so busy and brioche

My summer recently went from lazy to ridiculously busy.  I went from attending one class a week to having that class, a research assistant position, and an internship.  As a result, I haven’t posted anything, but I have accomplished a few things. 

I baked brioche which was next on my list for the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge. I made the “middle class” brioche recipe (only two sticks of butter) and it turned out great.  A warning to anyone out there making brioche – your dough MUST be cold.  The butter in the dough heats up quickly making it difficult to handle.  If you are making Brioche à Tête (pictured below – a head or ball sitting on a larger base), work quickly and make sure the dent you make (as a resting place for the smaller ball of dough) is deeper than a shallow dent – as the dough warms the small ball can slide off-center – as seen on a few of my little guys below.  I picked up the silicone fluted molds at my local World Market, but could not find them online.  In conclusion, they were mildly difficult to handle as the dough warmed, BUT they were a big hit with the fam.  Give it a shot!

My first tomatoes and beans also made an appearance this past week.  So tasty, but I forgot to take some pictures…  Also, the garden is growing out of control.  Cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos are all ripening.  I can’t wait. 

Lastly, if you haven’t checked out Sportsglutton’s NFL recipe series, you should.  Just know that if you eat all of these recipes back-to-back over a 3 week time period, you will gain about 7 pounds.  You have been warned.

peach upside down pancake

This isn’t quite a pancake , nor is it a cake. It is fluffy, lightly sweet, and perfect for fruit.  It is a completely flexible and forgiving recipe.

I used a peach, but any fruit will do (apples, nectarines, plums, berries, bananas, etc).   The flavoring can be changed up too.  Sub in vanilla sugar in place of both the sugar and vanilla.  Try cinnamon or almond extract or even a splash of oj instead of lemon juice.

I drizzled a little honey on before serving, but you could serve it plain, dusted with powder sugar, topped with maple syrup, or anything else you like.  Serve it for dessert with a scoop of ice cream and/or fresh whip cream.

This recipe is for one, but can easily be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled – just make sure to increase the size of your pan as well.  Also, make sure your pan is oven safe.  I have a mini cast iron skillet that I used – perfect for a single serving.

Peach Upside down Pancake

• 1 peach (or any other piece of fruit)
• 1 tsp butter
• 2 drizzles of honey (1 for the fruit while it is cooking if it is not ripe and 1 for a topping before serving) – both optional
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp non-fat yogurt (greek or regular is fine)
• 2 tbsp flour
• dash of baking powder (I actually have a measuring spoon that says this – it is less than an 1/8 of a tsp)
• tiny pinch of salt
• spritz of lemon juice
• dash of vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Chop the peach and melt the butter in a very small skillet over medium low heat.

When the butter is melted add the peaches and a little honey if your fruit is not completely ripe.  Stir to prevent burning and cook until just starting to soften.

While the peach is cooking, whisk together the batter. Whisk the egg in a small bowl.  Add the sugar and yogurt and whisk until smooth.

Next add the flour, baking powder, salt, and flavorings (vanilla and lemon juice) and whisk until smooth.

When the peaches have softened slightly, pour the batter over top and move the pan to the oven.

Bake for a bout 10 minutes until the batter is puffed and a bit firm to the touch.

Turn the pancake out onto a plate so that the peaches are on the top.  Tope with honey and serve.

garden update part deux

In mid June I gave an update of my somewhat lackluster garden, so I thought it was about time I posted another update. 

I am happy to say that my plants are finally coming into their own and I will have tomatoes, among a few other veggies, after all.

I transplanted all of my tomatoes out of the bed along the fence.  They all survived the move with flying colors.  Instead of moving them to a new bed or spending over $20 on new pots, I decided to use a hanging sweater organizer for closets ($13 at Target).  I cut out every other separator to form three even sections.  I lined the sides with some recycled cardboard to help keep their shape and then filled with potting soil.  The organizer is made of canvas – this provides ample drainage and a weed barrier. 

There is even some fruit on the vines!

My tomatillo plant is still growing out of control.  Lots of flowers, but no fruit yet.  Should I be concerned?

I probably should have done a little research on them before sticking them in a pot with my herbs.  I think they are cramping some of my herbs style – I think it is time to do a little more staking/support to reign them back in a little.

This cucumber plant was very sad looking and slow growing in June… not so much now.  If it sprouts a few flowers perhaps it will set some fruit… before Halloween and the first snow.

These are our ridiculously fast growing purple potato plants.  So excited!

Crazy mint… Can you say mojito?

The kohlrabi is still kickin’.

My Contender bean plant is starting to flower and so are my borage plants.  Haven’t tried to eat the borage yet, but I’m excited to try it.  Any recipe suggestions?

The bane of my existence - freakin’ morning glory vine.

I also have a few pepper plants which seem to be holding up (no flowers yet) and eggplants that seem meh…  And that is where the garden stands as of this morning.

renegade pie maker

I love to cook. I like to bake. I’m pretty good at both. Pie crusts on the other hand are my downfall.  My mom always made (and still makes) fantastic pies – maybe this is why I always seem to fail when it comes to the crust.  They aren’t as flaky, no matter how cold the ingredients are.  The sides fall down. I could go on and on with my low pie moments. 

So against all things homemade, I broke down and finally used a store-bought, refrigerated pie crust.  No fail this time!

Besides the store-bought pie crust, I tend to free-form my fillings – very unlike my mom’s pies which followed a recipe to the T most times.  Hence the term renegade – I feel like a rebel when I throw caution to the wind and flip the bird to traditional recipes. How do I accomplish these rebellious acts you might ask?  I use brown sugar (most fruit pies use white sugar), rarely ever use the same fruit combos or amounts twice, and switch up my flavorings (though I went standard with vanilla this time).  I’m really living on the edge here, in my head perhaps.  Sorry for projecting.  The pie is delicious though.

You can change-up the type of fruit depending on what you like or what you need to use up.   You just need enough fruit to fill up the pie dish.  If you are more skilled than I, definitely make your own pie crust. Store-bought crust is good, but I must admit homemade still tastes better (unless I’m the one making it).

Mixed Berry Pie

• 13 oz to 1 lb strawberries sliced
• 1/2 lb to 12 oz blueberries picked over to remove stems
• 1 plum peeled and cubed
• 1/2 c brown sugar, plus extra for dusting the crust
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract, lemon or orange juice/zest, almond extract, cinnamon, liqueurs, etc
• 1 package (2 crusts – one for the top and one for the bottom) refrigerated pie crust at room temperature
• 1 tbsp butter, sliced into thin pats
• 3 tbsp milk

Preheat over to 400f.

Toss all the ingredients, except for the crust, butter, and milk in a bowl.  Mix so that the sugar and cornstarch are mixed with the fruit juices and vanilla.  Set aside.

Unroll one pie crust and line a pie plate with the crust. Make sure it is down into the corner edge at the bottom of the plate.   Trim excess from the edges if you are feeling frisky (leaving enough for crimping), or leave it if you lazy like me.

Dump you fruit mixture into the pie plate.  Dot with the pats of butter.

Unroll the second crust and lay across the top of the pie.  If you are feeling frisky again, trim off any excess crust from the edges or leave it as is.

Crimp your edges to seal your pie.  Make them look pretty, or if you are like me again, make half the crimps ugly and hit your pretty crimping stride when you have already massacred half the crust.  You just want to make sure the pie crusts’ edges are sealed together.

Make some slits in the top of the pie to let out steam.  Brush the top of the pie with the milk and sprinkle with extra brown sugar.

Pop it in the over for 10 minutes at 400.  You can place a baking sheet lined with tin foil under the pie plate to catch any filling that bubbles over.  I was a rebel (with an oven already in need of a cleaning) and didn’t put any protection down under the pie.

When the crust begins to brown a bit, it is time to turn the oven temperature down to 350/375f.  At this point you want to wrap the edge of your crust in tin foil  (make a narrow collar type contraption) to prevent it from burning.

Cook for another 20-40 minutes depending on your oven and fruit.  The pie is done when the filling in bubbling and the crust is golden brown.  If the filling doesn’t bubble up then it will not thicken and you will have a runny, corn starchy filling – yuck.

Let the pie cool a bit before serving.  This allows time for the filling to set.  Slice and serve with a scoop of ice cream or some fresh whipped cream.

Crafty Harissa

Do you like spicy?  I mean really spicy.  We do! 

This is my version of Harissa which is a North African pepper paste condiment.  A layer of oil on top of the paste preserves it in the fridge for a few months (in my experience).  You will have to add oil to the top almost every time you use it.

This paste is very versatile: add to rice or noodles, spice up soup, make your own sausage flavor, be daring and dip bread into it, serve it on the side of main dishes, add it to marinades, use it alone as a marinade, add to salsa and other sauces, serve with eggs,  spread it on a grilled cheese sandwich, pretty much just add it to anything you want to heat up!

Warnings:

This is very spicy – a little goes a long way.

Wear gloves or wash your hands often and thoroughly when preparing the chilis.  Do not wipe your face or any sensitive skin areas with a hand that has touched the chilis. 

Crafty Harissa

• 1 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 1/2 tbsp caraway seeds
• 1/2 bunch cilantro – stems and leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh mint – stems removed, leaves only
• 1/2 lb fresh Bird’s Eye chili peppers
• 1 head garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp salt (sea or kosher)
• 1/2 – 1+ c olive oil

Toast the cumin, coriander, and caraway seeds in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant and starting to brown – do not burn.

Peel the garlic cloves and remove the stems from the chilis.

Place all of the ingredients in a blender, food processor, or mortar and pestle.  Start processing.

Drizzle in the oil as needed to make a paste.

Scrape the paste into a jar and top with a layer of  olive oil.  Keep refrigerated and add a new layer of oil to the top after each use to preserve the paste.