Homemade Toaster Tarts

I hate rolling out dough.

Seriously.

I hate rolling out dough so very, very much. Yet I mange to forget this fact when I see recipes like this one – homemade pop-tarts. Who doesn’t love a pop-tart!?

I certainly do – that is, I love them until I have to start rolling out dough. Then my thoughts go something like this:

“You don’t hate rolling out dough THAT much. You can do this.”

“Ok a generously floured surface… feeling generous with the flour”

“Alright, first roll went well…”

“The dough is sticking…don’t panic. WHY IS THE DOUGH STICKING?!”

“They want a rectangle?! I’ve got a misshapen blob! Why can’t a recipe ever ask for that?!”

“CRACKS!! ARRRGHHHH!!!”

“WHY DID I DO THIS TO MYSELF??!!!???!”

Luckily, these tarts are tasty enough to make up for the extreme mental anguish of rolling out dough. The dough is buttery and flaky and would work well with other kinds of fillings such as apple or peach (just call them hand pies!). I added a drizzle of glaze made from powered sugar and milk once the tarts had cooled and then tried not to eat them all.

Homemade Toaster Tarts (from King Arthur Flour)

Ingredients

Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pats
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk

Filling

1/2 cup brown sugar
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Or

¾ cup strawberry jam
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

1 large egg, to brush on pastry before filling

Directions

1. To make the dough: Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture holds together when you squeeze it and with pecan-sized lumps of butter still visible.
2. Mix the egg and milk, and add it to the dough. Mix until everything is cohesive.
3. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a rough 3″ x 5″ rectangle, smoothing the edges. Wrap in plastic or waxed paper, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. To make the filling: Whisk together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon OR Combine 3/4 cup strawberry jam with 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool.
5. To make the tarts: Place one piece of the dough on a generously floured surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8″ thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9″ x 12″. Trim off the edges; cut the dough into 9 pieces 3” x 4” each.
6. Move the dough pieces to a sheet pan lined with parchment.
7. Roll the second piece of dough just as you did the first and cut into 9 pieces 3” x 4” each.
8. Beat the egg, and brush it over the surface of the dough pieces on the sheet pan. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each piece. Top each piece with a dough piece from the second rectangle.
9. Press the tines of a fork (or the chopstick) all around the edge of the rectangle to seal
10. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will become billowy pillows rather than flat toaster pastries. Refrigerate the tarts, uncovered, for 30 minutes, while preheating the oven to 350°F.
11. Remove the tarts from the fridge, and bake them for 30 to 35 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan.

 

 

Cookie Buffet

I should learn to restrain myself when I read other foodie blogs (or when I’m around food in general) but I was taken in by Joy the Baker’s Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Shortbread.

And then the Milk Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cookies.

And then the Classic Chewy Oatmeal with Dark Chocolate and Ginger.

How could I pick just one?!  That would be like asking me to pick just one restaurant, or just one breakfast food, or just one nephew, or just one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

It simply cannot be done.

I started with the Milk Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cookies – a cookie within a cookie. This recipe is a great base  to experiment with by adding different kinds of chopped cookies – I’m picturing Thin Mints or Milanos or Nutter Butters or… you get the idea.

I moved on to the Classic Chewy Oatmeal with Dark Chocolate and Ginger – this is a nice twist on the usual Oatmeal Raisin cookie (or as a friend of mine calls them “old man cookies.”) I made one change to the original recipe – I toasted the oats for few minutes in a dry skillet and let them cool before making the dough.

And I didn’t plan it, but I had saved the best for the last. Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Shortbread – light and crispy, wonderful chocolate flavor and a nice buttery finish. I opted to drizzle them with milk and white chocolate instead of dipping them (so fancy!) but any way you chose to add more chocolate will always be acceptable.

Did I go a little overboard last weekend with the cookies? Probably.

Did anyone who got to eat them mind? Probably not.

Mike Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cookies

Ingredients

4 oz. (half a block) cream cheese, well softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup instant milk powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups coarsely chopped Oreo cookies (about 15-16 cookies)
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Instructions

1. In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and creamy, about a minute. (The cream cheese and butter need to be very soft to avoid lumps). Add the brown sugar and egg and beat on medium-low speed for 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla.
2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, milk powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and then whisk until combined.

3. Add in the dry ingredients to the dough and mix until combined. Fold in the chopped Oreos and milk chocolate chips.

4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap (or cover the bowl in plastic wrap) and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

5. Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

6. Spoon out dough balls, a heaping 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie (I used a #30 cookie scoop.) Place on the prepared baking sheets, providing at least 1 1/2 inches between each cookies. Flatten each dough ball slightly with your hand. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until edges begin to brown but the middle is still a bit gooey. Cool completely on a wire rack.

 

Classic Chewy Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate and Ginger

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
heaping 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
heaping 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 ounces coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
heaping 1/2 cup coarsely chopped candied ginger

Instructions

1. In a large, dry skillet over medium heat, toast the oats until fragrant and starting to brown slightly. Transfer to a plate or bowl to cool completely.

2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute, until well incorporated.

4. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg and then whisk until combined. Add the dry ingredients all at once to the butter mixture and beat until just incorporated. Use a spatula to incorporate the oats, chocolate, and ginger until thoroughly combined.

5. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

6. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop dough onto parchment lined baking sheet – I used a #30 cookie scoop. Flatten cookie dough balls slightly with your hand. Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Shortbread

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk

1 1/2 ounces milk chocolate chips (and/or chopped white chocolate)
1 teaspoon vegetable shortening

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Add butter, vanilla, and egg yolk and process until mixture comes together into a moist ball. Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

3. Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Lightly flouring the bottom piece of parchment paper. Roll to 1/4 inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch round or heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out dough and use a thin spatula to transfer cookies to the prepared baking pan.

4. Bake cookies until firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on wire racks.

5. Melt milk chocolate and shortening in a small bowl in the microwave, heating for 30 second intervals, removing the bowl to stir the chocolate and repeat until the chocolate is completely melted.

6. To dip: Dip each cooled cookie halfway into the melted chocolate allowing the excess to drip off. Place on wire rack and allow chocolate to harden completely before storing, To drizzle: Line up the cookies on a wire rack set on top of a cookie sheet. Scrape melted chocolate into a zip top bag, push chocolate into one corner, twist bag closed and snip off the end. Drizzle the chocolate over the cookies and allow to harden completely before storing.

All Signs Point to Biscuits

Subtle suggestions, subconscious hints, strong intuition – the universe sometimes points you in a certain direction.

Every Saturday morning at the grocery store, they’re there. A co-worker mentions how she can’t make them like her mom. You realize you’ve saved eight different recipes for them.

Biscuits. The universe was pointing me to biscuits.

Not the winning lotto numbers, not to buried treasure – but to buttermilk biscuits.

I’m not complaining – biscuits are easy, versatile, and delicious.

On a friend’s recommendation, I tried out Alton Brown’s Southern Biscuits recipe and the universe could not be more right.

Southern Biscuits by Alton Brown

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons shortening
1 cup buttermilk, chilled

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (The original says 450, but I found it to be too high)
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your hands, rub the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like crumbs. (Do this quickly or you’re start melting the fats.)
3. Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky. (VERY sticky)
4. Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times.
5. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough.
6. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (The biscuits from the second batch will not rise as much as the first batch, but they’re still tasty)
7. Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Note: You can brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter before baking but they won’t rise as much as without. Also, the cut dough can be frozen – bake biscuits from frozen for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. Again, the biscuits won’t rise as much however I’ll take a stunted biscuit for the convenience of being able to bake off 1 or 2 at a time.

T. G. I. F (with brownies!)

Friday night.

The end of the work week. The start of the weekend.

The idea holds so much promise.

Dinner with friends? Bar hopping until 2am?  A hot date? Finally getting to binge watch that show? Sitting on your living room floor amid piles of saved recipes debating which ones to make over the weekend and managing to narrow it down to four?

That would be my Friday night.

Fudge Brownies, you’re up first.

Brownies are one of the basic baked goods that just haven’t been in my baking repertoire. I blame my dad for that (sorry Dad!); since my dad doesn’t like brownies much, we rarely had them growing up so I rarely had reason to make them. This recipe from King Arthur Flour is a great one to have – it makes a brownie that is both cakey and fudgy without being too much of one and not enough of the other. Add some whipped cream or some ice cream (both, I really mean both) and you’ve got a pretty delicious Friday night.

Fudge Brownies (from King Arthur Flour)

4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups chocolate chips (I use bittersweet)

Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9″ x 13″ pan with foil and lightly grease.
2.Combine the 4 eggs into a bowl with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for about 4 minutes.
3.Melt the butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the sugar and stir – it will become shiny.  Do not allow mixture to bubble.
4.Add the hot butter/sugar mixture to the egg/cocoa mixture, mix until smooth.
5.Add the flour and chips, mix until just combined. Finish mixing by hand to ensure you don’t overmix.
6.Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out.
7.Bake the brownies for about 30-32 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked.Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

Spring Fling

I have a love affair every spring. It only lasts a few weeks. A few glorious weeks.

No, not with men. (Don’t I wish! lol)

With strawberries.

Right now starts the precious few weeks we get in Western New York when locally grown strawberries are in season. The ruby red little nuggets of deliciousness that actually taste like strawberries – not those giant, hollow monstrosities one finds in the grocery store that manage to taste like… nothing.

I stopped by my local farmers market yesterday and picked up several baskets of fresh strawberries (and some homemade garlic dill pickles… but I digress). After eating about half of them while standing in the kitchen, I decided they needed some special treatment.

Strawberry shortcake seemed very appropriate – a tender biscuit with just enough crunch to offset the ripe strawberries – and delicious. These shortcakes aren’t overly sweet so the berries really shine.

The Added Bonus: Once the strawberry fling has ended, this shortcake recipe is excellent with all of the upcoming summer berries.

Strawberry Shortcake – makes 12 shortcakes

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
1 cup buttermilk
Egg wash, heavy cream, or milk
Turbinado sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Put flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt into the bowl of food processor. Pulse to combine dry ingredients.

3. Add butter to the work bowl and pulse to cut the butter in to the dry ingredients.

4. Place the butter/flour mixture into a medium mixing bowl and add the buttermilk. Stir until just combined.

5. Using a 1/3 cup measure, scoop dough onto baking sheets; 6 shortcakes per sheet. Brush with egg wash (or milk or heavy cream) and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

6. Bake sheets one at a time for 15-17 minutes until golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

7. Slice the shortcakes in half and spoon strawberry filling on to the bottom half. Top with the other half of the shortcake. Garnish with whipped cream if desired.

Notes: If you do not have a food processor simply whisk the dry ingredients together and then cut the butter in using a fork or a pasty cutter. Take it up a notch and drizzle the strawberries with melted dark chocolate.

Strawberry Filling

Ingredients:

Fresh strawberries
Sugar
Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. Slice strawberries and place in a medium bowl

2. Sprinkle with sugar and add a splash of vanilla extract.

3. Allow berries to sit until juice forms (about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally until ready to serve.

I Don’t Like Coffee

I don’t like coffee. I try to like coffee. I see people drinking their iced coffees and iced cappuccinos and they look so delicious and I want to like coffee. Every so often, I’ll try a sip of someone’s iced latte just to see if I still don’t like coffee.

Yeah. Still don’t.

So it made *perfect* sense that I wanted to try this recipe for Chocolate Turkish Coffee Cake when I saw it.

And surprisingly enough, I actually liked it!

Even though it tasted like coffee!

Miracles do happen!

I brought the cake to Easter dinner so I could get a few different opinions. To me, the cake had a very strong coffee flavor but to others who drink coffee on a regular basis the coffee taste wasn’t as pronounced. I also served the cake with whipped cream which helped offset the dense richness of the chocolate cake and ganache.

So if you think you hate coffee – try this cake. You might be surprised.

Chocolate Turkish Coffee Cake (from tastingtable.com – get the recipe here)

Ingredients:

Cake

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup canola or grapeseed oil
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground espresso
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (purchase or make your own)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
6 large eggs
½ cup granulated sugar

Ganache

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
⅓ cup heavy cream, warmed
1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly coat a 9-inch cake pan with nonstick pan spray then line with a parchment paper circle and spray again with nonstick spray.

2.To a microwave-safe medium-size bowl, add the chocolate and microwave until the chocolate is melted, stirring every 20 seconds, for 1 to 1½ minutes total on 50% power (take care not to overheat the chocolate or it will turn grainy).

3. To the chocolate, whisk in the oil, dark brown sugar, espresso, pomegranate molasses and salt.

4. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, cardamom, baking powder and baking soda together through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl.

5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on medium speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. With the mixer running, slowly add the granulated sugar. Once it is added, increase the mixer speed to high and continue to whip until the mixture is very thick and creamy and drips from the whisk in thick ribbons, about 3 minutes.

6. Add the chocolate-espresso mixture to the eggs and beat until well combined using the paddle attachment. Remove the mixer bowl from the stand and fold in the flour mixture.

7. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake until the cake springs back when pressed lightly, about 30 to 35 minutes.

8. While the cake bakes, make the ganache: To a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate and microwave until the chocolate is melted, stirring every 20 seconds, for about 1 to 1½ minutes total on 50% power. To the melted chocolate, add the warm cream and the pomegranate molasses and gently whisk until smooth. Set the ganache aside at room temperature to cool and thicken.

9. Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack and let it cool completely. Peel the parchment circle from the cake, then invert it onto a cake plate and spoon the ganache over the cake, using the back of a spoon to create soft peaks and to push the ganache over the edges (if the ganache is still too soft to hold peaks, refrigerate it for 10 minutes, then gently stir).

10. Slice the cake into wedges and serve immediately, or refrigerate until completely chilled, then slice and serve cold (or let the cake stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before slicing and serving). Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Stranger in a Strange Land

Curious George. The little monkey that gets into mischief – because he’s curious. My nephew, Nate. The little boy that loves Curious George – because he’s three.

The Buffalo Museum of Science has a Curious George special exhibit.

“Let’s take Nate!” I said, “And then we can all come back to my house for lunch.”

Clearly, I made this plan without considering all of the potential ramifications. For those of you who have small children, you’ve become immune to  the noisy pandemonium that defines “children’s events”.

I do not have small children. I am not immune.

We got to the museum when it opened at 10am and already there was a line of people waiting to get inside. Nate was very excited – he showed this by running into the building, running up the stairs, running to the guy dressed in a Curious George costume… and then slowly meandering around the exhibit (presumably contemplating which activity was the best to start with) and then spending about 30 seconds at each one.

The room started off with a manageable amount of kids (manageable for me, that is). As more and more people started arriving, the chaos started mounting. Kids wandering aimlessly, kids on a mission, kids not sharing or waiting their turn, kids wielding mini-golf clubs (who’s brilliant idea was that?!?), kids shrieking and screaming, parents with more kids strapped to their chest or in massive, double wide strollers trying to keep track of their wandering child.

I was a stranger in a stranger land. I was exhausted after 20 minutes.

Luckily, Nate was done with Curious George soon after and we moved on to other sections of the museum that contained far fewer people and far more interesting exhibits. (Sorry George – you’re cute and all but I need a little more than monkey noises and unending mischief.)

I cut out a few minutes early so I could start heating up lunch for everyone – broccoli cheddar soup, coleslaw, and (the star of the day) BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches.

The Added Bonus: I feel as though my non-related child tolerance level got bumped up a notch or two – let’s hope it lasts lol

BBQ Pulled Chicken

The sauce can be made a few days a head and kept in the fridge. It’s also delicious with pulled pork.

Bourbon Whiskey BBQ Sauce (from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic, minced or use a garlic press
1 medium onion, cut into quarters with root still attached
3/4 cups bourbon whiskey
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste (I used Sriracha)

Directions:

1) In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic, and whiskey. Simmer the ingredients for 10 minutes.

2) Add the pepper, salt, tomato paste, vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, brown sugar, and hot sauce.

3) Bring the ingredients to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and store in the fridge until needed.

Pulled Poached Chicken (from Foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients:

1 5-6 lb whole chicken
2 bay leaves
2 carrots, quartered
2 ribs celery, quartered
1 lemon, sliced
1 large onion, quartered with root still attached
A few peppercorns
Small stem of fresh rosemary
Several stems fresh thyme
Salt

Directions:

1) Place the chicken in a large pot and add all of the ingredients.

2) Cover the chicken with cold water, cover pot, and bring to a boil over high heat.

3) Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook for about an hour (or until the chicken is cooked).

4) Remove chicken from the pot and once cool enough to handle, discard the skin and shred the meat into pieces.

5) Use immediately or store in the fridge until needed.

To make the sandwiches: Combine the chicken and desired amount of sauce and reheat either in the microwave or in the oven. Add more sauce as necessary to keep the chicken from drying out. Serve on soft sandwich rolls.

**I made my sauce about 4 days before and stored in a glass jar in the fridge and poached the chicken two days before and stored in a zip top bag in the fridge. I combined the chicken and sauce the night before and then reheated in the microwave at 70% power for 4 minutes before putting into a 300 degree oven to keep warm before serving.

Pi Day!

Pi – 3.14159265359 – the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.

OR

A nerdy excuse to eat pie with your equally nerdy (or hungry) friends.

I was never very good at math (and yet I ended up in a job where I do math everyday, not sure how that happened) and I don’t really know what Pi is used for. I do know that it makes for a fun reason to hang out with your friends and get into the kitchen.

After riffling through all my cookbooks, print outs, and recipe files I decided on two pies: a chocolate cream pie and a pear ginger pie. I thought those two choices would be a nice contrast to each other – one dense and decadent, the other light and simple (and a change from apple).

The Added Bonus: I think I’ve found my new favorite fruit pie. It might even make an appearance at Thanksgiving 2015.

Pear Ginger Pie (from Food Network Magazine November 2014; http://pie-o-neer.com/)

Ingredients:

1 9-inch pie crust (store bought or make your own)

Filling:

5-6 firm ripe pears (such as Bosc); peeled and sliced thin (about 5 cups)
Grated zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger; peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons orange marmalade

Topping:

3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 425 degrees. Roll out the pie crust to fit into a 9 inch pie pan. Trim the extra dough around the edges or fold under and crimp. Set aside.

2. Combine the sliced pears, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour in a large bowl. Spread the marmalade onto the bottom of the pie crust and then add the pear filling mixture. Move the pears around to keep them as flat as possible in the crust.

3. To make the topping: In a medium bowl combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the cold butter and work using a pastry blender or a fork until it resembles coarse crumbs. Scatter the topping over the pears and gently pat down.

4. Bake the pie on a sheet pan for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake the pie for another 40 minutes until the topping is lightly brown and the filling is bubbling. If the topping is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil. (With about 20 minutes left in the baking time I took a fork and raked over the topping to make it more crumbly as it seemed too flat and didn’t appear to be getting crunchy).

5. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Note: I used a small mandolin to slice the pears so the slices were a uniform thickness. I served this with sweetened whipped cream but it would be excellent warmed up and served with vanilla ice cream.

Why Say ‘Peanut’ When You Can Say ‘Goober’?

My younger brother, Jake, got me this lovely cookbook for Christmas – Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson. Not wanting to waste any time, I decided to try out one of the cakes for my New Year’s Eve guests. Vintage Cakes has many tasty looking options (more of which will likely show up here) but I couldn’t resist the Goober Cake.

Three layers of peanut butter cake, chocolate ganache, and peanut butter frosting – what’s not to love? (Ok, all the peanut butter parts are not to love if you don’t like peanut butter I guess.) And… you get to say goober. A lot. Say it with me  – goober!  Gooooober!

Goober is a Southern name for peanut and apparently the subject of a Civil War song called “Goober Peas” – check out this cool blog post all about goobers and its many names.

When you’re done with the history lesson, make this cake and enjoy everything the many-monikered legume has to offer.

The Added Bonus: I think I covered it with ‘Gooooooooober!’

Goober Cake

You will need three 8×2 inch round cake pans or three 8x8x2 inch square cake pans.

Ingredients:

3 cups (12 oz) sifted cake flour (sift the flour, then measure)
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 teaspoons fine sea salt (I use non-iodized table salt)
1 3/4 cups (12 3/4 oz) firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 (5 oz) natural crunchy peanut butter (I accidentally bought natural creamy and it worked fine)
4 eggs, room temperature
1 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows)
Peanut Butter Frosting (or should we say Goober Frosting!?) (recipe follows)
Peanut butter cups, chopped (optional)

1. Set oven racks so you can fit the three pans in; two on one rack, one on another. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease each pan or line bottom with parchment. (I use parchment and then grease the sides and parchment with baking spray.)

2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients to ensure they are well mixed.

3. In bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, blend the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth.

4. Turn the mixer to low and slowly drizzle in the oil and vanilla until combined. Increase the mixer speed to to medium-high and cream until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed (I always need to scrape the very bottom of my mixer bowl to ensure everything is mixed).

5. Turn the mixer to low speed and blend in the peanut butter. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the bowl if necessary.

6. With the mixer on low add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk in two parts, beginning and ending with flour. Mix each addition until just barely blended before adding the next addition, scrap down the bowl in between each addition. Mix in the last dry addition by hand to ensure the batter isn’t over mixed. (Just eyeball 1/3 the dry ingredients for each addition – the process is: 1/3 dry, mix, scrape, 1/2 milk, mix, scrape, another 1/3 dry, mix, scrape, rest of milk, mix, scrape, rest of dry, mix by hand).

7. Divide the batter between the three pans (there will be approximately one pound two ounces per pan) and smooth the tops. Bake the pans in the middle of the oven for 28-32 minutes – the cakes will be golden and firm and have small cracks forming on top. (Stagger the pans on the oven racks – two pans on one rack and one pan on the other rack – make sure the pans are not lined up directly under/over another pan.) Rotate the pans halfway through baking to ensure even baking.

8. Remove pans from oven and run a thin knife around the edges to help the sides retract evenly. Cool cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes then remove from the pans and cool completely (top sides up).

To Assemble: Place one cake layer on a flat plate, top side up. Spread one third of the ganache onto the cake in a thin layer. Place the cake in the fridge for a few minutes to allow the ganache to firm up. Next, spread one third of the peanut butter frosting on top of the ganache. Place the second cake layer on top and repeat with the ganache and frosting. Repeat with the last layer. (The frosting recipe isn’t enough to frost the sides, increase the recipe by half if you want to frost the sides). Sprinkle the chopped peanut butter cups on top to decorate. (The cake keeps at cool room temperature for 3 days; once cut, press plastic wrap against the cut cake to keep fresh).

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Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1. Place chopped chocolate into a heat-resistant bowl.
2. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer, stirring occasionally.
3. As soon as the cream starts to simmer, pour the hot cream over the chocolate and gently swirl the bowl to coat all the chocolate.
4. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Remove the lid and gently whisk the mixture – start in the center with small circles and gradually work your way outwards until the chocolate is smooth and glossy.
6. Allow the ganache to cool for 15-20 minutes before using. If the ganache cools too much and it too thick to spread, place bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water to gently heat, whisk to loosen the ganache.
(Ganache can be kept at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days)

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Peanut Butter Frosting

6 tablespoons (3 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into small cubes
1/2 cup (5 oz) natural crunchy peanut butter, at room temperature (again, I bought creamy by mistake, still worked)
2 1/2 cups (10 oz) sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter on medium speed until smooth.
2. Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until the frosting is light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
(Frosting can be kept room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for 7 days. If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature and re-whipped before using)

The Stuffed Pepper Goes Indian

I love to cook.

I live alone.

Those two things don’t always coexist well. Most days it feels like too much work to make a meal from scratch just for myself. Or I don’t feel like eating the same meal for days because it’s easier to make the ‘serves 4’ portion.

Like most people I end up going out to eat, getting fast food, or eating microwave meals a lot of the time. Not the best for the wallet or the waistline. So I’m trying to do the only logical thing – stock the freezer with single serve portions of tasty, healthy food.

Today I made Samosa Stuffed Peppers – a riff on the filling usually found in samosas along with the classic Mom meal of stuffed peppers.

The Added Bonus: It’s rather comforting knowing there are 8 little tasty gems in my freezer just waiting for me.

Samosa Stuffed Peppers – from Vegetarian Times March 2014

Note: The recipe makes 8 pepper halves but depending on the size of your peppers you may be able to get more. I ended up with enough filling for 5 peppers (10 halves) as my peppers were medium sized. (I ate the extra two for lunch…yum)

4 large red bell peppers, halved (any color works but green gets a little drab looking when cooked, I bought the family pack at the grocery store)
2 Tbs. vegetable or canola oil
1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)
4 tsp. curry powder
1 Tbs. garam masala
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
¼ cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
½ tsp. salt
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 large carrots, finely diced (1 cup)
1 cup green beans, coarsely chopped
½ cup raisins or dried currants, optional (I used golden raisins)
½ cup unsalted peanuts or cashews, coarsely chopped
Olive oil, salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush or mist the insides of the peppers with a little olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place halved bell peppers cut side down in two large baking dishes or on a large baking sheet. Cover with foil, and bake 25 minutes, or until peppers begin to soften. Remove baking sheet and place on cooling rack, remove foil.

2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 3 to 5 minutes. Add curry powder, garam masala, and ginger, and cook 1 minute. Stir in rice, lentils, salt, and 4 cups water.

3. Add chickpeas, carrots, green beans, and raisins (if using). Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes, or until most of liquid is absorbed, stirring once or twice. Remove rice mixture from heat, stir in peanuts, and season with salt, if desired.

4. Flip bell pepper halves. Fill each with 3/4 cup rice mixture.

5. Re-cover baking dishes with foil, and bake 15 minutes. Uncover, and bake 5 to 10 minutes more.

To Store: If making ahead, skip step 5. After filling peppers, place baking sheet in the fridge until the peppers are cold. Wrap each pepper half in plastic wrap and then wrap tightly with foil. Peppers can be refrigerate up to three days or freeze up to three months. Thaw, if necessary, then cover with foil, and finish baking as in step 5.