Rockin’ chili,moist cheddar cornbread, apple pie with a caramel drizzle

Method – Dip

Take out goat cheese and let soften at room temperature.

Slice onions using food processor slicing attachment, or slice thinly by hand. Place in a two quart saucepan over medium low heat and cover for about an hour. Remove cover and allow liquid to evaporate. Turn to low until onions are golden and sweet. Saute spinach leaves in olive oil in a medium hot skillet for about a minute. Add nutmeg and garlic, saute for another 30 seconds and remove. Allow onions and spinach to cool. Using a tea towel, squeeze the liquid out of both of them. Place in a large bowl with salt, sour cream, goat cheese and pepper blend. Mix to combine. Chill until cold. Slice bread round across the top and take out the bread inside. Cut bread into chunks for dipping. Fill cavity with dip (you will have some left for refilling). Serve with other bread and/or crackers as well.

Ingredients – Chili

2 TB olive oil

2 1/2 lb chuck roast, trimmed and 1/4 inch diced

1 large onion, diced

3 TB Frontier organic chili powder

1 heaping TB of organic tomato paste
2 tsp garlic hot sauce

2 1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp Frontier Pepper Fusion, Chipotle

1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp oregano

1 TB paprika

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pickled jalapeno, minced

1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced

1 carton chicken stock

1 15 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 15 1/2 oz can pinto beans

1 15 1/2 oz can white beans

1 15 1/2 oz can kidney beans

1 large, ripe tomato for garnish

sour cream for garnish

8 oz cheddar cheese for garnish, grated

green onions for garnish, thinly sliced

Method – chili

In a large pot on high, add olive oil. When it is hot, add the meat and the salt. Saute for a couple of minutes and add all the ingredients up to the chipotle pepper. Let the moisture in the pot evaporate and reduce to almost nothing. Add chicken stock and diced tomato. Add chocolate. Let reduce again by about a third. Add all beans. Continue simmering uncovered until the meat is tender and you have reached a chili consistency. Serve and offer the garnishes.

Ingredients – apple pie

3 cups flour

2 1/2 sticks cold butter for pastry

1/2 tsp salt for pastry

12 Granny Smith or Braeburn apples

2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp clove

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

pinch of salt for filling

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 tsp (pats of butter) for filling

milk for a wash

sugar to sprinkle on top

1/2 cup sugar for caramel

pat of butter for caramel

1 tsp cream for caramel

Method – apple pie

Preheat oven to 385 degrees F.

In a food processor, add the 3 cups of flour and 1/2 tsp of salt. Dice the 2 1/2 sticks of cold butter and add to the bowl. Pulse until it is the size of small peas. Add 1/2 cup very cold water and pulse. If the dough does not come together, keep adding a TB of cold water until it forms a ball while turned on. Wrap dough in plastic and place in fridge.

Peel and core apples. Cut in half. Cut each half into seven slices. Put all the slices in a large bowl. Add the spices, 3/4 cup sugar and 1/3 cup flour with a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.

Roll out 1/3 of pastry dough on a floured board for the size of a 9 inch deep dish pie plate. Place pie dough over plate, gently tucking it in the bottom. Roll out the other 2/3 of dough to about 1/8″ thickness.

Pour apple mixture into pie dish. Put dough on top. Tuck the edges of the dough under, if possible, if it’s too big, trim with a knife. Crimp the top of the dough to the bottom all the way around. Brush the outside with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for an 1 – 1/2 hours, until pie is nicely golden.

Let cool for an hour before serving.

While pie is cooling, place 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat until rapidly simmering. Don’t walk away from it and don’t stir it. Let it cook until golden brown, then add a pat of butter and a tsp of cream. Let cool for 5 minutes and drizzle over top of pie. If you wait too long, it won’t drizzle.