Strawberry Coffee Cake

I got this via Joy the Baker who received the recipe from a good ol' southern cookbook, Panache at Rose Hill.  Either way, it's now in my hands.  Thank you, Universe!

The original recipe called for only one cup of strawberries.  I scoffed at that and made it two cups, with an extra tablespoon of butter in the crumble topping.  The adjusted version is below.

Ingredients

2 heaping cups sliced strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a few drops of almond extract (optional)

Topping:
4 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine strawberries, 1/3 cup sugar, water and cornstarch in a small saucepan.  Cook over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce is thickened and strawberries are soft and a little broken down.  Set aside to cool.

Grease and flour a 10×10-inch or 11x9 (what have you) baking dish, knocking out excess flour, and set aside.

To make the coffee cake:

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add vanilla extract, and almond extract if you’re using it.

Sift dry ingredients together.  Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter in 3 parts alternating with the sour cream in 2 parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Beat just until combined.

To make the streusel topping:

Combine all the topping ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly.  Set aside.

Spoon 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan.  Spread the cooled strawberry mixture over the batter. Spoon the remaining batter onto the strawberries and spread evenly.  Top with streusel topping and bake in the upper third of the oven.  Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Garden Pesto

Ok guys.  This is one of those recipes where you're going to have to trust your own taste.  Make it to your own liking, and the more leafy greens you can find and throw in, the better!

It's best if you can find a variety of greens:  kale, chard, parsley, basil, chives, garlic scapes, broccoli leaves, almost anything will work.  Just don't throw in lettuce because that would be boring and soggy.  If you do use kale or chard, strip the leaves from the tougher stems, and toss the stems (or compost, as I'm now learning!)

Ingredients

Handfuls of your favorite greens, which can include any of the above-mentioned greens
Couple cloves of garlic
Parmesan or Romano, grated
Walnuts
Olive oil
Salt


Directions

Toast the walnuts lightly in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Keep an eye on the walnuts and move them around the pan regularly to barely-toast them, and remove from heat when done.  Set aside.

Place the peeled garlic cloves in the food processor, add in the toasted walnuts, and pulse to chop.  If they're getting stuck, drizzle in a little olive oil to loosen.  Add in the greens, a handful at a time.  Drizzle in the olive oil, and add a little salt until the greens, walnuts, and garlic are full blended together, and the sauce is loose enough to spoon over veggies, pasta, or some grilled chicken.  Use your own judgement here, and add just enough oil and salt till you're satisfied and proud to show off your awesome alternative-pesto making skills to friends and family!

When using the pesto for pasta, keep a cup of pasta water around, and after the pasta drains, place the pasta in a bowl and loosen the noodles a bit with the pasta water, then toss with the pesto and shave some fresh Romano or Parmesan on top.  The pasta water is key here to help spread the pesto-loving to all noodles.  

Roasted Salsa

Inspired by the blog Homesick Texan, which I originally found via Cup of Jo. 

Try and find those legit tortilla chips at your local grocery.  You might even want to give the chips a squeeze of lime and warm them up a bit.  Ohhhhh buddy.

Ingredients

6-7 Roma tomatoes, quartered
4-5 Green onions or 1/2 regular onion, quartered
3-4 cloves garlic (leave the peels on)
1-2 Jalapenos or Serrano chiles
Handful of green pepitas
Smoked paprika, chipotle, or smoked sea salt (optional)

Small handful of cilantro (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Turn the oven on to broil.  (Alternatively you can slow-roast everything at 400 degrees F if you have an extra hour to spare. Both options work).  Line a baking dish with foil.  Place in the baking dish the quartered tomatoes, whole garlic cloves, the chilies, and the onions.  Sprinkle a little with salt.  If broiling, place the pan under the broiler and keep an eye on it...should usually take between 10-15 minutes.  After the first five minutes, check to see if the chiles have some blistered spots on them...if they do, remove them and the garlic(now peel the garlic) and place in a blender.  If not, give them a few minutes. 

Let the tomatoes broil five-ten minutes longer, and keep in mind that it's ok if the tomatoes turn a little black in parts... that adds to the smokiness of the salsa.  While the veggies are baking, throw the pepitas into a saute pan and turn the heat onto medium, giving the pan a good shake every now and then to evenly toast the seeds.  They'll start to pop around a bit (don't be scared! It's kind of fun.)  once they start to reach a golden  brown color, remove from heat. 

Once the tomatoes are done roasting, add into the blender with the chilies and garlic, along with the onions. Give the blender a whirl under under the 'chop' option if you have it, then add in the pepitas.  Add some salt and pepper, and blend until smooth.  Add in a little bit of smoked paprika, chipotle, or smoked sea salt if you have it, to your taste.  If it's too thick, add just a little bit of water to loosen the tomato mixture.  Now is the time to add in some cleaned cilantro if you wish.  Continue to blend and add spices as they suit your taste, and serve warm with chips.

Congrats!  You've just made the best salsa ever.  I knew you could do it.   

Lemon Gingersnap Icebox Pie

Adapted from Gourmet in 2003 via Epicurious  I actually substituted some all-natural lemonade into this and cut the sugar as I was plum out of real lemon juice, but I'd stick to the original.  There's so much goodness here, folks. (And it makes an awesome self-made birthday dessert!)

Ingredients

For crust:

1 1/2 cups finely crushed gingersnap cookies (6 ounces)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Handful of almond slices

For ice cream: 

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

4 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 large egg yolks

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

For the crust, whir up the gingersnaps and almonds into a food processor, then toss together with butter, using a fork until crumbs are moistened. Press evenly onto bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch glass or ceramic pie plate. Bake crust in middle of oven 7-10 minutes, then cool on a rack. The crust will harden as it cools.

For the custard ice cream, bring cream, milk, sugar, zest, and salt to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved (make sure to use a bigger pot than you think you might need...milk likes to overflow when boiling). Whisk yolks in a bowl until blended, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking, to prevent cooking the eggs. Transfer custard back to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 175 to 180°F on thermometer, 3 to 5 minutes (do not let boil).

Immediately pour through a fine-mesh sieve into cleaned bowl, then stir in lemon juice. Cool custard to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then chill at least three hours or overnight in the fridge, covered. 

When cool, freeze the custard according to your ice cream maker's manufacturing instructions.  When the consistency looks like a soft frozen yogurt, scoop the ice cream directly into the gingersnap crust in the pie plate, and freeze completely (at least two hours).  

When ready to give it a try, remove the frozen pie at least 20 minutes prior to serving. This will soften it up enough to cut into slices.  Sprinkle with any leftover gingersnap crumbs, lemon slices, or, do like I do and just dig in!

Peach Bourbon Ice Cream

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by the one and only David Lebovitz.

My only changes are to add one more peach to make it extra peachy, and a splash of bourbon and use brown sugar (and a bit less of it).   Enjoy the summer, kids!

Ingredients

1-1/3 lbs (about 4-5 large peaches) fresh peaches
3/4 cup sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tblsp. bourbon (optional)
a few drops freshly squeezed lemon juice


Directions

Peel and slice the peaches, remove the pits, and cut into large chunks.  Cook the peaches for 10 minutes in 1/2 cup of water to soften them, stirring often.  Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, and allow to cool to room temperature. 

Blend the peaches and liquid with the sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla extract, bourbon, and the lemon juice, (but try to leave some peach chunks!)

Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Freeze for several hours or overnight until desired level of firmness is achieved.  Serve alone, with pie, with pecans, with berries...or alone.  And savor this summer.

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.