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Last week Ulla and I went to the farmer's market at Union Square where I picked up some ripe red local Macintosh and Macoon apples from a local farm, which I later used to make a delicious winter apple pie for our holiday dinner.  Apple pies are good any time of the year, but I like to add a little ginger and extra spice to make a warming apple pie for a frosty winter's eve.  I thought I'd share my recipe.

If you can, look for apples, butter, or flour that come from a local farm.  In Montana, I have found some local butter made by a Hutterite family (I have a feeling it's grass-fed butter) and flour from a nearby wheat farm for baking.  In New York state, a grand supply of local apples can always be found at any farmer's market.

For the crust, refer to this link to the November Saveur magazine recipe for measurements and technique.  While your pie dough is chilling, begin making the apple mixture.

Peel, core, and slice  5 - 6 cups of tart apples Put apples in a bowl. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 of a lemon over the apples, and mix well.  The lemon juice keeps the apples from rusting.

In another bowl, mix:

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1 1/2 Tbs flour

Add this sugar and spice mixture to the apples.  Stir the apples until completely coated in the sugar and spice mixture.  Grate 1 tsp fresh ginger over apples.  Stir ginger into apple mixture.

Roll out half of your pie dough and carefully place it in a 9 or 10 inch pie pan.  Pour the apple mixture into the pie shell, leveling it out with a spoon or by hand.

Roll out the 2nd half of your pie dough and place it over the apples. Dot the apple mixture with 1 Tbs of butter.

Cut the long edges of the pie dough off, leaving about 1 inch of pie dough for the edges of the crust.  Press top and bottom together and roll the edges under to create a nice edge of the crust.

Cut remaining pie dough into the shapes of leaves, holly, or other symbols and set them on the top crust.  Cut a few half-inch slits in the top crust to allow the steam to escape while the pie is baking.

Wisk 1 egg white and coat the pie dough lightly over the top with the egg white.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and then for 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serve warm and enjoy!

This dish is inspired by the classic French dish Foie de Veau a la Lyonnaise(veal liver and onions). Beef liver is extremely healthy but because antibiotics have become so widespread it is something I avoid unless it is grass-fed. Grass-fed livers are free of hormones and antibiotics, and are high in protein, iron and low in fat--- it is also a frugal cut that all of our grandparents enjoyed. This recipe is excellent with a potato dauphinoise and a green salad with a nice vinaigrette.

Beef Liver and Onions

Ingredients: 4 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1/4-cup sherry (optional)
1 pound la cense beef liver, cut into 4 (4-ounce) pieces
A splash of olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1-cup flour

Preparation: Season both sides of the liver with salt and pepper. Season the flour with salt and pepper as well. Dredge the liver in the flour coat completely but make sure to shake off excess flour. In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter add a bit of olive oil. When the butter is hot, add the liver. Cook for 2 minutes on each side, remove from the pan and set aside. Over a medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sliced onions. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until soft about 5 minutes add sherry let it evaporate! Serve over liver! Enjoy!

Potato Dauphinoise

This is a very rich dish but because the liver is so nutritious is an excellent accompaniment ---if you have fresh herbs like thyme you can add this too.

Ingredients:
2 pounds Yukon gold, Idaho or all-purpose potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin
2 1/2 half-and-half
1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese, about 4 ounces*
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 clove garlic
Preparation: Preheat oven to 325°F. Peel potatoes. Slice potatoes very thin with a sharp knife put them in a bowl and add half and half. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Grease and oven proof dish and wipe with a cut clove of garlic. Add potato mixture and cover with cheese. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and cheese is golden brown. Serve it in the dish it was cooked.
*This dish is best with gruyere but you can use any cheese that you have handy. This dish is a traditional French dish where they would use ripe cheese that they had in their kitchens. French cuisine, like all traditional cuisines, makes an art of simple, frugal ingredients. I think it is a perfectly fine to use Swiss, cheddar, gouda, fontina or even monetary jack cheese. If, not having Gruyere, is going to stop you from making this dish use the cheese in your fridge!

The tomatoes, salad and cauliflower are bursting out of our garden. What a prefect way to celebrate the harvest with a simple summer meal that showcases it: Grass-feed beef burgers cooked rare, with homemade mayo garnished with garden ripened tomatoes and lettuce! As a side, oven roasted cauliflower! Summer Perfection!

The days are long on the farm and we work well into the evening; dinner is usually at 8pm because we are busy with the animals, haying, harvesting and generally working with the light. We have grass-fed burgers at least three time a week because they are simple, healthy but most importantly: delicious! Grass-fed burgers are also easy on the cook and are an excellent source of high quality protein.

Please note that grass-fed beef is safer then conventionally raised beef and can be eaten far rarer, in fact, it is better the rarer it is. I made homemade mayo with this because it is a luxurious addition to summer ripened tomatoes but please use store bought if that is easier.

Ingredients:
4 La Cense Grass-fed Steak Burgers
4 kaiser rolls
1 garden fresh tomato, sliced
3 leaves of fresh lettuce, ripped in two
sweet onion, sliced
homemade mayonnaise with grass-fed egg or olive oil mayonnaise

Preparation: Defrost burgers, season with sea salt and ground fresh black pepper. Grill burgers to taste and serve with mayonnaise, tomato, lettuce and onion.

Homemade Mayonnaise with Grass-fed Egg

Ingredients:
1 large grass-fed(pasture raised)egg yolk, at room temperature
3/4 cup olive or canola oil (or a combination), divided
1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
dash of salt

Preparation: Whisk together yolk and 1/4 teaspoon salt until combined. Add 1/4 cup oil drop by drop, whisking constantly until mixture begins to thicken. Whisk in vinegar and lemon juice, then add remaining 1/2 cup oil in a very slow stream, whisking constantly until well blended. If the oil is not being incorporated, stop adding oil and whisk mixture vigorously until smooth, then continue adding oil. Whisk in salt to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Warning:
• The egg yolk in this recipe is not cooked which can be an issue because of salmonella, I use only pasture-raised eggs from my mother’s chickens for this recipe, store bought mayo is excellent if you do not have pasture raised eggs. This mayonnaise will keep in the fridge for two to three days.

Roasted Cauliflower: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut cauliflower into florets lay onto a baking sheet and dash with olive oil, a few tabs of butter and salt and pepper to taste. Roast until soft, about 20 minutes depending on the size

This is the perfect date dish, it is romantic and if you are trying to impress someone or show them that you care this is ideal, and because it is so quick and easy it leaves the chef in a good mood. I served the steaks with mashed potatoes, which was fantastic with the sauce, something about the sherried mushrooms and thyme made the potatoes sinfully tasty. This recipe could work for four people but if you have a big man eating your steak, I say this recipe is perfect for a couple.

Ingredients:
1tablespoon olive oil
4 beef la cense fillet mignon grass-fed steaks
5 tablespoons chilled butter
10 ounces mushrooms, wild or cultivated work well. If you are using wild mushrooms make sure to cut the tough stems away.
2 shallots, minced
1 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoon fresh thyme, and sprigs for garnish

Preparation: Season steaks with salt and pepper. In a large skillet (preferably one that is not nonstick) heat olive oil to a medium high heat pan-fry the filet mignon until desired doneness. Around 4 minutes on each side. Transfer steaks to a plate and tent with aluminum foil. Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the pan, sauté shallots around 3 minutes, add mushrooms, sauté until soft about 5 minutes. Add sherry and thyme boil until the liquid reduces by half, taste and season with salt. Cut the last 2 tablespoons of butter into pieces and add to sauce making sure to stir, spoon sauce over steaks and serve! Enjoy!

At our Grass-fed Party holiday dinner we made it seasonal. I made butter pecan roasted butternut squash, mashed fingerling potatoes, a sweet potato gratin, curried brussel sprouts and roasted beets. The star of the evening was a show stopping La Cense Boneless Prime Rib that I seasoned with rosemary and garlic. I love prime rib, it is one of my favorite roasts, and this grass-fed version was just delicious---I really mean it, it was fantastic!

The conversation was great, so where the guests. My sister and Franny made dessert; a delicious and spicy apple pie and a smooth chocolate cake with sour cherries! All in all it was a lovely evening: frugal, seasonal and filled with love!



Roasted La Cense Boneless Prime Rib Roast

Ingredients:
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 Boneless La Cense Prime Rib Roast- about 3 pounds
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil

Preparation: Defrost the roast in water the day before keeping it in the plastic in a large bowl. This should take about 5 hours. Place in the refrigerator. Two hours before you cook the roast take the roast out letting it reach room temperature. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, season the roast and slather it with olive oil, roughly chop rosemary and place on top with garlic, set in a roasting pan. You will be roasting this quickly at about 5 minutes per pound I had mine in the oven for about 20 minutes. It is important to have a meat thermometer so that you can monitor the doneness, as most ovens vary greatly(mine takes a long time) you will want it roasted to an internal temperature around 130°F to 140°F which is medium rare.Let it rest for 10 minutes before you serve! Enjoy!