tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77438688973292197892024-03-05T20:05:51.450-06:00Theresa's PantryFrom the Sublime to the AcademicTheresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-75196919577305218812013-04-13T13:28:00.001-05:002013-04-13T13:28:27.558-05:00Emerging from the School YearAs the school year finally, FINALLY, begins to wind down, I'm actually turning my thoughts towards attending to my blog! I still have three weeks of class and final exams to go, but the end is in sight on a god-awful school year.<br />
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Yesterday I actually mustered the energy to try a simplified paella with sausage and shrimp. How many of you parents out there find yourself modifying recipes in the sometimes forlorn hope that your kids might actually eat what you cook? I certainly do. My daughter, who used to eat all kinds of things, has taken to eating not much of anything at all. My son, who has always been picky about fruits and vegetables (basically, he won't eat any...) hasn't changed any. Nothing can be too spicy. No cheese (no cheese! where did these kids come from!). Some fish is ok, but mostly not. Once child will nibble a bit of shellfish, the other won't. One child has taken to refusing rice because of a mild choking incident a couple of months ago. Did I mention no cheese? No pies. They like homemade bread but only if it's not crusty. *sigh*<br />
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So, any of you find yourself modifying recipes way more often than you would like?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidg_gduq2PJhmLIXOeEArW-SUD64YykboXLf5l6mnbx5tbwSDUBhhK_bPrnG-hjCKCMbaq54PGSdER4YOULSZ-u5mbhq_3eCe9IvaXEEUoPGgGno15zkijPdJohQypj8ZwkTlHJ1ObZd5-/s1600/CianCake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidg_gduq2PJhmLIXOeEArW-SUD64YykboXLf5l6mnbx5tbwSDUBhhK_bPrnG-hjCKCMbaq54PGSdER4YOULSZ-u5mbhq_3eCe9IvaXEEUoPGgGno15zkijPdJohQypj8ZwkTlHJ1ObZd5-/s320/CianCake.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Oh, well, at least they both like to help cook. My son has been helping to make his birthday cake for at least the last five years. Here's the latest.<br />
<br />Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-70305894095980703952012-10-14T17:51:00.000-05:002012-10-14T17:53:10.575-05:00Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti with Sarah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3l-nAJCg-Nuzj0oNKWi4FJDgJZF_SSDOLoKvy2GqXhXtDnmcrhz5PGwteUIwnMWtBBl3U5n2-fZmi3FH10qaRA1nLwPqP-WAgS7yv8ufGaOt0oLIaKeW_5LK48hl9gJ0kHOL9mSjOmvw_/s1600/101412+Dipped+in+Choc+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3l-nAJCg-Nuzj0oNKWi4FJDgJZF_SSDOLoKvy2GqXhXtDnmcrhz5PGwteUIwnMWtBBl3U5n2-fZmi3FH10qaRA1nLwPqP-WAgS7yv8ufGaOt0oLIaKeW_5LK48hl9gJ0kHOL9mSjOmvw_/s400/101412+Dipped+in+Choc+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Fall Break! The four days of abandoning all productivity on work-related matters has allowed me to 1) finish knitting a pair of sox, 2) start knitting a sweater, and 3) have enough energy to document baking something for the blog. Now if only I could have a four day weekend every week, I would probably be a much more pleasant person to be around! Wouldn't we all...<br />
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In lieu of the usual chocolate chip cookies or brownies for the kids, or some sort of fruit based dessert for Kieran and I, I tried to compromise. The kids like chocolate. The kids like pistachios. I like biscotti. Kieran likes whatever I bake as long as it contains no bananas or pumpkin. So after a few cruises through my copious pile of cookbooks, I arrived at chocolate pistachio biscotti! Since the kids have also been off of school for the last four days and my daughter was going a bit crazy with boredom (partially the result of rejecting any idea for fun out-of-the-house activities we had offered for the last four days), Sarah decided to help me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFh2VSSNsp6dfEWNOrtXMcPftaVvkAeN19G5byEXazm-PJcW-uBofmcQd0AaDIl0cLaUr9HMYsy9Y74pqmZkHj0RGzqfGmXLgx223NxYsSCQuJnxRpL5UDAv1l5crMXK_dP_b5yNe3ryZD/s1600/101412+Sarah+mixes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFh2VSSNsp6dfEWNOrtXMcPftaVvkAeN19G5byEXazm-PJcW-uBofmcQd0AaDIl0cLaUr9HMYsy9Y74pqmZkHj0RGzqfGmXLgx223NxYsSCQuJnxRpL5UDAv1l5crMXK_dP_b5yNe3ryZD/s320/101412+Sarah+mixes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here she is, mixing the dry ingredients.</td></tr>
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The recipe is modified from the book <i>Martha Stewart's Cookies</i>. Actually, it wouldn't have been modified at all if I had been cooking by myself and hadn't been distracted from recipe reading by a half-broken egg dribbling down the side of the mixing bowl and on to the mixer and counter, the result of Sarah's attempt to break the eggs into the butter and sugar for me...<br />
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<b>Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti</b></div>
<div>
2 cups all-purpose flour</div>
<div>
1/2 cup cocoa powder--I use a combination of regular and dutch process (unsweetened) </div>
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1 teaspoon baking soda</div>
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1/4 teaspoon salt</div>
<div>
6 tablespoons butter</div>
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1 cup sugar</div>
<div>
2 large eggs</div>
<div>
3/4 cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped.</div>
<div>
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips</div>
<div>
2 tablespoons heavy cream</div>
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<div>
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.</div>
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2. Shell the pistachios until you have about 3/4 cup. The pistachios I used were the regular salted type easily found in the grocery store. You could probably by pre-shelled, but I find that they don't taste as fresh. Roughly chop the pistachios.</div>
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3. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Using an electric stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until incorporated. Add flour mixture a bit at a time until mixed, then finally add the pistachios. Mix until just combined.</div>
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4. Form the dough, which will be quite stiff, into a 12" x 4" or so log on the parchment paper. Bake for about 30 minutes. At this point, the dough will be hard on the outside, but still quite soft on the inside. Turn the oven down to 300 degrees. Let the dough cool for about 5-10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cutting board. Cut on the diagonal with a sharp serrated knife into 12-15 pieces, about 3/4" thick.</div>
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5. Place the slices back on the baking sheet and bake for another 10-12 minutes, this time at 300 degrees. When done, place on a cooling rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes.</div>
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6. (optional) To dip one end in chocolate, melt chocolate chips and cream together, stirring until smooth. Dip one end of each biscotti into the chocolate, then lay on plastic wrap sprayed with a bit of cooking spray or spread with soft butter. Let cool until chocolate has solidified. Store in an airtight container.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJdqOL7Mdddg6yjJJ5fZzY8iNGogS2CTpnEmmSfpPV83xFS6RcHhcyQhDp8eSzwVMFVbYoNyUHfRNW8cINYz3djY0o_oYO0fYtkF6bwopxdMzB1owJpqfPreZy0xXb598-L89TYdWWX_F/s1600/101412+Pistachios.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJdqOL7Mdddg6yjJJ5fZzY8iNGogS2CTpnEmmSfpPV83xFS6RcHhcyQhDp8eSzwVMFVbYoNyUHfRNW8cINYz3djY0o_oYO0fYtkF6bwopxdMzB1owJpqfPreZy0xXb598-L89TYdWWX_F/s320/101412+Pistachios.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelled pistachios. As you can see, at least some<br />
of them made it into the bowl instead of my stomach.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyd9apk5OfvouZ65oWdvpCVvOVQa6lzKbNOWqTfK-Ky6eMnNLYlOUpeu8VIsUgN1j5mjBE60xC7RWPm6XqBVS0qdgcTRzrdnWOC-RTDbKnNMyBJHbP4PU2q4g3pxvs7gU3yANozqXRLli/s1600/101412+Eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyd9apk5OfvouZ65oWdvpCVvOVQa6lzKbNOWqTfK-Ky6eMnNLYlOUpeu8VIsUgN1j5mjBE60xC7RWPm6XqBVS0qdgcTRzrdnWOC-RTDbKnNMyBJHbP4PU2q4g3pxvs7gU3yANozqXRLli/s320/101412+Eggs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eggs! Just because I like the photo.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXyg78aS0aGY3cCWAM4MRg2XwOr0L2-mn_y06iuqXCiSP5Qsd6n04mTN76eFF2pqtHri6wAFkHS7obcvg3T5VepMYK2nS-fIQf8V3Aj8C9Mg5nzH-qkQET0UZCl9WizMqHssrnspeNH2w/s1600/101412+Eggs+in+batter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXyg78aS0aGY3cCWAM4MRg2XwOr0L2-mn_y06iuqXCiSP5Qsd6n04mTN76eFF2pqtHri6wAFkHS7obcvg3T5VepMYK2nS-fIQf8V3Aj8C9Mg5nzH-qkQET0UZCl9WizMqHssrnspeNH2w/s320/101412+Eggs+in+batter.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah adds them into the creamed butter and sugar.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMYXbQYPXvkDJQeOU3B7_abFY_3xQiSVCE3kZLySrbriF0S-WN16v-gZrnNTP9rrIN20YaH03_x1k_8S8u-VJSpfR-xTc5pixG7T0HFEXPxo4lsy2zbet-MMzM1ulSDRP5niPRLHvzzM5/s1600/101412+Add+dry+ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMYXbQYPXvkDJQeOU3B7_abFY_3xQiSVCE3kZLySrbriF0S-WN16v-gZrnNTP9rrIN20YaH03_x1k_8S8u-VJSpfR-xTc5pixG7T0HFEXPxo4lsy2zbet-MMzM1ulSDRP5niPRLHvzzM5/s320/101412+Add+dry+ingredients.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In go the dry ingredients!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEOLayP9cRKe3bNAjuKCEkysaXOaZFflf_HSXfGXrtAzqlPydCePHa2mnv7WnztNH90OIe44tbZE58hfEUTJYjTLhxe_4gumz0nsCId3wHB6gvl2ePjqtPH-S4DwyEbyZV67dRKnAh-Or/s1600/101412+Unbaked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEOLayP9cRKe3bNAjuKCEkysaXOaZFflf_HSXfGXrtAzqlPydCePHa2mnv7WnztNH90OIe44tbZE58hfEUTJYjTLhxe_4gumz0nsCId3wHB6gvl2ePjqtPH-S4DwyEbyZV67dRKnAh-Or/s320/101412+Unbaked.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dough ready for the first baking.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohAaTBy6PURgSEZf7zt1lvK419Dsi6XA4lxYnzY0F-qCk6zcpf7T6AF2mreVF07-bIMW9ZyW-f03TzMTwrmb_ylXQL6mScGmx76n_olVI7TOx90D_LllSP9UIZNrYKiM7d-MxawA9KSSi/s1600/101412+First+Bake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohAaTBy6PURgSEZf7zt1lvK419Dsi6XA4lxYnzY0F-qCk6zcpf7T6AF2mreVF07-bIMW9ZyW-f03TzMTwrmb_ylXQL6mScGmx76n_olVI7TOx90D_LllSP9UIZNrYKiM7d-MxawA9KSSi/s320/101412+First+Bake.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out of the oven and onto the cutting board!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwcuflNASZzv5lTYLnuqgdbyW2hAGG-Jzq2QUic01DHceTpvwypFIe_yEegNrhkxNJRTL5FGOcfDo0UvP6qIxWtBuiu6FQwPv7yFt1kJEQwNj7rhFEDKii7AGLS5vLh3l00tmpWRODTAZ/s1600/101412+Second+Bake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwcuflNASZzv5lTYLnuqgdbyW2hAGG-Jzq2QUic01DHceTpvwypFIe_yEegNrhkxNJRTL5FGOcfDo0UvP6qIxWtBuiu6FQwPv7yFt1kJEQwNj7rhFEDKii7AGLS5vLh3l00tmpWRODTAZ/s320/101412+Second+Bake.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut into slices and ready for the second bake.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYn2o3C9EofbWSc4uzBPgdPgeCnqmY-9LauJiHxxGel6F1ml4sY4Cjktem4wS75YKWhTqdMZVptHuJIvyqOZj6vZ4p2YFGY-1SKJXs_OZqwrNX9FlPX0UnQ1HV2Tnjr5EtgCJPehMvD7qE/s1600/101412+Melt+Chocolate+Chips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYn2o3C9EofbWSc4uzBPgdPgeCnqmY-9LauJiHxxGel6F1ml4sY4Cjktem4wS75YKWhTqdMZVptHuJIvyqOZj6vZ4p2YFGY-1SKJXs_OZqwrNX9FlPX0UnQ1HV2Tnjr5EtgCJPehMvD7qE/s320/101412+Melt+Chocolate+Chips.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to heat the chocolate and cream.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFQzb2KNT0tL3zIYlRG5rDAShhtLJ9wwAeVvV1oatOxkcOsRPBe6GTTOqYoYXrYsP5_Cc1q93UF4esT8q_RfMi0ZMsYroQbo8LuVC5fmvSasp_UrLuuIB3mX9Rv-9xaIral2TKkxV6Q0u/s1600/101412+Dipped+in+choc+I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFQzb2KNT0tL3zIYlRG5rDAShhtLJ9wwAeVvV1oatOxkcOsRPBe6GTTOqYoYXrYsP5_Cc1q93UF4esT8q_RfMi0ZMsYroQbo8LuVC5fmvSasp_UrLuuIB3mX9Rv-9xaIral2TKkxV6Q0u/s320/101412+Dipped+in+choc+I.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And dipped in the chocolate and ready to eat. Thanks to my<br />
cousin Sheila for being on top of my Facebook posts and suggesting<br />
that we dip the biscotti in chocolate!</td></tr>
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In the original recipe, one adds 1/2 cup of chocolate chips into the dough, which would probably work just fine if, you know, you like to actually follow recipes to the letter. But where's the fun in that?<br />
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Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-55273403212246293222012-09-16T17:10:00.000-05:002012-09-16T17:10:17.202-05:00Apple Crisp and Cooking Therapy<br />
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It's been a rough couple of weeks. I've taken some pictures off and on for the last two weeks, but haven't had the time (or energy) to post anything. Today you get a recipe (Apple Crisp) and then some pictures of things I made but didn't write about. Just because I don't want to waste the pictures. But cooking is good therapy when I'm under too much stress, so I have actually been doing some cooking--which in my case seems to usually mean baking!<br />
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About two weeks ago, the first of the new apples started to show up in the grocery store. For the last two weeks it was Galas, which are nice eating apples but not ones I normally cook with. Today, to my surprise, the first Honeycrisp apples showed up! Usually we don't see those for another couple of weeks. Honeycrisp apples are absolutely delicious, but only make a relatively brief appearance in the fall. They are so good eaten fresh that I don't know why anyone would bother to cook them! I plan on reheating some caramel I made a while ago, slicing some up, and dipping away. But today I made a standard in honor of the new apples and the first few really cool days we've had since last, um, let me see, March? So far back I can't remember exactly. The temperature will be headed back up to 90 this coming week, but I'm enjoying the cooler air while I can!<br />
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I basically improvised the following recipe--but once you've made apple crisp a few times, so could you. The principle is simple--slice up some apples and combine them with sugar and spices (and maybe some flour or cornstarch to thicken the juices), then top with something crispy crumbly and bake until the apples are soft and the top is browned. There you have it--apple crisp. There are a million recipes out there. I happen to like my crisp with oats in the topping.<br />
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<b>Apple Crisp</b><br />
<i>Filling</i><br />
3ish pounds of good baking apples, peeled and sliced (I use Granny Smith because I like things a little tart)<br />
2 heaping tablespoons of flour<br />
1 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated if possible<br />
juice of 1 small lemon<br />
1/2 cup sugar<br />
1 pinch salt<br />
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<i>Topping</i><br />
1/2 cup almond meal (or toasted almonds ground quite fine)<br />
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats<br />
2 tablespoons granulated sugar<br />
1/4 cup packed brown sugar<br />
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated if possible<br />
1/8 teaspoon salt<br />
5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled<br />
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2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces<br />
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Preheat oven to 425 F. Peel and slice the apples into slices about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick, although it's really up to you and how big you like your apple pieces. Combine with the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, sugar and salt. Mix well and set aside.<br />
For topping, measure almond meal, oats, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; stir until well combined. Add melted butter and mix thoroughly.<br />
Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan and spread the apple filling. Dot with cold butter, then scatter the topping over the apples. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until apples reach desired doneness and topping has browned. You could also bake for longer at a lower temperature if you prefer--I just happened to have the oven at 425 because I was also baking a loaf of bread.<br />
Cool slightly, then serve in bowls with vanilla ice cream.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLsllnyGELEIdzW2UhHkdrK13ejVRvFZ3VtabHtTGZD8elqI7mTPAUi2BxIgRUGcZTFx1ABsY9LYoGs6jIL8v-b4F3iPJCi_4iPo4P40TQyRjCa2qZlv1jCvzS4xvg2mtfdKFNAoUsbMx/s1600/91612+Sliced+apples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLsllnyGELEIdzW2UhHkdrK13ejVRvFZ3VtabHtTGZD8elqI7mTPAUi2BxIgRUGcZTFx1ABsY9LYoGs6jIL8v-b4F3iPJCi_4iPo4P40TQyRjCa2qZlv1jCvzS4xvg2mtfdKFNAoUsbMx/s320/91612+Sliced+apples.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slicing the apples</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcN7w1bIFglUQIl-wf3Q2RSAx4C6Z4UsCpr4Qu4hyphenhyphenbZBM7pd6ylE51E6U4WPZbE7CUj-gY6xneSowVHi7JW1NM30T6d0QURx2psslo3cNdefZSE9Zefjbz1_mK5m_7PNOTZ5pl5EdOcTTu/s1600/91612+Apples+and+stuff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcN7w1bIFglUQIl-wf3Q2RSAx4C6Z4UsCpr4Qu4hyphenhyphenbZBM7pd6ylE51E6U4WPZbE7CUj-gY6xneSowVHi7JW1NM30T6d0QURx2psslo3cNdefZSE9Zefjbz1_mK5m_7PNOTZ5pl5EdOcTTu/s320/91612+Apples+and+stuff.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Combining apples with sugar, flour and spices</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpTqZuzRgpCyv6lfTW7mlrL9WdOsa62pzmVfWNcSIvA9cHhW11BhZc_jj-wgwCBs9f5ilHLPgQJCckV4GOzcwlLzS4-cCBgg6vi7Gz8J51m2Dh2z_r3DkQj_RyXMv4dBOzG3GF_9hRYTM/s1600/91612+Crisp+topping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpTqZuzRgpCyv6lfTW7mlrL9WdOsa62pzmVfWNcSIvA9cHhW11BhZc_jj-wgwCBs9f5ilHLPgQJCckV4GOzcwlLzS4-cCBgg6vi7Gz8J51m2Dh2z_r3DkQj_RyXMv4dBOzG3GF_9hRYTM/s320/91612+Crisp+topping.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Topping ingredients, ready to mix</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqwm0BA6RN6ZSz8iiVdKq5YAanCdfsJ51fXuKKqpmuM0kxZC53gOwlYtLvDRii4lP1KSz3TcMj533WG8YoV5iYM0e8o_Pplldjq-DL7ov9ultNz4zCvEbQI4Liw3PJZn-9AeWBq-4Ei7L/s1600/91612+Dotted+with+Butter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqwm0BA6RN6ZSz8iiVdKq5YAanCdfsJ51fXuKKqpmuM0kxZC53gOwlYtLvDRii4lP1KSz3TcMj533WG8YoV5iYM0e8o_Pplldjq-DL7ov9ultNz4zCvEbQI4Liw3PJZn-9AeWBq-4Ei7L/s320/91612+Dotted+with+Butter.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the pan with the butter...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusO4s_sjxG2KlWD77Nuu-aggGBg0ZT8Frtb216Me6TyV9C5JX8LFJV1Qtw5Fl-SCi8QnyeSTyou4eZlOm4Mdu9pkJ4jmV4-J9j6EBx2y73HRRklqXdpL0pG-h1NdkCjs1Q9GTzjmMaw6U/s1600/91612+Crisp+with+Topping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusO4s_sjxG2KlWD77Nuu-aggGBg0ZT8Frtb216Me6TyV9C5JX8LFJV1Qtw5Fl-SCi8QnyeSTyou4eZlOm4Mdu9pkJ4jmV4-J9j6EBx2y73HRRklqXdpL0pG-h1NdkCjs1Q9GTzjmMaw6U/s320/91612+Crisp+with+Topping.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and the topping.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ePyZVdOfPPv6gUG473mqAU-aRDKgqV_S0fnMnI4MwDnlK8lPxuIpdUXCgUAwm5-cjbUObamUEmRFX1WPMEz065w6VHa-lU_WAnK0V6CNSIeoGmQ9zr6QmXkQMrH4x4tpXZxUQl2Y3eH7/s1600/91612+Baked+Crips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ePyZVdOfPPv6gUG473mqAU-aRDKgqV_S0fnMnI4MwDnlK8lPxuIpdUXCgUAwm5-cjbUObamUEmRFX1WPMEz065w6VHa-lU_WAnK0V6CNSIeoGmQ9zr6QmXkQMrH4x4tpXZxUQl2Y3eH7/s320/91612+Baked+Crips.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out of the oven and ready to eat!</td></tr>
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<div>
Now, as promised, are some pictures of some other things I've cooked over the last two week. If you want the recipes, let me know and I'll pass them along!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_yzlSQJn3O2SzXYdfaXwQCHtITC87hfzy35aojvH1LF5GOdjk9uSi2mglWK8mOvC_MwTzqQuWW5rCiCVpF3EvcOIc6voQiHcQL6lcDIYpkzsgl72L2_Fe7Wx4mY2Ysqkw-rAvKlI_WC-/s1600/91612+Crepes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_yzlSQJn3O2SzXYdfaXwQCHtITC87hfzy35aojvH1LF5GOdjk9uSi2mglWK8mOvC_MwTzqQuWW5rCiCVpF3EvcOIc6voQiHcQL6lcDIYpkzsgl72L2_Fe7Wx4mY2Ysqkw-rAvKlI_WC-/s320/91612+Crepes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crepes with Nutella</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdG8aZ4KVTjw13sKUpGGLKpms1rRlm8me5yi-hyimFdLSwttO6kKY0tqicYmv-uo8LT2eukzLg_7ZJEogi5mnJjFC-D29XXmIVp_FKbulmpVQ9wLfR0nv0Jpugixz0LpQKZm50Q_F2dTiC/s1600/91612+Banana+Bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdG8aZ4KVTjw13sKUpGGLKpms1rRlm8me5yi-hyimFdLSwttO6kKY0tqicYmv-uo8LT2eukzLg_7ZJEogi5mnJjFC-D29XXmIVp_FKbulmpVQ9wLfR0nv0Jpugixz0LpQKZm50Q_F2dTiC/s320/91612+Banana+Bread.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana Chocolate Chip Bread</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWItE3ULQd9MWdTMzeC6OVygNFJUpvi00Ss41EpVMj2ZEiidjOyDP_0tUqkMy-F_9pmirU3mcPdmBIzTru_dOFiE_In6wp15xCQAmDjYpJnUDPlhUFbaNA_d5EZKibqpzxYipJkyQ9Cytt/s1600/91612+White+Bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWItE3ULQd9MWdTMzeC6OVygNFJUpvi00Ss41EpVMj2ZEiidjOyDP_0tUqkMy-F_9pmirU3mcPdmBIzTru_dOFiE_In6wp15xCQAmDjYpJnUDPlhUFbaNA_d5EZKibqpzxYipJkyQ9Cytt/s320/91612+White+Bread.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Sandwich Bread (America's Test Kitchen recipe)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgHgzeC3tMO5Quv0i4AMlnTRy98eCnsdubNGHwYOmwRhsDtjICpfcehwo53B3wKnsN97qtCRcnYNOx1voL7DV2CPsCx7_n6IegDxdBAtiSfvegKpaBQQNEE9NgzYEYAoKm4rIapLPV1jq/s1600/91612+Multi+Grain+Bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgHgzeC3tMO5Quv0i4AMlnTRy98eCnsdubNGHwYOmwRhsDtjICpfcehwo53B3wKnsN97qtCRcnYNOx1voL7DV2CPsCx7_n6IegDxdBAtiSfvegKpaBQQNEE9NgzYEYAoKm4rIapLPV1jq/s320/91612+Multi+Grain+Bread.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No knead multigrain bread--posted in May</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTu-uH_uGPhNK3SHz0t9PAGRlR2nBj9nN-lKE-DQC4EtPyo1SDDqXWX7hrzcvIZLIgQ6awgc4dVDAOEyMyZ2AkcYDewQzD8vYLx2004KyGYxEzUR5OhfnTt8hr4Y2KGN8Imh39unk3LTn8/s1600/91612+Challah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTu-uH_uGPhNK3SHz0t9PAGRlR2nBj9nN-lKE-DQC4EtPyo1SDDqXWX7hrzcvIZLIgQ6awgc4dVDAOEyMyZ2AkcYDewQzD8vYLx2004KyGYxEzUR5OhfnTt8hr4Y2KGN8Imh39unk3LTn8/s320/91612+Challah.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Challah--although Rosh Hashanah starts tonight, and I'm given<br />to understand that the new year's loaf should be round, not braided.</td></tr>
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Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-30677232026788954512012-09-01T20:38:00.004-05:002012-09-01T20:38:47.946-05:00A Lemon Tart that Kicks Butt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OeujSNU3DZ_0HkfMAYkh_hP025c5hJj3aVShOzklmAvoaD3vv1qxDWE2vIGHjKeUZqAf5YiAfg7m18wiLkJVisyNCy96WX0ItcBu9vZm1ODcxYXzs1UTMZUg2a60ALckYO1PyEFrkQJk/s1600/9112+Lemons%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OeujSNU3DZ_0HkfMAYkh_hP025c5hJj3aVShOzklmAvoaD3vv1qxDWE2vIGHjKeUZqAf5YiAfg7m18wiLkJVisyNCy96WX0ItcBu9vZm1ODcxYXzs1UTMZUg2a60ALckYO1PyEFrkQJk/s400/9112+Lemons%2521.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Ok, I know that's an unusual title for a blog post, but this is really good lemon tart. It's one I've made many times over the last 20 years or so. It is one of the few things I make which I think is better than what I might get in a restaurant or a bakery. The lemon tart is fairly... tart. I don't like super-sweet lemon desserts, so this really appeals to my palate.<br />
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It's really a fairly simple dessert. It's a sweetened crust filled with lemon curd. The lemon curd is made from scratch and seems tricky at first, but really the only tricky part is determining when the curd has thickened sufficiently to start adding the butter. You just have to keep a close eye on it while you're stirring.<br />
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I got the recipe out of a cookbook that I bought when I was an undergraduate students. It's from sort of a strange series from the "California Culinary Academy" and was published by, of all things, Ortho Books, a division of Chevron Chemical Company. Really? A series of cookbooks from the folks that brought you gasoline, Round-Up weed killer and Miracle Gro? I also can't remember where I got the book. Bookstore? Hardware store? Gas station? The California Culinary Academy is apparently a real place--a for-profit cooking school in San Francisco--one which recently lost a multimillion dollar lawsuit brought by students by allegedly charging huge amounts of tuition and lying about job placement success rate afterward. Oops.<br />
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No matter, it's a really tasty tart. The recipe I use here is adapted from <i>Easy and Elegant Meals: Cakes and Pastries,</i> 1985 from Ortho Books.<br />
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<b>Sweet Tart Pastry-- Pate sucrée</b><br />
<b>For a 10 inch scalloped tart band</b><br />
<b>or a 10- by 2-inch tart tin</b><br />
1 1/2 cups flour<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1/3 cup sugar<br />
3 large egg yolks<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
1/2 cup cold butter<br />
<br />
Mix together flour, salt and sugar. Cut in the 1/2 cup butter with a pastry cutter until it is well distributed through the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, mix egg yolks and vanilla extract together until just combined. Mix the egg yolk mixture into the butter and dry ingredients and toss until well combined. Bring the dough together and form into a flat disk. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Remove dough from refrigerator, pound it out then roll out into a large disk--rolling it out between two large sheets of plastic wrap will make it easier to transfer to the tart pan. Take off top layer of plastic wrap and gently transfer dough disk into the tart pan. This type of dough tears easily, but is also very easy to patch. Your first go at getting it in the pan will be something of a mess. Just take the extra dough and press it down to patch tears or fill in holes. In fact, if you really wanted to, you could skip the rolling and just press the dough into the pan. Once the dough is in the pan with the excess trimmed, put the tart pan into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the dough firm back up before blind baking the crust.<br />
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To blind bake the crust, preheat the oven to 400 F. Prick a fork all around the dough to keep the crust from bubbling. Line the tart with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill with dried beans, aluminum weights, or a cake pan slightly smaller than the tart pan. Bake about 15 minutes until crust is mostly set. Remove the aluminum foil and beans (or whatever you used). Bake the pastry shell another 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven an let cool completely before filling with the lemon curd.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL38awV83tqHlvv3xK-G2vIB4OBZYXdWfS5IhMOfA7K7vvuJzoB3IOlWGOCEBP3_ozsT8Eb3hbbXfy29GHeCjyuBOul3SGAbdzjNb218v-VU2KfPtNWZd7qOL9Iw4siB26qbMEjEiZn7-b/s1600/9112+Egg+tossed+in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL38awV83tqHlvv3xK-G2vIB4OBZYXdWfS5IhMOfA7K7vvuJzoB3IOlWGOCEBP3_ozsT8Eb3hbbXfy29GHeCjyuBOul3SGAbdzjNb218v-VU2KfPtNWZd7qOL9Iw4siB26qbMEjEiZn7-b/s320/9112+Egg+tossed+in.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butter cut into flour/sugar mixture, tossed with the egg yolks.<br />You can see how it will need to be coaxed into a ball.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFxEZPEquDZY8VuqhNlyMtJfE7RBP05GOARZI6OE_0uOB25lfVErNssM0R4wWbSXlAivQkx3umcUh0quRyFFD0057bQNBAqE-N9ePk47uTAVN-EUjfBN1QJqknL4bsugh_PaJZe-adUje/s1600/9112+Ball+of+dough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFxEZPEquDZY8VuqhNlyMtJfE7RBP05GOARZI6OE_0uOB25lfVErNssM0R4wWbSXlAivQkx3umcUh0quRyFFD0057bQNBAqE-N9ePk47uTAVN-EUjfBN1QJqknL4bsugh_PaJZe-adUje/s320/9112+Ball+of+dough.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It took a little pressing and persuading, but here's the dough disk.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqs1g-jVA-uxoSLeN5IVAD66CZ-b0lukN0qdWI4P3mP75XmKr-CJkUb4zNOcee5OR4wTM2OnK25W3P5Pduy-dXG0fI3WAc523qKXTAJvMXL1z01hyHp0ZrnSXIQNuE4qGOOSoO4FAu9Fo5/s1600/9112+Bang+it+out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqs1g-jVA-uxoSLeN5IVAD66CZ-b0lukN0qdWI4P3mP75XmKr-CJkUb4zNOcee5OR4wTM2OnK25W3P5Pduy-dXG0fI3WAc523qKXTAJvMXL1z01hyHp0ZrnSXIQNuE4qGOOSoO4FAu9Fo5/s320/9112+Bang+it+out.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After you take it out of the refrigerator, give it some good whacks<br />with the rolling pin to flatten before rolling.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsIity4zFNTLln0rEe_7emrMJrqfU2GnUDKyXnkqT2_6hhfrTDkMhhzr_HnbEFN3ssxGO8y_tvBs2giizw2flTASpYE10EmNPWLymmbL4WNPV2LbJaSg64fCOK07-GIwsTHfiVMVB8j4z/s1600/9112+Roll+it+out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsIity4zFNTLln0rEe_7emrMJrqfU2GnUDKyXnkqT2_6hhfrTDkMhhzr_HnbEFN3ssxGO8y_tvBs2giizw2flTASpYE10EmNPWLymmbL4WNPV2LbJaSg64fCOK07-GIwsTHfiVMVB8j4z/s320/9112+Roll+it+out.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolled out pastry dough</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wJz0-1Co-p2ziszU3ke1TK4t5dUamy5ZzoTr23Ajb7P_Gm3M0SzoYsZp9KYVl6PLPoPugajqaS5hEZ7kgCESfG_45ANrYdyBL0lo_M7RRgq4SX-7CKBgW39Z5FZZf2DneLm3u0jnjJ4c/s1600/9112+First+attempt+in+pan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wJz0-1Co-p2ziszU3ke1TK4t5dUamy5ZzoTr23Ajb7P_Gm3M0SzoYsZp9KYVl6PLPoPugajqaS5hEZ7kgCESfG_45ANrYdyBL0lo_M7RRgq4SX-7CKBgW39Z5FZZf2DneLm3u0jnjJ4c/s320/9112+First+attempt+in+pan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First attempt at getting it into the tart pan.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHomx1Gat5_sDzycz-a4xXyU_jfszMzPOzbgygW5EoeG4iRb2adePGd36U7jYrSFOj4KReM6l7HylUc_nm8hQStAhMjvTe_mMUo-Tp_HGMSpNWSKXakI6ndiqjn4i7_H_Tagg6mKuc6Go/s1600/9112+In+pan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHomx1Gat5_sDzycz-a4xXyU_jfszMzPOzbgygW5EoeG4iRb2adePGd36U7jYrSFOj4KReM6l7HylUc_nm8hQStAhMjvTe_mMUo-Tp_HGMSpNWSKXakI6ndiqjn4i7_H_Tagg6mKuc6Go/s320/9112+In+pan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But see? It's fixable! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZU0UDpxF2lziQCQsI0KK0ISvg22lEwEfcacS3xbvRKMuEnF8XGRe-fmL3Z5oXfMIh41MVCz9l5PrMgl2pbrrjgXCLG2zWgzq4v3MAEuojTHmk5Cbjswfp03haxYb2NOgygqzyWLizNue/s1600/9112+Blind+Bake+part+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZU0UDpxF2lziQCQsI0KK0ISvg22lEwEfcacS3xbvRKMuEnF8XGRe-fmL3Z5oXfMIh41MVCz9l5PrMgl2pbrrjgXCLG2zWgzq4v3MAEuojTHmk5Cbjswfp03haxYb2NOgygqzyWLizNue/s320/9112+Blind+Bake+part+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blind baking, part I.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhQ7lbq04ILfPNbb4i5XOkSBdjfY2bnuWeQC3MuODaxZQ66ragxJ3Ws7Z88GjuulTIV2TA4D_1inODCSAfiCKq04YVBhqrEo7vnUucmh3soJzr5WQevjCSWr28D_f26oIfqVDCoUOUvxF/s1600/9112+Finished+pastry+shell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhQ7lbq04ILfPNbb4i5XOkSBdjfY2bnuWeQC3MuODaxZQ66ragxJ3Ws7Z88GjuulTIV2TA4D_1inODCSAfiCKq04YVBhqrEo7vnUucmh3soJzr5WQevjCSWr28D_f26oIfqVDCoUOUvxF/s320/9112+Finished+pastry+shell.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished tart shell! See, that wasn't so bad. A bit<br />finicky, but doable.</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Lemon Curd</b><br />
3 whole eggs<br />
3 egg yolks<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice<br />
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (lemon rind, just the yellow part)<br />
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces and softened (left to come to room temperature)<br />
<br />
In a stainless steel bowl, combine eggs, yolks, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water and whisk over medium heat (stirring constantly) until the mixture thickens to about the consistency of mayonnaise--about 5 to 10 minutes. Don't let it go much beyond that point, especially not to boiling, or you'll end up with curdled (i.e. scrambled) eggs. The mixture will start to foam as it warms, and will be quite foamy and slightly lighter in color around the time it thickens. Thickening seems to take forever, but once you notice it beginning to thicken things will move along quickly. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in the butter a piece at a time. Once all the butter is incorporated, pour the still-warm curd into the pastry shell and let it come to room temperature. The curd, fully thickened when you pour it, will quickly set as it cools. If it remains liquid-y after 5 minutes, you didn't cook it enough.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgqCe2SRSlFIwrLLUj-CrMQUbamQtjw1KRbcBAokvZV73mo5w1VmtTOED1mD59B4BB-YaK4PxPsZ39Tx7VGdEKU0hifG6oI8ujSWGCg41NSDfLbwGzvrFb4ibJ0LzEcIZ4e0nguIEmory/s1600/9112+Lemon+pips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgqCe2SRSlFIwrLLUj-CrMQUbamQtjw1KRbcBAokvZV73mo5w1VmtTOED1mD59B4BB-YaK4PxPsZ39Tx7VGdEKU0hifG6oI8ujSWGCg41NSDfLbwGzvrFb4ibJ0LzEcIZ4e0nguIEmory/s320/9112+Lemon+pips.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strain the lemon juice before using. No one likes lemon<br />pips in their tart. Well, I don't, anyway.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmn2mLHEh1o7FP5HOJiyYaUwORUdA-8FwZA0QvqxbhpCE2maaZNGfVRvosoORrO7WcrGaV9ujuFduxyXzYHWW7_897kZ0kjBXIp3PzguaA79pfWs5RJ6wKEuhn6Ns5WRDtpm8MDs4k15_Y/s1600/9112+Curd+ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmn2mLHEh1o7FP5HOJiyYaUwORUdA-8FwZA0QvqxbhpCE2maaZNGfVRvosoORrO7WcrGaV9ujuFduxyXzYHWW7_897kZ0kjBXIp3PzguaA79pfWs5RJ6wKEuhn6Ns5WRDtpm8MDs4k15_Y/s320/9112+Curd+ingredients.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything but the butter!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZx-GigTPUf7W5WZDVuPXAU4xVgAxOiuPnafiBgJ27GEzzQxqhEfu6OIGIv8RpKwDcHmcaCE8UeioABqPmKKvQhWi0Mwle9jpNaVdPhYFJBkiNS0FMN__jioPo-IikIsWn_Jb1vosy0CNu/s1600/9112+Begin+to+foam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZx-GigTPUf7W5WZDVuPXAU4xVgAxOiuPnafiBgJ27GEzzQxqhEfu6OIGIv8RpKwDcHmcaCE8UeioABqPmKKvQhWi0Mwle9jpNaVdPhYFJBkiNS0FMN__jioPo-IikIsWn_Jb1vosy0CNu/s320/9112+Begin+to+foam.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over the boiling water and beginning to foam.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaepwSm3fMVW0t7NjZiL8taBKv7hwUUzupB7DyGJkIilvkkXL7nwNd8QEKnMlBZw5xvP9lA8TxxLIHGFLzK9gl77aNBWrgHgaauoHd8h1d1SGcqZC0v3yKjrxpMHBrk4C_6ITD8jCadqeY/s1600/9112+Thickened++curd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaepwSm3fMVW0t7NjZiL8taBKv7hwUUzupB7DyGJkIilvkkXL7nwNd8QEKnMlBZw5xvP9lA8TxxLIHGFLzK9gl77aNBWrgHgaauoHd8h1d1SGcqZC0v3yKjrxpMHBrk4C_6ITD8jCadqeY/s320/9112+Thickened++curd.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thickened and ready to mix in the butter. The foam has been<br />incorporated into the curd and the whole think has lightened.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPj5aHPgLX3tTQ5c3hudPwalUsz70eAbDGKumA_SnZZ3kZ1wxa0CLvsqDttlhIOR-lpXz4xHt_6BmoTQMBJbHF98tiI6F0WhQmJY692B6DP1QDKcQulzUghF_3tBA7TxckPq3LGLyZo7I/s1600/9112+Lemon+Tart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPj5aHPgLX3tTQ5c3hudPwalUsz70eAbDGKumA_SnZZ3kZ1wxa0CLvsqDttlhIOR-lpXz4xHt_6BmoTQMBJbHF98tiI6F0WhQmJY692B6DP1QDKcQulzUghF_3tBA7TxckPq3LGLyZo7I/s320/9112+Lemon+Tart.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the butter and into the tart shell. Not fancy, but<br />oh so good. Have fun licking the bowl that the<br />lemon curd was in. This is one time I save the bowl for<br />myself rather than letting the kids have it.</td></tr>
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And you're done! I suppose you could gussy it up with some cooked meringue, some fruit, or whipped cream, but I usually serve it plain. I own a 10-inch tart pan, but you could probably use a large pie plate if that were all you had. Don't be scared of making the lemon curd--if the mixture does curdle on you, it doesn't take long to whip up another batch and try again. Try not to eat so much of the warm curd that you don't have enough for the tart!Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-1710873485384260632012-08-30T21:03:00.001-05:002012-08-30T21:03:03.564-05:00Corn Chowder! Something to do with fresh corn...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7LpTGXYv06o0xy8qdau3qM3Bcv5nI71CrzGiuib6jRJ5neOma80feDwELYq2cDQ2J6dSLNjsMg5JPTe5GF9tqOQ69WGCEnMrkhuilj6SdhJMZQAIBLnoRQabGPslKC0Imgvxxo5uZnuMO/s1600/83012+Corn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7LpTGXYv06o0xy8qdau3qM3Bcv5nI71CrzGiuib6jRJ5neOma80feDwELYq2cDQ2J6dSLNjsMg5JPTe5GF9tqOQ69WGCEnMrkhuilj6SdhJMZQAIBLnoRQabGPslKC0Imgvxxo5uZnuMO/s400/83012+Corn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Of course the best way to eat fresh sweet corn is to pick it, boil or roast it, slather it with butter and some salt, then eat it. Messily. With butter dripping down your chin. I grew up in southern lower Michigan, where a lot of farmers grow corn. Mainly dent corn, I presume, but sweet corn as well. There used to be a farm stand near my house when I was a kid (the same space now hosts a McDonalds and a strip mall) and the sweet corn was fresh and wonderful when it was in season. I've now lived in Oklahoma for 18 (!) years, and finding really good sweet corn around here can be a challenge. It's not really corn-growing country. If you're looking for okra, jalapeños, melons or tomatoes, we've got you covered. But sweet corn? Not so much.<br />
<br />
So, with the corn in the grocery store looking anemic, possibly due to the drought in the corn belt, I thought I'd buy some and make some corn chowder. There's probably dozens and dozens of recipes out there (a quick internet search verified that), but really the basics come down to: corn, bacon, potatoes, onions, and milk. You can add flour as a thickener, or purée some of the chowder and add it back in. You can add celery, red or green peppers, chicken or vegetable broth. You can season with thyme, tarragon, basil, or just salt and pepper. You can use russets, or Yukon golds, or plain white potatoes. You can make it thick or thin. You can toss cheese or bacon bits on top of your bowl of chowder. I don't typically use a recipe when I make it (the same is true of a lot of soups), but I tried to keep track of what I did so that I could record it here.<br />
<br />
I find that I often don't use a recipe when I cook. When I bake, yes, I tend to follow a recipe (although I often modify it as I go along), but when I cook I only tend to use a recipe when I make something completely new to me. I presume a lot of people who like to cook are like that, but I don't know. How about you?<br />
<br />
Here's some corn chowder for a warm dinner.<br />
<br />
Corn Chowder<br />
<br />
5 ears sweet corn<br />
2 large russet potatoes (or whatever you prefer)<br />
1 large onion, chopped<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced<br />
5 oz (about 5 slices) bacon, cut into small pieces<br />
2 heaping tablespoons of flour<br />
1 teaspoon thyme (I like thyme, but it is fine to add less)<br />
2 cups whole milk<br />
1 cup heavy cream<br />
3 cups chicken broth<br />
2 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)<br />
1 teaspoon ground pepper<br />
<br />
Cut the corn off the cobs. I used to do this by holding the cob upright and cutting down until I saw a Sara Moulton cooking show where a visiting chef left the corn longways on the cutting board and just slicing off the corn that way. Less messy, I think. But you can get the corn off the cob any way you'd like. I prepared the rest of the ingredients before beginning to cook.<br />
Use a largish pot. Fry the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Remove bacon bits from the pot and set aside. Cook the onion until translucent (softened). Add the garlic and sauté a few minutes. Add the flour and cook until the fat is absorbed by the flour. I like my chowder on the thin side, so the 2 tablespoons of flour will only provide minimal thickening for that much liquid. If you like your chowder thicker, you can add more flour, but you will need to add more fat as well--about 1 tablespoon flour per tablespoon of butter or oil. Alternatively, you can take about 1/2 of the completed soup and purée in a blender, then pour back into the pot. The corn and potatoes which have been puréed will thicken the soup.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything chopped and ready to go!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frying the bacon (mmmmm... bacon....)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding flour to the onions, garlic and bacon fat<br />(mmmmmm... bacon... oh wait, I already said that)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking the raw ingredients in the chicken broth</td></tr>
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When the flour has absorbed the fat, slowly begin to add the chicken broth, stirring constantly until the flour paste is fully dissolved into the liquid. Add the corn, potatoes and thyme, then cook for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are the consistency you prefer. Add the milk, cream salt and pepper then heat through. Don't let the soup come to a hard boil after adding the cream--that messes up the consistency of the soup. Finally, add the cooked bacon back in OR save to sprinkle on top of your bowl of soup. Chives are also a nice touch if you have them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2M8Pggv9M4aZ2APornSk9yfEbhvr7W57Qu70nWz3duM7abkimGjUudsVL3yTWMui_mbK1RAAHFtk_sVMl3Y4ImEbp_RMHP2pFoQ6IVfAEuDpBvGnVCGYAaV5Gq8xmHsJYyj6z-4EUXwkI/s1600/83012+Finished+Soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2M8Pggv9M4aZ2APornSk9yfEbhvr7W57Qu70nWz3duM7abkimGjUudsVL3yTWMui_mbK1RAAHFtk_sVMl3Y4ImEbp_RMHP2pFoQ6IVfAEuDpBvGnVCGYAaV5Gq8xmHsJYyj6z-4EUXwkI/s400/83012+Finished+Soup.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to eat! I should have had some saltines ready...</td></tr>
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<br />Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-14550905874706975052012-08-19T19:11:00.000-05:002012-08-19T19:11:20.038-05:00Stout Bread with Spinach, Onions & Gouda<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Time to bake some bread! I realize that I have been posting quite a number of sweet dishes, so I decided to give a go at something more savory.<br />
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The two inspirations for this bread are "Spinach Cheese Boule with Whole Wheat" from the blog "The Fresh Loaf" by Dolf Starreveld. You can find that recipe here: <a href="http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/3111/spinach-cheese-boule-whole-wheat">http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/3111/spinach-cheese-boule-whole-wheat</a>. The other inspiration, which I followed enough to say that this recipe is adapted from, is "Dark Sour Bread" from Bernard Clayton's <i>New Complete Book of Breads </i>(1987, Simon and Schuster). Bernard Clayton first published <i>The Complete Book of Breads</i> in 1973, and the recipes in his book really were written before the artisanal bread movement began in the late 1980s. These are standard make-in-one-day loaves with fairly soft crusts which aren't baked on a baking stone or started with a poolish (overnight starter). As such the recipes are tasty, but one should not expect the crust that one gets with artisanal bread or no-knead bread.<br />
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<b>Stout Bread with Spinach, Onions & Gouda</b><br />
5 oz organic baby spinach, roughly chopped<br />
1 small onion, in a small dice<br />
1 T olive oil<br />
4 oz (1/4 lb.) Double Cream Gouda, cut into 1/2" cubes<br />
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1 bottle (12 oz) stout<br />
3/4 cup water<br />
2/3 cup stone-ground cornmeal<br />
2 T butter<br />
2 tsp salt<br />
1/2 cup molasses<br />
4 1/2 tsp dry yeast (2 packets)<br />
2 cups whole wheat flour<br />
2 cups bread flour, up to 1/2 cup more for kneading, depending on wetness of dough.<br />
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Sauté the onions in the olive oil until softened and beginning to brown. Add spinach, and cook until the spinach has completely wilted. Set aside to cool.<br />
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In a saucepan bring the stout and water to a simmer. Take off heat, then stir in cornmeal, butter, salt and molasses. When cooled to warm but not hot, add the yeast and 2 cups of whole wheat flour. Stir until blended. Add about 1 1/2 cups of the bread flour, and stir until you have a thick, shaggy mass. Turn out onto countertop and begin to knead, adding in the last 1/2 cup of flour. Sprinkle more flour as you knead for about 10 minutes, The dough will be heavy and fairly wet. After about 10 minutes, gradually knead in the spinach and onion mixture, then the gouda. Kneading this together can be a little tricky, but you can add as much bread flour as needed to make the dough workable--or you can squeeze the spinach mixture after wrapping in a cheesecloth to get rid of as much moisture as possible.<br />
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Once the spinach, onions and cheese are thoroughly incorporated, form the dough into a ball. Place into an oiled or buttered large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until double, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Once dough has risen, punch down and divide in two. Form each half into an elongated loaf and place in oiled bread pans; cover with plastic wrap. Let rise again until double, about 1 hour. About 20 minutes before the bread will go in the oven, preheat the oven to 375. Bake the loaves for 40 minutes, or until done. Turn out of pans immediately and let cool.<br />
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The bread has a moist crumb, and some nice flavor. I find the bread to taste slightly sweet, and the onions are a nice complement. If I were to do the recipe again, I would probably try a no-knead method and a higher temperature (and no loaf pans) for a better crust.<br />
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As a point of reference, here's some documentation of the process.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya6wgBJHWNOBGdl75ZtSZ_sbyn53SyMExefPBj4EAy4R8nbcvxfik47v9g2VSE1Vhuwg1yDRfp57kOoSui-twrxztn4zZU7UwWZMXayhIdh9DYwleAe1GwK3qB5u9GYvpcSHE0-8EUn4Z/s1600/81912+Cooked+onions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya6wgBJHWNOBGdl75ZtSZ_sbyn53SyMExefPBj4EAy4R8nbcvxfik47v9g2VSE1Vhuwg1yDRfp57kOoSui-twrxztn4zZU7UwWZMXayhIdh9DYwleAe1GwK3qB5u9GYvpcSHE0-8EUn4Z/s320/81912+Cooked+onions.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The onions after browning</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tMQmQNSSGkrnj1WqY7sRW3h9hc7Fju1iSgQfAWVhaA624XXBoTBzqmm64aUOW_Oqelz1YWbvQkvtEfB1fJhXuRZKSL7xnralpL8xW-9KxRjTqhjsZZUafOQyxGZjSqlFLhW1yEg0uyNp/s1600/81912+Spinach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tMQmQNSSGkrnj1WqY7sRW3h9hc7Fju1iSgQfAWVhaA624XXBoTBzqmm64aUOW_Oqelz1YWbvQkvtEfB1fJhXuRZKSL7xnralpL8xW-9KxRjTqhjsZZUafOQyxGZjSqlFLhW1yEg0uyNp/s320/81912+Spinach.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And in goes the chopped spinach...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMESj6t74ZGkPaYhTmSKZ_glGTacHvKuxr2-QeTOP-J636qlHFO8aRN77K0WUoTCBJqs7YOYynAkOBTAyYDwUMmigMd60udT2_RBkiz31dy92lWvX6A-xYX8pycxPsfDxwwuoD6p-M-uX/s1600/81912+Spinach+Onions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMESj6t74ZGkPaYhTmSKZ_glGTacHvKuxr2-QeTOP-J636qlHFO8aRN77K0WUoTCBJqs7YOYynAkOBTAyYDwUMmigMd60udT2_RBkiz31dy92lWvX6A-xYX8pycxPsfDxwwuoD6p-M-uX/s320/81912+Spinach+Onions.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Which gets cooked down to this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KpmtJJ3o3bDPyyC-CtLxC5b6DrwJeJ8WQHeGg3FSEt9DTMtXCRvNmSFxzStO9DOvc4AL0eyO4BY9KBmgtN3F_d668Glylo5ThZmW0_7ZUHpi4UwWSyUSrx1qxU9zvZo2X0riY-2I46ZC/s1600/81912+Gouda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KpmtJJ3o3bDPyyC-CtLxC5b6DrwJeJ8WQHeGg3FSEt9DTMtXCRvNmSFxzStO9DOvc4AL0eyO4BY9KBmgtN3F_d668Glylo5ThZmW0_7ZUHpi4UwWSyUSrx1qxU9zvZo2X0riY-2I46ZC/s320/81912+Gouda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the yummy double-cream gouda!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksc50575NHw6N-k4p4bpvHGto10r4SJDOaN0Bg6alPn58twTwpuRx-J8Rmmu4H9UNYrEsGV12WXIb0Y9b8-ShxgTfcfr8Wv3oR_BhHBqJFC3c-aaTPTW7tSfYSQQU_ZIZQAbAmlPuhX18/s1600/81912+Liquid+Ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksc50575NHw6N-k4p4bpvHGto10r4SJDOaN0Bg6alPn58twTwpuRx-J8Rmmu4H9UNYrEsGV12WXIb0Y9b8-ShxgTfcfr8Wv3oR_BhHBqJFC3c-aaTPTW7tSfYSQQU_ZIZQAbAmlPuhX18/s320/81912+Liquid+Ingredients.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wet stuff after cooking, but before adding the flour.<br />The little dots are the stone-ground cornmeal.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNWvOKIyDVLh3Z9jXGHW12l4wXoJnZXzY1kMz715nlIMf-mrCoKirCSxcP4VkvGdPS98nOzrUjk4-U3TJeGeGiZuTkz1ZySMJ6MsDQ_Ez0JT4Ec1v5qc0Tb3Wkzk0p8-r4WGak0rkhedi/s1600/81912+Dough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNWvOKIyDVLh3Z9jXGHW12l4wXoJnZXzY1kMz715nlIMf-mrCoKirCSxcP4VkvGdPS98nOzrUjk4-U3TJeGeGiZuTkz1ZySMJ6MsDQ_Ez0JT4Ec1v5qc0Tb3Wkzk0p8-r4WGak0rkhedi/s320/81912+Dough.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the dough all kneaded and ready for the first rise.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGqEyTUNz2FnVsB5J1V2Q_iquUL7-Ac6IpmNCbpV0d-xT_1MpgFriUYPD__xeBHCA0-oDKgk4XcNMfWosTW3paY8jVlI80dOzLfi1DrGyW7vqfihYLzrEoEjeE4orq7bYVauRWHh_5xwNr/s1600/81912+Risen+Dough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGqEyTUNz2FnVsB5J1V2Q_iquUL7-Ac6IpmNCbpV0d-xT_1MpgFriUYPD__xeBHCA0-oDKgk4XcNMfWosTW3paY8jVlI80dOzLfi1DrGyW7vqfihYLzrEoEjeE4orq7bYVauRWHh_5xwNr/s320/81912+Risen+Dough.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After 1 1/2 hours, the dough has doubled in volume.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPP1mUFHMbqnb-h54VmhEUO_BQQ8xe6VGx1cJ7EDFWeL485OCwntgwI55ynatgS7RbD2_euS0iytnyaj0RhKFpb35OCRmsZ14VbB1wPcI5hCpjjQoGubqXUSR75fRJsW86dKUQJ23ztcD/s1600/81912+Risen+Loaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPP1mUFHMbqnb-h54VmhEUO_BQQ8xe6VGx1cJ7EDFWeL485OCwntgwI55ynatgS7RbD2_euS0iytnyaj0RhKFpb35OCRmsZ14VbB1wPcI5hCpjjQoGubqXUSR75fRJsW86dKUQJ23ztcD/s320/81912+Risen+Loaves.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dough after being divided and allowed to rise in the loaf pans<br />ready for the oven!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_0Ubf2QiATWQn8w0NvFq0Ai_dUa-LlMPUg58deMCVGVWDtgJdK_oMQcscXbpAI_ADcD6sHdKKxdmyt1LKfFcelK-YC0JB_on2TDINoqVwo_Ds0PIBt4OFLNeYe_K-PTvgiRrYaH0VroK/s1600/81912+Bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_0Ubf2QiATWQn8w0NvFq0Ai_dUa-LlMPUg58deMCVGVWDtgJdK_oMQcscXbpAI_ADcD6sHdKKxdmyt1LKfFcelK-YC0JB_on2TDINoqVwo_Ds0PIBt4OFLNeYe_K-PTvgiRrYaH0VroK/s320/81912+Bread.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished bread! Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes until you<br />try to cut into it, otherwise you'll end up with odd bread mush.</td></tr>
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<br />Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-73960774799706057162012-08-17T19:57:00.005-05:002012-08-17T19:57:58.483-05:00All Afternoon Apple Cream Tart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, after a rather long hiatus during which I waited for the daytime highs to get below 100 then coped with prepping for the new semester, I decided to try something a little more ambitious than usual for today's post. I didn't, however, anticipate that it would take all afternoon! Hence the title of today's blog entry.<br />
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The recipe comes from a marvelous memoir/biography/cookbook called <i>When French Women Cook: A Gastronomic Memoir with Over 250 Recipes</i> by Madeleine Kamman. Kamman is roughly contemporary with Julia Child, and was a child in France during WWII. She is probably best known for her cookbook <i>The Making of a Cook</i>. This book essentially recounts her own experience with a number of French women before, during, and after WWII. She has chosen women from different regions of France and then gives recipes from each women. Many of the recipes are from the 1930s and 40s, and may stretch into the 19th century. It's a beautifully written book as interesting for the history as it is for the recipes.<br />
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Many of the recipes are promising, and today I decided to try one that had captured my attention--La Pommée D'Henriette, or Apple Cream Tart from Normandy. Here's the recipe, as written, and can be found on page 130. Hang on, it's a long one!<br />
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LA POMMEE D'HENRIETTE<br />
[Apple Cream Tart]<br />
<br />
Servings: 8-12 Cost: reasonable Execution: semi-difficult<br />
Total Preparation Time: 1 hour for the pastry, 1 hour for the filling. Spread the work over two days.<br />
Remarks on Ingredients: Use Grannie Smith, July-September; Gravenstein, July-September; Greening, October-February; Winesap, January-May<br />
Best Season: Follow the apples. No other pie apples resemble the Normandy apples enough to be used.<br />
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PASTRY:<br />
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (175g)<br />
3/4 cup butter (175 g)<br />
3/4 tsp. salt (7 1/2 g)<br />
4-5 TB water (1/2 dl)<br />
1 tsp. sugar<br />
<br />
FILLING:<br />
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1 cup heavy cream (225 g or 2 1/4 dl)<br />
1 1/2 cups applesauce (3 1/2 dl)<br />
1/8 tsp. cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp. lemon rind, grated fine<br />
Pinch of salt<br />
1/2 cup apple cider (1 generous dl)<br />
1 envelope gelatin<br />
6 TB Calvados or Apple Jack (1 small dl)<br />
3 TB unsalted butter (35 g)<br />
8 peeled apples, cut into 8 slices each<br />
1 TB sugar (10 g)<br />
<br />
TO MAKE THE PASTRY:<br />
Put the flour on the counter and make a well. Cut the butter into 1 1/2-tablespoon chunks and add. Add the salt. With the fingertips, squeeze the butter and flour together to obtain pieces if butter no smaller than 1/3 of a tablespoon. Sprinkle the water over the mixture gradually and mix with the fingertips until the pastry holds together. Let rest on a plate for 30 minutes. Refrigerate. Roll out into a strip 15 inches by 6 inches by 1/2 inch. Fold in three. Turn the package of dough so it looks like a book ready to be opened. Flatten it out again into the same size strip. Fold in three. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Repeat the same operation a second time; refrigerate 15 minutes. Repeat the same operation a third time; refrigerate 15 more minutes. By now you will have given 6 turns altogether. Between the turns keep the dough in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator and not on one of the shelves; the butter will be flattened and absorbed more readily this way.<br />
Roll the pastry out into an 11inch circle, 1/8 inch thick. Fit it into a 9-inch circular buttered cake pan. Cut away any excess pastry by rolling the pin over the edges of the cake mold. Crimp the edge of the pastry with a fork, prick its bottom, and fit a piece of aluminum into the unbaked pastry. Fill with dried beans or aluminum nuggets, and bake 15 minutes at 425. Remove the beans or nuggets and foil. Sprinkle the bottom of the pie with 1 teaspoon of sugar and continue baking for another five minutes. Gently unfold to cool on a cake rack.<br />
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TO MAKE THE FILLING:<br />
Whip the heavy cream until almost mounding. Keep refrigerated. Put the applesauce into a pan with cinnamon and lemon rind; add a tiny pinch of salt and reduce to 1/2 cup. Put the cider in a measuring cup. Sprinkle the gelatin over it and melt it in a hot water bath. Mix with the applesauce. Liquify the mixture in the blender. Pour into a bowl fitted over another, larger bowl containing ice and water. Add 2 tablespoons of the Calvados. Stir until the mixture starts to thicken. Fold in the heavy cream and pour into the prepared pie shell.<br />
Heat the 3 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch frying pan. Sauté the apple slices over high heat to color them well. Reduce the heat, sprinkle with the sugar, and let the apples soften and glaze. Flambé them with the remaining Calvados or Apple Jack. Let cool. Arrange the apples in concentric circles on top of the cream filling.<br />
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Ok, here was my experience with the recipe. First of all those two one-hour segments on top? Pure lies. It took me a good four hours or more, start to finish. I tried to follow the recipe as best I could, but sometimes had to/wanted to make some changes.<br />
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First, the pastry dough. This seems a rather complicated way of making what is essentially plain old pie dough. I have seen the trifold technique used when making puff pastry from scratch, but this recipe has you incorporate the butter at the beginning. I thought perhaps this would make the crust something of a cross between puff pastry and pie crust, and that was the case, sort of. All that folding, refrigerating and re-rolling did make for a very pliable dough at the end, which was easy to roll out and place in the cake pan.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7Gl1WbtlHgrQdBQTgVneFLV72M-yjuTJdTrs8pizCibHItOKBzcY8Kcd8kNN2URzjBFsfT2y_eW0qUIYy1keGeyO5aEPXGVWzCM6edlAiaFzIQXJu6F39xZTeAzGUdpln0fQWZY2WGf6/s1600/81712+Sift+Flour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7Gl1WbtlHgrQdBQTgVneFLV72M-yjuTJdTrs8pizCibHItOKBzcY8Kcd8kNN2URzjBFsfT2y_eW0qUIYy1keGeyO5aEPXGVWzCM6edlAiaFzIQXJu6F39xZTeAzGUdpln0fQWZY2WGf6/s320/81712+Sift+Flour.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sifting the flour</td></tr>
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Then making a well and putting in the butter:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The dough:</div>
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The recipe at this point says "Let rest on a plate for 30 minutes. Refrigerate." This stumped me. Let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature then refrigerate? Let it rest while it is in the refrigerator? I opted to let it do its resting in the 'fridge, since I know pie dough does need refrigeration. </div>
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Now comes the first strip and trifold:</div>
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And after turning it, rolling it, and trifolding it again, I got this:</div>
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I went through the rest of the pastry shell process pretty much as written, with the exception of the cake pan. A cake pan is a rather odd shape for what should be a tart. Perhaps tart pans weren't widely available in the U.S. when the book was written? Anyway, I had 8-inch cake pans or a 10-inch pastry pan. I opted for the pastry pan. Here's the crust all rolled out and ready to blind-bake (pre bake).</div>
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And here we are, all finished. I used a little more sugar than the recipe called for.</div>
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So far, so good. A lot of work for a pastry shell, but what the heck. It certainly did work. On to the filling! Here's the applesauce mixture, before cooking: </div>
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This is where I ran into my first problem. I didn't anticipate how long it would take to cook down by 2/3! In the meanwhile, I had sprinkled the gelatin over the apple cider, and had heated it up to dissolve the gelatin.</div>
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Aaaaannnnddd... the applesauce is bubbling anemically, but not reducing much. You can't hold dissolved gelatin at high temps indefinitely (you can see my makeshift hot water bath above). I cranked the heat up on the applesauce. Hey! Applesauce volcano! How exciting! I turned the heat to medium and let it reduce down by 1/3 rather than the requisite 2/3, then called it good. By this time I had been working on the dang applesauce for 25 minutes and needed to move along. Now, I did use a commercial (organic, unsweetened) applesauce rather than homemade. Since homemade tends to be more watery, perhaps the recipe was written with homemade applesauce in mind. Not sure. Did I mention that while I was waiting for the applesauce to cook down, I made the whipped cream? </div>
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So, here again I wasn't sure what beating the cream until it was "almost mounding" meant. I guessed that mounding meant a firm whipped cream, so I made one with soft peaks instead. Finally, after getting sick of waiting around for the applesauce, I buzzed the applesauce and apple juice up in a blender, as per the recipe.</div>
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Then put the whole thing in an ice bath and added the Calvados. Calvados is an apple liqueur from Normandy, and I just happen to have some on hand for cooking!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmm... Calvados...</td></tr>
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Back to the ice bath. The mixture actually took very little time to cool and begin to thicken. Ice baths are helpful that way.</div>
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Finally, I folded in the whipped cream and poured it all into my prebaked tart shell, then stuck it in the fridge for gelling. The "cream" layer is actually something like an apple bavarian, given the gelatin used to help it set.</div>
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I would note that as you rearrange the fridge to fit in the tart, don't drop a package of hot dogs into it as I did. Sometimes it sucks being an uncoordinated klutz.</div>
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Finally, the apple topping. 8 apples seemed like an awful lot to me, given the size of the Granny Smith's at the grocery store. I opted for 5 apples worth, cut in more than the suggested eight pieces. I cut the slices about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. I melted butter and then dumped them into the pan.</div>
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The recipe calls for high heat here so they brown. Unfortunately, I don't think my pan got hot enough because the only browning I got came after they cooked for about 8 minutes and some of the juice cooked off. Things might have worked better in a cast-iron skillet over my hottest burner. Oh well. Next came the fun part--flambé! I called in the kids and gave Cian the camera. What I forgot to do is turn out the lights, but I think you can still see the flame here:</div>
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The children were duly impressed, even though they opted not to try the tart when it was done. After everything cooled, I arranged the cooked apples on the tart. Looks not too bad, if I do say so myself.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdiFZXBpmLzJLXzORSyv1Bd3oiNv9gLJBL7NqNyHSjc4yDHbAazv6187qjgh_MZBsJd8SnWgphZUkPWPTHTt4HzRpItOnjj7CYtF39owUz01doOEji9j9jjZWzqwWklb_zZXwvrlNMK1L/s1600/81712+Apple+Tart+I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdiFZXBpmLzJLXzORSyv1Bd3oiNv9gLJBL7NqNyHSjc4yDHbAazv6187qjgh_MZBsJd8SnWgphZUkPWPTHTt4HzRpItOnjj7CYtF39owUz01doOEji9j9jjZWzqwWklb_zZXwvrlNMK1L/s320/81712+Apple+Tart+I.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The verdict? The kids weren't interested (they don't like pies). Husband and I ate slices. It was very tasty, but I'm not sure it was tasty enough to warrant all the time that went into it. And the quantity of dishes which needed to be washed at the end (thank you, Kieran!). I have found quite a few other, more modern recipes out there for apple cream tart-- Laura Calder has a good one: <a href="http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/laura-calder/easy-pastry-shop-apple-tart-recipe/index.html">http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/laura-calder/easy-pastry-shop-apple-tart-recipe/index.html</a></div>
<div>
I think something reasonably similar could be made in about half the time using Calder's recipe. Still, it was a good experience at cooking from an old recipe.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>
Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-52175220691132256632012-07-28T19:31:00.002-05:002012-07-28T19:35:06.632-05:00Nectarine Golden Cake, the Day the Air-Conditioner Broke<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCNTyiVpXoQoYceco6jEsXhrmtgmi2KtuGQaaMCMlnMCAl5R89AkMWVe4RgznmB5v5KWoHmV_tW16Mg9ym1GdatDbvFNQVtBo-qtZEnvQKJ95feCncwBVcgblogH9ngFd1LJbFsq6_EIY/s1600/72812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCNTyiVpXoQoYceco6jEsXhrmtgmi2KtuGQaaMCMlnMCAl5R89AkMWVe4RgznmB5v5KWoHmV_tW16Mg9ym1GdatDbvFNQVtBo-qtZEnvQKJ95feCncwBVcgblogH9ngFd1LJbFsq6_EIY/s400/72812.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I went on vacation up to Lake Michigan, as my family does each year. Aside from a day and a half that were a bit warm, the weather was beautiful--highs in the 70s to about 80. This is good because the house we rent has no air conditioning. I did a lot of cooking on the trip--I generally cook most breakfasts and dinners for a household of eight people, sometimes more. The cooking, however, is rather workaday. I just make sure every gets fed a hot meal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back in Oklahoma now, where it was 107 today and expected to go higher over the next several days. I decided to do something with some nectarines which I had in the refrigerator. I've never cooked with nectarines, but it seemed a summery thing to do. After perusing various recipes, I settled on "Nectarine Golden Cake" from Epicurious. For those of you unfamiliar with the site, it's a repository of recipes from <i>Gourmet </i>magazine (now defunct--I'm still angry about that) and <i>Bon Appétit</i>, as well as a few other places. The recipes are generally quite reliable, but there's also a reader review system which provides extra information. You can find the recipe at:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Nectarine-Golden-Cake-354960"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Nectarine-Golden-Cake-354960</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I followed the recipe exactly, with the exception of baking it an extra 10 minutes because I could find my 8" springform pan, but not my 9" inch springform pan, which the recipe calls for. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nectarine Golden Cake</span></b><br />
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<ul class="ingredientsList" style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup all-purpose flour</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 teaspoons baking powder</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 stick unsalted butter, softened</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon sugar, divided</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 large eggs</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 nectarines, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul class="ingredientsList" style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Equipment: a 9-inch springform pan</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="instruction" style="padding: 0px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Lightly butter springform pan.</span></div>
<div class="instruction" style="padding: 0px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.</span></div>
<div class="instruction" style="padding: 0px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in extracts. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined.</span></div>
<div class="instruction" style="padding: 0px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spread batter evenly in pan, then scatter nectarines over top. Stir together nutmeg and remaining 1/2 tablespoon sugar and sprinkle over top. Bake until cake is golden-brown and top is firm but tender when lightly touched (cake will rise over fruit), 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove side of pan and cool to warm.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span><br />
So, the picture at the top of the page there are the lovely nectarines, sliced into 1/2" thick wedges. The cake batter was pretty standard. When I had made it up, I dumped it in the oiled springform pan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">I spread it around then began to lay the nectarines in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">The recipe says "scatter the nectarines," but I though what the heck, and arranged them in a pattern.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZ426fgjDMuISyaDHzDMq7keozYQDlnTQ5NG57eHUcjQKqRI6H5Gjn-UwVe7bQY_HtfJlFReYDqr2G97_kBXznbkTlgblhCnIoZjZ71VKXeHd0GasZxC5R8QUWQPW-qa7eBtQc_m3lTwr/s1600/72812+Ready+for+oven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZ426fgjDMuISyaDHzDMq7keozYQDlnTQ5NG57eHUcjQKqRI6H5Gjn-UwVe7bQY_HtfJlFReYDqr2G97_kBXznbkTlgblhCnIoZjZ71VKXeHd0GasZxC5R8QUWQPW-qa7eBtQc_m3lTwr/s320/72812+Ready+for+oven.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">If you look closely, you can see the sugar and nutmeg sprinkled over the top. Did I mention that I used freshly grated nutmeg? It's really simple to grate and has a much brighter taste than the pre-ground stuff. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">I baked it for 50 minutes, but the center was still not completely cooked, probably because I used an 8" rather than 9" pan. I baked it a further 10-12 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center came out clean. And here it is!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Now here's the funny, or at least ironic bit. I chose a nectarine dessert because it was a hot day. While I was baking it, our air-conditioning went out and the hot oven heated up the kitchen quite effectively. As I write, it's 86 degrees in the house and we're waiting for the repair guys to show up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">I can happily report, however, that this is one tasty cake, even when it is way too hot out! Yum. Maybe I'll give some to the repair guys.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span>Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-82862936672166093762012-07-11T07:06:00.000-05:002012-07-11T07:06:00.852-05:00Who Taught Me to Cook, part IIIWell, since it's been too hot to cook plus husband is out of town and kids don't actually like regular mom-cooked dinners all that much, I haven't cooked much exciting in the last week. Made some zucchini fries and battered carrots--that was kind of new--in an effort to elicit more enthusiasm for vegetables from the offspring, but no luck. Overdid the dessert making last week, so that's on hiatus. And, quite frankly, I don't have an abundant repertoire of hot weather dishes which don't require turning on the oven or standing over the stove or grill. So voilà, here I am, postless.<br />
<br />
Time to continue the saga of how I learned to cook. See May posts if you haven't read the first two. If you've read the first two, you know that while I don't come from a long line of fancy cooks, I did grow up in an environment where I was exposed to people and cuisine from many different parts of the world. This helped turn me into a somewhat more adventurous eater than what I ate at home would suggest, and helped to somewhat mitigate my picky tendencies (and I do have them!). I still really didn't care for vegetables, though, and my range of fruits was still pretty narrow.<br />
<br />
When I was a young adult (senior year in high school through my undergraduate degree), I was to meet someone who greatly improved my understanding of how to cook. I was hired, at first, as a dishwasher in a medical research lab at the University of Michigan Medical School. In the lab was a research associate named Dr. Oksana Lockridge. She took me under her wing, and began to teach me how to do actual lab work. Eventually she hired me as a lab assistant and finally promoted me to research assistant. She was an incredible mentor to me, and even though I didn't go on in the sciences after my undergraduate degree, her intelligence, kindness and work ethic continue to influence me to this day. The salary I earned also put me through college and enabled me to be declared an independent student in the eyes of the financial aid office.<br />
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Aside from all she taught me in the lab, she also helped teach me to cook. She was (and I imagine still is) a fantastic cook. She told me that anyone who was good in the lab could also cook--the two processes were largely the same. If I could successfully follow the guidelines for carrying out an experiment, I could read a recipe and follow it. Since she had taught me how to be a reasonably decent lab assistant, I believed her that I could probably cook.<br />
<br />
Oksana sometimes tried new recipes herself, but she also had an innate sense of how to cook without a recipe. Occasionally I was invited over for Sunday brunch (as well as other meals), and was always astonished that she made crepes by simply tossing eggs, milk, flour, butter and a little salt and sugar together, without measurements, adjusting until the mixture was the right consistency. Then she churned out the beautiful crepes, which she served with sour cream and jam. She taught me how to make them.<br />
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Everything she made was delicious. I credit her with teaching me how to cook vegetables so that I would find them edible. She would often stir-fry them until they were hot but still a little crunchy. And they tasted good! And I could duplicate them myself! She showed me how to read a recipe all the way through before I started cooking, so that I would be prepared for all the steps. She showed me how to use my knife more effectively, and to prepare ingredients in the proper way for the recipe I had chosen.<br />
<br />
She couldn't, of course, teach me all she knew about cooking, but she taught me some good techniques. She taught me what a confident cook looks like, and she gave me confidence that I could read and follow a recipe, as well as begin to get a sense for how to cook without one. I am still grateful to her for all she taught me, and I still make those crepes at least once a month for my own family.Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-38288261848994252312012-07-05T21:00:00.002-05:002012-07-05T21:00:39.756-05:00Strawberry Shortcake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGtTofitUgoYJcmx20VlXfBwFpUDixFTXL2OZgUeHOK9kAHGOJxoCMKMUKx8pvWEqmwljsUsA8HPkcjZpRykNS4Qts14VsCfPhyphenhyphen2yqVCASUoea9tc39EM8RW5JM9jht1u7wbMbkbaL4mo/s1600/7412+Strawberry+Shortcake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGtTofitUgoYJcmx20VlXfBwFpUDixFTXL2OZgUeHOK9kAHGOJxoCMKMUKx8pvWEqmwljsUsA8HPkcjZpRykNS4Qts14VsCfPhyphenhyphen2yqVCASUoea9tc39EM8RW5JM9jht1u7wbMbkbaL4mo/s400/7412+Strawberry+Shortcake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The last couple of days, I've been reading a book called <i>Hometown Appetites: The Store of Clementine Paddleford, the Forgotten Food Writer Who Chronicled How America Ate</i>, by Kelly Alexander and Cynthia Harris (2008, Gotham Books). Paddleford's career spanned from the 20s through the 60s, and she wrote about food for many newspapers and magazines, most notably the <i>New York Herald Tribune</i>. The book is, happily, supplemented with some recipes from her long career as a journalist. One of the first was a recipe for "Jennie Paddleford's Strawberry Shortcake," her mother's recipe that she ate growing up. It is probably from the late 1800s and can be found on page 17.<br />
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For July 4, what better dessert to make than strawberry shortcake? I was curious about the recipe, although I adapted it to what I had available. It is a recipe for a large single strawberry shortcake. The shortcake itself is more like a sweet biscuit than anything else. It's not a sponge cake--its much more dense and slightly dry.<br />
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<b>Strawberry Shortcake</b>, adapted from "Jennie Paddleford's Strawberry Shortcake"<br />
<br />
3 cups all-purpose flour<br />
5 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 cup sugar<br />
11 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces<br />
1 egg, beaten<br />
1/2 cup whole milk<br />
<br />
at least 1 quart strawberries, more if you have them<br />
about 3 tablespoons sugar/quart of strawberries, more or less to taste<br />
<br />
1 cup heavy whipping cream<br />
2 heaping teaspoons confectioners sugar--more or less to taste<br />
<br />
Mix together flour, baking powder, freshly ground nutmeg, salt, and sugar. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or two knives, as you would for making a pie crus. Mix the milk and egg, then make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and mix together with a fork. The mixture will not come together completely--turn it out onto a floured counter and knead briefly until the dough comes together. Don't overwork the dough. Cut dough in half, roll out into a 9" circle for two circles. Place the dough into two 9 inch cake pans then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. While they are chilling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake about 15-17 minutes until the shortcakes begin to brown and have cooked through. Turn out onto cooling racks and let cool to room temperature.<br />
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To prepare strawberries, hull them and cut into halves or fourths. Sprinkle with sugar, then let them macerate for 15 to 30 minutes in the refrigerator.<br />
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Meanwhile, make the whipped cream. In a mixing bowl, mix the cream and confectioners sugar. Using a hand mixer, whip until the cream is firm and begins to look a little dry. Don't over mix or you'll end up with butter!<br />
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Assemble the shortcake by putting whipped cream and about half the strawberries on one shortcake. Top with the second shortcake and add the rest of the whipped cream and strawberries. If not eating right away, store in the refrigerator.<br />
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So, here's the play by play:<br />
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Fresh ground nutmeg! Buying whole nutmeg and grating it gives you incredibly fresh and fragrant spice! I use a microplane grater, but you could use a box grater or even the little graters that are sometimes sold with whole nutmeg. Tough to measure out exactly 1/8 teaspoon unless you grate onto some parchment paper and then measure, but I usually just eyeball it.<br />
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Cutting in butter is easier if you start with relatively small pieces. You want to mix it in so that you get something that looks kind of like clumpy cornmeal. Small individual pieces of butter visible is fine, but large chunks are not. You could also do this part in the food processor, but I like to do it by hand for no other reason than I like to do it by hand.<br />
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So, once you've got it mixed up the way you want it, it's time to add the milk and beaten egg.<br />
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And here we are after I've mixed it, then turned it out onto the counter and kneaded it a bit until it all came together.<br />
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I cut it in half and rolled out my first 9" circle. Actually, I probably rolled out an 11" circle then had to fold parts over to pat into the cake pan. Oops. Did better with the second one!<br />
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Into the cake pans...<br />
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...then into the oven to bake. Here they are, all done and cooling off. Yes, I also made chocolate cookies for the kids.<br />
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Now, on to assembly. First layer...<br />
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...then whipped cream and the second layer and more whipped cream. Ta da!<br />
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Overall, I like the recipe, although if I had it to do over I would use more strawberries. The shortcakes are not sweet and spongy, like one would get at the grocery store, but they do have their own special charm. The original recipe calls for buttering the shortcakes when they come out of the oven, and serving them warm with strawberries, with a pitch of cream on the side to pour over individual portions, should you want to try it the original way.Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-47884835474431450162012-07-01T20:33:00.000-05:002012-07-01T20:33:46.815-05:00Cooking my Bookshelves: Key Lime Pie, without the Keys<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok, I figured after being home for a week and a half, it was time to haul out a cookbook and make something new. I actually completed my first pulled pork (a two day and many hour project) but failed to take any pictures or actually record the recipe, which was an amalgam of helpful suggestions of friends on Facebook and recipes I found online. Next time, I'll track it and pass it along.<br />
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Today I went for a dessert. Husband loves Key Lime Pie, and I've never made it. So I decided to give it a shot. I had been perusing one of my cookbooks that I haven't actually made anything out of over the weekend-- <i>Saveur The New Comfort Food: Home Cooking from Around the World</i>, edited by James Oseland. Strangely, I can't find a date on the thing, but it is fairly recent, and published by Chronicle Books.<br />
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Here's the recipe, as written (p. 211):<br />
<br />
<b>Key Lime Pie</b><br />
1 cup plus 2 1/2 tbsp. graham cracker crumbs<br />
1/3 cup sugar<br />
5 tbsp unsalted butter<br />
1 1/2 tbsp. lime zest (from two limes)<br />
3 egg yolks<br />
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk<br />
2/3 cup fresh lime juice, preferably from Key limes<br />
1 cup heavy cream, chilled<br />
1 tbsp. confectioners sugar<br />
<br />
Serves 8<br />
<br />
1. Heat oven to 350 F. Pulse cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a food processor to combine. Press evenly into bottom and sides of a 9-inche pie pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.<br />
2. In a medium bowl, beat lime zest and egg yolks with a hand mixer until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Add milk and beat until thickened, 3-4 minutes more. Add lime juice; mix until smooth. Pour filling into pie crust; bake until filling is just set in the middle, 8-10 minutes. Let the pie cool.<br />
3. In a medium bowl, whisk cream and confectioners' sugar to stiff peaks. Spread whipped cream over the top of the pie and chill 2-3 hours before serving.<br />
<br />
I more or less followed the recipe, with a few minor changes. First, I didn't have any key limes. If they appear in the grocery store at all in Oklahoma, it's for about two weeks in the late winter or early spring. I didn't want to use bottled juice, because it's not as bright. So, I used regular Persian limes. First, I zested them.<br />
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Then, since I only had four, I hoped like hell that I would have enough for 2/3 cup of juice. I squeezed away using a citrus reamer until...<br />
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Hot dog! Just about exactly 2/3 cup. Whew! Now that I knew that I had enough lime juice, I proceeded with the crust. Luckily we usually have graham crackers. I guessed at how much I would need (most of one packet) and buzzed it up in a blender. Why a blender rather than doing the who thing in a food processor, as instructed? Because disassembling the food processor and cleaning it is a pain in the butt. The blender is easer. I measured out the crumbs and it came out exactly right. Score! I then mixed in the sugar and melted butter by hand until everything was well mixed. The fun part is pressing it into a pie plate.<br />
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I baked it for the suggested 10 minutes and set it aside to cool.<br />
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Next, I worked on the filling. I mixed three egg yolks with the lime zest then beat with a hand mixture until it was thickened and pale yellow, about 5 minutes.<br />
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I then beat in the sweetened condensed milk for a few minutes, and finally stirred in the lime juice. Filling done, I poured it into the pie shell.<br />
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I baked it for about 10 minutes, until the middle was just set. I let the pie cool to room temperature. Now, at this point what I did NOT do was make the whipped cream and put it on the pie before chilling. Why? While I prefer fresh whipped cream, my kids like the stuff that you squirt out of the can, which we happened to have. So, I tossed the cooled pie in the refrigerator for about an hour and a half. Here's the result!<br />
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The result? It's not quite as tart or lime-y as it would have been using key limes, but it was still quite good. Slightly sweet for my tastes, but husband really liked it, which was the intention in the first place. The kids? "Yuck, we don't like limes." Turns out I could have made fresh whipped cream after all.<br />
<br />Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-46698422441908758252012-06-27T19:54:00.001-05:002012-06-27T19:55:25.176-05:00Pizza in Italy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fTUE3rNAehul689PfY0YMxpctAkt7E8tbeyaTqf5eSEk9bbZ-rA4aVlZ2miq8npMuT4gbqbaj9cEw9MQsHhyRgkFWtgq77GwD72ryR4uZ8oGUBE5Dbw_Ds2Xu3pvkHUFVgAvlMnJvBDB/s1600/62712+Pizza+Margherita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fTUE3rNAehul689PfY0YMxpctAkt7E8tbeyaTqf5eSEk9bbZ-rA4aVlZ2miq8npMuT4gbqbaj9cEw9MQsHhyRgkFWtgq77GwD72ryR4uZ8oGUBE5Dbw_Ds2Xu3pvkHUFVgAvlMnJvBDB/s400/62712+Pizza+Margherita.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
As you might expect, one of the foods I experienced in Italy was pizza. I had eaten pizza in Italy many years ago--on the Ligurian coast in the northwest coast of Italy. It came on a plate, one largish pizza per person, intended to be eaten with a knife and fork. This was strange stuff for an American kid, used to ordering Dominos pizza. The pizza was quite good, with a thin crust, and I have remembered it for the last 24 years.<br />
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Italian pizza as we know it probably originated in the region of Naples. It is a simple food, originally eaten by workers as an inexpensive lunch. It was popular in the south of Italy long before it was in the north. In fact, it became popular in the United States long before it became popular in the northern part of Italy. Immigrants from southern Italy were instrumental in introducing pizza to the United States, where it became widely popular. It was not until after WWII that pizza began to spread in popularity to northern Italy. <br />
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The pizza closest to what is eaten in North America is probably the iconic pizza Margherita, pictured above. Legend has it that it was invented in Naples in 1889 at Pizzeria Brandi, and made in honor of Queen Margherita of Savoy on the occasion of her visit to the city (although some dispute the date and the place of origin). It is made with a lean yeast dough, tomato sauce (ideally made with San Marzano tomatoes grown on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius), fresh mozzarella (ideally mozzarella di bufala, or water buffalo milk mozzarella), basil and olive oil. The crust is crispy on the edges but soft in the middle, really necessitating the use of a knife and fork. The picture above is my first pizza Margherita eaten in a restaurant in Naples, right on the Mediterranean.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnD43lxngbrGAGdbDjvZbI7AXrHhnkNBKHyzGr0TNdG7RMKtS16DLPadwc9eHHd3pXVtyd9TAoYaHoa9qqOFwUEpZnvHTP4RIaiMyEktXPXnckhQokNNDJXk2wSlTgMWtnZf-qNcfId5U/s1600/62712+Brandi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnD43lxngbrGAGdbDjvZbI7AXrHhnkNBKHyzGr0TNdG7RMKtS16DLPadwc9eHHd3pXVtyd9TAoYaHoa9qqOFwUEpZnvHTP4RIaiMyEktXPXnckhQokNNDJXk2wSlTgMWtnZf-qNcfId5U/s320/62712+Brandi.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pizzeria Brandi, site of the possible invention<br />
of pizza Margherita</td></tr>
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One of the places we went is supposedly the best pizzeria in Naples right now, La Notizia. A smallish place, La Notizia has won awards for its artisinal pizza and is particularly known for its crust, which is begun with a small amount of yeast and allowed to rise over a much longer period than usual, giving it a subtle but complex taste. Aside from the obligatory pizza Margherita which we had there, we had other, more unusual combinations.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIu1VYkhc_J_shDw-IwaIF16zI-VgfUZ4a_E6wamqXX2aF9eWMX_nakIoMziMsdRQgdSbwuRukxs4q0uSaQyXyPd-uYa-9ZDRDbUDf6BeQoQa89MWIHJ1IGo5cshYfv01ssJMFoazXf7Ec/s1600/62712+Veggie+Calzone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIu1VYkhc_J_shDw-IwaIF16zI-VgfUZ4a_E6wamqXX2aF9eWMX_nakIoMziMsdRQgdSbwuRukxs4q0uSaQyXyPd-uYa-9ZDRDbUDf6BeQoQa89MWIHJ1IGo5cshYfv01ssJMFoazXf7Ec/s320/62712+Veggie+Calzone.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was a calzone-like object stuffed with cheese and<br />
vegetables--no tomato sauce.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpN0C_cyG7xaY3Sd4oV7dl1A16UyXjoc1kgSexXjLP7GbwZMzZ5eaRc_TCAt2OLM65zVYcuXKHqfGIfELtGW11slcBZtdyNslpgYblbFg3VrlwzXIEriCJRPYIKU83CDyPCG9x5LnlKTM/s1600/62712+Cod+Pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpN0C_cyG7xaY3Sd4oV7dl1A16UyXjoc1kgSexXjLP7GbwZMzZ5eaRc_TCAt2OLM65zVYcuXKHqfGIfELtGW11slcBZtdyNslpgYblbFg3VrlwzXIEriCJRPYIKU83CDyPCG9x5LnlKTM/s320/62712+Cod+Pizza.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was a pizza with no sauce, but with green peppers, fresh<br />
mozzarella di bufala, and fish. The fish was a mild white<br />
fish and tasted a lot like cod.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jfslEHGoS9Vp6-yR4PaE3q7_gOtsb9hDumY98bzIeZbSUiaMClAHWnZ6zRiqyzGMTyVZkTTrmMzDeqDSRW_5AfkauT_dU4VFWyJmd-LB6DsyZstc7t1lqGcUvIqZNHjHEsCLx4XnduRU/s1600/62712+Nutella+Pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jfslEHGoS9Vp6-yR4PaE3q7_gOtsb9hDumY98bzIeZbSUiaMClAHWnZ6zRiqyzGMTyVZkTTrmMzDeqDSRW_5AfkauT_dU4VFWyJmd-LB6DsyZstc7t1lqGcUvIqZNHjHEsCLx4XnduRU/s320/62712+Nutella+Pizza.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pièce de resistance, pizza baked with Nutella inside.<br />
Oh. My. God.</td></tr>
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All of the pizzas at La Notizia were baked in a wood fire oven.<br />
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I must say that this was amazing stuff!<br />
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Up in Rome, the pizza was rather different. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures. It is baked in a long strip on thicker crust than in Naples. It is sold by weight--you indicate how much of the strip you would like, and they cut it, weigh it, then stick it in the oven to warm it up. It comes as a rectangle which is then cut in half, folded so that the topping sides face each other, then wrapped in paper. It makes for a very neat slice of take-away pizza which can be eaten without making a big mess. I tried two types while in Rome--mozzarella and prosciutto (no tomato sauce), and cheese and potato (!). It was pretty good, but I think I enjoyed the Neapolitan pizza the best--even the basic pizza Margherita from the restaurant along the Mediterranean.<br />
<br />Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-72832524946090738572012-06-24T20:58:00.000-05:002012-06-25T11:09:44.127-05:00Some things Italians believe about cooking<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Riso di Grumulo della Abbadesse con gamberi e zucchine, eaten in Alba, Piemonte, Italy</span></td></tr>
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During my trip to Italy, I will admit to being taken aback by some of the things I was told repeatedly about Italian cooking. My perspective on European cooking has been colored by the time I have spent in France. In France, I have been told that the French culinary tradition is at the center of the history of fine gastronomy in Europe. France reigns supreme in the history of restaurants, of a coherent and delicious cuisine, and of food in general. The best truffles are black and come from the Périgourd (or if you are in Provençe, the best truffles are still black but come from Provençe). All chefs worth their salt are classically trained using French methods. I have always harbored some skepticism about some of the more inflated claims about cuisine from French people I have either talked to or whose writings I have read. The French, God love them, are incredibly chauvinistic about all things French. One of my favorite things to do when in France or with a French person who knows how to cook well is to ask a question about French food and sit back and receive a history lesson. All this is to say that my perceptions of fine cuisine have been developed in part through a French lens.<br />
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So, here's some of the things I was told repeatedly in Italy about Italian cooking.<br />
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1. There is no Italian cooking. All cuisine in Italy is regional. The French don't have much regional cooking--it is pretty much the same wherever you go.<br />
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2. The French history of aristocratic dining (and by extension the development of fine cuisine) is not really French. Catherine de Medici brought her chefs from Italy when she married Henry II, and her chefs taught the French chefs to cook. The French culinary tradition is really Italian.<br />
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3. Except when it isn't. The French use too damn many sauces and heavy elements in their cooking.<br />
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4. Everyone knows that Italian white truffles are the best in the world. Even the French know this, deep down.<br />
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5. As is Italian olive oil. Spanish olive oil is distant pretender. And do the French even really make olive oil?<br />
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6. Nothing wrong with a meatball, but it certainly doesn't go on spaghetti.<br />
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7. There is a complex set of rules about what kind of pasta can go with what kind of sauce and when, with regional variations which put a non-Italian such as myself at a permanent disadvantage in trying to correctly sauce pasta.<br />
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8. One does not drink cappuccino after about 10 or 11am.<br />
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9. Whatever region of Italy you are in at any given moment is the only region that really knows how to cook properly.<br />
<br />
10. American cuisine consists of the hamburger.<br />
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I loved the food in Italy. I was spoiled because the seminar, focused on food, provided at least two and sometimes three multi-course meals a day, with restaurants usually chosen for their high quality or mastery of regional specialties. I ate things which I rarely, if ever, encounter in my daily life in Oklahoma. The produce was wonderful. I loved much of the wine and developed a particular fondness for prosecco. But I am slightly dubious about some of the things I was told. As far as truffles and olive oil go, I have no particular opinion. I suspect it is simply a matter of one's taste. I don't drink coffee so I don't care about the no cappuccino after mid-morning rule. That people think their own regional or local cooking is best should surprise exactly no one. The rules about pasta (and, generally speaking, no big chunks of meat in pasta sauce) are too complicated for me to argue with, so I won't.<br />
<br />
However, let's take a look at some of the other assertions, particularly the first and second. I think I can go along with the fact that Italian cuisine is highly regional. What we think of as "Italian food" here in the United States is really Italian-American food, and is a substantially modified version of the food of largely southern Italy developed by immigrants who could afford meat as more than just an occasional flavoring for the first time. But to say that France really doesn't have regional cooking I don't believe is correct. Yes, there's the matter of French "haute cuisine" which does have standard elements throughout France, but everyday cooking still has much regional variation. The everyday food I ate in Provençe is much heavier on the olive oil, tomatoes, olives and peppers that the everyday food in Paris or Lyon. Italy may lack the overarching tie of a historical national fine cuisine, but that doesn't mean that France has no significant regional variations. Plus, the farther one is from another country's cuisine, the more it seems to look the same. The Chinese would absolutely balk at the idea that there was one "Chinese" food, even though different regions share some of the same philosophy of how tastes should combine. It is highly regional, and only from an outsider unfamiliar with the regional variations does it look more alike than different. I suspect this is also the case with Italy looking a French cuisine.<br />
<br />
And what about that whole Catherine de Medici thing? Most of the books of culinary history I have read indicate that Catherine's influence on French cooking is difficult to prove, and likely marginal at best. The only authors who differ with that opinion are, you guessed it, Italian. Certainly a national cuisine can change fairly radically over time and is influenced by the availability of spices and foodstuffs. Europe didn't have tomatoes, potatoes, chocolate or other New World crops until well into the 16th century, and some did not become popular until the 1800s. Yet the availability of these crops changed cuisine radically. Spices, as they became a prestige item in the Middle Ages, were thrown in great abundance into everything, in combinations which now seem strange to us, at least in aristocratic cuisine. We have different ideas about spices now. But it is unlikely that a 14 year old's chefs completely revamped French elite cuisine.<br />
<br />
Finally, American cuisine does consist of more than hamburgers. And we do have a fair amount of regional variety, although the dominance of national chain restaurants has dampened those regional differences.<br />
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What is the main thing I learned about Italian beliefs about food? The Italians as just as chauvinistic as the French, but they both have really good food.Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-63528151156238880062012-06-22T13:01:00.003-05:002012-06-22T13:01:51.043-05:00Italy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just got back from spending two weeks in Italy. I was there for a 10 day CIEE International Faculty Development Seminar on "Food from a "Glocal" Perspective: Italy, the Mediterranean, and the World." There were many interesting lectures and field trips (more about those another day), but one of the highlights was the food. Most days, aside from a good breakfast, we were served one or two multi-course meals with restaurants chosen to specifically highlight regional specialities. After 10 days of this, I spend the next four days in Rome eating mostly bread, cheese, and fruit just to recover! I thought I'd start the Italy report by narrowing down my food experiences to four favorites. I am not listing them in the order of preference, but simply in chronological order.<br />
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The first half of the seminar was held in the small town of Pollenzo-- about 90 minutes southeast of Turin in the Piemonte region. Pollenzo is the site of the international college of gastronomy established by the founder of the Slow Food movement, Carlo Petrini. It's a lovely little town set among the rolling hills, where there is a lot of agriculture. I saw farms and vineyards, orchards and livestock. Pollenzo is part of the larger town of Bra. The first night we were taken to dinner at the official Slow Food restaurant, Osteria del Boccondivita, in nearby Bra. The first course is pictured above, vitello e tonnato. In English, veal with tuna sauce. The veal had been baked and was quite tender and mild. What was surprising was the tuna sauce--it would never have occurred to me to put veal and tuna together, but the tuna sauce provided a slightly sharp and salty complement to the mild veal. It was surprising and delicious, and a great introduction to Italian food!<br />
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The next dish was eaten in a restaurant in Alba, a medium sized town in Piemonte (where there's also a Nutella factory!). After a meal of asparagus in lemon sauce, a pasta dish with butter and vegetables, and a rabbit dish, we were served panna cotta with fresh strawberries for dessert.<br />
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I had heard about panna cotta, and I have eaten panna cotta before. But this was something else altogether. It has a slight hint of vanilla and was creamy beyond belief. It had clearly not been made with gelatin, as I have tasted. I was told by one of our seminar leaders that it was made with glassine, a type of solidifier made from fish bladders. The strawberries were fresh and truly ripe, picked locally. The dish was simple yet delicious. Most of us had to fight the urge to start licking the plates clean when we were done!<br />
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The second half of the seminar was held in Naples, in the Campania region. Naples is in the south of of Italy, and is right on the Mediterranean. There, seafood was king. The first night in Naples we were taken to a nice restaurant in the centro storico, or historic old part of the city, called Palazzo Petrucci. The entire meal was fabulous, but this was the best dish of all:<br />
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This was billed (in English) as "Millefeuilles of Compania's Mozzarella Cheese with Raw Prawn and Sauce of Peas." This is no ordinary mozzarella, the rubbery stuff we eat in the States. This was fresh mozzarella made from water buffalo milk. It is a different substance entirely--chewy, slightly salty, creamy and delicious. The shrimp had been marinated and were a perfect complement to the cheese, and the pea sauce added a mild touch which tied it all together.<br />
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Finally, we had a dinner in Naples down in a yacht club. We were giving a cooking demo of many wonderful dishes, but my favorite was the stuffed pumpkin flowers, battered and fried. I don't have a close-up of the final dish, but here was part of the demo:<br />
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I had eaten fried zucchini flowers before, but these were even tastier! They were stuffed with a ricotta concoction, and the batter was made with yeast and was light and airy when fried.<br />
<br />
I must say that the only bad food experiences I had in Italy were in the airports! I learned so much about the food of at least these two regions which I didn't know. I will definitely be trying some of these ideas in my own cooking. More later!Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-29815378877226963082012-06-03T10:48:00.003-05:002012-06-03T10:48:56.287-05:00Cooking my Bookshelf: Caramel Sticky Buns<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Husband out of town for the last few days, and son had a friend stay over last night. For breakfast this morning: Caramel Sticky Buns! The recipe comes from <i>The Best of Southern Living</i>, Oxmoor House, 2007. There's no author listed, but as a compilation of recipes from the magazine <i>Southern Living</i>, I presume they just have their test kitchen put this together. I don't actually subscribe to <i>Southern Living</i>, although I have read it a couple of times. The recipes are an interesting mix of made-from-scratch with the occasional use of convenience products. The authors also have a thing for bacon and cream cheese--although not always in the same recipe. If you've ever seen Paula Dean cook on TV, think Paula Dean only slightly more upscale and slightly (but only slightly) less obsessed with butter. The authors also seem to enjoy putting coconut in their desserts, which I'm not overly fond of.<br />
<br />
Today's recipe is for Caramel Sticky Buns. Sticky buns are usually yeast buns rolled with butter and cinnamon sugar baked in brown sugar and butter with pecans. These are very similar, only you make a caramel sauce to bake them in, rather than just butter and brown sugar. The photos are taken on my new iPhone 4S, because my husband left with the camera.<br />
<br />
Here's the recipe as written:<br />
<br />
<b>Caramel Sticky Buns</b><br />
Makes 1 dozen<br />
<br />
Caramel Sauce<br />
1 (16-ounce) package hot roll mix<br />
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted<br />
3 tablespoons butter, softened<br />
1/4 cup sugar<br />
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon<br />
<br />
1. Prepare Caramel Sauce; set aside<br />
2. Prepare roll mix according to package directions. Let stand 5 minutes<br />
3. Pour Caramel Sauce into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch pan; sprinkle with pecans. Roll dough into a 15- x 10-inch rectangle. Spread with butter, and sprinkle with sugar cinnamon. Roll up, jelly-roll fashion, starting at the long edge. Cut into 12 slices. Arrange, cut sides down, over Caramel Sauce.<br />
4. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 F), free from drafts, 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.<br />
5. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes. Let bunds sand on a wire rack 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter. Serve buns warm.<br />
<br />
Caramel Sauce<br />
Makes 2 1/2 cups<br />
<br />
2 cups whipping cream<br />
1/4 cup butter<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
2 cups sugar<br />
1/2 cup water<br />
2 teaspoons lemon juice<br />
<br />
1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts, stirring occasionally; remove from heat.<br />
2. Bring sugar, water, and lemon juice to a boil in a Dutch oven over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-high, and boil, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until mixture begins to brown. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 or until caramel-colored, stirring occasionally.<br />
3. Gradually whisk cream mixture into sugar mixture, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat until a candy thermometer reaches 230 F (thread stage); cool.<br />
<br />
So, the caramel sauce takes a little longer than you might think, unless you've made caramel or candy before. It took me about 40 minutes total. A few notes: go by color (rather than time) in the first part of the recipe--you want a nice brown, but don't burn it. I found it took a few minutes more than what was stated. If you've never made caramel before, you may be wondering why the heck you need to use a big old Dutch oven to boil about an inch of liquid. You see that part in the instructions when it tells you to add the cream mixture to the boiling sugar mixture <b>gradually</b>? Take that part seriously--when you start to add the cream, the whole thing will bubble up incredibly high. Trust me when I tell you that you don't want to have to clean hot caramel off your stove, so add gradually and whisk constantly. It will eventually calm down, and you can proceed with cooking it to 230 F. It took about 25 minutes for me.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here it is at about 225 F. Resist the urge to try some<br />
at this point, unless you didn't actually need your tastebuds. <br />
See how it looks like molten lava?<br />
That comparison is more accurate than you think.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now, for the bun part of the recipe, I really don't know what "hot roll mix" is. I just make rolls from scratch. I did have a box of bread machine sourdough bread mix languishing in the cupboard. I'm not sure why I bought it, since I no longer use a bread machine and making your own dough really isn't hard. But, here it is:<br />
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Since rolls usually have some added sugar, I put in about 2 tablespoons of sugar, then mixed according to the directions. Instead of letting it rest 5 minutes, I let it rest about 25 to let it start to rise. The mix was 14 ounces rather than 16 ounces, as called for in the recipe. I am unclear as to why the recipe calls for a mix--putting together fresh sweet yeast dough is no more difficult than kneading this stuff. The caramel sauce was a much bigger pain in the neck than making dough from scratch would have been.<br />
<br />
After 25 minutes, I rolled out the dough.<br />
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I didn't actually measure it--I just eyeballed it. Probably not as rectangular as it should be, but oh well. Then I spread the softened butter. You could make sure the butter is very soft then us a knife or a spatula to spread it, but I just used my hands. I mixed the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkled it over the buttered dough.<br />
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I rolled up the dough the long way, then pinched it shut.<br />
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Since to dough was originally 14 ounces rather than 16, I used a large (10") cake pan rather than a 13"x9? pan. I also cut the dough into 10 pieces rather than 12. First I poured in about half of the caramel sauce, then sprinkled on chopped pecans.<br />
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Then I arranged the dough disks.<br />
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I covered them with plastic wrap, then let them rise for 30 minutes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for the oven!</td></tr>
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I baked for 22 minutes, adding a couple of minutes due to the shape of the pan. After tasting them, they probably could have used another three minutes in the oven, as the center ones were a little undercooked on the bottom.<br />
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A word about baking--make sure you put some aluminum foil under the pan while you're cooking, because the caramel may bubble over. Cleaning burned caramel of the bottom of the oven is not on my list of fun things to do.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You don't really want to clean that stuff off your<br />oven, do you?</td></tr>
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After the 10 minute rest, I turned the buns out onto a plate. I had to bang the plate and pan on the counter a few times to get the buns to release, but it did work.<br />
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One more hint if you've never worked with hot caramel. Soak all the dishes and pans in hot water before trying to wash them--the hot water will dissolve the sugar, making cleanup a lot easier.<br />
<br />
The verdict? I loved them. Daughter "didn't like the nuts." Son "didn't like the caramel." I am raising Philistines.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-5951115725352253842012-05-31T09:50:00.002-05:002012-05-31T09:50:53.152-05:00Bloomberg Bans Large Soft Drinks in NYCThis morning, I stumbled upon an article in the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/" target="_blank">New York Times</a> entitled "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/nyregion/bloomberg-plans-a-ban-on-large-sugared-drinks.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120531" target="_blank">New York Plans to Ban Sale of Big Sizes of Sugary Drinks</a>." The gist of the story is that Mayor Bloomberg has proposed a ban on the sale of sugary drinks over 16 oz. in restaurants, fast food places, and movie theaters. Larger sizes would still be available in grocery and convenience stores. Sugary drinks include any drink with added sugar--soft drinks, sweetened tea and coffee, fruit juices which are less than 70% juice. The ban would not prohibit an individual from buying more than one serving, but cup and bottle sizes could not be greater than 16 oz. The ban would not include artificially sweetened drinks, or water.<br />
<br />
It's been interesting reading the comments to this article, which are about what you might expect. There's the "no nanny state" contingent versus the "Americans are too darn fat and have no sense of personal responsibility" contingent. On a side note, it does always amaze me how much a certain segment of the population seems to viscerally loathe fat people, seeing them as lazy, morally bankrupt leaches on society who have no right to breathe the same air as fit people. I've never really gotten that--it is perfectly legitimate to be alarmed by the rates of obesity in this country, to look at the increased health care costs as a real social problem and to advocate for good nutrition and exercise. But the level of vitriol one sees in public comments on obesity is just downright scary. Maybe this alarms me because I am a fat person myself, and quite frankly I don't really think I am morally bankrupt and free from self-control. But I digress.<br />
<br />
I have been doing a lot of reading lately in preparation for my IFDS seminar in Italy <a href="http://www.ciee.org/ifds/seminars/italy/index.aspx">http://www.ciee.org/ifds/seminars/italy/index.aspx</a>. I'm just now making my way through one of three books by Carlo Petrini, the founder of the <a href="http://www.slowfood.com/" target="_blank">Slow Food</a> movement. The Slow Food movement was begun more or less in reaction to American style fast food making its way into Europe in the 1980s. It has developed into an entire network of people with multiple aims: sustainable agriculture, the preservation of biodiversity, fair prices for small farmers, seasonal and local cuisines, taking the time to enjoy the sensory pleasure of eating and socializing among other goals. I occasionally find myself irritated by the somewhat elitist tone of the writing--how the hell is someone of limited means in an inner-city urban area going to be able to afford organic local produce--and taken back by the naiveté of thinking that a network of small farmers being able to take on agribusiness, but overall I do think that the movement is laudable and important.<br />
<br />
Ideally, food should be real. It shouldn't be crap, like so much fast food is. It should have some real nutritional value. It would be great if small farmers could actually make a decent living growing a variety of fruits and vegetables. I would love to eat meat which came from animals who had a reasonably peaceful and humane existence, even if I don't love paying the steeper prices. I am not, however, altogether against fast food in limited doses. Let's face it--if you eat meat, a Big Mac tastes good. Even the French think McDonald's does a pretty great job on their fries. And God help me, I love pop. I always have. I love the way it tastes. I love the bubbles. I love drinking something sweet. I hate coffee, so I love getting the caffeine in a way that tastes good. I can't stand the taste of aspartame, Splenda, and other artificial sweeteners. If I only had a glass of Dr. Pepper every two or three weeks, that would be fine. But for me, that's hard to do.<br />
<br />
Which brings us back Mayor Bloomberg. Many of us undoubtedly consume too much sugar, whether it by HFCS or cane sugar. It's absolutely a problem among children as well, since so much sugary processed food and drinks are easily available to them, and the consumption of sugar is partly responsible for the increase in childhood obesity and type II diabetes. I agree that the sizes of soft drinks have been increasing alarmingly over the last two decades. Who actually needs 44 oz. of soda? But is it reasonable or fair to artificially limit what people can buy? Will that fact that someone will need to buy two servings to get 32 oz. of Coke mean that people will start drinking less coke? I don't have a firm opinion about this. In principle, this kind of regulation might be worthwhile in terms of public health. However, it also strikes me as a ridiculous thing to legislate. Really? I can't buy a 20 oz drink to go with my lunch if the vendor is willing to sell it and I'm willing to buy it? It makes far more sense to me to just put a higher tax on anything with a high sugar content, although apparently Bloomberg proposed this and the Feds said no.<br />
<br />
I suppose I've nothing to add to the conversation that far brighter people than me haven't already said, but it does make one think. What is the role of government in the food sector, beyond ensuring that what we eat isn't actually tainted of poisonous? Did government cause the ready availability and cheapness of sugary drinks in the first place through farm subsidies for corn crops (resulting in the availability of dirt cheap High Fructose Corn Syrup as a sweetener)? If the government is going to regulate our sugar consumption, should it be at the production end, by ending the subsidies that benefit agribusiness rather than small farmers? Seems like it would be cheaper, and the resulting increase in the cost of sugary drinks may end up curbing consumption.Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-81793506808827993522012-05-28T10:30:00.003-05:002012-05-28T10:33:43.672-05:00Family Recipe: Brown Soda Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few days ago, I put out a call on Facebook for relatives to send me recipes or food stories. The first person to respond was a cousin who lives in Cork, Ireland--where my Dad's family comes from. Tony Clifford is my Dad's first cousin on his father's side. Fearless when it comes to computers, Tony is a great guy who is very active in keeping in touch with us all on Facebook and by e-mail. I've seen him a couple of times in Cork, and at least once over here in the States--he's got nephews in the Tulsa area. I also can't believe how much he travels! Tony was kind enough to send me a number of recipes, which will be featured here over the course of the summer.<br />
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I thought I'd start with a classic which would probably be of interest to my relatives here in the States--Brown Soda Bread. First, let me post the recipe as he sent it:<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">Soda
Bread Brown (or white)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">1 lb white flour <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">1 lb brown flour (or white if you want a white loaf – total of 2 lbs)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">1 cup oatmeal (porridge oats)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">1 teaspoonful of bread soda<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">1 cup of bran – optional<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">Pinch of salt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">One and a half pints of buttermilk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">3 oz butter or margarine or a combination of the two<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">1 oz of sugar – brown or white<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">Mix flour, salt, bread soda. Add sugar and blend in butter/margarine<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">Add buttermilk and mix thoroughly. Knead well on a board.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">Cut in small loafs/cakes – about 6 suits us<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">Place on baking tin. Brush on some buttermilk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">Bake in hot oven e.g. 425F or 190C<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">Enjoy.!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">I've noticed from the other recipes he send me (and from reading older cookbooks from the UK) is that in some recipes, the older English units are used (rather than metric). However, as is typical of recipes from Europe, many of the measurements are by weight, rather than volume. Americans tend to use recipes written for volume (cups, both liquid and dry), rather than weight. Many American cooks don't own a scale because it's usually not necessary when following American recipes. I do, however, own a scale--it's really useful, especially when using European recipes. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxZ7_0ui99Yge5g1TjvhsWsZZYri-VQDI1qRre_uY6W5gLegVhs9XaZzrXjUitOPiWKsg92W0FjHL8X8zhvvv0TmuuXBGjXNnV712fCS66c3cBh_augZdL3mxy1Jqev-oBBcLwZbYRV_X/s1600/52812+Butter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxZ7_0ui99Yge5g1TjvhsWsZZYri-VQDI1qRre_uY6W5gLegVhs9XaZzrXjUitOPiWKsg92W0FjHL8X8zhvvv0TmuuXBGjXNnV712fCS66c3cBh_augZdL3mxy1Jqev-oBBcLwZbYRV_X/s320/52812+Butter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">So, in the interest of making the recipe more familiar to my American relatives, I've converted everything to typically American units. Please note that I am ashamed to say that I had to look up how many cups are in a pint! </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used all-purpose as opposed to bread flour since this isn't a yeast bread)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (not whole wheat graham flour, which contains more bran)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">1 cup old fashioned oats (not the instant kind)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">1 teaspoon baking soda</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Calibri;">(I omitted the bran--I only had oat bran on hand, and I assume the recipe calls for wheat bran)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;">1/4 teaspoon salt</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;">3 cups buttermilk</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;">6 tablespoons butter</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;">2 tablespoons granulated sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;">A word about the oats--the old-fashioned oats (rolled oats) that I used may not have been exactly what the recipe was written for. Steel-cut oats are very common in Ireland and are sometimes referred to as porridge oats (or Irish oats in the U.S.). The rolled oats are what I had on hand, which would be typical of an American household. Old-fashioned oats are steamed then rolled out, steel-cut oats are oat groats which are cut into small pieces. I'll try this again with steel-cut oats sometime and let you know how much of a difference there is. Don't use instant oatmeal, which normally contains a lot of sugar and wouldn't provide much texture. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4oPxUI5MESSUcvEziNs6MwLTUHP2G6mrTSIk4ax_HP_2TiXCqT-JacFlCxUN-A87bD7C3HQiySSASbDi71jhmgw9DdZ2x69cqQ7-5c-5zsi97RRfpCBImB-D1FpaDx1fyqXz-jTHnsGO/s1600/52812+Oats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4oPxUI5MESSUcvEziNs6MwLTUHP2G6mrTSIk4ax_HP_2TiXCqT-JacFlCxUN-A87bD7C3HQiySSASbDi71jhmgw9DdZ2x69cqQ7-5c-5zsi97RRfpCBImB-D1FpaDx1fyqXz-jTHnsGO/s320/52812+Oats.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;">And a word about the brown flour--as far as I can tell, brown flour is roughly the equivalent of U.S. whole wheat flour. The equivalent of U.S. whole wheat graham flour would probably be wholemeal flour in Ireland/UK. So I used plain whole wheat flour.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4oADHJ2XendWzA4BMjqOO42lTr8HPvRqpUBHs3Tia0ATxySxHy7ctGg8PD1nJguUn5a2pKd3uaFuhpFAB1vMkSImTRo6OU95gAby7zIJZL8I7-qd15P2hJcVfAGUKoc9dDPELr5H_1oPd/s1600/52812+Whole+Wheat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4oADHJ2XendWzA4BMjqOO42lTr8HPvRqpUBHs3Tia0ATxySxHy7ctGg8PD1nJguUn5a2pKd3uaFuhpFAB1vMkSImTRo6OU95gAby7zIJZL8I7-qd15P2hJcVfAGUKoc9dDPELr5H_1oPd/s320/52812+Whole+Wheat.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;">I followed the rest of the recipe more or less as written. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwz8vYRQKIzIp2EdpGHWUGuaI3UzKUJvFEAsTOkt28HH3Obno6RjleFMmWg4qQfSJf4tRx2eVFPWQrECxlo387JiGeU7aT-Q5PMxLiQV-ge_7okbovFm-4b5KF3E7YEA45d8ndkpoyu3Y2/s1600/52810+Buttermilk+Flour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwz8vYRQKIzIp2EdpGHWUGuaI3UzKUJvFEAsTOkt28HH3Obno6RjleFMmWg4qQfSJf4tRx2eVFPWQrECxlo387JiGeU7aT-Q5PMxLiQV-ge_7okbovFm-4b5KF3E7YEA45d8ndkpoyu3Y2/s320/52810+Buttermilk+Flour.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After mixing the dry ingredients and cutting in the butter,<br />
I added the buttermilk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbz2Xzplcvl8pjdkUSy-LPFVZRSb50w-vR7ADhdxKU32e4WhSoMCbFTY9ooV8p4qmkY9Dzv22Is8v9tJqj-LLKNuwzCox4X8UrzCOAYzvTFA2ymKpmjkXLAiD1yn5_PL5mTklDCIB4E4h6/s1600/52812+Knead+Bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbz2Xzplcvl8pjdkUSy-LPFVZRSb50w-vR7ADhdxKU32e4WhSoMCbFTY9ooV8p4qmkY9Dzv22Is8v9tJqj-LLKNuwzCox4X8UrzCOAYzvTFA2ymKpmjkXLAiD1yn5_PL5mTklDCIB4E4h6/s320/52812+Knead+Bread.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I kneaded the dough until it came together. You don't need<br />
to knead for 10 minutes because this is a quick bread,<br />
not a yeast dough. Husband took picture (thanks!).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I cut the dough into four pieces, rather than six, as this is a better size for our family.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkjy6B_xDgMCSdZV054Wx3cKqqQJrjXZMFByK67CShbfv2d-zd_aae7EZUk76_GNyxpi1aXqveFIZOmqNhzoSI9KEVqc7CdAfTCL1qYXYrKlgFV-sAXRfyLIMeuK5swRSAnNtVupsiioX/s1600/52812+Brush+on+Buttermilk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkjy6B_xDgMCSdZV054Wx3cKqqQJrjXZMFByK67CShbfv2d-zd_aae7EZUk76_GNyxpi1aXqveFIZOmqNhzoSI9KEVqc7CdAfTCL1qYXYrKlgFV-sAXRfyLIMeuK5swRSAnNtVupsiioX/s320/52812+Brush+on+Buttermilk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daughter helps brush on the buttermilk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5otFW5OOoLZb3sZgMo3-s_9kLTm-X6JWhoua1EGM3Id8TJaN45Aq9EUeeYTEEjwXk9SyXJiz_aDIxOHiGVNgkQnV3O-jaWUTs_BMCvAk042stlrmHZaM55SbXxIJuQR9OPkp-WVVFXKIu/s1600/52812+Ready+for+Oven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5otFW5OOoLZb3sZgMo3-s_9kLTm-X6JWhoua1EGM3Id8TJaN45Aq9EUeeYTEEjwXk9SyXJiz_aDIxOHiGVNgkQnV3O-jaWUTs_BMCvAk042stlrmHZaM55SbXxIJuQR9OPkp-WVVFXKIu/s320/52812+Ready+for+Oven.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for the oven! The baking tin in the original<br />
recipe is an American cookie sheet. I put the cross<br />
on the loaves because that's what soda bread<br />
recipes usually say to do.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;">There's no baking time listed, but I found that 45 minutes at 425 F worked well for making four loaves. If you only made two, I would imagine you'd be looking at about an hour, and if you made six loaves, as written, it might be more like 35 or 40. Yum! Thanks, Tony!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWEHJrv_8DDje_nuxWCFN0htENdZ2ltjSYOv9eNK73rrQgXuODSdyYebkwGDVm9uA7NMSCWRGhliQ2IYySF6BOa7BTMZlFtCwFuEng0EycymYvUO2yWkTv1FL3dLBKLS-yQ9-Qk2AEgPB/s1600/52812+Baked+loaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWEHJrv_8DDje_nuxWCFN0htENdZ2ltjSYOv9eNK73rrQgXuODSdyYebkwGDVm9uA7NMSCWRGhliQ2IYySF6BOa7BTMZlFtCwFuEng0EycymYvUO2yWkTv1FL3dLBKLS-yQ9-Qk2AEgPB/s320/52812+Baked+loaves.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished loaves.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-12601460118555555022012-05-27T19:30:00.000-05:002012-05-27T19:30:40.296-05:00Grilled Steelhead Trout, Sautéed Green Beans and Too Much Ketchup<br />
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Memorial Day weekend. We're going to a dinner/picnic tomorrow with my husband's colleagues, so I had to get my grilling in yesterday and today. Yesterday I made ribs but son had the camera while conducting some lengthy experiment with stop-action photography and Legos, so I didn't document it. Some other time! Today was my weekly trip to the grocery store, where I found that between last weekend and this weekend they had rearranged about 70% of the items in the store. Can I just take a moment to say that this periodical rearrangement of the merchandise kind of sucks? I finally get to know where everything I need happens to be, then they change it all. *sigh*</div>
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Anyway, when I shop on Sundays there's usually one particular employee I look for behind the meat and fish counter. He's not a butcher, but he is the guy who orders the fish. I suppose that would make him a fishmonger, but I'm not sure he's that much of an expert. Anyway, he knows me well enough to tell me what's fresh and what is maybe not such a great idea. I was looking at some cod, thinking I might do some fish and chips, but he saw me and shook his head. The freshest thing he had were sides of Steelhead Trout. Since fish is insanely expensive in Oklahoma (with the possible exception of catfish, but who really wants to eat a bottom feeder so primitive it doesn't really have scales?), I swallowed hard and bought a $30 side, with skin on. I figured I could get two meals out of it. It was beautiful though--here it is all cut up and ready to grill:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8C0XeOszHmYb9ZtCHOYGf0EVkRMgnYZ6-6LfAq6dgmnc9zplyOmu6dDq21uhSMibKpdeflv81GJ1-T98pX4TAmKu-taN3oDNFlFKv5ciyF9AWJ1QEHWB3cLN818z6vi_GBcWYaGp3Buh/s1600/52712+Steelhead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8C0XeOszHmYb9ZtCHOYGf0EVkRMgnYZ6-6LfAq6dgmnc9zplyOmu6dDq21uhSMibKpdeflv81GJ1-T98pX4TAmKu-taN3oDNFlFKv5ciyF9AWJ1QEHWB3cLN818z6vi_GBcWYaGp3Buh/s320/52712+Steelhead.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After surfing around for a recipe, I found this one <a href="http://www.home-ec101.com/steelhead-trout-baked-with-honey-or-maple-glaze/" target="_blank">here</a>, from a site called <a href="http://www.home-ec101.com/" target="_blank">Home Ec 101</a>. The site recommends baking the trout in foil with the marinade, but I opted to grill. The marinade/sauce did look tasty though, so I decided to use it.</div>
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<b>Honey Garlic Glaze</b></div>
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1/4 C butter, melted</div>
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2 garlic cloves, minced</div>
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2 Tbsp. honey</div>
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2 Tbsp. brown sugar</div>
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2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard</div>
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2 Tbsp. soy sauce</div>
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2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar</div>
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Whisk all the ingredients into the melted butter. Voilà, you've got a glaze.</div>
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So, I fire up the grill. We've got a propane grill. Yes, I know charcoal or wood grills make the food taste better, but a propane grill is so convenient that I can use it several times a week in the summer without dealing with building fires or dealing with charcoal ashes. So there. Now, there's a trick or two to grilling fish. Ever tried to grill fish and end up with a shredded mess when you try to turn the fish over and half of it sticks to the grill? Raise your hand if it's ever happened to you. Come on, be honest. ...I thought so. It finally dawned on me after watching cooking shows, primarily Alton Brown's <i>Good Eats</i>, that there's a right way and a wrong way. Right way--it helps if you use a relatively oily fish that's not insanely delicate. Tuna, salmon, swordfish, some trouts, etc. work pretty well. Get the grill good and hot by preheating it for a while. Scrub down the grill, and rub with oil. Then put your fish, skin side up, on the grill.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFk6pGr0XtEevlVAO247cBl8etYYIld75hHyNyCkOAme_PQXg3TpxA8ll_7rZqVtuT5WK7ZaywkUk0_qKnE1U-lDfQIT_BKH5vl93pnsWOPmcXtUHgy41s5grsYATlL_G7slrDQICJLzN/s1600/52712+Skin+Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFk6pGr0XtEevlVAO247cBl8etYYIld75hHyNyCkOAme_PQXg3TpxA8ll_7rZqVtuT5WK7ZaywkUk0_qKnE1U-lDfQIT_BKH5vl93pnsWOPmcXtUHgy41s5grsYATlL_G7slrDQICJLzN/s320/52712+Skin+Up.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now resist the urge to start poking at it and seeing if it sticks. If you try to turn them right away, they likely will stick at this point. Let them cook a good four or five minutes at least (a bit more wouldn't hurt), because then the fish touching the grill will cook enough to release more easily. I also close the lid while I'm waiting to help them cook a bit, as these were pretty thick pieces of fish. Ok, *now* turn them over and brush them with glaze.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZ_LSnTrFnfa4GBbYjG_dZAXUwWfIcbH3IljvFnqyp0tnglQrhu9TQ6BZr_WyPNG049L4_3dHoIUz3Y_hYDYnAjbvjFtbxCnVCDRuVrPbnI5ZqPaN7GstjI-C4kUgIlPDILLp1jVmoFhb/s1600/52712+On+Grill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZ_LSnTrFnfa4GBbYjG_dZAXUwWfIcbH3IljvFnqyp0tnglQrhu9TQ6BZr_WyPNG049L4_3dHoIUz3Y_hYDYnAjbvjFtbxCnVCDRuVrPbnI5ZqPaN7GstjI-C4kUgIlPDILLp1jVmoFhb/s320/52712+On+Grill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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See those lovely grill marks? Now you can continue to cook the fish and it doesn't matter if you get the skin charred. The skin will also release pretty easily from the grill once you get it cooked a bit. How long do you cook the fish? It depends entirely upon the kind of fish and how thick it is. For these pieces, which were about 1 1/2" thick, the total cooking time was probably about 18 minutes over a hot but not infernal fire. I like my fish just cooked--in other words cooked more or less all the way through, but not dry. The inside of mine was still a bit rosy and moist, rather than pale pink and dry. The more you keep the grill closed the less time you will need, but I left it open a fair amount for the last five minutes while I kept basting with the glaze. </div>
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Once you're done, you end up with something that looks like this:</div>
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Are you going to want a side dish with that? I am probably the world's least imaginative person with vegetables. I blame the distinct lack of fresh vegetables in my life while growing up (see previous post "How I learned to cook"). It's easier than blaming myself. Anyway, rather than just steaming some green beans, I decided to get very marginally creative. There were some lovely locally grown organic spring onions at the local foods market (<a href="http://nativerootsmarket.com/" target="_blank">Native Roots Market</a>--a very cool place) and some decent looking beans at the local grocery store. The spring onions basically looked like overgrown green onions--with the white part beginning to make a bulb. I sliced up one of the larger spring onions, prepared the green beans, then threw it all in a pan with some butter, about one tablespoon or so.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHY2riIjdLwT6bqX2481tPLCBtyEAZbMXTF_S5zqzXTJ-AI8lB86EUxPcQ4iUxUsZ223H6k4axiOmBZU2qGnAFVsjBNE-4WaVPiwaR9Y8jBDuAmiaUwdQdN_8e4gp6TNNiPuREaWK3sM8/s1600/52712+Beans+Uncooked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHY2riIjdLwT6bqX2481tPLCBtyEAZbMXTF_S5zqzXTJ-AI8lB86EUxPcQ4iUxUsZ223H6k4axiOmBZU2qGnAFVsjBNE-4WaVPiwaR9Y8jBDuAmiaUwdQdN_8e4gp6TNNiPuREaWK3sM8/s320/52712+Beans+Uncooked.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See that lovely cropping I did? That's to avoid showing you<br />how much my stovetop needs cleaning.</td></tr>
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I sautéed the whole thing until the onions were beginning to brown and the beans were crisp/tender. Tossed a bit of salt into it and stirred it in. The final product looked something like this:</div>
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Nothing to write home about, but it was better than steamed.</div>
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Now the last bit of today's blog is at the request of my children. Since they have been seeing me taking pictures of food for the last month, they each insisted that I take a picture of their plates. Daughter went first:</div>
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Notice the large dollop of ketchup to your left. She has learned to do this by imitating her brother. Speaking of her brother, here's his plate:</div>
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See that pile of red goo on his plate? That's where he mashed up the trout and mixed the whole thing with ketchup. Do you see what I have to put up with??</div>
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<br /></div>Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-28154142387046172432012-05-25T21:09:00.002-05:002012-05-25T21:09:58.563-05:00Tour de JelloIn my recent post about <a href="http://theresaspantry.blogspot.com/2012/05/cruising-my-bookshelf-one-of-worst.html" target="_blank">one of the worst cookbooks I own</a>, I posted a recipe for "Zingy Tomato Salad" which involved, among other things cherry jello and tomatoes. This prompted a somewhat lengthy discussion on Facebook about odd jello recipes, and the advisability (or not) of putting vegetables in jello. Tonight, for the heck of it, I cruised through a bunch of vintage food ads at <a href="http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/" target="_blank">Vintage Ad Browser</a>. I can find jello ads all the way back the early 1900s. Most of the ones I saw up until the 1940s or so were plain flavored gelatin, sometimes with a dollop of mayonnaise or fruit *on* the jello. A lot like this...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlmwxkxWLf0yiJ5sZL6bADONPyKoD4pTg8yrXyI4QgtkvGj9ueQ3N1F9fIfBN_ZcTeCgyfZoxTVOdu2O-ulxNAHv5k69Nw2fhLCCWPmD2goAWK9TBqljSRUXxx7bTa-v0RONw-JmZKrPf/s1600/Jello+Line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlmwxkxWLf0yiJ5sZL6bADONPyKoD4pTg8yrXyI4QgtkvGj9ueQ3N1F9fIfBN_ZcTeCgyfZoxTVOdu2O-ulxNAHv5k69Nw2fhLCCWPmD2goAWK9TBqljSRUXxx7bTa-v0RONw-JmZKrPf/s320/Jello+Line.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
Although I know from reading culinary history books, in this case especially <i>Fashionable Food: Seven Decades of Food Fads</i> by Sylvia Lovegren (2005, University of Chicago Press), that jello with stuff <i>in </i>it existed before the 1940s, the ads with complex jello recipes begin appearing in earnest in the 1940s.<br />
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We've got both vegetable <i>and</i> fruit jello salads in that one.<br />
Long about the 1950s, the jello ads, or more properly Jell-O ads are everywhere. Here's a lovely fruit version:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mnrxk4Dr97onr-jKLSKMu9R3GjQC8PJcNm1xx3mdfmKgT9zKyAm9rDssk6RsI8B7CaMJO8lpfYjUcRfpVMYYChmmREbNZuJh_27shZko4CuXrbxCZLljWG-TAFD2RocKB3uC7g0P9l4Z/s1600/Jello+fruit+1955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mnrxk4Dr97onr-jKLSKMu9R3GjQC8PJcNm1xx3mdfmKgT9zKyAm9rDssk6RsI8B7CaMJO8lpfYjUcRfpVMYYChmmREbNZuJh_27shZko4CuXrbxCZLljWG-TAFD2RocKB3uC7g0P9l4Z/s320/Jello+fruit+1955.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
And how about some vegetables?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmaJJnx3uAl7gKz_nNBhOh1a_Qfw-1aCVEhyphenhyphenvx9IbkrVrGLE7NcZBlQ1Y7VNiE1tNkZo6w5XyL0M8tu8LFo1R6Lrz4vLXMJA0t0meHN7ce3T6hlUK7mmHW2ykcx-ncyBfhVaeSbhup6iL/s1600/Jello+veg+1950s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmaJJnx3uAl7gKz_nNBhOh1a_Qfw-1aCVEhyphenhyphenvx9IbkrVrGLE7NcZBlQ1Y7VNiE1tNkZo6w5XyL0M8tu8LFo1R6Lrz4vLXMJA0t0meHN7ce3T6hlUK7mmHW2ykcx-ncyBfhVaeSbhup6iL/s320/Jello+veg+1950s.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
Maybe some nuts?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNy2x0k2vFgcb_LGwzg2bC3t7uqkUYrbXvQG-GZ0lSbH9ZRAXxs-1jndMelTIediHBVzzQ3RcAQswOCK4BFy9YLLEl1eh8Rb7vDCN3pVEMMMiYnZaEVdZCeZJOPKVu-uleV3llKNF9-WF/s1600/Jello+Nuts+1954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNy2x0k2vFgcb_LGwzg2bC3t7uqkUYrbXvQG-GZ0lSbH9ZRAXxs-1jndMelTIediHBVzzQ3RcAQswOCK4BFy9YLLEl1eh8Rb7vDCN3pVEMMMiYnZaEVdZCeZJOPKVu-uleV3llKNF9-WF/s320/Jello+Nuts+1954.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
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In order to avoid getting bored with throwing chopped stuff into the jello salads, how about using jello with ice cream?<br />
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Bet you didn't know there was a national "You-Can-Do-The-Jolliest-Things-with-Jell-O-And-Ice-Cream week! Hey, when is that coming around this year anyway?<br />
By the time I got to the 1960s, the jello recipes had slowed down quite a bit. Miracle Whip salad dressing was now *in* the gelatin, rather than on top of the gelatin.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-11Li6BU9YMdnPfy_aUzBT5kJNEjUuXhvoioV-PdOfTb7wvZ0MXooF9Ri63gIIx1fOm4k076gP7RtYKAWGSzgA4H9un0kP726S_eO9e-b6jqlfMhPFfPijYHEjl2b4h3ey_Q68djwkmWH/s1600/Jello+Miracle+Whip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-11Li6BU9YMdnPfy_aUzBT5kJNEjUuXhvoioV-PdOfTb7wvZ0MXooF9Ri63gIIx1fOm4k076gP7RtYKAWGSzgA4H9un0kP726S_eO9e-b6jqlfMhPFfPijYHEjl2b4h3ey_Q68djwkmWH/s320/Jello+Miracle+Whip.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
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But I think I put together this whole tour de jello just to show you this last ad. 1960s. Convenience foods. Beginning of women's lib. Who has time to put together some fancy jello salad anymore? Here's the ultimate in Jell-O with fruit in it for the on-the-go cook:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuuJR0DbPxofZ1oXbMFITXM8mvXsi6s1MbzeanMIBY2UHoAGR6UKQc6T2EjJutNV5JDfhFXJ5Tg_UtpHzQ-2-9UmMd4akuPgA0kQ91crTyiA99KW5QpfaQscYgTMWHsqCT7c3hIbdQAli/s1600/Pineapple+Jello.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuuJR0DbPxofZ1oXbMFITXM8mvXsi6s1MbzeanMIBY2UHoAGR6UKQc6T2EjJutNV5JDfhFXJ5Tg_UtpHzQ-2-9UmMd4akuPgA0kQ91crTyiA99KW5QpfaQscYgTMWHsqCT7c3hIbdQAli/s320/Pineapple+Jello.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
Just dump out the pineapple juice, dump in the lime gelatin, and voilà--pineapple lime jello salad!<br />
<br />
I thought this was the ultimate in lazy jello salads, but I just recalled that pre-made jello singles, some with fruit in them, are now available in stores. No boiling of water required. It's all downhill from here.Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-3062601166725143062012-05-23T21:02:00.000-05:002012-05-24T06:09:24.084-05:00Cooking My Bookshelves: Chicken Risotto à la MilaneseAfter a lovely few days with my sister, today was the first day back to normal mealtime. In keeping with my approximately-whenever-I-feel-like-it theme of cooking a recipe or two from every cookbook I own, I chose a book called <i>Cook's Library: One Pot</i>. It's a book printed in China and published in 2002 by Parragon Publishing out of Bath, England. The measurements in the book are given in both metric and American units, so I assume that it is intended for English speaking audiences in general. I can't even remember where I bought it. I tend to pick up odd cookbooks here and there at Sam's Club or discount book stores. I've used the book several times for a Jambalaya recipe and have tried a few others. The dishes tend to be fairly mild, and taste OK, but aren't anything to get all excited about. Still, there it was so I grabbed it, determined to try something new for dinner.<br />
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After some perusal (and a quick check for what I had in the pantry), I settled on a recipe entitled "Chicken Risotto à la Milanese." I've made risotto probably about a dozen times. I'm no expert, but the directions were a bit odd. Here's the recipe as written:<br />
<br />
1/2 cup butter<br />
2 lb/900 g skinless boneless chicken, sliced thinly<br />
1 large onion, chopped<br />
1 lb/450 g risotto rice<br />
2 1/2 cups chicken bouillon<br />
2/3 cup white wine<br />
1 tsp crumbled saffron<br />
salt and pepper<br />
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, to serve<br />
<br />
1. Heat 4 tablespoons of the butter in a deep skillet and cook the chicken and onion until golden brown.<br />
2. Add the rice, stir well, and cook over low heat for 15 minutes.<br />
3. Heat bouillon until boiling and gradually add to the rice. Add the white wine, saffron, salt and pepper to taste, and mix well. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding more bouillon if necessary.<br />
4. Set aside for 2-3 minutes and just before serving, add a little more bouillon and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve the risotto sprinkled with the grated Parmesan cheese and the remaining butter.<br />
<br />
I don't know about you, but if you've made risotto before you generally heat the broth, add gradually to the rice, stirring regularly until each addition of broth is almost absorbed before you add more. The risotto is done when the grains are fully cooked but still firm, and you have a lovely creamy fairly thick (but not the consistency of paste!) sauce. The method outlined in the recipe may work, but it seemed to me like you wouldn't get the creamy texture of the rice and sauce. So, not trusting the recipe, what I did looks something like this:<br />
<br />
5 T butter<br />
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken<br />
1 large sweet onion (I used Vidalia), chopped<br />
1 lb Arborio rice (Arborio is one of the varieties of short-grain rice typically used for risotto)<br />
5-ish cups chicken broth, heated to a simmer<br />
1-ish cup hot water<br />
2/3 cup white wine (I used Chardonnay)<br />
1/2 teaspoon saffron (because saffron's to damn expensive to use a whole teaspoon)<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper<br />
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (because I'm the only one who likes it)<br />
<br />
First, I prepped the ingredients. I grated the parmesan...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99tOIZz0FWjjCQ9AlsWnxpVpChFqe394impg-wMcJpWeX099THqP18daiMVY6beR34R8CmZbtGy59PVhWy00x_Huq_wLt6xhSged9gI7TBCsp4jj1j8sTxtaEWoLxiwOb4KXRXVTdcTNe/s1600/52312+Parm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99tOIZz0FWjjCQ9AlsWnxpVpChFqe394impg-wMcJpWeX099THqP18daiMVY6beR34R8CmZbtGy59PVhWy00x_Huq_wLt6xhSged9gI7TBCsp4jj1j8sTxtaEWoLxiwOb4KXRXVTdcTNe/s320/52312+Parm.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I usually use a microplane grater, but opted<br />
for the larger holes of a box grater here</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Measured out the rice...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlLz5VmIecqwTCA_rzZ_jWebuWkGZPItcaGVU2oeomHA8hjYK8vb0Jk-2UcGDBmdKMQfgT54OrCgHvdtAD_YROhdMA7BiDAZXZ5AWCa7rxVbWtgOLq14mA-8hMLYX8L-SOPCser0XUSAs/s1600/52312+Rice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlLz5VmIecqwTCA_rzZ_jWebuWkGZPItcaGVU2oeomHA8hjYK8vb0Jk-2UcGDBmdKMQfgT54OrCgHvdtAD_YROhdMA7BiDAZXZ5AWCa7rxVbWtgOLq14mA-8hMLYX8L-SOPCser0XUSAs/s320/52312+Rice.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get a digital kitchen scale. Very, very handy<br />
for baking and metric recipes.</td></tr>
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Crumble the saffron, muttering to myself about how friggin' expensive it is...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PMzb7Vd1fAV4pGB09tU2Ii1AS89tseGSy9f-OfqtSca91tfUr7icaWql8YQXfAv_D2MRmaoDzGDvcrZsLNOpc9Daq3K-XTDSvgmsognTeGJajhUKapWTs50E-zHDjuLxqBnMujPI10fH/s1600/52312+Saffron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PMzb7Vd1fAV4pGB09tU2Ii1AS89tseGSy9f-OfqtSca91tfUr7icaWql8YQXfAv_D2MRmaoDzGDvcrZsLNOpc9Daq3K-XTDSvgmsognTeGJajhUKapWTs50E-zHDjuLxqBnMujPI10fH/s320/52312+Saffron.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the saffron? No? That's because $15 only buys<br />
you about .03 oz in a teeny little plastic bag, stuffed<br />
inside a large bottle. Feh.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Chopped the chicken and onions. Then I melted the butter in a large skillet, and sautéed the chicken and onions until light brown. I then added the rice and sautéed for about five minutes. Meanwhile, I had the chicken broth in a pot on another burner and brought it to a simmer. I added about a cup initially, which was absorbed quickly. I then added the wine, saffron, salt and pepper and stirred that in before adding the next installment of chicken broth. Each time I added more broth, I added about 1/2 cup, and stirred pretty constantly until it was almost absorbed and added more. You may have noticed that I used about twice as much liquid as the original recipe called for. Maybe it was my cooking method, maybe the original recipe was poorly written, but my rice was still crunchy after 2 1/2 cups of broth. My rice was also on the older side, and so may have required more liquid.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2MDgf61f5KflQnrS7mxvRMKbHuTk3H6PnKzqLBnGTrBtjPlvFNbcp9LYLaUOPDxBvfsRErTX1OEc4eRXw2FX1tKyetMidZ4JeK0tk3JdUaKLos9l6nGYIxyB0eWWb5prPFe38kFs7UAX/s1600/52312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2MDgf61f5KflQnrS7mxvRMKbHuTk3H6PnKzqLBnGTrBtjPlvFNbcp9LYLaUOPDxBvfsRErTX1OEc4eRXw2FX1tKyetMidZ4JeK0tk3JdUaKLos9l6nGYIxyB0eWWb5prPFe38kFs7UAX/s320/52312.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just after the addition of more liquid.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Really, it's difficult to give an exact amount of broth you will need. You just keep adding until the rice is cooked through, but still somewhat firm. It will absorb quickly at first, and will slow towards the end. You'll have to taste several times towards the end. I also thought, after about 4 1/2 or 5 cups of broth that the risotto was getting a little salty, so for the last cup or so of liquid I added just hot water. Once it was done (it took about 30 minutes of adding in liquid at medium -high heat until it was done), I served it immediately with a bit of Parmesan.<br />
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<br />
The taste and texture I though were quite good, however I don't claim to be a risotto expert of any kind! The lovely yellow color comes from the saffron. My husband liked it. Son didn't like the texture of the rice, although he liked the flavor (it was a new texture for him, and he's a big texture guy). Daughter ate some, but claimed she didn't like onion. Moral of this story: risotto is yummy, but it's a fair amount of time at the stove. Save it for people who will appreciate it.<br />
<br />
<br />Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-14710659548303349452012-05-19T14:49:00.002-05:002012-05-19T15:27:00.591-05:00Cooking Through my BookshelvesThere's a type of food blog commonly referred to as the "cook-through" blog. What this means is that the blogger chooses a cookbook and cooks every recipe in the book over a (usually fairly lengthy) period of time. The most famous of these blogs was known as "Julie and Julia." I actually started reading it while it was in progress. The blogger, Julie Powell, decided to cook Julia Child's entire <i>Mastering the Art of French Cooking </i>in 365 days. She edited the blog into a book called <i>Julie and Julia</i>, which was eventually made into a decent movie as much about the life of Julia Child as it was about Julie Powell. You can read more about Julie Powell's work <a href="http://juliepowellbooks.com/about.html" target="_blank">here</a>. While Julie may be the most famous "cook-through" blogger, she's not the only one out there. "Cook-through" bloggers tend to choose a famous, difficult, or iconic cookbooks for their blog.<br />
<br />
As I am someone who doesn't really have the time or inclination to cook through an entire series of sometimes difficult, sometimes costly recipes, I figure this type of blog isn't for me. I do, however, have a large bookcase full of cookbooks. I've cooked recipes from most of these cookbooks, but not all. In my own twist on the "cook-through" blogging concept, I have decided to cook a recipe or two from each and every cookbook I own and blog about the results. I will post these entries approximately whenever I feel like it, and will finish whenever I stop buying cookbooks (which will probably be when I have a toe-tag on in some morgue). They will not be my only posts.<br />
<br />
I'm not going to go in any particular order. To begin, I grabbed a small booklet which I purchased for historical interest, entitled <i>250 Superb Pies and Pastries</i>. It was published in 1952 by Consolidated Book Publishers in Chicago, IL. It was edited by one Ruth Berolzheimer who was at the time the director of something called the Culinary Arts Institute. There's an interesting article about Ms. Berolzheimer and the Culinary Arts institute which you can find <a href="http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-cookbook-queen/Content?oid=1106100" target="_blank">here</a>. Here's an interesting quote from the article for you, though:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">""I thought she was kind of a lousy cook, to tell the truth," says Henry, who sometimes had breakfast at his aunt's Hyde Park apartment. Her nephews believe their aunt's talents mostly lay in organization and publishing."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Apparently she was a better cookbook editor than actual cook.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDoo4uFx1Mo117tAe8oUJUh-y0zLyVT4b9M4vqrBLjlTfkvlrlsMrlIb7oTPXUENqVgrwSJ_9nmawwRcl7YDcEabDKe82Sx0sTNjPU-RmvidJIvFJItT0CpF7xBZZddJwpsmvpjPG3wtyZ/s1600/51912+Pies+Cookbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDoo4uFx1Mo117tAe8oUJUh-y0zLyVT4b9M4vqrBLjlTfkvlrlsMrlIb7oTPXUENqVgrwSJ_9nmawwRcl7YDcEabDKe82Sx0sTNjPU-RmvidJIvFJItT0CpF7xBZZddJwpsmvpjPG3wtyZ/s400/51912+Pies+Cookbook.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I decided to try a recipe for a pie which I have never made, and which sounded old-fashioned. Ok, I didn't go for the Grapefruit Pie, Prune Pie or Shartlesville Pumpkin Pie (made with an entire cup of whiskey), because I wanted something we might actually eat. Although come to think of it, I might try the Shartlesville Pumpkin Pie at some point, when the children aren't around. I opted for Butterscotch Pie.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">To make Butterscotch Pie, you actually have to follow three different recipes in three different places in the cookbook. Since the pie recipe requires a baked pie shell, I started with that. Although it nearly killed me, I was determined to follow the recipes as written. I normally make my pie crusts with at least half butter, because I like the taste. This recipe used shortening only:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>Plain Pastry</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">2 cups flour, sifted</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">3/4 tsp salt</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">2/3 cup shortening</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">4 to 6 tablespoons cold water. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Sift flour and salt together and cut in shortening with 2 knives or pastry blender.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJVpDo6rd2YXgoyeRdEIuxXyHGR5hc91Scxp2MTvdfGFZggFPsE2pQfiT_OaCwGvzphIZdC_eXthwWX0OOXRWpvkZFX9_dQPrALeaLVIxObbUDX_yCcwRhutjovh_LawivFEyo0Qn9JkY/s1600/51912+Shortening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJVpDo6rd2YXgoyeRdEIuxXyHGR5hc91Scxp2MTvdfGFZggFPsE2pQfiT_OaCwGvzphIZdC_eXthwWX0OOXRWpvkZFX9_dQPrALeaLVIxObbUDX_yCcwRhutjovh_LawivFEyo0Qn9JkY/s320/51912+Shortening.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like this kind of pastry cutter. The ones with just wires suck.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnMbCghXwO2ncMEdCQTxBZuaiaOtwLSebndGEKmw5HHL_5-nyEHurDBNS2wtSG3_eETqhRDfihPs2SoXvbx7bkDYkrokGcrGLKfsfNvwwC4YcGRrLJbaa_X57H8yWjfJVYH7zNgNG3tfL/s1600/51912+Pea+meal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnMbCghXwO2ncMEdCQTxBZuaiaOtwLSebndGEKmw5HHL_5-nyEHurDBNS2wtSG3_eETqhRDfihPs2SoXvbx7bkDYkrokGcrGLKfsfNvwwC4YcGRrLJbaa_X57H8yWjfJVYH7zNgNG3tfL/s320/51912+Pea+meal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I end up with something that looks like this. I actually<br />
enjoy doing this part.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;">Add water, using only a small portion at a time, until mixture will hold together. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">I used ice water here, which is pretty standard in most recipes. </span>Divide dough into 2 parts. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Ok, now here's something strange. Nowhere in the recipe did it say to chill the dough. After I finished baking the pie, I read the general introduction to the cookbook, and they did say to chill the dough, but didn't say for how long. So I didn't chill the dough, although I had used chilled shortening and ice water making the dough. It seemed to turn out fine.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxMNzpHEUppgFP7VMV_gqv1kzZxh9jmUHcamEXkLh0nwJGmOSqksTTy8iBcamS9N_fNsWswn2YteEnsDmXUtIR4Ca6U5lFViEefzIBgmiEPdYFN5WDjk9aAFGEZgtF8GmwGHOOHm8an85/s1600/51912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxMNzpHEUppgFP7VMV_gqv1kzZxh9jmUHcamEXkLh0nwJGmOSqksTTy8iBcamS9N_fNsWswn2YteEnsDmXUtIR4Ca6U5lFViEefzIBgmiEPdYFN5WDjk9aAFGEZgtF8GmwGHOOHm8an85/s320/51912.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You will note here that I have cheated and will be rolling out<br />
the portion on the left, which is more than half.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Roll 1/2 of the dough 1/8 inch thick, fold in half then lift into pie pan. Do not stretch dough.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBMkaprTeflGEvhL2WFF_h4G0UR943QjApHOFVqDlvOCBqPPu-DzOaJp7zVFxx5rJjw-X57f3x5H1LeSn_iirne0NtaQoFwJZhbJj9OaF7LA6w7McASL3X0ZeGUKOusqBIFbPOXrV0GpO/s1600/51912+Rolled+Crust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBMkaprTeflGEvhL2WFF_h4G0UR943QjApHOFVqDlvOCBqPPu-DzOaJp7zVFxx5rJjw-X57f3x5H1LeSn_iirne0NtaQoFwJZhbJj9OaF7LA6w7McASL3X0ZeGUKOusqBIFbPOXrV0GpO/s320/51912+Rolled+Crust.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You know how cookbooks and cooking shows have the<br />
cook rolling out perfect circles of dough? I have no<br />
idea how they do that.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">You might note here that I roll my dough out on plastic wrap. This cookbook wants you to roll dough on a floured board. I learned how to roll dough that way, but I really like this better. Here's why:</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfk_KZuLaHo74h1i94CoRUHcozFzQuia-gZGKAVctXdQCNps7s9Zi0gQYLR4L3ffR5fCzk1kIkyOVpk4mKQwQvLWTIhpc2NaEEPtUOrTpkuau8KBqb1T5afMDv9Am5GbZ3KJOkYeHxQ4C3/s1600/51912+Transfer+Crust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfk_KZuLaHo74h1i94CoRUHcozFzQuia-gZGKAVctXdQCNps7s9Zi0gQYLR4L3ffR5fCzk1kIkyOVpk4mKQwQvLWTIhpc2NaEEPtUOrTpkuau8KBqb1T5afMDv9Am5GbZ3KJOkYeHxQ4C3/s320/51912+Transfer+Crust.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can pick up the plastic wrap, turn it upside down,<br />
and just slap that puppy right into the pie pan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">After crust is fitted, trim edges evening, leaving a 1-inch overhanging border, fold dough under and back to make and upright rim, then flute edges using thumb and index finger of one hand and the index finger of the other hand. Prick crust thoroughly with a fork...</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwriKKBmBVg3vzOFE48OD_oKbeiMJ_gx92neTtgckpv3sEeWqKOHxUcS-t9ngbuTdAqFElEIdc8FuNvYk_DZYCopKHkKX7OJpM_C-jvS75vtEELOYslW7QNoforzgJXakgipLpZsd-MpOS/s1600/51912+Docked+Crust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwriKKBmBVg3vzOFE48OD_oKbeiMJ_gx92neTtgckpv3sEeWqKOHxUcS-t9ngbuTdAqFElEIdc8FuNvYk_DZYCopKHkKX7OJpM_C-jvS75vtEELOYslW7QNoforzgJXakgipLpZsd-MpOS/s320/51912+Docked+Crust.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">...then use one of the following methods to prevent shrinkage of crust: Place rolled dough in pan and set aside for 5 minutes, then find into place with a ball of dough. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">(I have no idea what that means.) </span>OR Line pastry shell with waxed paper and partially fill with rice or beans, remove paper after first 10 minutes of baking. OR Fit a second pan inside on crust, remove pan after first 10 minutes. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">That's the method I chose. </span>Bake in a very hot oven (450 F) about 15 minutes or until delicately browned.</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlYRcQXz1-Ac8OkvkmczFJe-W-xn3lLR6oQfQQn4Dq2swyh-UcyWkJjCWQEHfhObQu5ZdtnHFNTFAkX-FUQEbmgSlhjJWQTyofeDTim577P7HUfUplnU1AWKzgVmp9KJwq-ndIK8LUrdR/s1600/51912+Pastry+Shell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlYRcQXz1-Ac8OkvkmczFJe-W-xn3lLR6oQfQQn4Dq2swyh-UcyWkJjCWQEHfhObQu5ZdtnHFNTFAkX-FUQEbmgSlhjJWQTyofeDTim577P7HUfUplnU1AWKzgVmp9KJwq-ndIK8LUrdR/s320/51912+Pastry+Shell.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe could have used a bit more browning, but this is after 15 minutes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Ok, now onto the Butterscotch Pie recipe.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>Butterscotch Pie</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">3/4 cup brown sugar</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1/4 cup granulated sugar</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1/3 cup flour</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">2 cups scalded milk</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1/8 teaspoon salt</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">3 egg yolks, beaten</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1 1/2 tablespoons butter</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1 teaspoon vanilla</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1 baked Pastry Shell</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1 recipe Meringue II</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Combine sugars with flour, add hot milk gradually, stirring constantly to make a smooth mixture. Add salt and cook in top of double boiler for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46enZzV1OuYUW8FWiGBoD-0M7dqz2MRUE9kT6xWk0cWyoeMylQgKNDBR7xFtQIAbzuSux8zqdJeGwQTiL_rcnr-ejMGs8E9C5UUh31TvhpzjOkcryImPa4BVKjExflccgYgmuQo2pmJKJ/s1600/51912+Double+Boiler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46enZzV1OuYUW8FWiGBoD-0M7dqz2MRUE9kT6xWk0cWyoeMylQgKNDBR7xFtQIAbzuSux8zqdJeGwQTiL_rcnr-ejMGs8E9C5UUh31TvhpzjOkcryImPa4BVKjExflccgYgmuQo2pmJKJ/s320/51912+Double+Boiler.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't own a double boiler, but a metal bowl<br />
over simmering water works just fine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Pour part of the hot mixture slowly onto egg yolks, stirring constantly. Pour back into double boiler, and cook not more than three minutes, stirring almost constantly. Add butter, stir until melted. Cool. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">(I put the bowl in an ice bath and stirred for several minutes to speed up the cooling.) </span>Add vanilla, pour into pastry shell...</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJHkRI7wZp6nkraK65YkcJb5ZdpWvJeYvvHdYz-DWCESZh3Jk-mYx7jRExEOhK9v5wCg10gK4A2DWqDcIIYk51FB-VLgdfsZoyL3ElQDPSpruc7QyZ9R_0lBYuZaCOL1YfpEKm4C9UPkp/s1600/51912+Filling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJHkRI7wZp6nkraK65YkcJb5ZdpWvJeYvvHdYz-DWCESZh3Jk-mYx7jRExEOhK9v5wCg10gK4A2DWqDcIIYk51FB-VLgdfsZoyL3ElQDPSpruc7QyZ9R_0lBYuZaCOL1YfpEKm4C9UPkp/s320/51912+Filling.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">...cover with meringue and proceed as directed.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Ok, so now we have to go look at the Meringue II Recipe.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>Meringue II</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">3 egg whites</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">6 tablespoons sugar</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1/2 tsp vanilla</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Beat eggs until frothy. Add sugar gradually...</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwcL3h8ocXB66gVu0bMkwmKIDLCOH-a9RsXb1Urrf3Vzg1lORgp-UAfGqTeZp8sQXW-eB44_UnebditLN2t80grkOj7jZDYWCUY9sXFKyWg0LR7Y0NyO0F8_dgyK3z_k3RBMmgM8BEC85/s1600/51912+Eggwhites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwcL3h8ocXB66gVu0bMkwmKIDLCOH-a9RsXb1Urrf3Vzg1lORgp-UAfGqTeZp8sQXW-eB44_UnebditLN2t80grkOj7jZDYWCUY9sXFKyWg0LR7Y0NyO0F8_dgyK3z_k3RBMmgM8BEC85/s320/51912+Eggwhites.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">...and continue beating until stiff.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQ218472duKDmSI3GtIcQhiT5KZ1HQ2wu2DyZ-IrJdlZDkYgtTKmaWOKxl89QtH8vpCDJk2diXIe3qzARsulWqdiRiv92WzPVA4HmgLnC8sUSjCpSiFwcRnx2XZTnvFLZ9m1Jx0KLUlyN/s1600/51912+Stiff+Peaks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQ218472duKDmSI3GtIcQhiT5KZ1HQ2wu2DyZ-IrJdlZDkYgtTKmaWOKxl89QtH8vpCDJk2diXIe3qzARsulWqdiRiv92WzPVA4HmgLnC8sUSjCpSiFwcRnx2XZTnvFLZ9m1Jx0KLUlyN/s320/51912+Stiff+Peaks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Add flavoring. Pile on pie and bake in a slow oven (325 F) 15 to 18 minutes.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwK2E0tLsIClGmWAS5ASjJz6rAsLzcHtcvX34E9KsekBkXGgc-tIM4EYLVU__KKeEdDb9opXI2Lzci0Y7ujVsruNwdjM0k7lUYXRP78NftYtrm86jB0eTxZ-eCXbtm8T-moPF3-Lb-Rbp/s1600/51912+Pie+in+Oven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwK2E0tLsIClGmWAS5ASjJz6rAsLzcHtcvX34E9KsekBkXGgc-tIM4EYLVU__KKeEdDb9opXI2Lzci0Y7ujVsruNwdjM0k7lUYXRP78NftYtrm86jB0eTxZ-eCXbtm8T-moPF3-Lb-Rbp/s320/51912+Pie+in+Oven.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've never actually baked a pie with meringue on it before. I've<br />
read that the meringue needs to go all the way to the crust to<br />
seal in the filling. That's what I did.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">And here's the finished product, after 17 minutes in the oven:</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRaZyuMEdAHpLhXXOHGOYhKjeFZwUYSyviLhbg-KQ6imDFOhvkfS0qaRQp9Wp6UhIt3XkWlTaG8CW7esYj4s5ucMQ2e9k_47RJzMNeVRIqne6ckOHndz1hvleOC0Tmnsf9z6sqQD_58Ax/s1600/51912+Baked+Pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRaZyuMEdAHpLhXXOHGOYhKjeFZwUYSyviLhbg-KQ6imDFOhvkfS0qaRQp9Wp6UhIt3XkWlTaG8CW7esYj4s5ucMQ2e9k_47RJzMNeVRIqne6ckOHndz1hvleOC0Tmnsf9z6sqQD_58Ax/s320/51912+Baked+Pie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">And then, here's the slice. I waited about 15 minutes before slicing the pie. Apparently that wasn't enough. The recipe didn't say to chill it first, but I suspect the filling wouldn't have been quite so runny if I had. There also seemed to be some clear liquid in the bottom of the pie plate--something separated, but I'm not entirely sure what. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnxSOTo9Nx9sjQhBlRbmI_okyGJHvea7li4CCLwVibhLskdDYGet3AHflzDyrbhqB67P-16a6-NLBl9GwIW-CYWPjHfx_BojzV8NYPvmMa4QlIkq8ySpp_8lI0YTQixXK1iF_fgmWWMSLr/s1600/51912+Pie+Slice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnxSOTo9Nx9sjQhBlRbmI_okyGJHvea7li4CCLwVibhLskdDYGet3AHflzDyrbhqB67P-16a6-NLBl9GwIW-CYWPjHfx_BojzV8NYPvmMa4QlIkq8ySpp_8lI0YTQixXK1iF_fgmWWMSLr/s320/51912+Pie+Slice.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">How did it taste? My first reaction was, "Holy cow, that's awfully sweet." The filling was sweeter than I had expected, and with 6 tablespoons of sugar, the meringue was plenty sweet as well. The pie crust wasn't buttery, but it was tender and flaky. Would I make it again? Probably not, but it was good experience. Maybe they liked their pies a bit sweeter in 1952!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-9982027647518817422012-05-16T19:58:00.002-05:002012-05-16T19:58:37.585-05:00Cruising the Food Blogs: Peanut Sesame NoodlesThis afternoon I made a trip to one of my favorite food stores: Super Cao Nguyen in Oklahoma City. A business which originally started as a much smaller Vietnamese grocery store, Super Cao has grown into a huge store with items from all over the world. It's always a humbling experience. Why? Most times I feel fairly confident that I have a good basic grasp of many of the major cuisines of the world. Then I go to Super Cao and I look at about 70% of the stuff and think, "What the hell???" Buying food there is particularly adventurous when many of the labels for the Asian ingredients have only the most cursory details in English. Fried food starch, what's that? Coconut--is that coconut milk, flaked coconut, coconut oil? And what the heck is "Tokyo flavor" ramen? Chicken? Fish? Pork? Squid? If nothing else, it certainly provides for a diverting hour or two of reading labels. They have lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, some of which I don't recognize even though I have been to this store many times.<br />
<br />
When Super Cao was in the much smaller location, the clientele seemed primarily Asian. Now it's a mix of Hispanic, Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, and plain old Caucasian. I notice that they now hire employees from all these different ethnic groups, perhaps so there are employees who are familiar with the diverse cuisines. In any case, it's always an adventure.<br />
<br />
Today I was primarily on a noodle run. My kids and I love rice cakes--not the kind that are puffy and crunchy. These are rice cakes which are used in Korean and sometimes Chinese cuisine--flat oblong disks probably made mostly of rice flour and water. When cooked in a stir-fry or a soup, they turn into wonderful chewy treasures which take on the flavor of the dish they are in. I also picked up some udon and other assorted noodles, including some precooked Chinese egg noodles. Since decent rice is ridiculously expensive at my usual grocery store, I got good rice (Jasmine and Calrose) as well. And what the heck, some curry, naan, ramen, gochujang (a spicy Korean chili paste), and fresh vegetables.<br />
<br />
So, after that trip, tonight I decided to make Peanut Sesame Noodles. There are many recipes out there, but I started with <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/peanut-sesame-noodles/" target="_blank">this one</a> from one of my favorite food blogs, <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a>. I swear, everything Deb Perelman makes looks absolutely delicious. Her recipe was adapted from one which appeared in <i>Gourmet</i> magazine in June, 2002. You can find it <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Peanut-Sesame-Noodles-106572" target="_blank">here</a>. What you're getting here is my adaptation of the recipe that appears at Smitten Kitchen.<br />
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To begin, I made the peanut dressing by sticking pretty closely to the recipe:<br />
1/2 C smooth peanut butter<br />
1/4 C soy sauce<br />
1/3 C warm water<br />
1 T chopped fresh ginger (peel it first)<br />
3 small garlic cloves (Smitten Kitchen calls for 1 medium, but I like garlic)<br />
2 T rice vinegar<br />
1 1/2 T sesame oil<br />
1 T honey<br />
a dash of red pepper flakes (Smitten Kitchen calls for 1 T, which would have been great but then my kids wouldn't have eaten it...)<br />
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Buzz the whole thing up in a blender for about two minutes.<br />
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Next, I chopped up some veggies and tofu. I ended up with roughly:<br />
4 green onions, thinly sliced<br />
6 baby carrots, sliced into thin rounds<br />
1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks<br />
about 1 1/2 cups sliced tofu--I like to use a puffy fried tofu that I get at Super Cao<br />
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The recipe at Smitten Kitchen calls for 1 red pepper and 1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced, regular extra-firm tofu, and sesame seeds, but 1) the kids won't eat peppers, 2) I like the fried puffy tofu and 3) I totally forgot to buy more sesame seeds. Oops.<br />
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Now for the noodles. I intended to buy uncooked Chinese egg noodles. What I ended up buying was precooked Chinese egg noodles. Which just goes to show is that, even when you are carefully reading ingredients it is possible to not notice the big statement on the package that says you are buying cooked noodles. *sigh*<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See that nice red line with the words "Cooked Noodle" on it? Yeah. </td></tr>
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Anyway, I rinsed my precooked noodles in some cold water. I used about a package and a half, which is about 1 1/2 pounds. The original recipe called for 3/4 pound dried soba. The texture of the precooked noodles was a little spongy, but edible. Cooking my own would have been better.<br />
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Finally, put the noodles in the bowl with the other stuff, pour over the peanut sesame dressing and toss everything together. You'll get something that looks like this:<br />
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It would be more colorful with peppers. It turned out pretty tasty, though. Daughter ate a fair bit. Son turned up his nose because no ketchup was involved. Husband liked it. <br />
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Post script: Why am I holding the bowl in the above picture? Because by the time I finished my kitchen counter was so messy I would have had to clean it up before being able to take a picture of the bowl. And who wants to clean off the counter when you're starving?<br />
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<br />Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-76827611048133111772012-05-14T13:08:00.000-05:002012-05-14T13:08:04.364-05:00Cruising My Bookshelf: One of the Worst Cookbooks I OwnJust got back from a fun but exhausting mini-vacation with the kids, and I don't have the energy for any exotic cooking today. So, let's talk about my bookshelf. Well, my cookbook-filled bookcase. My husband and I are serious book-a-holics so this is by no means the ONLY bookcase in my house, but it is the only one completely filled with cookbooks.<br />
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Since I have a difficult time getting rid of books, I probably have pretty much every cookbook I've ever purchased, with the lone exception of the copy of <i>The Joy of Cooking</i> which I left in France at the end of my junior year abroad. My backpack was already a whopping 40 kilos, and I didn't need to add the weight of a cookbook. My cookbooks range from some vintage cookbooks I bought for fun, to oddball cookbooks I bought for research interests, to standards, to some high-end cookbooks which I use less for cooking and more for recreational purposes (i.e. "Damn, that looks good. Too bad I don't have three days and $100 to make it.").<br />
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While I have yet to finish my saga of how I learned to cook, let me be clear that I am a decent home cook but have no formal training. Most of the learning I have done has been some basics from my mom, additional techniques from watching various good cooks make really good home cooked food from many countries, wayyyyyyy to much time spent reading cookbooks and food blogs and watching cooking shows, and a lot of trial and error. I think it would be fun to take some cooking classes, but I am not one of those people who has a secret desire to quit my job, go to culinary school and then open my own restaurant. First of all, I actually enjoy my career already and second I have enough self-awareness to know that I am a fat middle-aged woman who does not have enough talent, desire or stamina to enter the culinary world. All of this is to say that I have some cookbooks which I purchased before I knew how to evaluate a good cookbook from a bad one.<br />
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Falling into this category is a book by Kaye Johns called <i>A Pinch of This and a Dash of That </i>published in 1988, and probably purchased by me in 1988. This is not a widely known cookbook--a Google search turns up a few stray used copies for sale on eBay. I also just Googled Kaye Johns--apparently she and her husband have since started a Christian ministry involving making videos. From what I can tell, she is a good Christian woman from Texas who had her own radio show wherein she recounted touching stories about cooking and her family.<br />
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The cookbook contains recipes ranging from not-very-exciting-but-probably-tastes-pretty-good to very strange indeed. Now, here are the reactions from my two personalities:<br />
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Anthropologist/Folklorist: How interesting. Given what I know about popular recipes published for women from the 20s through the early 60s, I recognize the sometimes surprising use of gelatin, the use of canned and dried ingredients, and the emphasis on dishes which could be made relatively quickly. She probably learned to cook from her mom and from 4-H and home ec classes as a child and teenager. She's appealing to her primary audience, middle-class homemakers in the south and west.<br />
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Just me, the cook: Holy crap! Where on earth did she come up with some of THESE? Here's a few examples...<br />
<b>Peanut Cheese Ball</b><br />
1/3 cup chopped peanuts<br />
1/3 cup stuffed green olives<br />
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened<br />
1/2 jar (2.5-oz.) dried beef, chopped finely<br />
Thoroughly mix peanuts and olives with cream cheese; shape into a ball. Spread dried beef on a sheet of waxed paper; roll cheese ball in it, pressing slightly so it will stick. Serve with an unsalted or bland cracker.<br />
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<b>Zingy Tomato Salad</b><br />
1 small pkg. cherry gelatin (four-serving size)<br />
1 cup boiling water<br />
1 can (16-oz.) sliced tomatoes, undrained<br />
1/2 cup sour cream<br />
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water; add tomatoes and pour into a mold. Refrigerate until set. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.<br />
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<b>Open-Faced Peanut Butter Sandwich</b><br />
1 slice toast<br />
Chunky Peanut Butter<br />
Favorite jam or jelly<br />
1 slice Swiss cheese<br />
Spread toast with peanut butter, then jelly. Top with slice of Swiss cheese and broil until cheese melts.<br />
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<b>Rich Creamed Eggs</b><br />
6 eggs, hard-cooked and peeled<br />
1 can cream of mushroom soup<br />
1/3 cup mayonnaise<br />
Parsley, chopped<br />
Hard cook the eggs and peel. While they are still hot, slice them in half lengthwise and place them in a pretty dish. Mix soup and mayonnaise together and heat carefully; <i>do not boil</i>. Spoon sauce over eggs, sprinkle with parsley and stir.<br />
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I'm not sure what prompted me to hold on to this cookbook for the last 25 years. For a long time, it was kind of like watching a train wreck. Horrifying, but tough to look away. Now that I understand the historical context a bit better, I think of it as an interesting, if slightly gross, historical document. Just one of the many exciting cookbooks to be found on my bookshelf!Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-23657122618301524012012-05-12T08:48:00.001-05:002012-05-12T08:48:27.313-05:00Feeding the KidsI am currently on a short vacation with my children, ages 11 and 7. They are the exact opposite in their dietary preferences. They are both picky in their own ways. My son hates all fruits and vegetables, as far as I can tell. At dinner he must have a bite of everything on his plate, and he will comply, but with incredible facial contortions to let me know how torturous it is to actually eat a piece of asparagus or a strawberry. He likes bread and meat, but the meat can't have any visible fat and must be easy to chew. He likes crackers and mashed potatoes, but won't eat boiled or roasted potatoes. He hates cheese. He likes sweet things, but generally is very disciplined about only eating a little bit. His preferred drinks are water and plain milk.<br />
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My daughter is slightly more adventurous. She likes most fruits and quite a few vegetables. She'll eat some meat. She likes bread, but won't eat crusts. She used to eat cheese, but no longer does since she likes to copy her brother. She doesn't like sauce on her pasta, even though she'll eat raw tomatoes with no problem. Her biggest issue is that she has a ravenous sweet tooth. She won't drink milk unless it's chocolate. Given her druthers, she would eat fruit, candy and cake all day long. She loves juice and soda, so I have to strictly limit them (at least the soda). She has the frustrating habit of ordering in restaurants then deciding she doesn't like the food. She also would prefer to graze all day, rather than sit and eat a meal.<br />
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How do these food preferences happen? How can two kids be so different? I've read lots about how to feed kids so they won't be picky, but so far no luck. I have always made a point of serving fresh fruit and vegetables, and I serve a wide variety of foods. I make this kids try a bit of everything, but don't force them to eat a bunch of anything they don't like. If they don't like dinner, they may get themselves a yogurt or make a peanut butter sandwich, but I won't fix a second meal for them. Theoretically, this stuff should have resulted in two food-flexible kids, but it hasn't. Why?<br />
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Part of the answer may have to do with what they eat during the day. They both were in daycare from babyhood, and were fed institutional food there. The daycare made an effort to serve healthy foods, but it was still institutional food. They both eat school lunches. There again, federal guidelines are followed, but it's institutional food. That kind of food is easier for kids to eat, and probably affected their tastes early on. Should I have sent them with a packed lunch every day? Maybe. They don't particularly like sandwiches, to when I do pack lunches for them I'm always scratching my head about what to do for a main course. They don't have access to a microwave, so they can't heat up leftovers. Maybe I should have worked harder to find workable lunch solutions.<br />
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But maybe this is just them, and maybe it's just their ages. I was a somewhat picky eater, and my sister was extremely picky. Could it be genetic? Or is it just the nature of children to grumble about what they're presented with at home?Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743868897329219789.post-52776298255619366582012-05-09T21:21:00.000-05:002012-05-09T21:37:28.165-05:00What to Do With Strawberries, Part II<br />
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I bought another large container of strawberries on Sunday, and it occurred to me that I had better do something with them quickly. Since they arrive from California, they're probably already a week old by the time they hit the stores, and tend to spoil very quickly. My kids have learned some new expletives after seeing me sort through yet another container of half-spoiled strawberries. I wish they grew more of them here! I mused about the strawberry situation yesterday, wanting to do something a little different. Strawberry Bavarian? Nah. Strawberry Cake? Nah. Strawberry Shortcake? Nah. Should have thought of strawberry daiquiris, but that didn't occur to me until just now. Dang.</div>
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Coincidentally, tonight was daughter's Sooner Strings Beginning Orchestra concert, down at the University of Oklahoma concert hall, and I was supposed to bring something for the reception afterward. I know, cream puffs! </div>
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The beauty of cream puffs is that they are so easy to make. The batter (pate à choux) comes together quickly and isn't overly delicate or fussy. You can stuff the completed puffs with all kinds of good things. I could use the strawberries and make something kid-friendly at the same time!</div>
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There are recipes for cream puff pastry all over the place. All of them are straightforward. Here's one I used:</div>
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8 T butter (1 stick), cut into pieces</div>
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1/2 tsp salt</div>
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1 tsp sugar</div>
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1/2 cup milk</div>
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1/2 cup water</div>
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1 cup all purpose flour</div>
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4 eggs</div>
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To start with, combine butter, salt, sugar, milk and water in a saucepan, and bring just to a boil over medium heat.</div>
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When it is just at a boil and the butter has melted, add the flour all at once.</div>
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Stir and cook briefly, about a minute, until mixture comes together and begins to leave a film on the pot.</div>
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Turn off the heat, and let the batter cool for a few minutes. Now, beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. This is a stiff batter, so it will take some elbow grease--just think of it as your exercise for the day. Congratulations, the batter is done! Preheat oven to 425F. Place parchment paper on two baking sheets--this will keep the puffs from sticking to the pans. You have two choices when making the puffs, well three. First, you can do what I did and use two tablespoons to drop 24ish dollops of cream puff batter on the parchment. Second, you can use a pastry bag with a large tip to pipe 2 1/2 inch dollops onto the parchment. I rarely do this because I hate cleaning out the stupid pastry bag. Third, and I do this one sometimes, is to stuff the cream puff batter into a gallon Ziplock bag, twist the top, and cut a hole in one end and use it to pipe the batter onto the parchment. Using the spoon method, I ended up with something that looked like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHQoGw6P02g555-rh0bHuhJ3LdbJ3oHNO_hjZOW0xvIZXwPTExk2qzInrZC1aghjVdNFlAAhw5jj4gdwLt2DTsGfLhtguGq71IPRRaAJJ0SqF2Fak-Y-AyEiNXwlraKB1VuTVvNDnBSos/s1600/5912+Cream+Puff+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHQoGw6P02g555-rh0bHuhJ3LdbJ3oHNO_hjZOW0xvIZXwPTExk2qzInrZC1aghjVdNFlAAhw5jj4gdwLt2DTsGfLhtguGq71IPRRaAJJ0SqF2Fak-Y-AyEiNXwlraKB1VuTVvNDnBSos/s320/5912+Cream+Puff+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I brushed these with a simple egg wash (i.e. a beaten egg) because it makes the final cream puff darker and shinier. It's not strictly necessary though. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Turn down the heat to 400F and bake an additional 15 minutes. Since I was using two baking sheets, I had to use two different shelves in the oven. I switched the location of the baking sheets halfway through the baking so everything would cook evenly. When done, take them out of the oven and give them a poke with a knife to let the steam vent.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gdjKMm1q89e6wQxaFxV_bFk7gI141NAnRfIFhuO0ugEuSkHntA3K65Wlp5W5xizOZnUX1WNPF2hQprMyZVJm1UsUviSbJdZfYWwO8WdQDDIlSckODTyZp8tf_AeZSWUGs746YhcESCm1/s1600/5912+Cream+Puff+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gdjKMm1q89e6wQxaFxV_bFk7gI141NAnRfIFhuO0ugEuSkHntA3K65Wlp5W5xizOZnUX1WNPF2hQprMyZVJm1UsUviSbJdZfYWwO8WdQDDIlSckODTyZp8tf_AeZSWUGs746YhcESCm1/s320/5912+Cream+Puff+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Put them on a cooling rack, and let them sit for at least 30 minutes until cool. If you aren't going to use them for a day or two, store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. If you fill them too early, they tend to get all soggy (yuck). </div>
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Ok, folks, here's where I have to make a confession. Normally I would make some whipped cream, but these were going to have to sit out unrefrigerated for at least two hours, so that wasn't going to work unless you're into deflated whipped cream. Alternatively, I would make some vanilla pastry cream. Pastry cream isn't hard, but it takes time to make and it needs to be thoroughly chilled before using. I was running short on time, so I actually used instant vanilla pudding, figuring this was going to be for kids who wouldn't know the difference anyway. (I'm so ashamed...)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeuJaFNJjgxJ-NEyXIPTpI1Nd9IA266QuGRs09VYRqJBShrmrZYw8DEiIx3XrKRCAwjk85vAej3xkZK_2Xm2Y4QRlH576KIpRBPjqKydV0F6RKpAerDtzU33aR6K4tc6LrOuLVBefB_Qa/s1600/5912+Cream+Puff+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeuJaFNJjgxJ-NEyXIPTpI1Nd9IA266QuGRs09VYRqJBShrmrZYw8DEiIx3XrKRCAwjk85vAej3xkZK_2Xm2Y4QRlH576KIpRBPjqKydV0F6RKpAerDtzU33aR6K4tc6LrOuLVBefB_Qa/s320/5912+Cream+Puff+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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On the plus side, I got to use my brand new Cuisinart hand mixer given to me recently by a bunch of generous colleagues! (Thanks, guys!) Once you have your filling, cut the cream puff in half, then spoon in some filling. Add some cleaned, cut strawberries.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5J3n7EG0yit1-_hyKxlJzIhn8iq_DVvziUn16BfIb5qfKnZZ3Ur4av3eSeYCfhJGOnGTAg5GFz0OAAu6Cf5wW0SpBBqxcLd6-GK7IxwbavWLMvEKtKp2PuBaWMTAkgPJXFUBWqxUfusWX/s1600/5912+Cream+Puff+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5J3n7EG0yit1-_hyKxlJzIhn8iq_DVvziUn16BfIb5qfKnZZ3Ur4av3eSeYCfhJGOnGTAg5GFz0OAAu6Cf5wW0SpBBqxcLd6-GK7IxwbavWLMvEKtKp2PuBaWMTAkgPJXFUBWqxUfusWX/s320/5912+Cream+Puff+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Close it up, and <i>voilà</i><b style="font-style: italic;">, </b>you have a strawberry cream puff!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5zpUMLVrv5novYWQYw66TofIAef8lUV5ZAHJjXmTRU03J9KBa3AUIxKsQybsIdzuGqQcSTM4tofzDno1SzOwxxbqJbdXC5CL1q6dN6WmjRzFSbycpQymmrLAGpu1X3U8KgZj3tEIrUgo/s1600/5912+Cream+Puff+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5zpUMLVrv5novYWQYw66TofIAef8lUV5ZAHJjXmTRU03J9KBa3AUIxKsQybsIdzuGqQcSTM4tofzDno1SzOwxxbqJbdXC5CL1q6dN6WmjRzFSbycpQymmrLAGpu1X3U8KgZj3tEIrUgo/s320/5912+Cream+Puff+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now repeat 23 more times...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34ubvvTGEmusSWhgj0yw77KUoXgVdMN9TpkfFR4Q1bf_XIY5Ss5rkTp7EZSejVh0Hyh0bBXOE0vxX3I2SlPBmBVRLg_AZVl2XdWpNpWcfYOAgosrZAdkfp2BaZJW2OaepqOjY-d-vrsxa/s1600/5912+Cream+Puff+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34ubvvTGEmusSWhgj0yw77KUoXgVdMN9TpkfFR4Q1bf_XIY5Ss5rkTp7EZSejVh0Hyh0bBXOE0vxX3I2SlPBmBVRLg_AZVl2XdWpNpWcfYOAgosrZAdkfp2BaZJW2OaepqOjY-d-vrsxa/s320/5912+Cream+Puff+10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For those who are wondering, daughter's concert went great. Here's the serious photo:</div>
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And here's daughter mugging for the camera, a more normal photo where she's concerned:</div>
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Sadly, we never actually got to eat any of the cream puffs, as they were completely devoured by the time we got through the reception line. Oh well. Time to buy another container of strawberries! </div>
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<br /></div>Theresa Vaughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520867523585514524noreply@blogger.com0