Crackers

Crackers

We won't be watching the Super Bowl, today. Why bother when you want both teams to lose? My Northern California DNA just won't allow for rooting for the Rams, and New England?!? I'm over them.

Once upon a time, one could just tune out the game for the commercials, but even the commercials suck, nowadays. I don't think there's been a commercial really worth watching in 20 years - not that any commercial is actually worth watching.

Back when Pop was alive, we'd fly home because his birthday always coincided with Superbowl Weekend. We'd have a Superbowl/Birthday party with all the family and it pretty much didn't matter who was playing - we'd have a raucous good time, regardless.

But that was then and this is now.

I made a big batch of chili - it's simmering away, right now - because it's been a while since I made chili. It's still chili-weather, even though it has warmed up to a whopping 50°F and the snow will probably all be gone before the day is over. Actually, any weather is chili-weather. I just tend to make it more in the winter.

I decided we needed some crackers to go along with our chili - so I made some.

I've missed baking, and after watching so much of the Great British Bake Off, the urge is strong. I decided crackers was a lot better than a 6-layer sponge cake with frangipane and a fondant icing.

I went for a recipe from the BBC website because I'm still stalking those Brits. It's giving me something to do in my spare time...

Homemade Crackers

Adapted from the Hairy Bikers

  • 8oz bread flour
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp instant dried yeast
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 3½fl oz warm water
  • 2oz melted butter
  • dash olive oil
  • nigella seeds, for sprinkling
  • dried thyme leaves, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Mix the flour, baking powder, yeast and salt together, making sure you crumble up the salt well.

In a separate bowl or jug, mix the honey, water and butter together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until it comes together as a dough. Turn out onto a work surface and knead for a couple of minutes until smooth. Cover with cling film or a damp cloth and leave to stand for half an hour.

Roll the dough out as thinly as you can and use a cookie cutter to make small rounds, or cut into wide strips – it depends how rustic you want these to look. Arrange over a couple of baking trays and prick thoroughly all over with a fork. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle over the onion seeds and thyme leaves.

Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until crisp and burnished. Transfer to a cooling rack. They will continue to crisp once out of the oven.

 

Crackers

I topped some with the aforementioned nigella seeds and thyme, a batch with sea salt, and another batch with sesame seeds. I figured what the hell - have some fun with them!

The nigella and thyme were the best, I think, but all of them were good. The last batch was a hair thicker, so they took a minute longer to bake - and that lone minute definitely browned them more.

I would have failed the Technical Challenge for uniformity, but scored high on flavor.

I'll take flavor, any day.

 

 

 

by Tim Dineen

Steak and Ale Pie

The End of Week Twenty-Eight

The good news is, we're back on track with a bit of weight-loss. Victor is doing a bit better than me, but I'm not complaining. Anything in the negative bin is a win, as far as I'm concerned, and this isn't a competition between us to see who can lose the most the fastest. We're both down over 40 pounds since July. Not bad.

Our trainer is coming up with new and innovative ways to cause us pain, so we're both learning all about new muscle groups. Getting fit, anatomy lessons, pain relief... Fascinating stuff.

When not killing ourselves at the gym, we've discovered a new TV show. At any given moment I'm about 5 years behind the rest of the world when it comes to TV, movies, and books, so while I had vaguely heard of The Great British Bake Off, I pretty much dismissed it as another Iron Chef-type show. I'm not a huge fan of cooking competitions, but The Great British Bake Off has proved to be the exception to the rule.

We've seen two seasons, so far, and while we don't always agree with the judges decisions, really like the premise of the show - fairly ordinary people with pretty good skills making things the best they can. The vast variety of things they have to master is incredible. And we have our favorite bakers from the two series we have seen - Richard Burr from Season 5 (1 in the US) and Kimberley Wilson from Season 4 (2 in the US.) Both were finalists, neither won the championship, but both are fun, talented, and real - and who would have won had I been the judge!

I'm a baker, and I'm reasonably good - probably not top-notch competition good, but reasonably good - so it's been fun watching, figuring out what I would be doing, marveling at the things they have come up with - and knowing that much of what the judges are asking for is nigh-on impossible in the time frame given. I can only imagine the stress.

On the other hand, I have learned so much about where my own things go wrong and how I can make them better. I've been especially pleased with their bread baking and have picked up a few tricks to make sure they're consistent. And I've also been reintroduced to being a bit more precise in things. I've gotten lazy in my old age - it's time to tighten things up a bit - again.

It's really a good thing we didn't find this show a few years ago - we would have needed to lose a hundred pounds or more. Besides the breads, I constantly see things I'd love to make - Chelsea Buns, Swiss Rolls, Cream Cakes... Rich, ooey-gooey masterpieces that have a very limited place in our current dietary regime.

One thing that did intrigue me was hot water crust pastry. I have cooked flour in water and milk to make bread, but never to make a crust. I figured it was about time I did, so I headed off to Richard's website to see if he had a recipe. I found the perfect recipe for a Steak and Ale Pie - and went to work.

Since there is just the two of us - Nonna won't eat something like this - I started by halving his recipe. I then made individual pies because I had a feeling that if I just made one, we would eat the entire thing in one sitting. This forced us into portion control.

I did the recipe exactly as written - including using Old Speckled Hen Ale as he did in his recipe. It was on the shelf at the local Wegmans - go figure. I merely adjusted the baking time which I probably shouldn't have done. The crust wasn't quite as crisp as I think it should have been.

Steak and Ale Pie

But in the grand scheme of things, it was excellent! The filling was really rich and flavorful - one of the best beef dishes I've had in a long time. It was really simple but with a ton of flavor.

As I mentioned, I found the Old Speckled Hen Ale Richard used in his recipe and it had a ton of flavor, as well. It tasted like what a beer should taste like.

Since I had both dough and filling left over, I made a couple of little hand pies for lunches.

Steak and Ale Pies

We will be enjoying this meal for a few days!

We're going to start the next season of The Great British Bake Off tonight. I'm sure there will be more fun foods coming forth.

Thanks, Richard, for a great recipe!

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Tim Dineen

Parmesan Pepper Biscotti

Parmesan Pepper Biscotti

Victor was perusing some old Gourmet Magazines looking for some inspiration when he found a recipe for Parmesan and Black Pepper Biscotti. It's the Year of the Biscotti around here, so we had to make them! I mean... without even looking at a recipe, how good does that sound?!?

I had subscribed to Gourmet on and off over the years. It was overly pretentious, at times, but the recipes were sound. Convoluted, at times, but sound. Condé Nast closed it down in 2009. This was one of the non-convoluted recipes. Pretty basic and straightforward.

The recipe stated: These savory biscotti are ideal for a soiree. Their crisp texture is accented by the richness of parmesan and the bite of black pepper — perfect for nibbling in between sips of wine.

I didn't nibble them between sips of wine, tonight, but they sure as hell went good with ravioli!

Ravioli

The recipe is very much like a quick bread or biscuit with the butter cut into the flour before adding the liquid. It also calls for a quarter-pound of cheese, whole milk, and real butter. The recipe is not for the faint of heart - but... you're also not supposed to eat twenty of them.

Moderation, my friends... Moderation...

Parmesan Pepper Biscotti

adapted from the defunct Gourmet magazine

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly-ground black pepper - you want it coarsely ground - not fine
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 4 1/2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (2 1/4 cups)
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 2 cups cheese, and 1 tablespoon ground black pepper in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Mix 3 eggs with milk and add to flour mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide dough into four pieces. Form each piece into a slightly flattened 12-inch-long log (about 2 inches wide and 3/4 inch high). Transfer logs to 2 ungreased large baking sheets.

Whisk remaining egg and brush some over logs, then sprinkle tops of logs evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper.

Bake, rotating sheets 180 degrees and switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until logs are pale golden and firm, about 30 minutes total.

Cool about 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Carefully transfer 1 warm log to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining logs, transferring slices to sheets. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 35 to 45 minutes total.

Cool biscotti about 15 minutes.

I did mention you're not supposed to eat twenty of these, right?!? You're not supposed to - but, given the opportunity, I think it could easily be done. They'e good. Really really good!

They went great with the ravioli. Simple cheese ravioli in a sauce of ground beef, peppers, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, peperocino, and a package of Marinated Mediterranean Antipasto Vegetables from Trader Joe's. A really simple sauce that had tons of flavor.

We'll be saving some for our Christmas Eve Dungeness Crab Cioppino and sending the rest up for the Seven Fish Feast in North Jersey that we will be missing, again.

This is a recipe you should be making this week.

Really.

It's that good.

 

by Tim Dineen

Guinness Rye Bread

I went searching for a yeasted Guinness bread since I had this six-pack of Guinness and had a hellava time finding a decent recipe. Just about everything coming up in Chef Google was a soda bread - even after specifically stating yeast. The few that were yeast were more fruit-related like the Barmbrack I'm making later in the week. Not what I was looking for.

I did find one recipe at Wild Yeast Blog that had a bit of promise, so I sat down to see how I could make it work for me. The story behind the loaf is pretty funny if you have the time to read about kitchen disasters... The blog hasn't been active in several years, but it looks as if there may be some good recipes to play with!

Guinness Rye Bread

adapted from Wild Yeast Blog

sponge:

  • 1 2/3 cups bread flour
  • 1 cup rye flour
  • 1 packet yeast
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 bottle Guinness Extra Stout

for the dough:

  • 1 2/3 cups bread flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • the sponge

method:

Make the sponge:  In a mixing bowl proof yeast in the 1/4 cup water and Guinness. Add the two flours and mix well. Cover and place in a warm spot and  let rise about an hour. I use my microwave with a 2 cup measuring cup of hot water.

Make the dough: Add the remaining flour, fennel seeds, and salt to the sponge and mix with dough hook about 7 or 8 minutes. The dough will be soft and a tad sticky, but should pull completely away from the sides of the bowl and just barely stick to the bottom.

Form into a ball and place into an oiled bowl and let rise in a warm place - back in that microwave, for me - for another hour.

Make the loaf: Place dough on a lightly floured board and form into a ball. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest about 15 minutes.

Reform into a tight ball and place on a peel liberally coated with cornmeal. Cover, and let rise 30 minutes.

Carefully slash top with sharp knife or razor blade and slide onto baking stones preheated to 425°F.

Bake 30 minutes or until completely done and sounding hollow when bottom is tapped.

The bread has great flavor, a wonderful, light crumb, and just the right amount of chew in the crust. The fennel comes through pretty strong, and the malty Guinness is there, as well. The rye compliments everything.

We used it to sop up a rich Guinness Beef Stew based on my Braised Beef with Guinness. The flavors all worked great together.

Here's my kitchen mantra:

Here's to a fellow who smiles
When life runs along like a song.
And here's to the lad who can smile
When everything goes dead wrong.

Be the one who smiles when it goes wrong. Worst thing that can happen is you throw it all out and call for pizza.

Sláinte!

 

 

by Tim Dineen

Char Siu Bao (Roast Pork Buns)

MAKES 16 BUNS

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE DOUGH:

  • 1 tsp. active dry yeast
  • 3½ cups cake flour
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 tbsp. diced lard or vegetable shortening

FOR THE FILLING:

  • 1 tbsp. canola oil
  • 3 scallions, white parts only, finely chopped
  • 1½ cups diced roast pork
  • 3 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp. oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS
1. For the dough: Combine yeast in 1¼ cups water heated to 115° in a bowl; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Add yeast mixture, and mix on low speed; add lard one piece at a time, increase speed to medium, and continue mixing until dough forms into a ball, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape into 16 equal-size balls.

2. For the filling: Heat oil in a 10″ nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions; cook for 1 minute. Add roast pork, soy and oyster sauces, and sugar; cook until scallions have softened and pork is heated through, about 3 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tbsp. water in a small cup, add to pork mixture, and cook until sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat, and let cool.

3. Place a dough ball in the palm of one hand and, with the thumb of your other hand, make a well in the center. Fill well with about 1½ tbsp. pork filling; seal by pinching dough closed toward the center. Place a 2″-square piece of parchment paper over pinched area. Turn bun over, and use scissors to make a ½” crisscross incision in the center of the bun. Repeat process, filling remaining buns and placing on parchment paper squares. Keep filled buns covered with a damp towel. Place 8 buns, paper side down, in an 11″ bamboo steamer; close tightly with lid. Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a 14″ flat-bottomed wok over high heat. Fit bamboo steamer into wok, and steam until puffed, about 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining buns

by Tim Dineen

Kolaches for the New Year

We do not go for the New Year Tradition foods at our house. There will be no black-eyed peas, pork and sauerkraut, lentils, grapes, greens... We seem to have amazingly good luck without them, so why ask for more?!? We'll send our share off to folks who really do need it! Tonight's dinner is probably going to be a Sicilian Pollo Agrodolce - a sweet and sour braised chicken. I wouldn't mind spending New Year's in the Mediterranean... Maybe next year...

But I digress...

I do like to make a sweet roll of sorts on the major holidays and thought that I'd make Kolaches for Christmas Morning. Alas, I didn't have any cream cheese in the house - huh?!? - and wasn't going to be one of those people out shopping. I made Cinnamon Rolls, instead, and planned the Kolaches for New Year's Day!

I wanted them ready early, so I made the dough last night, let it rise for an hour, and then formed the balls and placed the sheet pans in the 'fridge overnight. I think I would have been better off making them from scratch this morning - they really did take a long time to come up to temperature - but the end result was perfection! They really came out good.

I hesitate to say something is really easy because easiness is pretty subjective - but these are not complicated by any means, and I think anyone really could make them! The original recipe comes from Cooks Country/America's Test Kitchen. While I find that they can often complicate the hell out of simple things, this time they didn't!

Kolaches

adapted from Cooks Country

INGREDIENTS

DOUGH

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 large egg plus 2 large yolks
  • 3 1/2 cups (17 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup (2 ounces) sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

CHEESE FILLING

  • 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 6 ounces (3/4 cup) whole-milk or part-skim ricotta cheese

STREUSEL

  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled
  • 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk (for glaze)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE DOUGH: Grease large bowl. Whisk milk, melted butter, and egg and yolks together in 2-cup liquid measuring cup (butter will form clumps). Whisk flour, sugar, yeast, and salt together in bowl of stand mixer. Fit stand mixer with dough hook, add milk mixture to flour mixture, and knead on low speed until no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough clears sides of bowl but still sticks to bottom, 8 to 12 minutes.

2. Transfer dough to greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Place dough on lower-middle rack and place loaf pan on bottom of oven. Pour 3 cups boiling water into loaf pan, close oven door, and let dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

3. FOR THE CHEESE FILLING: Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, and lemon zest on low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add ricotta and beat until just combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl, cover with plastic, and refrigerate until ready to use.

4. FOR THE STREUSEL: Combine flour, sugar, and butter in bowl and rub between fingers until mixture resembles wet sand. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.

5. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Punch down dough and place on lightly floured counter. Divide into quarters and cut each quarter into 4 equal pieces. Form each piece into rough ball by pulling dough edges underneath so top is smooth. On unfloured counter, cup each ball in your palm and roll into smooth, tight ball. Arrange 8 balls on each prepared sheet and cover loosely with plastic. Place sheets on oven racks. Replace water in loaf pan with 3 cups boiling water, close oven door, and let dough rise until doubled, about 90 minutes.

6. Remove sheets and loaf pan from oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bottom of 1/3-cup measure (or 2 1/4-inch-diameter drinking glass). Make deep indentation in center of each dough ball by slowly pressing until cup touches sheet. (Perimeter of balls may deflate slightly.)

7. Gently brush kolaches all over with egg-milk mixture. Divide filling evenly among kolaches (about 1½ tablespoons per kolache) and smooth with back of spoon. Sprinkle streusel over kolaches, avoiding filling. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let kolaches cool on pans for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

I proofed my yeast in the milk because I never have rapid rise/instant yeast, but otherwise followed the recipe pretty closely.

I highly recommend making them soon!

by Tim Dineen

Christmas Cinnamon Rolls

Christmas Morning, 2017. It's reasonably quiet around here. Nonna's TV is blaring away - switching between Midnight Mass at the Vatican and Singing Nuns on Good Morning, America - but, otherwise, it's a quiet morning.

Perfect for Cinnamon Rolls right out of the oven!

My friend, Ruth, posted this recipe several years ago, and it's the closest thing I have ever found to replicate the cinnamon rolls I used to make at Tahoe, lo, these many years ago. It's an easy dough to make, it rolls out in a snap, and in 2 hours time, you can have fresh rolls on your plate!

I made them last night and put them in the 'fridge to rise overnight. They didn't rise very much, but an hour on the counter this morning was perfect.

And they are, too!

Cinnamon Rolls

Dough

  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 envelope active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2  1/2 tbsp butter
  • 1 large egg

Cinnamon Sugar

  • 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup sugar

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp milk

Directions:

Mix yeast and sugar in mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup warm water (110°). Allow to proof while getting other ingredients together.

Melt milk and butter together and cool to no more than 110°.

Add flour, salt, milk mixture, and egg to mixing bowl. Blend on low speed until flour is incorporated. Knead about 4 minutes. Cover bowl and let dough rest for 10 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and allows the flour to fully-incorporate the liquid.

On a lightly-floured counter, roll the dough to an 8″ x 14″ rectangle. Spread with the soft butter and then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. (Add chopped walnuts and/or plumped raisins, if desired.) Tightly roll and slice into 12 rolls.

Place in greased 9″ pan and allow to rise until doubled – about 90 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°. Place pan in oven and bake about 30-35 minutes, or until nicely-browned.

Allow to cool slightly and then apply glaze.

To make glaze:

Mix powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Drizzle over warm rolls.

A great way to start the day!

 

by Tim Dineen

kanelsnurror

Kanelsnurror

Being the Liberal Elites that we are, we were at home watching a Rick Steve's travel show the other night on PBS.  One of the segments had a guy in Sweden making Kanelsnurror.

Kanelsnurror is a Swedish Cinnamon Roll made with a twist and a loop and just a bit of practice. I worked for Swedes when I was specialty produce buyer and shipping manager for a gourmet food distributor in San Francisco back in the mid-'80s. I was fortunate to get to eat a lot of Swedish foods - most of which I never knew names - and learn a few traditions. Santa Lucia Day  - coming up on December 13th - was a great prelude to Christmas. We went to a party put on by the Swedish Consulate where there was an endless supply of traditional foods and drinks - and a traditional Santa Lucia Procession. While the job didn't last - I was fired without cause a few months later and 2 people were hired to take my place at a combined salary of less than I was making - the memories have.

... as a side note...

They decided to fight my unemployment claim. I went to the unemployment office on appeal and the caseworker called them for an explanation. He was on the phone for about 5 minutes, hung up, turned to me and said "How on earth did you ever work for him?" - and approved my claim.

But I digress...

My love of food holds no geographic bounds and just because I've never made or eaten something doesn't mean I won't give it a try. Tablet in hand, I was googling the recipe before the show was over.

I found this recipe - in English - and decided to try it. The original instructions weren't complete, so I watched a YouTube video and sorted things out.

Kanelsnurror

adapted from That Oven Feeling

For the Dough:

  • 2 tsp yeast
  • 3 oz butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 - 3 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt

For the Filling:

  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 tsp cinnamon

Glaze:

  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

Warm the milk to about 100°F. Pour into a mixer bowl and add yeast and sugar. Proof about 5 minutes.

Add 2 cups flour, salt,  and softened butter and mix, adding up to another cup of flour. You want a soft dough, so don't add it all if you don't need to.

Let rise about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling:

Cream the butter, sugar, and cinnamon together and set aside.

Roll the dough out to a 10" x 20" rectangle. Spread the filling on the dough and fold lengthwise into thirds, bringing the top down and the bottom up.

Pat down and roll to about an 8" x 20" rectangle.

Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut into 3/4" strips.

Lightly stretch the strips and twist the ends of each slice in opposite directions a few times. Tuck the ends under and seal. Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes.

Place on parchment-lined sheet pans and let rise another 30 minutes. Brush with lightly beaten egg.

Bake at 375°F about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

As you can see, my rolling technique varied with each strip of dough, but the end result tasted just fine!

I saw a few other recipes out there that add cardamom to the dough, so I thing I may make these, again, for Christmas Morning. Unless I make Kolaches.

Decisions, decisions...

 

by Tim Dineen

Sweet and Savory Tarts

The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts
All on a summer’s day. 
The Knave of Hearts he stole the tarts
And took them clean away. 
The King of Hearts called for the tarts
And beat the Knave full sore. 
The Knave of Hearts brought back the tarts
And vowed he’d steal no more. 

The things that pop into one's mind while one is cooking...

It is reasonably fitting, I guess... I've been called a queen, I did make tarts, and it is a summer's day. Fortunately, no one stole anything or had to be beaten. Score one for the good guys.

The tomatoes are finally coming in at a pretty fast pace - we'll be making a vat of sauce this week  - and I'm always looking for different ways to use them. As much as I like it, one does not live by tomato salad, alone.

I also had apricots I wanted to use up in a dessert of sorts...

I headed over to my go-to recipe sites but didn't see anything overly wonderful. I headed over to the Martha Stewart website and found a Tomato Tart recipe that sounded promising. There was also a recipe for an Apricot Tart with Pistachios on Puff Pastry...

My thought process was I could make one batch of dough and use it for both tarts. Heck with the puff pastry. An idea was born... I didn't end up doing either of her recipes, although the apricot tart filling is pretty close. I also added thyme to the pastry for the tomato tart. Both tarts are similar in their making - a filling on the bottom with something on top and something on top of that. Really basic stuff.

I made them one after the other and baked them together.

Pastry Dough for Two Tarts

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 8 oz butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup ice water
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme - hold back and use only for savory tart

In a food processor, add flour, salt, and butter. Process until butter is mixed in well.

With machine running, add most of the water and process with on and off turns until a good dough forms. Divide dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic and refrigerate about 30 minutes. Return the second half to the food processor, add the fresh thyme, and quickly incorporate it into the dough.

Wrap the dough in plastic and place in 'fridge for 30 minutes.

Tomato Tart

  • 8 oz porcini mushrooms
  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheeses
  • Salt & Pepper

Puree mushrooms and set aside.

Blanche tomatoes to remove skin. Set aside.

Roll out dough and line tart pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Spread mushroom puree over crust.

Top with half of the cheese.

Slice the peeled tomatoes and cover cheese, overlapping them as you go. Generously salt and pepper the tomatoes.

Cover with the remaining cheese and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place in oven and bake 35 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature.

Slice and enjoy!

This was really good - really good! The mushrooms added an unexpected flavor and the tomatoes were cooked but still held together. And the cheesy goodness just topped it off. Perfectly crumbly crust...

Yeah... this one worked.

And on to dessert...

Apricot and Pistachio Tart

adapted from Martha Stewart

  • 1 1/4 cups unsalted pistachios, chopped, divided
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cube (stick) butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 1/4 pounds apricots (about 6), cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges
  • 2 tbsp turbinado sugar

Place 1 cup pistachios and 1/2 cup sugar in food processor. process until pistachios are fairly well chopped. Add butter, egg, and vanilla, and process to a paste.

Roll out dough and line tart pan.

Spread pistachio filling over pastry.

Top with quartered apricots.

Mix remaining 1/4 cup of chopped pistachios with the 2 tbsp turbinado sugar and sprinkle on top.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 35 minutes.

Cool and enjoy!

Both of these were really easy to do. The hardest part was cleaning the food processor several times.

The crust is really easy to make and is pretty no-fail. It will also make any double-crusted pie you want to do.

I see more of these in our future...

by Tim Dineen

Eggplant Danish

I've decided it's time to challenge myself to new ways to cook eggplant.

Eggplant Lasagne, Rolatini, Little Gram's Appetizer... Stuffed Eggplant, Eggplant Caviar... They've been done. Many times.

It's time to start thinking outside of the box, so to speak. And that's how Eggplant Danish came to be!

I was thinking of making a sweet dough for breakfast and left myself a note that just said "make danish."  This morning I looked at the note and decided it meant to make a savory danish - with eggplant. I mean - why not, right?!?

Right.

So I set to work. I pulled out my basic sweet dough recipe and thought that it would work as written - with the addition of some chopped herbs. It's a pretty basic recipe and not overly-sweet. I figured I'd keep the sugar for tenderness and just add some herbs to offset.

Eggplant Danish

Dough:

  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 5 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 pkt yeast
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cube (stick) butter
  • 2 tbsp chopped assorted herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, chives, mint, etc.)

Lightly warm milk. Stir into mixing bowl with 1 tbsp sugar and 1/2 packet yeast. Proof about 5 minutes. Add eggs and mix.

Add flour, salt and remaining 4 tbsp sugar, and mix with dough hook.

Add softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well between additions.

Continue to mix for about 5 minutes or until soft dough is formed.

Add chopped herbs and mix well. Dough will be very soft.

Roll into ball and place in buttered bowl to rise until doubled.

Filling:

  • 2 medium eggplants
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh herbs
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1 cup chopped roasted hot peppers
  • 1 cup shredded asiago cheese
  • 1/4 cup Dry Marsala

Peel and dice eggplant. Mix eggplant with olive oil and place on a lined baking pan. Roast in a 375°F oven for about 45 minutes or until soft and well-cooked.

When slightly cooled, place in food processor with garlic, herbs, cheese, marsala, and S&P to taste. Set aside to cool completely.

To Assemble:

Roll out dough on a floured board. Dough will be very soft.

Spread with cooled eggplant mixture.

Scatter roasted hot peppers atop eggplant.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Roll from long end, jelly-roll-style. Slice into rolls, 1 1/2" to 2" wide and place on greased cookie sheet. They will be soft and slightly messy. Just go for it.

Top with chopped pistachios, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise, again, about 30 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for about 25 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy.

They came out ridiculously good! The dough is really light and the flavors just work without any underlying sweetness. There's the subtle eggplant, the cheese, the herbs, the crunch of the pistachios... We are pleased with this one!

We already dived into them but they're really going to work tonight with roasted chicken and sweet potatoes...

What's next?!?

 

 

 

by Tim Dineen

Sunday Scones

Sunday scones are becoming a bit of a tradition around here... They're quick and easy to make - and really taste great.

I have a couple of go-to recipes - one using heavy cream and one using buttermilk. I almost always have one or the other in the 'fridge. This week it's the buttermilk since I soaked the chicken in it for the fried chicken, tonight.

There are a bazillion different ways of making scones. I like putting a dollop of jam on the wide edge before baking them. Sometimes it runs off a bit, but... such is life. That's why I line my pans with parchment paper. These are also throw-togethers. I'm not trying to impress someone with my fabulous baking skills or sell them for $20 a piece. They're just something to have on a Sunday morning with a fresh cup of coffee.

Today, I topped half of them with raspberry jam and the others with gooseberry jam.

My first introduction to a gooseberry was back in the early '60s. My mom had a pen-pal (remember those?!?) in England, named Ruth Brown. I think she lived in Birmingham. Anyway... they sent each other gift packs one year and the two things I remember from the box are gooseberry jam and Brighton Rock candy. The candy was way-cool for this 12-year old. It had the words "Brighton Rock" embedded all the way through the stick - something I had never seen before. It was a marvel.

The gooseberry jam is a little less memorable - I barely got a taste of it. My mom saved it for her own toast in the morning - it was much too good to waste on mere children. Yes. I was raised by a woman who thought children had their place in a family - and it wasn't always first. The emotional scars run deep.

But back to scones...

These really are simple to put together and in a mere 30 minutes from start-to-finish, you can be eating scones fresh from the oven!

Buttermilk Scones

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 stick cold butter
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • jam of choice

Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C.

Mix dry ingredients together. Quickly cut in butter using a pastry knife or your fingers. You can also use a food processor.

Mix buttermilk with the egg and vanilla. Lightly mix into flour mixture.

Form into a circle about 1 inch / 25 mm.

Cut into 8 pieces, make an indentation on wide end and add about a tablespoon of your favorite jam.

Bake about 22-25 minutes, or until browned.

Let cool slightly and enjoy!

Make some memories...

 

 

by Tim Dineen

Flourless Flours

One of the many things I love about my job is we encourage - and are encouraged - to try just about every product we sell. We constantly have formal and informal tastings of items, along with some information about the items, because you can't talk to a customer about something if you don't know what in the hell it is. Sometimes the tastings are as simple as opening up some new cookies or slicing a new cheese. Other times it's a bit more complex - like trying different flours.

Anyone who knows me knows my disdain of fad diets - and the gluten free dieters are probably on the top of the list, right now. I can't count how many times I've been asked "Is this gluten-free?" and when the answer is "No" the response is "Well - a little won't bother me" as they shovel the food into their mouths. It seriously diminishes the people out there who really do have gluten issues.

But there are folks out there who really do have gluten issues - and there are more and more options becoming available to them. My challenge was to come up with three items using three different faux-flours - Coffee Flour, Coconut Flour, and Almond Flour - so the staff can taste them and get an idea of what they can be used for.

In basic baking, fat and sugar are used for tenderness, while eggs and flour are used for structure. It's the ratio of those four items that make a crisp cookie or a soft cookie. Using non-wheat flour changes that. Without the flour's ability to trap the leavening gasses and expand and rise, more eggs are generally needed for structure.

I haven't done enough faux-baking to start writing my own recipes, so I went to Chef Google to help me out.

First one is Sweet Potato Bread using coconut flour.

Of the three recipes I chose, this one is bothering me the most. The batter tasted really good, but I'm not keen on the look. I won't be tasting any of them until tomorrow, so I may be over reacting - but I' not sold on this one. It was easy to put together - actually, they all were.

The recipe came from Wholefood Simply.

The second is Coffee Flour Brownies.

It's been known forever that a bit of coffee added to chocolate intensifies the chocolate flavor. This one may have just a tad too much coffee for my taste. The batter had a sharp raw coffee flavor that wasn't really that great. On the other hand, the finished product smells great.

The recipe came from Honest Cooking.

The third - and possibly my favorite based solely on batter-flavor - is Almond Flour Blondies.

This recipe came from Meaningful Eats.

I made it with coconut oil for our dairy-free staff and in place of all the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and pecans, added a couple cups of chopped pistachios - because I like pistachios. They came out the most like a traditional blondie - both smell and flavor. I made a double batch in a sheet pan and it just seemed right. The proof of the pudding will be the tasting, tomorrow, but I think they may be my personal winner.

So... if you are having folks over and someone is gluten-free, there are more and more real options out there - and possibly a few things that even the most discerning gluten-eater will enjoy.

I'll be back tomorrow with a taste-and-texture critique of each of them!

Okay... here we are with the results!!

The Blondies were outstanding! They were really like any ol' blondie you'd make with wheat flour. The pistachios worked really well - and I'm really glad I didn't do the chocolate chips in them. Flavor and texture rocked.

The Coffee Brownies were liked by a lot more people than me. I thought they were just a bit too 'earthy' but I was in the minority. I think they really needed one more flavor in there to pull them together - and either vanilla or a couple shots of whiskey would probably round them out.

The Sweet Potato Bread was - okay. It was a bit spongy and would probably benefit from a teaspoon or so of xanthan gum. I'm a gluten-free novice, here, so it's merely a guess. Flavor-wise, it was good and the crew liked it.

The final result is - they're all winners. Buy 'em and use 'em. Have some fun!

 

 

 

by Tim Dineen