Amaretto and Apple Galette

This galette is easier than you think!  Ground almonds in the filling, enriched by smooth Amaretto.  Not too sweet, not too tart: Just Right!   This tart is similar to my hazelnut tart, but more dense yet less sweet.  A great combination for dessert or to start you day off with a strong cup of coffee or espresso.  And, it's even possible to have TWO slices and not EVEN feel guilty! 

And, right off the bat, a HUGE "thank you!!" to Ally at A Girl and Her Fork who had a giveaway a few weeks back when I WON a really groovy OXO hand-held slicer.  Thank you, Ally!  This slicer made quick work of my apples and was SO EASY to use.  My "old" mandoline required a lot more counter space and more cleanup.  No changing out blades with this OXO slicer which is a whole lot safer in my book!

This tart is laced ever so slightly with Amaretto, the Italian almond liqueur.  I joked on Facebook a few weeks ago that I was working my way through the Italian liqueurs....Seems like I don't need to joke anymore.  I'm fully ENTRENCHED in Italian liqueurs with utter abandonment it seems.  I'm okay with this Italian liqueur entrenchment...All the more reason to become Italian!

For those foodies out there, frangipane is a French almond filling used in all sorts of fruit tarts.  Martha's frangipane tart was made with poached pears, but who has time to poach pears?  A galette is a French tart of fruit, typically a free-formed tart (AKA rustic) with thinly sliced fruit arranged over a frangipane or custard filling.  Or, sometimes the fruit is its own show piece!

I know you'll love this tart.  Easy to make, easy to eat, and easy to share with your favorite Italian.  YUM!

Rustic, no?  

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Pi Day Pie Blog Hop! Brandied Apple Pie with Cheddar Crumb Topping

It's Pi Day!  We are happy to be participating in an annual holiday that only math geeks may appreciate...Today is 3.14...Get it?  Pi Day!  In case you were wondering, Pi ( π or 3.14159265...) is the number that is derived when you divide the circumference of ANY circle by its diameter.  For the math geeks in the room that's:

Our local blogger buddy, Dorothy, at CrazyforCrust was the inspiration for today's posts.  She's a math geek, we are math geek...We are PROUD math geeks!  Math geek girls ROCK!! 

We are sharing posts from other  π-minded bakers today.  Go on, hop on over for some GREAT π's and tarts!!

Crazy for Crust
Apple Galettes by Kristin’s kNook
Baltimore Bomb Pie by Something Swanky
Grasshopper Thin Mint Pie by The Domestic Rebel
Banana Split Brownie Pie by BruCrew Life
Irish Banana Cream Pie by Shugary Sweets
Apple and Apricot Tart by Trilogy Edibles
Reese’s Fudge Pie by Mandy's Recipe Box

The brandy in this pie gives it a velvety sweetness...Almost silky.  Elegant, too.


I'm sharing this recipe over at Cake of the Week's 
Baking with Spirit Challenge: Dark Spirits.  

Hop on over to Cake of the Week to see even more 
booze-inspired baked goodies!  

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Hard Cider Apple Pie

 Warm, crunchy, cinnamoney goodness all in one bite.  I just couldn't wait any longer to sample this last night.  I made this pie as my dad was coming over for dinner and to do some handy work.  He's a furniture/cabinet maker, and he made me a cabinet door which he installed after a very long wait.  Beautiful woodwork, rewarded by this beautiful Hard Cider Apple Pie.  My Dad is worth so much more!! 

I'm sharing this over at Cake of the Week's September Baking with Spirit Challenge: Cider!  Head on over there for a whole year of boozy baked goods!  Happy Fall!!

Brandied Apple Pie - and Better Crust with Brandy!

Following my experiment with vodka pie crust, I decided to continue exploring these newfound possibilities of turning out perfectly crispy pie crust - with booze!

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This time, the variable was brandy. I used the same base pie crust recipe, from Martha Stewart. I followed these instructions, except that I used brandy where it called for water. The resulting pie crust was a little wetter and doughier (before baking) than the crust I made by substituting vodka for the water. I'm not exactly sure why this is; the alcohol contents were the same (I used E&J brandy, which is 40% alcohol by volume, and Skyy vodka, which is also 40%). I'll have to consult an actual scientist on this one...oh Ellen...

BIWB goes Gluten-Free: Rum-Infused Apple and Quinoa Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean and Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Whoa!  That's probably the longest title yet!  So, I wanted to show our appreciation for one of our guest photographers, Erika.  She was able to capture one of Mrs. Murphy's booze-infused creations when a camera wasn't available.  I ran into Erika in the elevator and discovered that she was gluten-free.  An interesting concept: could I find a booze-infused gluten-free recipe?  I found this recipe on The Cupcake Project.  It called for rum, NO PROBLEM!

Look at these little darlings!

Quinoa?  I didn't even know the correct pronunciation, let alone where to find it in the grocery store or what it even looked like.  Found it in the wonderful bin section of our neighborhood Winco...LOVE Winco...LOVE the bin section...Anyway, it was pricey for a little-bitty grain.  I was up for this challenge!