Galaxy Hill, Pomfret, VT

The Vermont sourced ingredients are:

• King Arthur Organic All-Purpose Flour,  purchased at The Baker’s Store in Norwich, VT.
• Aged and Selected 18 Month Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Grade B Maple Syrup from Sugarbush Farm in Woodstock, VT.
  

  Sugaring Maple

• Northern Spy Apples from Moore’s Orchard in North Pomfret, VT.
  

  Moore's Orchard Apples

• Cabot Butter bought at the Reading Country Store in Reading, VT.
• Ben & Jerry’s Vanilla Ice Cream (purchased here in CT, but wanted to stick with VT products).
• A Vermont grown Traminette wine from Shelburne Vineyard.  (We didn’t visit the vineyard but had it with dinner one evening at the Kendron Valley Inn.)

I found a great recipe for “Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust” on Marthastewart.com that was fairly easy to make.   Most importantly, it tasted – OMG best pie we have ever had – good.  (though the Coconut Pie at Café Wayan is a close second)

1. I followed the “Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust” recipe.
   

   Ready for the oven.

2. I used the Vermont products where called for, for example “1/2 cup all-purpose flour” became 1/2 cup King Arthur Organic All-Purpose Flour.
3. I bought a baking mat at The Baker’s Store which made rolling out the crusts a breeze and easy to clean up.  I highly recommend them if you do any baking involving rolling or kneading.  No guessing on how far to roll out the pie dough either.
   

   Baker's Mat

4. Rather than using Granny Smith & Cortland apples, I used Northern Spy (great baking apples if you can find them.)
5. Roll out the leftover pie crust, use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes, add a little bit of cheddar to each and bake until slightly browned. It made a great savory snack while the pie was baking.
   

   Leftover Pie Crust Crackers

6. Put a silicone mat or piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet one rack below the baking pie.  If the pie bubbles over like mine did, you will have an apple-caramel treat when it cools plus less mess.
   

   Apple Caramel Goodness

7. To serve the pie, I added one scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Vanilla ice cream, drizzled the ice cream and pie with maple syrup and enjoyed with a glass of Vermont Traminette wine.  Add a slice of cheddar on top of the pie for a more New England touch.
   

   Finished Pie Cooling.

Bon Appetit!

I owe KAPA a special thank you for putting Mirielle to sleep. A morning full of honu (turtles) and swimming combined with a hotel bed was a recipe for napping disaster. After trying every trick in our book to get Mirielle to sleep, we put her in the car, turned on the radio and drove. She was asleep before we reached the first stop sign. While it usually takes ¾ – 1 ½ Frank Sinatra songs to get her down, KAPA’s soothing afternoon show made Frank look like a slacker.

Check out how we killed time coffee tasting during her nap.

In chilly New England, I listen to KAPA’s radio stream on the web at kaparadio.com. I tune in and am transported back to the big island. Ono.

Taking travel home is an occasional series on the things we bring home from travel. Guest submissions are welcome, just send an email to meg at backpacktobuggy dot com.

Interested in participating?  Go to First Giving, or see my previous post for details.

The Barefoot Books prize collection includes:

	Whole World – Mini Edition (with CD) Featured in Oprah’s “O List”!
	We’re Sailing to Galapagos Set sail to Galapagos on a week-long voyage of discovery!
	Off We Go to Mexico An Adventure in the Sun “Festive colors and distinctive iconography of Mexican folk crafts pairs with Krebs’ singsong verse about a place or experience.”—Booklist
	We’re Riding on a Caravan An Adventure on the Silk Road “This book is an excellent way to introduce the trade route.” —School Library Journal
	We All Went On Safari A Counting Journey Through Tanzania Featured as a Starred Review in the Kirkus Reviews
	We’re Sailing Down the Nile A Journey Through Egypt “Six smiling Egyptian children invite readers to accompany them on a sight-seeing jaunt down the Nile River”—Publishers Weekly
	My Granny Went to Market A Round-the-World Counting Rhyme “Each page delights the senses and opens young eyes to the world around them.”—School Library Journal
	The Great Race The Story of the Chinese Zodiac Which animal will win the race and get the first year of the Chinese calendar named after them?
	Mama Panya’s Pancakes A Village Tale from Kenya Winner of the Notable Books for a Global Society 2005
	The Story Of Divaali “A beautifully evocative retelling of a classic Hindu text, accessible and modern without losing any of the original’s power and resonance, and superbly illustrated throughout.” – Meera Syal
	Putamayo World Playground – Music CD Experience an inspiring musical and cultural journey around the world!
	Landmarks of the World Discover the world’s wonders with this colorful puzzle!
	My Travel Journal A World of Activities Exciting games, puzzles and much more teach about the many countries and cultures of the world!

If you can’t wait until January to receive you prize, or would like to give one of these books as a gift, please click here, or on the Barefoot Books Badge on the right margin.

Related Post:

Passports with Purpose – a Fundraiser for Heifer International (cooler than collecting quarters in rice bowls)

Decades later, I am equally excited to join Passports with Purpose, a travelblogger- driven fundraiser for Heifer International.   As one of many travelers who have seen the faces of poverty, raising money for an organization that focuses on eliminating poverty and hunger by helping people become self-sufficient with concern for sustainability, will be as much fun as the rice bowl.

I want to get you equally excited to participate in this fundraiser.  Rather than asking you to drop quarters in the rice bowl, I want you to win one of the fabulous prizes.   Yes, you heard me right – you might win something really cool.  Backpack to Buggy is proud to contribute:

Over $100 of products from Barefoot Books‘ One World, One Planet collection for your little armchair travelers (or to take on the road).  This prize includes ten books, a music CD, a puzzle and a travel journal.  (Best for children under 5).  Please check here for title details.

And there are lots more prizes from other travelbloggers.  Click here for a full list of prizes.   For each $10 donation, you will be entered into a raffle to win the prize you select.  See a few prizes you want?  Then make a few donations.  The more you donate, the more Heifer International will be able to do to eliminate poverty.

How to you enter to win this or any of the other great prizes?  Go to First Giving (http://www.firstgiving.com/passportswithpurpose) to make your raffle donation. Heads up: Be sure to enter your email address and the prize you want to win in the comments field, or you won’t be notified if you win!  Winners will be selected and notified via email on December 30th, 2008.

One year I was in Barcelona for my birthday.  As a passionate foodie who did not want to make the trek to el Bulli, I uncovered Espai Sucre. The restaurant, whose name translates to ‘Sugar Space,’ serves desserts in tasting menus with wine parings available.  While there are a few ‘savory’ dishes available, the meal is about the desserts.

It was wonderful and decedent and at the time (2004) cost around US$60/person with wine parings, VAT and gratuity.  I learned desserts do not have to be sweet and mixing sweet and savory could be heaven. (Sample menus are online.)  At the end of the menu, when we could hardly move much less eat, they served a tower of cookies and jellies.  I don’t remember all of the flavors, but they were exotic and delicious.  The best, by far, were the curry cookies.  It was like a standard sugar cookie with curry powder mixed in and rolled very very thin.

from ms_cwang

espai sucre the epitome of experimental dessert

When I eat a wonderful dish traveling, I try to recreate it to bring my travels home.  After the Espai Sucre dinner, I began experimenting.   Using the Toll House recipe as a foundation (the best basic chocolate chip cookie recipe) I am continually tweaking and testing.  Here is my favorite…..

Meg’ Cardamom Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2 ¼ c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
2T Cardamom powder (or to taste)
Combine dry ingredients and blend well.

1c (2 sticks) butter softened
¾ c granulated sugar
¾ c packed brown sugar
Mix together and beat until creamy.

1t vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Add vanilla, then eggs one at a time and beat well.

Gradually add the flour mixture.

2½ c Chocolate Chips
Add to batter and mix just enough to work in.

Drop rounded teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheets
Bake 9-11 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool for 2 minutes.  Remove from cookie sheet and place on cooling rack.

Best served with a Late Harvest Gewurztraminer or Apple sparkler (4 parts sparkling water to 1 part Apple cider).

from .michael.newman.

Cardamom