I got to spend the day getting my Health Department recertification.  Oh joy.  I find classes like this painful because they really are geared towards the lowest common denominator.  That, and they really do try and cram too much stuff into 8 hours – which pretty much leaves most folks downright confused at the end.  The reality is – it’s all common sense.  Sadly, that’s the one attribute many people are lacking, today. What the heck.  I’m good for another five years…  maybe by then I’ll either hit the lottery or be retired…..

Since I didn’t get home until an hour later than usual – and the lukewarm pizza we had for our ‘working lunch’ hadn’t quite done it for me, I decided something quick was needed for dinner.  In the ‘fridge, we had the leftover sauce from a couple of days ago.  I had some pretty big chunks of sausage and pork in it, so I hit it with the immersion blender and made a thick ragu.  (Naturally, I re-heated it to 165° for the required amount of time.)  I then cooked up a pack of egg pappardelle, grated a bit of cheese on top, made a few slices of garlic bread, and dinner was served in about 20 minutes.

And then I decided we needed dessert.

5 granny smith apples and a box of puff pastry…

I peeled and cored the apples and added the juice of a lemon.

Into a skillet, I added a tablespoon of butter, and then the apples.  Next, was a half cup of sugar, and some cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, allspice, and ginger.  I thought, what the hell.  It was a bit of spice overkill, but they were all there.  (Besides, I didn’t use a lot of a lot of any of them.)  I could have gotten by with any one, I’m sure.

When it was getting all hot and bubbly, I added about a half a cup of heavy cream and then thickened it with a teaspoon of cornstarch.

Into a puff pastry lined pan, another sheet on top.

I brushed it with egg, added the little leaves, and sprinkled the top with turbinado sugar.  Into a 425° oven for 20 minutes.

It was a definite winner.

And let’s see…  I have 2 hours to bring the temperature down to 70° and then another 4 hours to have it at a maximum of 41°…