FoodB

What a great weekend here in Southern California. Labor day weekend was last week and for those of you that don't live around here; it was pretty fricken hot. Temperatures for all three days were in the triple digits and our poor little window air conditioning unit just wasn't up to the task. It is pretty sad when you would rather go to a nice air conditioned office instead of having an extra day off to enjoy with family and friends.

This weekend was the complete opposite. The weather was around 80 degrees and perfect for BBQing. Luckily I had invited my parents down from the Victor Valley area to celebrate fathers day, albeit a little late.

Back in July we were planning on inviting my parents down to celebrate and we got news that my Grandfathers health was failing. He ended up passing away that week and we all agreed that we would have to postpone any such plans. Well it was about time that I paid off that rain check and what better way to celebrate at the end of summer than to BBQ.

I ended up cooking the tri-tip recipe that I wrote about a few weeks back with the typical assortment of side dishes that I enjoy (namely potatoes and corn on the cob). Before all that happened though, Jenn decided to make a batch of snickerdoodle cookies so the house would smell good and we would have some form of dessert. Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie and we found a great recipe in the big yellow baking cookbook that my mother gave us and here is that recipe:

Snickerdoodle Cookies

2 1/4 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of cream of tartar
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter softened but still cool
1/4 cup of vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 3 tablespoons for rolling dough
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of cinnamon for rolling dough

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, cream the butter, shortening and the 1 1/2 cups of sugar at medium speed until combined, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 20 seconds.
5. Mix the 3 tablespoons of sugar for rolling and the cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Working with a heaping tablespoon of dough each time, roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake until the edges of the cookies are beginning to set and the centers are soft and puffy, 9-11 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets 2 to 3 minutes before transferring them with a wide metal spatula to a wire rack.

Good stuff!!! I can't recommend that baking book enough. We have made about 6 items from it and each one has been great. Usually I am the one that does the baking for our little family, but this time Jenn stepped up and made me look like a chump in the kitchen. Guess I am going to have to defer to her now any time I go near the stove.

Posted by Gordon at 02:01 PM | Permalink

Easter!

We got the chance to cook for my family on Easter this year. Jenn came up with the idea and it was kind of a last minute thing, but everything went pretty well. Most of the stuff that we cooked, I have already listed on the site, but here is a list of we ended up making:

Alton Brown's City Ham
Green Beans with Fennel and Onion
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon
Mashed Red Potatoes with Green Onions
Glazed Carrots *
Lemon Cheesecake

* Coming soon (I hope)

The cheesecake was the only item that we made in our kitchen ahead of time. I made it the Friday before we traveled and we just kept it in a cooler on our way up. I can't say it enough, but the mixer we got for Christmas is a Godsend. The first 3 times I made cheesecake, I did it with a portable hand mixer. Doing it that way is okay but it adds about an hour to the mixing. With the stand mixer I just prep everything and add it while it is going. I finished the batter in about 7 minutes. So awesome.

Here is the recipe:

Lemon Cheesecake

Cookie-Crumb Crust
5 ounces Nabisco Barnum's Animal Crackers or Social Tea Biscuits
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and kept warm

Filling
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (8 3/4 ounces)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, (three 8-ounce packages), cut into rough 1-inch chunks and left to stand at room temperature 30 to 45 minutes
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Lemon Curd
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch table salt

1. FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. In food processor, process cookies to fine, even crumbs, about 30 seconds (you should have about 1 cup). Add sugar and pulse 2 or 3 times to incorporate. Add warm melted butter in slow, steady stream while pulsing; pulse until mixture is evenly moistened and resembles wet sand, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer mixture to 9-inch spring form pan; using bottom of ramekin or dry measuring cup, press firmly and evenly into pan bottom, keeping sides as clean as possible. Bake until fragrant and golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 30 minutes. When cool, wrap outside of pan with two 18-inch square pieces heavy-duty foil; set spring form pan in roasting pan.
2. FOR THE FILLING: While crust is cooling, process 1/4 cup sugar and lemon zest in food processor until sugar is yellow and zest is broken down, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl if necessary. Transfer lemon sugar to small bowl; stir in remaining 1 cup sugar.
3. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on low to break up and soften slightly, about 5 seconds. With machine running, add sugar mixture in slow steady stream; increase speed to medium and continue to beat until mixture is creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Reduce speed to medium-low and add eggs 2 at a time; beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping sides and bottom of bowl well after each addition. Add lemon juice, vanilla, and salt and mix until just incorporated, about 5 seconds; add heavy cream and mix until just incorporated, about 5 seconds longer. Give batter final scrape, stir with rubber spatula, and pour into prepared spring form pan; fill roasting pan with enough hot tap water to come halfway up sides of spring form pan. Bake until center jiggles slightly, sides just start to puff, surface is no longer shiny, and instant-read thermometer inserted in center of cake registers 150 degrees, 55 to 60 minutes. Turn off oven and prop open oven door with potholder or wooden spoon handle; allow cake to cool in water bath in oven for 1 hour. Transfer spring form pan without foil to wire rack; run small paring knife around inside edge of pan to loosen sides of cake and cool cake to room temperature, about 2 hours.
4. FOR THE LEMON CURD: While cheesecake bakes, heat lemon juice in small non-reactive saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Whisk eggs and yolk in medium non-reactive bowl; gradually whisk in sugar. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot lemon juice into eggs, then return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until mixture registers 170 degrees on instant-read thermometer and is thick enough to cling to spoon, about 3 minutes. Immediately remove pan from heat and stir in cold butter until incorporated; stir in cream, vanilla, and salt, then pour curd through fine-mesh strainer into small non-reactive bowl. Cover surface of curd directly with plastic wrap; refrigerate until needed.
5. TO FINISH THE CAKE: When cheesecake is cool, scrape lemon curd onto cheesecake still in spring form pan; using offset icing spatula, spread curd evenly over top of cheesecake. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. To serve, remove sides of spring form pan and cut cake into wedges.

Everyone seemed to like the cheesecake and finished all of their pieces (the true test if they really like it). This is the second time that I made this particular cheesecake and the lemon seemed more intense this time around. It wasn't a bad thing to say but it was just a shock when the sourness hit. I used lemons from a different tree this time around (Jennifer's mom tree instead of our own) and I think that was the reason. Our tree is a Meyer lemon tree which is a more subtle flavor. So if you do use this recipe, choose your fruit based on what kind of flavor you want.

As for the meal, Jenn did an awesome job. We worked together and I have to say that we made a pretty good team. We usually cook together at home just not on this scale. Everyone liked the meal and my father actually ate the green beans with fennel. He is a pretty picky eater and we just didn't tell him what was in it. All in all it was a great Easter meal.

Posted by Gordon at 11:06 AM | Permalink

Guess who got lazy with his website? If you guessed me, I'm really hurt! Even though it's true you didn't have to think of me first.

All kidding aside, I mentioned in the last few posts how I was getting busier at work and going to school at nights. Well this schedule has really destroyed my desire to post to this here site. That being said, I'm going to try harder from now on.

So what has happened in the last month at the Flannery household, at least cooking wise: Not much. We have been revisiting a lot of the recipes that we posted previously on the site so it is kind of hard to do a new write up on them. I have personally been cooking more of the meals also. I'm not as good as Jenn is but I can make a meal edible. Also we really enjoy the new Food Network program Dinner Impossible. If you haven't watched it yet, give it a chance. The chef on the show is given a situation where he has to prepare a meal in set amount of time. Seems pretty boring but Jenn and I find it interesting how he pulls it off each week. Sometimes he is just cooking for 10 people and sometime he is cooking for 4000 (like he did in the last episode). Another bonus of the show is that they post almost all of the recipes that he uses online. That in itself is pretty impressive because he usually does about 14 recipes in each episode. We have tried a few of them and will post the results in a later posting.

On Sunday of this week I decided to finally make a dough based recipe in our mixer that we got for Christmas. For a long time as well I have wanted to do a yeast based bread of some kind. Yeast is something that has scared/fascinated me because you are basically cooking with a life form. So I thought it would be best if I went with a basic wheat bread mix and here is the recipe.

Whole Wheat American Loaf Bread

2 1/6 cups bread flour, plus extra for work surface
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. table salt
1 cup milk, warm (110 degrees)
1/3 cup water, warm (110 degrees)
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
3 Tbs. honey
1 package rapid-rise yeast

1. Adjust oven rack to low position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Once oven temperature reaches 200 degrees, maintain heat 10 minutes, then turn off oven heat.
2. Mix flours and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Mix milk, water, butter, honey, and yeast in 1-quart Pyrex liquid measuring cup. Turn machine to low and slowly add liquid. When dough comes together, increase speed to medium (setting number 4 on a KitchenAid mixer) and mix until dough is smooth and satiny, stopping machine two or three times to scrape dough from hook if necessary, about 10 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead to form smooth, round ball, about 15 seconds.
3. Place dough in very lightly oiled bowl, rubbing dough around bowl to lightly coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 40 to 50 minutes.
4. Form dough into loaf by gently pressing the dough into a rectangle, one inch thick and no wider than the length of the loaf pan. Next, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn the dough seam side up and pinch it closed. Place dough in the pan and press it gently so it touches all four sides of the pan. Finally, place dough in greased 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan.
5. Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in warm spot until dough almost doubles in size, 40 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees, placing empty loaf pan on bottom rack. Bring 2 cups water to boil.
6. Remove plastic wrap from loaf pan. Place pan in oven, immediately pouring heated water into empty loaf pan; close oven door. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted at angle from short end just above pan rim into center of loaf reads 195 degrees, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove bread from pan, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature. Slice and serve.

The bread is really good. I really like the taste of the bread and it didn't taste as bland as the stuff we find in the store. It is a lot denser compared to that store bought bread as well.

It was so fascinating seeing the dough rise and I really enjoyed each step of the process. I'm not really afraid of working with yeast anymore because it seemed pretty easy once I followed the directions. I'm hoping I can make a loaf each week just so we don't ever have to buy from the store again.

Posted by Gordon at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Tonight I am in baking mode. I have to cook 2 pies and 2 different kinds of cookies. Should be exhausting and exciting at the same time. I have never made a pie but I doubt it could be harder than the first cheesecake I made (that was a 4 hour marathon). As for the cookies, I am usually really good with those. I am one of those annoying attention to details people so baking is right up my alley and cookies tend to be on the easy side of baking.

Of course all this boasting will probably end up blowing up in my face and I will end up at Albertsons and Marie Calendar's tonight.

Here's a list of the recipes I will be making tonight:

Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
Sugar Cookies with Lime Essence
The Best Pumpkin Pie
Perfect Pecan Pie

Posted by Gordon at 11:28 AM | Permalink

2 Recipes for the price of one!

I was watching Everyday Food on PBS and they actually had recipes that made me curious. The show is okay but the recipes they make seem to be a little on the boring side. It is targeted for people that have only a little time to cook and generally they go pretty simple on the ingredients, so I tend to not try there recipes very often (what I really mean is to have Jenn make up the stuff I saw). This weeks episode actually had 2 recipes that interested me.

The first was for empanadas. I have never had South American food and I know that empanadas are pretty popular in Argentinean food. I have really been curious about Argentinean food lately ever since I saw that we have a restaurant fairly close to us that specializes in it. So instead of spending money on a restaurant that is new I decided to go ahead and try and make them myself. Here is the recipe they gave:

Empanadas

Filling:
2 pounds ground pork or beef
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 jalapeño chiles, minced (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Dough:
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup cold water
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water (do not beat until ready to bake)

1. Make the filling: In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, cook meat until no longer pink, breaking it up into small pieces, 5 to 7 minutes.


2. Add onion and jalapeños; cook until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder and tomatoes. Cook over medium until mixture has thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in cilantro. Let cool.


3. Make the dough: In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Using your fingers, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add just enough cold water so dough comes together.


4. Form empanadas. If desired, freeze on a baking sheet until firm, 2 hours. Wrap tightly in plastic; freeze in plastic bags.


5. To bake fresh or frozen empanadas, preheat oven to 400°. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush tops with egg wash, avoiding crimped edges. Bake until golden brown, rotating sheets halfway through, 30 to 40 minutes.

The results were OK as far as I am concerned. The dough was great and Jenn and I got to discussing what else we could put in the dough. the filling on the other hand was kind of bland. The only time I usually get ground pork is in our meatloaf mix, and even then it is mixed with 2 other meats, so I don't know if that was the problem. Next time we are going to try putting some Italian items such as pancetta and mozzarella and make our own version of a hot pocket.

<rant>Speaking of which, shouldn't hot pockets be good. I enjoy all of the things that they put in them but every time I ever tried one, they were pretty nasty.</rant>

The other thing that they made were little puff pastry cookies. We had some pastry left over from a tart I tried to make that didn't work out so well and we always have plenty of jam lying around so this was pretty easy.

Puff Pastry Cookies (I think they are a version of a Napoleon)

1 Sheet of puff pastry, thawed
Fruit Jam of your choosing
4 Tbsp Sugar

1. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry dough. Cut 5 equal strips along the longer end (about 2 inches per strip).
2. Spread a light amount of the jam on 4 of the strips. If you add too much jam the pieces will not stick together well.
3. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of sugar on the jam.
4. Stack the 4 strips on top of each other. Add the uncovered strip to the top and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to set. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
5. Remove from the freezer and slice the pastry about 1/4 per slice. Place on a cookie sheet with about 1/2-inch space between pastries.
6. Sprinkle the remaining 2 Tablespoons of sugar on each piece.
7. Place in oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. The tops should be golden brown. Let cool and serve.

Note: I couldn't find the recipe online so I had to write it myself. Sorry if it doesn't make much sense because writing recipes appears not to be my forte.

This one was a big hit for both of us. Jenn almost attacked me last night because she was out of these. I used apricot jam which was very tasty as a filling. We have a lot of jam left from our Oregon days so I think I can make this one for the rest of the month. This one might even make it to our holiday celebrations. Good stuff!

Posted by Gordon at 03:10 PM | Permalink

So much to talk about.

This weekend we attended a Halloween party at my sister-in-law's house. Jenn was tasked to make some chicken wings (which will be posted later) and I took it upon myself to make a dessert. With the holidays coming up I have been wanting to make a pumpkin cheesecake for either Thanksgiving or Christmas but wanted to make sure the recipe was good first. Having 1 cheesecake and two people isn't a good thing either so this party was the perfect chance to experiment. I had made a lemon cheesecake for an Easter party we went to earlier in the year so I wasn't new to the process but it was a new recipe and those can be scary if done wrong.

The recipe I used is from a book my mom gave me: Baking Illustrated, which I can't recommend enough if you have even the smallest interest in baking. The cover price is $35 but this is the King Kong of baking books. It has just about every recipe that you can think of and great write ups about baking issues and various equipment you may need. I have made three things now out of this book and they have all gone over very well.

If you have a Kitchenaide mixer you are very lucky! The two cheesecakes I have made have been done with a hand mixer, which you can use to make this recipe, it's just not advised. Also you will need a springform pan which is a fun little tool that I got last Christmas. Enough talk, here is the recipe:

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust

5 ounces graham crackers (9 whole crackers), broken into large pieces
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

Filling

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar (10 1/3 ounces)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese , cut into 1-inch chunks and left to soften at room temperature, about 30 minutes
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
5 large eggs , left at room temperature, about 30 minutes
1 cup heavy cream

1. For The Crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan evenly with nonstick cooking spray. Pulse crackers, sugar, and spices in food processor until evenly and finely ground, about fifteen 2-second pulses. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl, drizzle melted butter over, and mix with rubber spatula until evenly moistened. Turn crumbs into prepared springform pan and, using hand, spread crumbs into even layer. Using flat-bottomed ramekin or drinking glass, press crumbs evenly into pan bottom, then use a soup spoon to press and smooth crumbs into edges of pan. Bake until fragrant and browned about the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling.


2. For the Filling: Bring about 4 quarts water to simmer in stockpot. Whisk sugar, spices, and salt in small bowl; set aside. To dry pumpkin line a baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels. Spread pumpkin on paper towels in roughly even layer. Cover pumpkin with second triple layer of paper towels and press firmly until paper towels are saturated. Peel back top layer of towels and discard. Grasp bottom towels and fold pumpkin in half; peel back towels. Repeat and flip pumpkin onto baking sheet; discard towel.


3. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat cream cheese at medium speed to break up and soften slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula. Add about one third of sugar mixture and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute; scrape bowl and add remaining sugar in two additions, scraping bowl after each addition. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat at medium speed until combined, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl. Add 3 eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 1 minute; scrape bowl. Add remaining 2 eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl. Add heavy cream and beat at low speed until combined, about 45 seconds. Using rubber spatula, scrape bottom and sides of bowl and give final stir by hand.


4. Set springform pan with cooled crust on 18-inch-square doubled layer heavy-duty foil and wrap bottom and sides with foil; set wrapped springform pan in roasting pan. Pour filling into springform pan and smooth surface; set roasting pan in oven and pour enough boiling water to come about halfway up side of springform pan. Bake until center of cake is slightly wobbly when pan is shaken, and center of cake registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 1 1/2 hours (see note). Set roasting pan on wire rack and use paring knife to loosen cake from sides of pan. Cool until water is just warm, about 45 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath, discard foil, and set on wire rack; continue to cool until barely warm, about 3 hours. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.


5. TO SERVE: Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving platter. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

Note: It sets up a lot better if you refriderate it for two days.

Not to toot my own horn, but I thought this was one kick ass cheesecake. I have had a lot of cheesecakes in restaurants and to me they feel like they are all made by robots. Just the perfect amount of everything and the exact amount of refrigeration, so it's nice for me to see a crust that’s not perfectly flat or the top of the cheesecake is a little bubbled. It must have been good too because my diabetic mother-in-law had two slices even though I told her how much sugar was in it.

Posted by Gordon at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

A new season of Good Eats has started and Alton's first show was all about Peaches. Since they are in season I watched eagerly hoping for something that we could make. The recipe that caught my interest was for the Peach Upside-Down Cake and I got around to making it Friday night. Here is the recipe.

Individual Peach Upside-Down Cake

3 Tbsp Butter, divided
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 Medium Peaches, peeled
1 oz. Crystallized Ginger, finely chopped
2.5 oz. All-Purpose Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/8 Tsp Baking Soda
1/8 Tsp Kosher Salt
1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Whipped Cream or Ice Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Divide 2 tablespoons of the butter between 4 (6-ounce) ramekins. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside. Evenly divide the brown sugar between the ramekins; sprinkling it into the bottoms of the dishes. Cut each peach into 12 to 14 pieces. Lay the peaches on top of the sugar; evenly dividing them between the dishes and sprinkle with the ginger. Set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir just until combine. Pour the batter over the peaches; dividing the mixture evenly between the dishes. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
4. Remove from the oven to a rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each dish and turn upside down onto a serving plate. Repeat with each cake. Serve immediately with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Man was this good stuff. Jenn commented that I put too much ginger in but I didn't mind because I love ginger. It was really easy to make and with some good ice cream makes a very easy dessert to make. It was the perfect size for a dessert as well.

Jenn and I also came to the conclusion that I am a much better baker than I am a cook. Cooking requires too much abstract thought and I am a linear thinker. So there is going to be a lot more baking topics on this site in the future.

Posted by Gordon at 10:15 AM | Permalink

About three weeks ago I bought some berries in the store because tis the season, and when I got home had to figure out what to do with them. Being as that I haven't baked anything in awhile I decided to try and make a fruit tart. Shere is the recipe that I got from one of our cookbooks:

Free Form Summer Fruit Tart

Dough
2 Tbsp Sour Cream
2 Tbsp Ice Water
1 Cup All-purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Cornmeal
2 Tsp Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
7 Tbsp Butter, cut into 1/2 pieces

Filling
3 Cups Mixed Berries or Pitted Stone Fruit cut into 1/4 inch slices
2-3 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 Tbsp Water

1. For the Dough: Stir the sour cream and water together and refrigerate until needed. Process the flour, cornmeal, sugar and sale in a food processor until combined. Scatter half of the butter pieces over the top and process until the butter is the size of small peas (about 4 pulses). Scatter remaining butter over the flour mixture and continue to pulse until most of the butter is incorporated yet some pea sized bits remain. Add the sour cream mixture and continue to pulse until the dough comes together around the blade. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll the dough between two large sheets of parchment paper into a 13-inch round. Place the parchment papers onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
3. For the filling: Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and pile the fruit in the center of the dough leaving 2-3 inches from the edge. Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar over the fruit and dot with the butter.
4. Fold the edges of the dough over the fruit. Brush the top of the tart with water and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.
5. Bake until the crust is golden brown and crisp and the fruit is bubbling, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool for 10 minutes.

The outcome was okay and if I make it again I will use some sweeter fruit. The berries I used were raspberries, blackberries and blueberries which are all pretty tart and there needed to be a little more balance. Also I rolled the crust to thin so I had difficulty folding some of the edges and the bottom ended up melting away once it was cooked.

Posted by Gordon at 06:24 PM | Permalink