Monthly Archives: June 2011

mission accomplished

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Baxter and Main officially hit 25 fans on Facebook so now I have a lovely little Facebook URL:  http://www.facebook.com/baxterandmain

Thanks so much everyone!  And if you haven’t already “liked” the fb page, please, by all means!

 

 

sweet treat

Posted in pie by

Ever heard of chess pie before?  Neither had I until I saw a segment on The Cooking Channel that took place at a pie shop in Brooklyn where they were making a buttermilk version.  It involved butter, sugar, and eggs and I thought, shoot, what could be better? 

So a few months later when I found a recipe in my Martha Stewart magazine for a Chess Tart I thought it serendipitous.  Martha has never steered me wrong before and I didn’t think she would now.

The crust for this tart is made of vanilla wafers which I’ve had a total weakness for since preschool when they would give them to us as a snack with milk before story time.  I managed to find a more natural version of them at Trader Joe’s where you can actually see flecks of vanilla bean in the cookies.  Very tasty.

 I brought the pie into work to share and one of my coworkers described the flavor “like pecan pie without the pecans.”  Good call.

Chess Tart (from www.marthastewart.com)

·         FOR THE FILLING

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fine cornmeal
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

·         FOR THE TART SHELL

  • Vegetable oil cooking spray, for pan
  • 1 1/4 cups ground vanilla wafers (about 45)
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the tart shell: Coat a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray. Mix together wafers, butter, granulated sugar, and salt. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of pan. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.

Transfer pan to a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until tart shell is golden, about 12 minutes. Let cool slightly. Reduce oven to 325 degrees.

Make the filling: Mix together sugars, cornmeal, and salt, breaking up clumps. Whisk in eggs, yolk, and vanilla. Whisk in butter. Pour filling into tart shell. Bake until top is dark golden brown and edge is set but center is still a bit wobbly, 35 to 40 minutes.

Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let cool for 15 minutes. Refrigerate until cooled, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Baxter and Main is now on Facebook

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Yes, it’s true.  Baxter and Main is now on The Facebook.  The peeps at FB say I need 25 fans before they’ll grant me a proper URL so if you are on Facebook I would most appreciate it if you can search for “Baxter and Main” next time you’re logged in and “like” me.  I like you too.

Thanks so much!

simple summer salad

Posted in salad, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian by

I figured it was high time I featured something green on the blog and with summer upon us and lots of picnics and barbecues ahead of us this here recipe is one you need to have in your arsenal.  People who don’t even like salads like this salad.  Small children who normally run away from vegetables and that neighbor of yours who eats a steady diet of fast food and not much else like this salad.  You get the point.

The ingredients are simple and few: spinach, strawberries, and dried cherries (or cranberries).  I like to add pecans or walnuts for a little crunch, but it is just as good without them.  And it’s even better with candied pecans or walnuts.  Trust me on this one.

A tangy and sweet poppy-seed dressing that is equally easy to make pairs nicely with it.

Bring this one to your next party– it can be thrown together in no time and is a total crowd pleaser, I promise.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

  • 8 oz bag of spinach, rinsed and dried
  • ½ cup strawberries, rinsed, stem caps removed and sliced
  • 1/3 cup dried cherries or cranberries
  • 1/3 cup pecans or walnuts, optional
  • Poppy seed dressing (see recipe below)

Place spinach in large salad bowl and top with strawberries, dried cherries or cranberries, and nuts.  Add desired amount of poppy-seed dressing (note that recipe yields enough for several salads) and toss to coat.

Poppy Seed Dressing

  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Whisk all ingredients together in small mixing bowl.  (Stores nicely in refrigerator for future use.)

I pity the fool

Posted in dessert by

I researched a variety of rhubarb recipes this week to decide what to do with the remainder of my bounty and opted to try something entirely new to my food repertoire: a fool.  I had heard of this dessert before but did a little research and discovered it involves pureed fruit and whipped cream and that it originated in England back in the 17th century.  Huh.  Must be something to it if people are still eating it four centuries later!

It’s super simple to make.  You start by boiling chopped up rhubarb, honey, orange zest, orange juice, a vanilla bean, and candied ginger.  Then you whip up some heavy cream with a little sugar and blend the two together.

 This lovely mixture then gets spooned into individual serving dishes (I used ramekins, but it would be lovely to serve in fancy glass coffee cups or the like) and chill.  This is totally one of those recipes that seems like it took a lot of time to make but it totally didn’t.  I could see it being majorly impressive at your next dinner party.  And you could make it with a variety of fruits.  Impress away!

Rhubarb Fool (from www.epicurious.com)

  • 1 1/2 pounds rhubarb, trimmed and sliced 1/2 inch thick (about 4 cups or 1 pound prepped)
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • Zest and juice of 1 orange
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split
  • Pinch of fine sea salt
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

To make the fool, put the rhubarb, honey, orange zest and juice, candied ginger, vanilla bean, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine, then cover and cook, stirring every few minutes, for 10 minutes, until the mixture has come to a boil and the rhubarb has softened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then remove the vanilla bean. Transfer the compote to a bowl, and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes, until very cold.

Whip the cream and sugar until soft peaks form, either by hand or using an electric mixer on medium speed. Set aside 1/3 cup of the compote to garnish the dessert, then fold the remaining compote into the whipped cream. Spoon the fool into six 1/2-cup glasses or dishes and chill for 1 hour before serving topped with the remaining compote.

Storage: This fool is best served the day it is made, but any leftovers can be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.