How to Roast Chile Peppers over a Gas Flame

1 Turn your gas burner on to high. Place the chile pepper directly on the gas burner. Let the chile pepper sit on the burner as its skin begins to bubble and turn black (about a minute).

2 Once one side gets pretty well blistered, use tongs (or you can grab the stem with your fingers) to turn the chile to another side. Repeat until the chile gets blistered or charred on all sides. Obviously you need to pay close attention to the chile. It should just blister and char a bit, not catch fire.

3 Place the chile in a brown paper bag. Close the bag and let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes. The steam from the hot chile will help the peel come off easier.

4 Remove the chile from the bag. Use your fingers or a damp towel to rub off the skin. You may find it easier to do this under running water, though doing so will wash away some of the flavor. Remove and discard the stem, seeds, and veins.

Apple Cranberry Currant Crumble Pie Recipe

Ingredients
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup dried currants
1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries, rinsed and drained
1 cup granulated sugar
6 Tbsp plus 1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 cups sliced peeled Granny Smith apples (about 2 1/4 pounds)
10-inch pie pastry for a single-crust pie
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Method
1 Combine the brandy and the currants in a small bowl. Let sit for at least an hour, until currants are plump.
2 Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl mix 1 cup white sugar with 6 Tbsp flour, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Use a slotted spoon to transfer currants from brandy (reserve the brandy) to the sugar mixture. Add cranberries and apples and mix well. Pour filling into unbaked pie pastry and drizzle with the reserved brandy.

3 In another bowl mix 1 cup flour with 2/3 cup of brown sugar. Add the butter and cut in with a pastry blender or rub with your fingers until the mixture forms small lumps. Sprinkle topping over the filling. Set pie in a foil-lined 10x15 inch baking pan (to catch the juices).

4 Bake on bottom rack until juices bubble, 55 to 65 minutes. If pie browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.

5 Set pie on rack, uncovered, to cool for 2 to 3 hours.

Makes 10-12 servings.

OLD FASHIONED APPLE PIE RECIPE

Crust Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup finely ground blanched almonds or almond flour (can substitute 1/2 cup flour if you don't have almonds)
16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, chilled in freezer for at least 15 minutes
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
3 to 6 Tbsp water, very cold

Filling Ingredients
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 pounds of 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices of peeled and cored good cooking apples such as Granny Smith, Pippin, Golden Delicious (see cooking apple varieties)
1 1/2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Egg Wash
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp cream

Method
1 In a food processor, combine flour, almonds, salt and brown sugar, pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add water 1 Tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready, if not, add a little more water and pulse again.

Remove dough from machine and place on a clean surface. Carefully shape into 2 discs. Do not over-knead the dough! You should still be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These bits of butter are what will allow the result crust to be flaky. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

2 Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F.

3 Combine sugar, flour and spices in large bowl. Use your hands and mix in the apples so they are well coated, then add brandy and vanilla extract.

4 Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12 inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, use a metal spatula to check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. Add a few sprinkles of flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Gently fold in half. Place on to a 9-inch pie plate, lining up the fold with the center of the pan. Gently unfold and press down to line the pie dish with the dough.

5 Spoon in apple filling, mounding slightly in center.
6 Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently turn over onto the top of the apples in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold dough under itself so that the edge of the fold is flush with the edge of the pan. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork.

7 Stir yolk and cream in small bowl to blend. Brush over top of pie. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake pie until crust begins to turn golden, about 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F. Tent the rims with aluminum foil or a pie protector if the edges are browning too quickly. Bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, anywhere from an additional 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the type of apples you are using. Transfer to rack; let stand 1 hour. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8.