Monday, May 3, 2010
Morels
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Lattice-Topped Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Lattice-Topped Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
For crust
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon mace
6 ounces (1 1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
6 ounces (1 1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup cold lard, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup cold vodka or alcohol of choice
1/4 cup cold water
3 tbsp sour cream
1/4 cup cold vodka or alcohol of choice
1/4 cup cold water
3 tbsp sour cream
For filling
3 1/2 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices trimmed rhubarb (1 1/2 pounds untrimmed)
1 16-ounce container strawberries, hulled, halved (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp tapioca powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp milk & sugar (for glaze)
Make crust:
Combine flour, sugar and salt in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in shortening and butter until coarse meal forms. Blend in enough ice water 2 tablespoons at a time to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; cut in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap separately in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling.)
Combine flour, sugar and salt in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in shortening and butter until coarse meal forms. Blend in enough ice water 2 tablespoons at a time to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; cut in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap separately in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling.)
Make filling:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Toss gently to blend. Sprinkle the butter bits on top of the filling.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Toss gently to blend. Sprinkle the butter bits on top of the filling.
Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim excess dough, leaving 3/4-inch overhang.
Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Cut into fourteen 1/2-inch-wide strips. Spoon filling into crust. Arrange 7 dough strips atop filling, spacing evenly. Form lattice by placing remaining dough strips in opposite direction atop filling. Trim ends of dough strips even with overhang of bottom crust. Fold strip ends and overhang under, pressing to seal. Crimp edges decoratively.
Brush glaze over crust. transfer pie to baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake pie until golden and filling thickens, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Lemon Goat Cheese Tart
Lemon Goat Cheese Tart
Tart Crust
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
Lemon Curd
• 6 large eggs yolks
•1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Goat Cheese Filling
• 4 ounces (1/2 cup) fresh goat cheese
• 1/2 cup crème fraiche
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
Burnt Sugar
¼ cup sugar
Tart Crust
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Combine the flour, powdered sugar, and butter in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until a soft ball begins to form on the blade. Be careful not to over mix. Remove dough and press into the bottom and up the sides of an 11 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove, set aside, and let cool.
Filling
Mix goat cheese, crème fraîche, sugar, egg, and flour together in a small bowl. Pour this mixture into the cooled tart crust. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until just set. Set aside and let cool.
Lemon Curd
Combine egg yolks, lemon juice, and sugar in the top of a double boiler. Place the top pan of the double-boiler over simmering water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken and wisps of steam will start to rise from the mixture. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Pour over the baked tart when cooled.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Combine the flour, powdered sugar, and butter in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until a soft ball begins to form on the blade. Be careful not to over mix. Remove dough and press into the bottom and up the sides of an 11 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove, set aside, and let cool.
Filling
Mix goat cheese, crème fraîche, sugar, egg, and flour together in a small bowl. Pour this mixture into the cooled tart crust. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until just set. Set aside and let cool.
Lemon Curd
Combine egg yolks, lemon juice, and sugar in the top of a double boiler. Place the top pan of the double-boiler over simmering water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken and wisps of steam will start to rise from the mixture. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Pour over the baked tart when cooled.
Burnt Sugar
Fifteen minutes or so before serving, sprinkle the granulated sugar evenly over the top of the lemon curd layer. Using a culinary torch or a hot broiler, melt the sugar. Chill for a fifteen minutes before cutting into slices.
Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. To serve, slice into wedges. Serves 8.
Fifteen minutes or so before serving, sprinkle the granulated sugar evenly over the top of the lemon curd layer. Using a culinary torch or a hot broiler, melt the sugar. Chill for a fifteen minutes before cutting into slices.
Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. To serve, slice into wedges. Serves 8.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Chicken Fat Pie Crust
Chicken Fat Pie Crust
Save chicken fat and substitute it for the butter the flavour intensifies if you do as such.
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp mace
10 ounces frozen chicken fat
1/3 cup ice cold chicken stock
Place the flour, salt and mace into a food processor ( pick one up at the resale store) whir for about five seconds to mix.
Cut the chicken fat into little cubes. Add to the processor and whir about eight seconds. Add chicken stock, whir about five seconds.
Dump ingredients into a bowl and gather together to form a ball.
Cut the dough in half, placing each into plastic wrap and flatten. Let rest in the fridge minimum one hour.
Roll dough out between two pieces of waxed paper dusted with flour. When rolled out into disks place in fridge for a half hour.
Place one disk at the base of a deep 10' pie pan, preferably ceramic or glass, pour in your chicken mixture top and seal with remaining disk perforates with a fork and cut open steam vents. Brush with milk.
Place pie in fridge for one hour.
Set rack on lowest level, preheat oven to 425 F, and bake for twenty minutes lower to 350 F for the last thirty minutes or until done.
Take out of oven, let rest then devour.
Save chicken fat and substitute it for the butter the flavour intensifies if you do as such.
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp mace
10 ounces frozen chicken fat
1/3 cup ice cold chicken stock
Place the flour, salt and mace into a food processor ( pick one up at the resale store) whir for about five seconds to mix.
Cut the chicken fat into little cubes. Add to the processor and whir about eight seconds. Add chicken stock, whir about five seconds.
Dump ingredients into a bowl and gather together to form a ball.
Cut the dough in half, placing each into plastic wrap and flatten. Let rest in the fridge minimum one hour.
Roll dough out between two pieces of waxed paper dusted with flour. When rolled out into disks place in fridge for a half hour.
Place one disk at the base of a deep 10' pie pan, preferably ceramic or glass, pour in your chicken mixture top and seal with remaining disk perforates with a fork and cut open steam vents. Brush with milk.
Place pie in fridge for one hour.
Set rack on lowest level, preheat oven to 425 F, and bake for twenty minutes lower to 350 F for the last thirty minutes or until done.
Take out of oven, let rest then devour.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Smelts
Smelts once brought out generations of families to Point Pelee during their run, caught by the garbage pail full while sipping on my mother's tea. The Americans always came with beer that the park ranger immediately confiscated then disposed of right in front of the poor fellows, even if it was American beer it was still beer. My mother poured the poor gents tea as to ease their pain and to warm their insides, offering such varieties cherry whisky or brandy, apricot brandy, sloe gin, brandy, rye and rum in exchange for smelts. The park ranger always received the plain tea when they came snooping by, we youngsters got cherry brandy - evil (hic) mom.
All loved these tasty little morsels; floured, fried, spritzed with a squeeze of lemon juice accompanied with a squirt of ketchup to dip, children never enjoyed fish so much. The whole of Essex County
September 2009 I attended a Culinary Guild meeting that had a spokesman from the area's largest fishery, smelts are the only fish not regulated. This is bad, very bad as the smelts are over fished and sold to Asian countries leaving only fingerlings for the locals.
Today as the good son, I took my mother shopping where I spied a package of frozen whole smelts, teased my mother about the smelts as minnows. She told me to buy them for dinner as it has been years since we enjoyed smelts. When we got to her house the joke was on me, they were not dressed, so I cleaned the tiny fish for an hour with a finished product that very much left to be desired. I called my brother for a smelt dinner, he was so anxious he salivated as it was years too since he last ate smelts.
The meal was strange but a bit fun as I informed my mother and brother that the menu was "smelt skins”, that was all that was left. We choked down the smelt skins to our dismay reminiscing about the great smelt runs of past with the spurting sound of the ketchup squeeze bottle burping out the red stuff.
My brother informed us that he buys his smelts that are a good size from the Asian Market, as the smelts were caught and processed here, shipped to Asia then shipped back here for us to enjoy.
Stupid!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Bacon Fat Spice Cookies
Bacon Fat Spice Cookies
Makes 20 to 24 cookies (made 22 for me)
Flour - 1 ¼ cups
Sugar – ¼ cup plus 1 Tablespoon
Brown Sugar - ¼ cup
Sea Salt – 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon (ground) – ¾ teaspoon
Ginger (ground) – ¾ teaspoon
Cloves (ground) – ¾ teaspoon
Bacon Fat – ½ cup
Molasses – 2 Tablespoons
Egg – 1
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 Large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, the salt, and the spices in a food processor and pulse to mix. Add the bacon fat, molasses, and egg and pulse until the mixture forms soft dough.
3. Take level tablespoons of the dough and roll them into balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches / 5 cm apart. Using a fork, flatten the balls slightly, and sprinkle with the tablespoon of sugar.
4. Bake the cookies until they are beginning to brown around the edges, 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheets and then transfer to a wire rack.
Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, the salt, and the spices in a food processor and pulse to mix. Add the bacon fat, molasses, and egg and pulse until the mixture forms soft dough.
3. Take level tablespoons of the dough and roll them into balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches / 5 cm apart. Using a fork, flatten the balls slightly, and sprinkle with the tablespoon of sugar.
4. Bake the cookies until they are beginning to brown around the edges, 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheets and then transfer to a wire rack.
Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
Monday, March 1, 2010
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