Dough
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 lb (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/3 cup ice-cold water

Apple filling
3/4 stick of unsalted butter
4 small apples (should have used 5)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 egg + 2 tbsp water (for egg wash)

Method of Madness
The night before I put the butter in the freezer so that it would be cold. While making the crust I also put the water in the freezer so that it would be ice-cold. In a bowl mix the baking powder and the flour. I used a cheese grater to grate the butter into the flower and mixed it by hand. Pull the water out of the freezer and mix in the salt. I put 3 tablespoons of the water into the flour mixture and started mixing it with a fork. Continued to mix, adding the water a tablespoon at a time. The dough was kind of flaky and not overly mixed. Formed it into a ball, flattened, wrapped in saran wrap and put into the fridge while the apple filling was made.

Make the Filling:

Peel, core and cut the apples into wedges. As I cut the apples, I dunked them in a cold water bath to prevent them from washing, because I’m slow.. and also I sliced my thumb which made peeling and cutting hard

Over medium heat, melt half of the butter in a pot. Drain the water from the apples and put them into the pot to saute for 4-5 minutes. Add sugar and combine. Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl, and in another bowl put the cornstarch. Add two tablespoons of lemon juice into the cornstarch and mix. Add this mixture into the apples, mix in well and take the pot off of the heat to let it cool.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Pull out the dough from the fridge and divide into two equal pieces. Put one piece back into the fridge. Dust the working area and the rolling pin with flour. Roll out the dough gently and evenly, turning 1/8 a time to keep it even.

Lightly spray the pie pan.. roll the flattened dough around the rolling pin and drop into the pie pan. Pierce the dough in several places with a fork.

Roll out the second half of the dough so that it’s larger than the pie pan.

Add the filling mixture into the pie pan and add a few tables spoons of butter on top of the filling mixture

Cover the pie pan with the cover and crimp the edges together so they are sealed.

Using a knife cut several small holes to the top of the crust. Brush the dough with the egg wash mixture and then dust with some sugar.

Put a tray at the bottom of the oven so that spillage can be collected. Put the pie pan into the middle track and bake for 20 minutes. Turn 180 degrees and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

Method of Madness
I saw a rack of lamb at Costco and thought, what the heck, I’ve never had these before and wanted to try it out.  The rack came in a set of 8.. much like this:

I cut it into half (2 x 4) and froze one half.   The other half I cut between the bone into cutlets and seasoned them with pinches of cumin, coriander and salt on both sides

One clove of garlic was cut into half and then each half diced with a few pinches of cilantro and parsley leaves for each half.

Over medium heat a couple of tablespoons of sunflower oil, the garlic/cilantro/parsley mix put in and heated for a minute.  Throw in 2 lamb shanks and pan fried for 4 minutes.  Turn and cook the other side pan fried for 4 minutes.  Repeat for the other 2 shanks.

Verdict
I didn’t really like the taste 4/10. The lamb shanks were well-medium done (especially the last fat one). Time to try another recipe for the other 4 shanks.

Method of Madness
Preheat oven to 350

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt). In another bowl mash bananas and mix in wet ingredients (egg, melted butter, and milk). Stir in wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until blended (apparently your not supposed to over mix — which I ended up doing). Stir in chocolate chips.

Line 12 muffin cups with muffin liners. Fill each cup 3/4 full. Bake until muffin tops are pale golden (~32 minutes).

Verdict
Wow, these taste really great! 9/10