Best American foods

Ingredients:

For the filling

1kg Bramley apples
140g golden caster sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp flour

For the pastry

225g butter, room temperature
50g golden caster sugar, plus extra
2 eggs
350g plain flour, preferably organic
softly whipped cream, to serve

Preparation:

Put a layer of paper towels on a large baking sheet. Quarter, core, peel and slice the apples about 5mm thick and lay evenly on the baking sheet. Put paper towels on top and set aside while you make and chill the pastry.

For the pastry, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until just mixed. Break in a whole egg and a yolk (keep the white for glazing later). Beat together for just under 1 min – it will look a bit like scrambled egg. Now work in the flour with a wooden spoon, a third at a time, until it’s beginning to clump up, then finish gathering it together with your hands. Gently work the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film, and chill for 45 mins. Now mix the 140g/5oz sugar, the cinnamon and flour for the filling in a bowl that is large enough to take the apples later.

After the pastry has chilled, heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Lightly beat the egg white with a fork. Cut off a third of the pastry and keep it wrapped while you roll out the rest, and use this to line a pie tin – 20-22cm round and 4cm deep – leaving a slight overhang. Roll the remaining third to a circle about 28cm in diameter. Pat the apples dry with kitchen paper, and tip them into the bowl with the cinnamon-sugar mix. Give a quick mix with your hands and immediately pile high into the pastry-lined tin.

Brush a little water around the pastry rim and lay the pastry lid over the apples pressing the edges together to seal. Trim the edge with a sharp knife and make 5 little slashes on top of the lid for the steam to escape. (Can be frozen at this stage.) Brush it all with the egg white and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake for 40-45 mins, until golden, then remove and let it sit for 5-10 mins. Sprinkle with more sugar and serve while still warm from the oven with softly whipped cream.

Ingredients:

For the salad

350g pancetta, sliced 1cm thick
2 punnets cherry tomatoes
Good olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large heads cos lettuce
90g freshly grated Parmesan
For the dressing
1 extra-large egg yolk at room temperature*
2 tsps Dijon mustard
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
8 to 10 anchovy fillets (optional)
120ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
2 tsps salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
370ml good mild olive oil
45g frehsly grated Parmesan cheese

For the dressing

1 extra-large egg yolk at room temperature*
2 tsps Dijon mustard
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
8 to 10 anchovy fillets (optional)
120ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
2 tsps salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
370ml good mild olive oil
45g frehsly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

For the salad:

1) Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.

2) Cut the pancetta into 1cm cubes and cook it in a skillet over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned and crisp. Remove to paper towels and drain.

3) Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until soft.

4) Wash the lettuce leaves carefully and spin-dry in a salad spinner. Stack the leaves on a cutting board and cut them crosswise into 3cm slices. place them in a large mixing bowl.

5) Toss the lettuce with enough dressing to moisten well. Add 90g grated parmesan and toss. Divide the lettuce among 6 or 8 plates and sprinkle with the pancetta roasted tomatoes. Serve at room temperature.

For the dressing:

1) Place the egg yolks, mustard, garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth.

2) With the food processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube (as though you were making mayonnaise), until thick. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and pulse 3 times.

*Raw egg warning.

Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs due to the slight risk of salmonella or other food-borne illness. to reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade a or aa eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.

All these ingredients can be made in advance. be sure they're room temperature when you assemble the salad.

If you're nervous about raw egg yolks, substitue 2 tablespoons of real mayonnaise.

Pancetta is Italian rasher bacon which you can find it in your Italian grocery or a specialty food store. Insist that it's 1cm thick.