August 20, 2011 • 2 notes
This apple galette is proof that no matter how inept you may be, it is impossible to mess up when you have good fruit, a decent crust, and a bit of butter and sugar.  Many, many things went wrong when I was making this: It started out as a tart, but my tart pan is 11.5” and the recipe called for 9”.  I was wondering why the dough wasn’t rolling out big enough.  Remedy: Make it a galette!   I have no idea how to fold a galette and make it look pretty.  So it didn’t.  Whatever. I cut up about twice as many apples as I needed.  I had 5.5lbs from Costco and couldn’t eyeball 2lbs.  Or maybe I just didn’t put in enough apples.  Hard to say, really. I was supposed to “brush on” butter but I don’t have a pastry brush.  So I just kinda poured it on.  Meh, it’s butter.   I baked it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit before I realized I was supposed to be baking it at 400.  Remedy: Turn up the oven and cook it for a bit longer until it looks done.   Guess what?  It’s the best thing I’ve ever made.  Recipe from smittenkitchen.com.   *Note: I grew up in a household where nothing went into my mother’s apple pies except granny smith apples.  But I bought a bunch of Pink Ladies from Costco — far too many to eat on my own — and decided to try baking with them.  Now I solemnly swear to never use another granny smith in my baking ever again.*  

This apple galette is proof that no matter how inept you may be, it is impossible to mess up when you have good fruit, a decent crust, and a bit of butter and sugar.  Many, many things went wrong when I was making this:

  1. It started out as a tart, but my tart pan is 11.5” and the recipe called for 9”.  I was wondering why the dough wasn’t rolling out big enough.  Remedy: Make it a galette!  
  2. I have no idea how to fold a galette and make it look pretty.  So it didn’t.  Whatever.
  3. I cut up about twice as many apples as I needed.  I had 5.5lbs from Costco and couldn’t eyeball 2lbs.  Or maybe I just didn’t put in enough apples.  Hard to say, really.
  4. I was supposed to “brush on” butter but I don’t have a pastry brush.  So I just kinda poured it on.  Meh, it’s butter.  
  5. I baked it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit before I realized I was supposed to be baking it at 400.  Remedy: Turn up the oven and cook it for a bit longer until it looks done.  

Guess what?  It’s the best thing I’ve ever made. 

Recipe from smittenkitchen.com.  

*Note: I grew up in a household where nothing went into my mother’s apple pies except granny smith apples.  But I bought a bunch of Pink Ladies from Costco — far too many to eat on my own — and decided to try baking with them.  Now I solemnly swear to never use another granny smith in my baking ever again.*  

July 31, 2011 • 8 notes

Everybody loves pizza.  Or should.  If you don’t, I’m willing to bet it’s because you’ve only ever had Dominoes or Pizza Hut or some equally appalling imitation of pizza.  But that, my friends, is not pizza.  Pizza is fresh, handmade crust.  And fresh, delicious ingredients put on in just the right amount to make you happy.  Making pizza at home is easy.  And less expensive than having it delivered.  So get yourself some yeast and flour, and have a heyday.  

Easy-peasy Pizza Dough

  • 3 cups flour (I used all-purpose, but next time I’m going to try 1 cup whole wheat and 2 cups all-purpose)
  • 1 teaspoon Morton’s salt (2 if you use a Kosher brand other than Morton’s)
  • 1.5 teaspoons yeast

Stir dry ingredients together in a large bowl (yes, even the yeast!  I told you it was easy).

  • 1 cup lukewarm water 
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Add water and olive oil to dry ingredients.  Use a wooden spoon to stir into an approximate ball shape.  It’s okay if there’s still bits of flour unincorporated, because you’re going to dump it all onto a lightly floured surface and get your hands dirty.  Well, floury.  Knead it into ball and then knead for another minute or two.  Lightly oil (or use cooking spray) a large bowl.  Drop the ball o’ dough into it, rolling it in the oil to make sure all sides are covered.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towel and leave to rise for 1 to 2 hours in a warm place, until it’s about doubled in size.  

Once it’s doubled, put it back on your floured work surface.  Punch it down or gently press the air out of it — whichever method appeals to you.  Fold it back into a ball shape and put it back in the bowl, recover with plastic wrap, and leave to rise for another 20 minutes or so.  

When you’re ready to roll it out, do so!  This will make a very large pizza — mine took up my whole pizza stone.  If you don’t have a pizza stone, I’ve heard that the back of a baking sheet covered with parchment paper also works very well.  Bake at 450 degrees.  

I baked my crust for 10 minutes before adding sauce and toppings, because I like a crispy crust.  Once I added the toppings I only baked it for another 5 minutes to warm the toppings and melt the cheese.

July 29, 2011 • 1 note

We got a quarter pound of basil from the CSA this week.  In case you’re wondering, that’s about four cups.  I used two cups to make pesto.  What I’m going to do with the other two cups is a mystery.

Pesto

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 1/3 cup nuts (I used toasted walnuts, but almonds or pine nuts would also work)
  • 5 small/medium sized garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Combine basil with nuts in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.  Chop nuts first if they’re walnuts or almonds.  Add the garlic and pulse some more.  Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on (so that’s what that hole in the top is for).  Add the grated cheese, salt, and pepper and pulse to combine.  If it’s too thick, add a bit more oil.  Enjoy over pasta, or…

Baked potatoes with zucchini and pesto

  • 1.5 lbs of potatoes 
  • 2-3 small zucchini
  • 1 large bell pepper (or two smaller ones)
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 tblspn olive oil
  • 2 tblspn lemon juice
  • Pesto

Slice potatoes into wedges.  Cut bell peppers into large chunks.  Arrange potatoes and peppers in an oven-proof pan.  Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic and pour over potatoes and peppers.  Toss to coat.  Bake at 400 degrees.  Bake for 30 minutes.  While it’s baking, cut zucchini into thick coins.  After 30 minutes, add the zucchini and spread your yummy pesto over the top.  Bake for another 25-30 minutes.  Serve with fish, chicken, or tofu!    

July 24, 2011 • 1 note

Have you ever gotten one of those popcorn tins, with the three different kinds of popcorn?  You know: the kinda-crappy cheese kind that gets all over your fingers, the other one that I can’t remember right now (is it plain?), and caramel, the one that I always coveted and wanted to sneak away into my room.  But this is not that kind of caramel.  It tastes good.  Damn good.  I think I need to make more, because half of it is already gone.  And I’m sneaking the other half under my bed.  Don’t judge; you’ll want to do the same.


Recipe: 

Adapted from smittenkitchen.com

  • Pop about a half cup worth of popcorn kernels, in butter, oil, or an air popper.  
  • Put 2-3 tablespoons of butter, 2-3 cups brown sugar, about a half cup of water, and a dash of salt into a large saucepan (it will bubble so make sure the pan is big enough to accomodate that). 
  • Heat the mixture on high WITHOUT STIRRING.  I don’t know what will happen if you do stir it, so just don’t.  Or do, and let me know how it goes.
  •  After about 10 minutes, dip a knife or spoon into the mixture to see if it’s caramelized.  If it isn’t, cook for another few minutes.  
  • When the mixture is caramelized, remove it from the heat and add a scant teaspoon of baking powder.  Whisk with a whisk or fork.  It’s going to get foamy and smell like marshmallows.  Try not to stick your face in it.
  • Put the popcorn into a large bowl coated with cooking spray.  Add the caramel, and toss with two spatulas also coated in cooking spray.  
  • Once most of the popcorn is coated, spread the popcorn onto a non-stick surface (I used parchment paper spread on the kitchen table), breaking up any large chunks.  
  • Try to let the caramel harden before eating.  You can save it in a tupperware…if you have “self control” and manage to not eat it all in 5 minutes.  


Caution:

The caramel will stick to your pan and spatulas so rinse them immediately.  And when I say “stick” I of course mean “fuse together and refuse to ever come off”.  

 Also, I’m sorry about the vague measurements.  I ended up putting in 3 tblspns of butter, then 3 cups of brown sugar, but that looked like an awful lot so I took about a cup out without adjusting the butter.  Everything tasted fine, though, so I wouldn’t worry about being too precise with your measurements — it’s hard to go wrong with butter and sugar.  

    July 22, 2011 • 5 notes

    This is my favorite sort of dish, born of the age-old question: What the **** are we going to have for dinner?  We were going to make a salad but didn’t have croutons, carrots, or cucumber — sounds like a sad salad.  So instead, we took the vegetables we did have (turnips, potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, and a couple of peppers — one of which was eggplant-colored!), chopped them all up, and put them in the oven to roast for an hour or so.  If you do this, be sure to drizzle the veggies with olive oil and salt and pepper them.  Also, be sure to cook the potatoes and turnips longer than the zucchini and tomatoes — start the taters first, then add the more delicate veggies later.  


    Happy summertime! 


    Note about CSAs:

    When we were picking up our veggies from the CSA, a man was gushing about how amazing the broccoli looked.  I’ve never seen a man gush like that over anything, let alone vegetables, so it was unnerving — it’s just broccoli, man.  Then, as we were walking back to our car, a group of hippies walks by and one of the ladies exclaims, “Did you see that broccoli?” to her friends.  What was going on?  Does this broccoli have some sort of hippy magic in it?  It’s just broccoli.  Well, my friends, I’m going to tell you: it was really good broccoli.  It was juicy.  I highly suggest getting yourselves some magic hippy broccoli.  

    July 21, 2011 • 3 notes
    Don’t know what to have for breakfast?  If you have bread, milk, eggs, and vanilla then you have french toast!   Recipe: Break an egg into a bowl (1 per every two slices of bread). Add milk to taste (I like more milk, but some people like an eggier bread). Mix with whisk or fork  Add vanilla (just a touch…I don’t measure). Dip bread into egg mixture.   Butter pan/skillet. Put bread in skillet. If you’ve never made French toast, get on it!  (Good for lunch and desert, too.)

    Don’t know what to have for breakfast?  If you have bread, milk, eggs, and vanilla then you have french toast!  

    Recipe:

    • Break an egg into a bowl (1 per every two slices of bread).
    • Add milk to taste (I like more milk, but some people like an eggier bread).
    • Mix with whisk or fork
    •  Add vanilla (just a touch…I don’t measure).
    • Dip bread into egg mixture.  
    • Butter pan/skillet.
    • Put bread in skillet.

    If you’ve never made French toast, get on it!  (Good for lunch and desert, too.)

    July 21, 2011 • 6 notes

    Parchment baked halibut + Iced oatmeal cookies

    What follows is one of the yummiest ways I’ve ever encountered to cook halibut.  First, you make a heart-shaped packet out of parchement paper (good directions at: http://www.sundaysupper.com/folds.htm).  Then, you shred some zucchini and carrot, put some pesto on the fish, and drizzle olive oil and white wine over it with a bit of salt and pepper.  Fold it, then pop it in the oven for 15-20 minutes.  An easy crowd-pleaser.  I would’ve taken pictures but I really just wanted to eat it, as did everybody else.  

    http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/parchment-baked-halibut-with-pesto-zucchini-carrots-10000001082470/

    And, for desert, iced oatmeal cookies courtesy of smittenkitchen.com.  They aren’t the Quaker’s oatmeal cookies, that’s for sure.  I used whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and rye flour (because it was cheap and I was buying whole wheat anyway, otherwise I would’ve omitted it).  I also forgot to use nutmeg and cinnamon in the cookies (what!?  No nutmeg?  Blasphemy!) but found that the icing more than made up for the lack of flavor.  The sifting process is annoying, at best — my sifter clogged and I had to switch to a fine-meshed collander and, even still, I ended up saying “Screw it” and dumping the last half cup of ground oatmeal into the mixture without sifting it.  And after 45 minutes of sifting, I think it was warranted (and the cookies still turned out great).  I highly recommend the icing — it’s cinnamony and not too sweet.  

      http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/12/iced-oatmeal-cookies/  

    Soon to come (because I know all three of you are just dying to know what I’ve been cooking): light and airy brown butter pound cake.  My first tentative trip into the world of grafting recipes onto one another in hopes of devleoping an even better recipe than the originals.  Wish me luck and come by for a taste test if you’re in the area.  =)

    July 21, 2011 • 1 note

    http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/04/cinnamon-swirl-buns-so-much-news/

    Cinnamon rolls.  *Drool*

    July 21, 2011

    Pasta with roasted garlic, tomatoes, and kalamata olives.  

    Ingredients:

    About 2lbs cherry tomatoes, halved 

    16 cloves of garlic, peeled and whole (or halved, if very large)

    1/2 cup olive oil (the best quality you can afford)

    1/2 tsp salt 

    1/2 tsp pepper

    1 lb strand pasta (spagetti, angel hair, etc.)

    1 handful torn fresh basil leaves

    1/2-1 cup kalamata olives, halved (optional…but delicious!)

    Parmasian cheese (optional)

    Method:

    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
    • Arrange tomatoes and garlic cloves so they fit snugly in the bottom of an oven proof pan 
    • Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper 
    • Roast until garlic is soft and golden, about 25-35 minutes.  DO NOT overcook or garlic will get burnt and bitter-tasting.
    • Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water.  Drain.  
    • Put olives, tomatoes, and garlic into the pasta pan, warming the oilives.  You may put the pasta back into the pan and toss, or put the pasta into individual bowls and put tomato mixture over it — whichever seems easier.  Sprinkle with basil and cheese and serve.  =)

    Notes:

    • I used grape tomatoes and they worked very well.
    • I didn’t measure salt and pepper (really, who does?).  Just sprinkle a bit over the pan.
    • I suggest making less pasta, unless you want a really pasta-heavy dish.
    • The olives are entirely optional and the measurement is vague because it’s your call — how much do you like kalamata olives?  
    • It’s super easy, yummy, and perfect for summer.  Enjoy!
    • If it’s in season, I highly suggest adding some asparagus — it’s delicious!
    • Also, I always add more garlic.  Always.  16 cloves isn’t very much when you think about it, so I just keep adding garlic until I don’t want to peel anymore.