add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Scrape any remaining sausage bits loose and allow stock to simmer until reduced by half. Add the applesauce, diced apple and fennel and allow to simmer, reducing further until a thickened consistency is acheived with little liquid left in the pan. Return the sausage crumbles to the pan and mix to coat. Remove mixture from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool completely.

On a clean work surface, take one wonton wrapper at a time and place a heaping teaspoon of sausage mixture in the center of the wrapper. Dip your finger in the beaten egg and run it around all sides of the wrapper. Immediately fold wrapper in half diagonally to form a triangle and pinch edges firmly together all the way around. Set aside. Repeat with remaining wrappers. Put on a good CD and the time will fly.

Heat about 1/2" of canola or peanut oil in a wide skillet or saucepan with deep sides. Fix a candy thermometer to the side so that the tip sits in the oil and heat it up to about 350 degrees. KEEP AN EYE ON THE OIL TEMP throughout frying process and adjust your burner accordingly. Consistent temperature is key. Fry wontons a few at a time without crowding the pan. My 10" skilet accommodated about 6 at a time. Fry for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden. Carefully remove wontons from oil and allow them to rest on a paper-towel lined baking sheet.

Serve with Applesauce Reduction for dipping...recipe follows.

NOTES: These held very well overnight when placed on a a parchment lined cookie sheet and covered snugly with foil and left at room temperature. Reheat uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes just before serving. They got beautifully crispy all over again.

They will also do just beautifully frozen right before the frying stage. Seal un-fried wontons tightly in an airtight, freezer-appropriate container and defrost thoroughly at room temperature before proceeding with the frying process.

Applesauce Reduction

Ingredients:

1 cup chunky applesauce

16 ozs. (2 cups) chicken stock

1 1/2 tsp. dried sage

1/2 tsp. red pepper flake (optional)

salt & pepper to taste

Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat util reduced to about 1 cup (8 ounces) in volume. Allow to cool slightly and serve as a dipping sauce for wontons. FYI, in a pinch for quick, impressive dinner, this is a lovely sauce for roasted pork or poultry.

More on Apples

Apple season is here, and in full force. There are countless varieties. As I was doing a little research for this post I was overwhelmed, to say the least.

Here's just a sampling of the types that I found.

Braeburn, Cameo, Cortland, Empire, Fuji, Gala, Ginger Gold, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Idared, Jonagold, Jonathan, Matsu, McIntosh, Red Delicous, Stayman, Winesap, York ...

Overwhelmed?!?! Me too. And this is just the tip of the iceberg, actually it's more like the tip of the tip of an iceberg.

Yesterday, I picked up 3 kinds of apples: Empire, Honey Crisp and Matsu. They are pictured above. All delicious, though my favorite is the Empire. I most enjoy apples that are firm, crisp and both sweet and tart.

Now, if you are more interested in making a delicious sweet dessert with your apples, I do have a wonderful apple pie recipe. I have had limited success with pie crust, but this past weekend I had breakthrough. This pie is a true victory. And of course it's pictured above. Isn't she pretty?

Pie Dough
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of unsalted butter, sliced into 12 - 14 pieces, chilled
6 TB ice water

In food processor combine four, salt and sugar. Pulse to mix. Add shortening, and pulse 4 - 5 times until the shortening is incorporated with flour. Then add butter, and pulse 8 - 10 times until butter is incorporated and the dough looks like crumbs. It won't be cohesive by any means at this point.

Pour flour/butter mixture in bowl and gently mix in ice water one tsp at a time. Your dough will form on this step. Once it becomes a ball, pour onto counter and make two equal size balls, and flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for at least two hours.

*This pie recipe is for a 9" pie pan

Before you roll out your pie crust you will want prepare your filling (and pre-heat oven, set at 500, please :) It's fairly simple and I list out my favorite combination below. Besides the amount of apples, feel free to play around with other ingredients here. This is the portion where you should feel free to improvise.

Filling
3 pounds apples or 10 medium-size apples. Peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Granny Smith is recommended.
1 cup of sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

You just need a bit of flour on a clean surface when you roll out the dough. Take out the first disk of dough, and let sit for a few minutes before you roll it out. Use a rolling pin, and roll out the dough to a shape that's is about 11 by 11. To get it in the pie pan, roll it up on the rolling pin, and then roll out it over pie pan. Trim off extra dough. Place pie pan with dough in refrigerator while you work the second disk of dough. Also, let sit for 5 minutes before working it. Roll out again to an 11-by-11 shape. Pull pie pan out of refrigerator, and pour filling in, then lay second layer of dough on top. Trim off extra and then seal the pie with a fork around the edges. Make four slits on top of the pie to allow steam to come out. Brush top with egg wash (beaten egg), and sprinkle on one tablespoon of sugar.

Turn oven down to 425, and place pie on rack. Rack should be at the lowest rung. Cook at this temperature for 25 minutes, and then lower to 375 for 30 more minutes. Rotate pie if one side is getting more brown then the other.

Let cool for 3 hours before serving.