Classic Tart Cherry Pie

From Epicurious and Bon Appetit (2008).  Yum.


Ingredients

Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour (you can replace 1/2 cup with rye, like I did)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 5 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling:

• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 cups whole pitted sour cherries or dark sweet cherries (about 2 pounds whole unpitted cherries)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (if using sour cherries) or 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (if using dark sweet cherries)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon (about) milk
• 1tsp. bourbon (optional)

Directions

For crust:
Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until small pea-size clumps form. Add 5 tablespoons ice water; mix lightly with fork until dough holds together when small pieces are pressed between fingertips, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together; divide into 2 pieces. Form each piece into ball, then flatten into disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes (or overnight, but let the dough come back to room temperature before rolling out).

For filling:
Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Stir in cherries, lemon juice, bourbon (if using) and vanilla; set aside while you roll out the dough. If the filling is too liquid-y, strain slightly to avoid soggy-pie syndrome later on.

Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Using large knife or pastry wheel with fluted edge, cut ten 3/4-inch-wide strips from dough round. Transfer filling to dough-lined dish, mounding slightly in center. Dot with butter. Arrange dough strips atop filling, forming lattice; trim dough strip overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold bottom crust up over ends of strips and crimp edges to seal. Brush lattice crust (not edges) with milk. Sprinkle lattice with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake pie until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, covering edges with foil collar if browning too quickly, about 1 hour longer. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely.  Enjoy!

Poptarts with Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

I got the pastry recipe from Smitten Kitchen, who in turn tweaked it from King Arthur Flour. 

The jam I improvised using ideas from Bon Appetit for a roasted rhubarb and strawberry dessert.


Ingredients

For the pastry

2 cups all-purpose flour (or you can do 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1/2 cup rye, like I did which was fabulous).
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pats
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk
1 additional large egg (to brush on pastry)


For the Strawberry Rhubarb jam

2-2 1/2 cups hulled strawberries, chopped
4-5 stalks rhubarb trimmed and sliced thinly
1/4 cup bourbon
1/2 cup sugar (I used half white, half brown sugar), or less if you prefer
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
dash of cayenne pepper (optional)


Directions

Start with the jam (since it needs time to cool).  Throw all of the ingredients into a saucepan, and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, stirring regularly as the fruits start to bubble and the sugar dissolves (to avoid burning the sugar at the bottom of the pan).  Scrape any scum off the top, and make sure to test the jam after about 15 minutes to make sure you're ok with the level of spices and flavor mixtures.  Continue to let the jam bubble away, and pull off the stove once the jam sticks to the spoon and isn't too runny.  Allow to cool to room temperature, or put the whole pot into the fridge to cool and thicken, stirring regularly so a film doesn't form across the top of the jam.

For the pastry dough, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the butter with your fingers, pastry blender or food processor until pea-sized lumps of butter are still visible, and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it. If you’ve used a food processor, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk the first egg and milk together and stir them into the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive, kneading briefly on a well-floured counter to distribute the butter.

Divide the dough in half , and shape each half into a smooth rectangle, about 3×5 inches. You can roll this out immediately or wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate up to two days (but when it's time to roll it out, make sure it's at room temperature).

To assemble the pop tarts:  Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8″ thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9″ x 12″. [You can use a 9" x 13" pan, laid on top, as guidance.] Repeat with the second piece of dough. Set trimmings aside. Cut each piece of dough into thirds – you’ll form nine 3″ x 4″ rectangles.

Beat the additional egg and brush it over the entire surface of the first dough. This will be the “inside” of the tart; the egg is to help glue the lid on. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, keeping a bare 1/2-inch perimeter around it. Place a second rectangle of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around the pocket of filling, sealing the dough well on all sides. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle. Repeat with remaining tarts.

Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will get too puffed up. Refrigerate the tarts (they don’t need to be covered) for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.

Remove tarts from the fridge and bake for 25 minutes, until golden and brown.  Allow to cool in pan, then remove and enjoy!

P.S. The leftover jam is bomb.  We munched on it with brie wedges at work and it would be lovely also on pancakes, toast, or poundcake.

Strawberry Lemon Champagne Sorbet

Got this from Eat. Drink. Love., adapted slightly for moi.

Ingredients

2-2.5 cups uber-ripe strawberries (hulled), preferrably from a farmers market
2 lemons worth of zest and juice
1/3 cup filtered water
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup champagne
Handful of mint leaves


Directions


Smash the strawberries up, along with lemon zest in a blender.  Now, you can either (later) steep the mixture with the mint leaves then strain them (and the seeds) out, or you can zazz them up along with the strawberries and lemon zest here. Up to you!

Meanwhile, bring the sugar and water to a boil, then remove from heat. Make sure to stir so the sugar doesn't burn.  This will thicken slightly and be your simple sugar syrup.  Allow to cool slightly.

Combine the strawberry mixture with the lemon juice, champagne, and simple sugar syrup. Make sure to taste the awesomeness here...do you want it more sweet? More sour?  Play with the flavors to your own palate here.

Place in a bowl and refrigerate for several hours before using your ice cream maker and following your manufacturer's instructions.

French Lemon Yogurt Cake

For Maurice Sendak.  Adapted from Bon Appetit, shared by Andrew Knowlton.  This is a quick cake, like a banana bread or zucchini bread but with lemon and yogurt!  Lovely to meet you, perfect cake.  Lovely indeed.

Ingredients

1c all purpose flour

1/2c rye flour (alternatively you can use 1.5c all-purpose flour total)

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4c sugar

1 heaping tbsp. lemon zest (finely grated)

3/4 c. Greek yogurt

1/2c vegetable oil 

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a standard loaf pan with vegetable oil spray or butter and dust with flour; tap out excess.  

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a separate bowl, rub the sugar together with the lemon zest with your fingers until the sugar is moist.  Add yogurt, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract and whisk to blend.  Fold in dry ingredients just to blend.  Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth the top.  Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes.  Let cake cool in pan for about 15 minutes, then remove to cool completely.  

Spicy Crunchy Chickpeas

Adapted from "Eat, Taste, Heal" and it's a fascinating book.  For example, I found out that my dosha is Kapha.  What's that you say?  You have no idea what that means?  Well I barely do, but you can learn more here if you're the curious type.

Ingredients
1 can chick peas (or fresh if you want to be authentic about it, but that's a different recipe)
Vegetable or sunflower oil

Spice Mixture (I make this in a large quantity, keep in a jar, then sprinkle it at will).
2 tablespoons coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon clove
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon (or more, if you'd like) chili powder or cayenne


Directions


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Open can of chickpeas, rinse, and drain, leaving them in the colander.

Mix the spices separately in a small bowl or jar, and mix (or shake in jar) well till fully incorporated.

Scoop one tablespoon of spice mixture out of bowl/jar and sprinkle the garbanzo beans. Toss to coat.  If you think you need a bit more spice, throw it on!  I also sprinkled some salt and pepper, but not too much.

Lightly oil a baking sheet, and toss the chickpeas onto the sheet, shaking the sheet to make sure the beans are distributed evenly.

Bake the garbanzo beans for about 30-40 minutes, and test for crunchy-ness.  You might want to shake the pan a few times during the baking process so they don't burn and cook evenly.  Remove the sheet when there's a uniform crunch to your snack.

Let cool and crunch away.

As a side note, the spice mixture keeps well and is great sprinkled on lentils, rice, even popcorn, and veggies.

Jamie Oliver's Meat(fish)balls

The only small change I had was to use Mahi Mahi instead of swordfish or tuna, and also added in a can of canned tuna which, I promise, did not ruin this recipe in the slightest.  This recipe is slightly adapted from Jamie Oliver's "Best Tuna Meatballs."

Ingredients

For the tomato sauce

olive oil

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 x 400g tins of good-quality plum tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
red wine vinegar
a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped

For the meat(fish)balls

1 lb. of sustainably sourced tuna, swordfish, or mahi mahi
olive oil
2 oz of rough-chopped pinenuts
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano (start with this, add more to sauce if you want later)
a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3-4 ozstale breadcrumbs
2 ozfreshly grated Parmesan
2 eggs
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 can of tuna (optional if you have less fresh fish on hand and have to mix together)

Directions

Make the tomato sauce first.  Place a large pan on medium heat, add a good amount of olive oil, onion and garlic and fry slowly for 10 or so minutes until soft. Add oregano, tomatoes, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or so, then liquidize until smooth (with either an immersion blender or...I used a potato masher. Don't judge).  Make sure to taste it – it might need a tiny splash of red wine vinegar or some extra seasoning.


While the tomatoes are simmering, chop the fish into 1 inch dice. Pour a good couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a large frying pan and place on medium-high heat. Add the fish to the pan with the pinenuts and cinnamon. Season lightly with salt and pepper and fry for a minute or so to cook the fish on all sides and toast the pinenuts. Remove from the heat and put the mixture into a bowl. Allow to cool down for 5 minutes, then add the oregano, parsley, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, lemon zest and juice to the bowl (and a can of fish if you choose to use it here). Using your hands, really scrunch and mix the flavors into the tuna, then divide the mixture and squeeze it into meatballs slightly smaller than a golf ball. If you dip one of your hands in water while shaping you’ll get a nice smooth surface on the meatball. If the mixture’s very sticky, add a few more breadcrumbs. Keep the meatballs around the same size and place them on an oiled tray, then put them in the fridge for an hour to let them rest.

Put the pan you fried the fish in back on the heat with a little olive oil. Add meatballs to the pan and jiggle them about until they’re golden brown all over. You might want to do them in batches – when they’re done, add them to the tomato sauce and cook on low for about five to ten minutes, just to warm everything up together (be careful not to burn!) then divide between your plates, sprinkle with chopped parsley and drizzle with good olive oil. Great served with spaghetti or linguine, or crusty rolls of bread to make meatball sandwiches.

Soba Noodles with Eggplant and Mango

This is from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi.  Get yourself a copy, stat.

Serves 6 (Or a handful of hungry ladies)

Ingredients

1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 fresh red chile, (or red pepper flakes or jalapeno if you can't find it)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
grated zest and juice of one lime
1 cup sunflower oil
2 eggplants, cut into 3/4 inch dice, or into 1/4 inch thick strips
2 cups basil leaves, chopped or julienned (or Thai basil, but less of it)
2 1/2 cups cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
Handful of cashews, or pepitas (pumpkin seeds) lightly toasted in a pan on the stove

Directions

In a small saucepan gently warm the vinegar, sugar, and salt for up to a minute, just until the sugar dissolves.  Remove from the heat and add the garlic, chile, and sesame oil.  Allow to cool, then add the lime zest and juice.

Heat up the sunflower oil in a large pan and shallow-fry the eggplant in three or four batches.  Once golden brown, remove to a colander, sprinkle liberally with salt, and leave there to drain.

Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally.  They should take 5 to 8 minutes to become tender (but still al dente).  Drain and rinse well under running cold water.  shake off as much excess water as possible, then leave to dry on a dish towel (or another colander).

In a mixing bowl, toss the noodles with the dressing (that was put aside in the first step), mango, eggplant, half of the herbs and the onion.  You can now leave this aside for an hour or two (or eat immediately if you're starving).  When ready to serve, add the rest of the herbs and mix well, then pile on a plate or in a bowl.  If you using the toasted cashews or pepitas, sprinkle on top, then serve.