final burst of summer

Posted in dessert, fruit, pie by

How can it be Labor Day weekend already?  Didn’t summer just get started?  Just a few weeks ago I bought raspberries, blueberries, cherries, and yes even strawberries at the farmer’s market and now the only fruit I can find there is apples?  What???

No matter.  I didn’t let a little lack of fruit at the farmer’s market stop me from making something I wanted to ever since I saw a picture of it in July’s Bon Appetit magazine: hand pies.  And not just one batch of hand pies– I went full-on and did a double batch for a bbq I attended and made both blueberry and cherry varieties. 

And what does every pie start with?  Crust of course.

I made a lot of crust.  I knew there were going to be a lot of people at the bbq and since the recipe only made 12 individual pies I didn’t want anyone to feel left out so made 24 little hand pies.  What was I thinking?

The making of the crust was pretty simple, as was the making of the fillings.  In general, I find pies to be one of the easiest and quickest desserts to make and the thought of individual pies just seemed so quaint and fun that I couldn’t help myself.

I had visions of wrapping them all cute in individual wax paper bags and serving them from a basket lined with a vintage dish towel with some fun floral pattern on it.  Sounds lovely and charming, right?

A word to the wise: do not make these when you are slightly pressed for time.  Also it’s probably a good idea not to make them the first time you meet your future in-laws, say, or when you’re trying to impress your new boss.  Neither of those things was the case with me, I’m just trying to think of scenarios when it might not be a great time to try something so meticulous as crafting hand pies.

The rolling out of the dough and the slicing up into squares went well.  Dropping filling onto the squares even went pretty well, too.  (Note the below image was the last batch I put together.  The first few go-rounds were definitely not so photo-worthy…)

I’m a generous person and I want everyone’s pie to have a generous portion of filling.  That is not a good way to think when making hand pies.  A little dollop will do in this case.  Anything more than that will ooze out the side of the pie and prevent you from being able to seal it.

Sealing the pie is key.  Above is one of the few pies that actually looked halfway decent.  Below you will see the finished product when pies are not sealed properly.  Not the prettiest, but thank goodness for that parchment paper.  That saved me from having to scrub the baking sheets afterwards.  Thank you parchment  paper!

Fortunately the pies were not so unattractive once peeled off the parchment paper.  In fact, they were even kind of cute.  I ran out of time for the whole wax paper bag thing, but in the end it didn’t really matter– they were a hit at the bbq.  Happy Labor Day weekend and I hope you enjoy these last moments of summer!

Hand Pies (adapted from Blackberry Hand Pie and Cherry Hand Pie recipes from www.epicurious.com)

  • Pastry dough for a double-crust pie (see recipe below)
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 tablespoons raw sugar

Blueberry Hand Pie Filling

  • 2 ½ cups blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon tapioca flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons sugar

Cook blueberries, tapioca flour, cinnamon and sugar in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until mixture just boils and is thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl to cool.

Cherry Hand Pie Filling

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca flour
  • 2 cups fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted, or about 12 ounces frozen pitted cherries, unthawed
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine fresh cherries, sugar and salt in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cherry juices are released, about 5 minutes. Add tapioca flour; bring to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Hand Pie Instructions

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll out half of dough 3/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 16- by 11-inch rectangle, then trim into a 15- by 10-inch rectangle, reserving scraps. Cut into 6 (5-inch) squares. Place a heaping tablespoon of fruit filling in center of 1 square. Moisten edges of square with milk and fold into a triangle, pressing edges to seal. Transfer to a lined baking sheet and press tines of a fork around edges of triangle. Make 5 more triangles in same manner, arranging them 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling, rerolling all of the scraps together once to make 12 triangles total.

Brush triangles with milk and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons raw sugar. Bake, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until pies are golden, about 30 minutes total. Transfer pies to racks to cool.

Pastry Dough (found at epicurious.com)

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening (preferably trans-fat-free)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 to 7 tablespoons ice water

Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water (for a single-crust pie) or 5 tablespoons for a double-crust pie evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.

Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn’t hold together, add more ice water 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough. Turn out dough onto a work surface. For a single-crust pie, divide dough into 4 portions; for a double-crust pie, divide dough into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all dough together with pastry scraper. For a single-crust pie, press into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. For a double-crust pie, divide dough into 2 pieces, with one slightly larger, then form each into a ball and flatten each into a 5-inch disk. If dough is sticky, dust lightly with additional flour. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

bacon makes everything better

Posted in cookie by

Totally true!  I used to say that about butter (and still do sometimes) but now I say it about bacon too. 

A few years back people starting putting bacon in everything: donuts, scones, lattes, cupcakes.  Why oh why did it take so long for us to realize what a genius move this was?  Though as they say, better late than never.

A few months back I found a recipe for peanut butter bacon cookies on one of my favorite food blogs.  And while they sounded pretty good as is, I asked myself how could these be even better?  The answer was to candy the bacon prior to adding to the cookie batter.  While bacon is wonderful simply prepared, it is even better when it’s candied!  Salty and sweet at the same time!  I think the word I am about to throw out is seriously over-used in this day and age so I reserve it for times I really mean it and I really mean it when describing candied bacon: amazing.

I candied the bacon in the oven and it couldn’t have been easier.  With a little parchment paper, the clean-up was even super simple!  Then I chopped up the bacon finely and set out to getting the batter mixed up.

The batter consists of all-natural peanut butter, brown and white sugar, an egg, and baking soda– that’s it.  Oh, and then the bacon.  There’s no flour so it’s actually a gluten-free recipe.  The result is a crumbly batter that just holds together when you ball it up to make the cookies.

 These cookies are sweet and a little savory at the same time.  Heck, I ate two after baking them and called it dinner.  It’s got protein, right?  For sure.  Try some right away!

Candied Bacon (found at foodnetwork.com)

  • 10 strips thick-cut bacon
  • About 1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Position a cooling rack over a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up). Lay the strips of bacon on the rack and place in the oven to bake for 6 to 8 minutes.

 Sprinkle each strip with brown sugar and bake until the sugar melts and caramelizes and the bacon is crispy, another 6 to 8 minutes; don’t let them burn. Remove from the pan and lay on the cooling rack to solidify and come to an eat-able temperature.

Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies (slightly adapted from a recipe joythebaker adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook)

  • 1 cup all-natural chunky or smooth peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • about 6 slices of bacon, candied, cooled and diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a mixer combine peanut butter and sugars until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add egg and baking soda and mix for another 2 minutes. Fold in candied bacon. Roll into large walnut sized balls and create a criss-cross pattern with a fork. If you’d like, roll the dough balls in granulated sugar before making the criss-cross pattern. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on a baking sheet for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

 

kitchens past, present and future

Posted in Uncategorized by

Would I like to work in a kitchen that is light and airy and open?  Of course!  Would I like to cook/bake with the finest appliances?  A Sub-Zero fridge perhaps, and a Wolf range?  You bet I would!  A kitchen with an island that goes on for miles and miles?  Sign me up!  A kitchen that looks much like the one below (courtesy of hgtv.com)?  Yes please!

But that’s not reality.  At least not until I strike it rich by playing the Lotto or sell so many baked goods on the etsy site I am contemplating opening (you know, in my spare time) that I can afford to do so.  In other words, it’s not likely to happen anytime soon.

I thought it might be fun to share images of some of the kitchens I have inhabited over the years and  yes, okay, maybe I’m stalling a little bit.  I just moved this past weekend and even though I had great ambitions of cooking and baking up a storm upon unpacking, it just didn’t quite happen.  I was tired, I’m sorry.  I will amend that in the near future, I can assure you!

I couldn’t go too far back in the old archives because a few of the apartments I’ve lived in over the years just didn’t have kitchens worth photographing and/or photos were taken before I had a digital camera (yes Virginia, there was life before digital cameras) and I don’t have a scanner and therefore no way to share the pictures on this here blog.  So, we’ll start five years ago in my Brooklyn kitchen:

1)

As you can see it was a galley style kitchen and actually relatively spacious for NYC.  It had good sunlight and ventilation from the large window and the fridge and the stove were conveniently located side-by-side (as if there were another option for placement!)  I had people over for dinner frequently in this kitchen and even hosted a few small food-related parties that I deemed to be successes.  Something you can’t tell based on the photos: we had a little bug problem in this apartment.  I’ll spare you the details but you can probably guess just what kind of insect it was…  But nevermind– I’d never let a little bug get in the way of making magic in the kitchen!

 2)

Next we have quite possibly the tiniest kitchen that’s ever existed.  See where the cooler is sitting?  That was the entire section of working counterspace– all one square foot of it.  What is hidden by the blue wall on the left is the sink and to the right of the fridge was the door to my bedroom.  And this was in a sixth-floor walk-up in Chinatown.  But I loved it!  In fact, it’s one of my favorite apartments ever.  And yes, in case you were wondering, I sure did do some baking in this teensy, tiny, little space.  Cakes, pies, cookies, bread.  All prepared on one square foot of counterspace.  Incredible!

3)

Then I moved to Wisconsin where space was not a problem.  In fact my next kitchen was so large I could have easily fit an elephant and a giraffe and probably a small whale too and they all could have lived harmoniously together without ever rubbing elbows.  (Do whales even have elbows?)  What did I not love about the kitchen?  The small oven (never could have pulled off a Thanksgiving meal here…) and the knotty pine.  Yes, it did sort of have a kitschy 1950’s appeal and on occasion I did feel like I was inhabiting Betty Draper’s kitchen (minus Don Draper, bummer) but most of the time I just felt like I was in a log cabin in northern Michigan on a long summer weekend waiting to swat some flies away from the food.  But, I did manage to bake award-winning brownies in this kitchen and that’s nothing to snuff at.  And oh man, just look at all that space!

4)

And that brings us to my brand new (but not-so-new) kitchen.  It’s smaller than the last but that was bound to happen.  It still has adequate counter space and storage.  Yes, it has some awful dark green 1980’s wallpaper with a coordinating decorative border that is barely visible in this photograph but you know what?  I can deal with that.  I will still cook and bake some wonderful things in this kitchen and fill the bellies of the people I love and hopefully bring a smile to their faces too.  Because it doesn’t matter  what kind of space you have to prep food in as long as you have passion for what you’re doing.  But if anyone wants to buy me a Wolf stove one of these days I would certainly not be opposed…

taco tuesday

Posted in vegan, vegetarian by

I love me some lentils.  I don’t think I had ever even eaten lentils until I was in college and discovered that I liked the vegetarian version of my dorm cafeteria’s shepherd’s pie more than the meat version.  Lentils are super hearty and I hear they are good for you too.  Bonus!

 I’ve done a bit of experimenting with brown and red lentils and recently bought some French lentils which are green in color.  I don’t discriminate against lentils based on color.  They’re all equally good in my eyes.

I must admit, the dish I am about to share with you was not prepared by me but rather by a visiting friend and I immediately deemed it blog-worthy so took photos and asked for the recipe.  (Clearly I was so hungry that I rushed the photo-taking part…  Forgive me.)

 My friend made tacos out of lentils.  Tacos!  Who doesn’t like tacos??  The lentil tacos were so full of flavor and so hearty that I definitely didn’t regret the fact that they were meatless.  In fact, I celebrated that they were meatless.  Even though I love things like bacon and a nice roasted chicken I rarely prepare meat at home so I have a decent repertoire of vegetarian main dishes and this recipe will no doubt be added to it.  I suggest you do the same!

Apologies for the sparse posts lately.  I am in the midst of moving and thus not cooking/baking so much these days since all of my stuff is in boxes and my fridge looks like a total bachelor’s with nothing much apart from condiments in it.  But I will be settled into my new place soon and promise to return to more regular posts in the very near future!

Lentil Tacos (recipe found at www.runnersworld.com)

1 cup onions, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup brown lentils, dry (note: I had French and red lentils on hand and used a combination and it worked just fine)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup water or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons dried black currants or raisins, minced
1 cup salsa, plus additional for topping
8 6-inch corn tortillas
shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

In a large frying pan over medium heat, sautée onions, celery, and garlic in the olive oil for five minutes or until vegetables are soft. Stir in the lentils, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook for one minute. Add the broth and raisins. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender (add more water or broth as needed). Remove the lid and cook an additional 10 minutes (until lentils are thick), stirring often. Fold in the salsa. Wrap the tortillas in a damp white cotton towel and microwave on high for one minute. Spoon the lentil mixture among the tortillas. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.
Serves four.

kale chips!

Posted in vegan, vegetable, vegetarian by

Yep, I said kale chips.  Wha-wha-what?  This from the same lady that brought you cherry pie, blueberry cobbler and strawberry cupcakes in recent weeks?  Yes, and those are precisely the reasons why kale chips are now called for.

I’m going to be honest with you, until about a year ago I had never eaten kale.  It just looked (and sounded) like it would taste bad.  I envisioned it being bitter and chewy and not nice at all.  But oh was I wrong!

There are several kinds of kale– I usually buy the curly-leafed kind that you find in grocery stores, but this weekend at the farmer’s market they had this lovely blue-green, flat-leafed variety and I couldn’t resist.  I’m all about aesthetics.  Plus, the flat-leafed kind takes less time to bake– a major bonus during the summer months when you want to have your oven on as little as possible.

Apart from kale the only other ingredients you need are olive oil, salt, and pepper.  So simple!  You just rinse the kale (I put mine in my salad spinner to dry it off, but you can also pat it dry with a paper towel), toss it will a little olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper and that’s it!  Anyone can do this. 

You might think that you are making more kale chips then you really need but be forewarned: what starts out looking like the above image winds up looking like the below image:

Yeah, it shrinks a little…

This is the tastiest health food you’ve tried in a while.  It tastes like it should be bad for you but is really so good for you.  It’s packed full of beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, and calcium.  I just read that on wikipedia.  Apparently it is also an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory and may contain anti-cancer properties.  Can Doritos do that?  I think not.  Better get to it!

Kale Chips

  • bunch of kale, rinsed and dried
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Remove kale from thick stems.  (Discard stems.)  Toss in bowl with small amount of olive oil (just enough to coat the kale) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake on rimmed cookie sheets for 25 minutes for flat-leaf kale or 32 minutes for curly-leaf kale.  (You want the kale to be crispy like a potato chip!)