Peach Pie

Image from: partyresources.blogspot.com

I have a kitchen full of peaches right now. I am debating if they should become peach jam, peach chutney, peach butter or simply frozen in slices so the little guy can enjoy them all winter long. Either way, a few of them will be made into a peach pie.

I have a large place in my heart for August peach pies. (Gaw, it is already September!)

By my senior year of college the women I met in Russian class had become my best friends and room mates. We added 2 other amazing women to our ranks over the years to make us a ridiculously loud group. We lived in a falling down house which the five of us filled with far too many clothes (which we all shared), tapestries (collected from travels),  random pottery (made in pottery class) and a ferret (Penelope).

I am pretty sure men were either afraid or thrilled to enter our house. Amusingly enough, two of those boyfriends are now husbands, so we couldn't have been that bad.

It was here that I first started liking to cook. We were all broke, so taking cheap food and creating something that fed 5, or usually 10, college kids was always fun. Soups, pastas, big salads, and brownies were almost always on the menu.

But the best days were when J made her peach pies. J is the sweetest, kindest hearted woman I have ever met. She is soft spoken even when angry. Elegant even when covered in fish guts and sea water. And way to too smart. I know this because we took almost every class through out college together. She was hard to keep up with.

J would make her pies in the evening, but we wouldn't dig in until morning. I have wonderful memories of sitting on the porch, drinking huge mugs of coffee and eating big slices of pie for breakfast. The late August sun was warm and gentle and the weight of school wasn't crushing us just yet. (I think it helped we didn't have 8am classes anymore too!)

We haven't all been together in a really long time. I am looking forward to the day when we are all together again, sipping mugs of coffee and eating slices of pie. And now, sharing nibbles with all our babies.

Peach Pie
2 pie crusts (I use pre-made, cause I am lazy like that)
8-10 peaches, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. In a small bowl mix together cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon and butter until it is a crumb like texture.
2. Lay one pie crust into the bottom of a pie tin. Sprinkle a bit of the crumb on the bottom of the crust. Add a layer of peaches, add a bit more crumb. Repeat until all the peaches are piled high and the crumb topping is used up. The goal is to just intersperse it. Alternately, you could just toss topping and peaches together and pile them into the shell.
3. Top pie with other crust, either using a lattice (which I am not skilled enough to do) or slice vents into the top crust.
4. Put pie onto a cookie sheet, in case anything bubbles over the pie tin.
5. Bake 45 minutes or until kitchen smells amazing. The pie is best eaten after completely cooled. So save it for breakfast!

Browned Butter and Brown Sugar "Brownies"

 (Why yes, this is a lame photo. Trust me, tastes better then this photo would have you believe!)

Browned butter cookies is a household (family-wide) favorite cookie. I try to keep a bag of this dough frozen at all times, so when the need for a cookie strikes we are just minutes away from a fix. Sadly, this stash has been used up. Levi, as lovely as he is, isn't condusive to making a huge batch of rolled cookie dough. We needed a faster way to get our browned butter, brown sugar fix.

I started thinking about the ease of one-bowl brownies (which we modify by using less butter and eggs for a fudgier end product.) This recipe is all made up in a sauce pan, instead of a bowl, and is in the oven in 10 minutes or less. The key is to under cook the "brownie" slightly and let it cool before digging in. If you bake until the center is completely set the end product is just too dry.

In these photos I swirled in a square of bittersweet chocolate I had broken up. It added a lovely swirl and changed the flavor a bit - closer to a chocolate chip cookie. Either way, these get gobbled up!

The key to the flavor of these bars is the browned butter. It isn't too hard, but you do have to pay attention to the butter. After the butter melts, swirl it with a wooden spoon, watching carefully. My butter always develops a foam of butter on top of the melted butter. These are the milk fats. I have found that just about the time the bubbles die down the butter begins to brown and take on a delicious nutty smell. As soon as this happens turn off the heat. That is the key, the smell. So keep your nose close to the pan.

This makes a small pan of sweets. I use a 6x8 Pyrex pan. You can double it for a larger amount.

Browned Butter and Brown Sugar "Brownies"
3 tablespoons butter (divided)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or less of table salt)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup flour
(optional: 1 square finely chopped chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Put a medium sauce pan over med-high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in pan. Brown butter following directions above.
2. Turn off heat once butter is nutty smelling and browned. Add additional 1 tablespoon of butter and brown sugar. Stir to combine.
3. Let this mixture cool for a few minutes, then stir in egg, vanilla, and salt.
4. Then stir in baking powder and flour.
5. Pour into a greased baking dish. Bake 20-25 minutes or until edges are set, but middle slightly gooey.

Let rest at least 20 minutes before eating.

Oh, if you are feeling creative you could make these and the brownies and do this!

I feel like these would be great with dried fruit in them. May try that next time the sugar cravings hit!
Do you have a go to easy sweet?

One Perfect Bite's Plum Buckle

I love reading Mary's One Perfect Bite. She has a fabulous mix of ethnic and traditional recipes, wonderfully photographed and written up. The day after I discovered my parent's Italian plum tree was loaded with fruit Mary posted this recipe for a plum buckle.

I doubled the recipe to make a 9x13 pan because I planned to bring it to work to share with my coworkers. When the cake came out of the oven, Justin took a huge slice and announced that this cake wasn't going ANYWHERE!  (Sorry co-workers!). This is from a man who doesn't like dessert. Needless to say, the huge pan disappeared quickly. I made it again for Yom Kipper dinner and it was received with equal zeal from my family.

This recipe is a hit and had to share it for those who don't yet know about Mary's blog.

Recipe re-posted with permission.
Some days the cake bakes in less than an hour, other days it takes more time. I suspect the amount of moisture in the fruit explains the discrepancy but you'll be fine, as long as you keep the cake in the oven until you are sure its center is set. This is a cake that is best served warm and eaten on the day it is made. It stales quickly. This is a treasure that I hope you will try. Here's the recipe.

Plum Buckle...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Sunset Magazine

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of 1 small lemon
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup milk
4 cups sliced unpeeled firm-ripe plums (about 4 large)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground mace

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter an 8 x 8 x 2-inch pyrex pan. Set aside.
2) Combine butter and 1 cup sugar in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at high speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel.
3) Combine flour, baking powder,salt and nutmeg in another bowl. Whisk to combine. Stir half the flour mixture into butter mixture , then add milk followed with remainder of flour mixture. Stir just until incorporated. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Overlap plum slices on top of batter. Combine reserved 2 tablespoons sugar with cinnamon and mace. Sprinkle over plums.
4) Bake in a 325 degree oven until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes (it may take longer than this) . Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 9 servings.

Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

I am still testing cookie recipes for my brother's rehearsal dinner. This recipe was passed along from my friend M's mom (a fabulous baker!!). I substituted dark baking chocolate for semi sweet. This made a not too sweet cookie, which appeals to some folks, but not all. If you are wanting a sweeter chocolate cookie use sweet baking chocolate.

I rolled all the cookies in powdered sugar before baking, but in addition, I rolled some in chunky sugar. The cookies with the chunky sugar bits were FAR better then the plain powdered sugar. It gave the soft, cakey cookie crunch and texture.

If you are looking for a cookie to satisfy your dark chocolate cravings, these are it! If you want a sweet, fudgy cookie you will have to look elsewhere!

Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt (or 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 c. sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
5 squares unsweetened, dark chocolate, melted
1/2 cup powdered sugar
(optional: 1/2 cup chunky sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Melt chocolate (I used the microwave on low.) Allow to cool for a few minutes.
2. In a bowl mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a mixer cream butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time until combined. With mixer running on low, mix in cooled, melted chocolate.
4. Slowly incorporate flour until all combined.
5. At this point you can put the dough in the refrigerator for up to an hour.
6. When ready to back roll dough into 1 inch balls. Then roll in powdered sugar (and chunky sugar).
7. Bake 12 minutes on a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.

Cool completely before enjoying.

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

I am test driving cookie recipes in preparation for my brother's rehearsal dinner. Today was jam filled thumbprint cookies. I think they may make the final cut.  Rich butter dough, sweet jam, and best of all two dozen cookies were out of the oven in under 30 minutes.

The ingredients are simple, the dough gets whipped up in the stand mixer and then rolled into balls. Instead of attempting to spoon jam into little holes I put 1/4 cup of jam into a plastic baggie and cut off the corner. This made it simplier, neater, and faster to fill the cookies.

Jam Filled Thumbprint Cookies
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fruit preserves, (I used 1/4 cup raspberry and 1/4 apricot)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a stand mixer cream butter and sugar. Slowly add yolks, salt, and vanilla and mix until combined.
3. Add flour and mix until a soft dough is combined. You may need to scrap down the sides once or twice.
4. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and press your thumb into the dough to create a well.
5. Fill hole with jam of your choice
6. Bake 12 minutes or until the bottom of the cookie is slightly browned.

Let cool at least 15 minutes before trying, unless you like molten jam burning off the roof of your mouth.

Guest Blogger: Kahlua Cake from Musings by Jacquelyn

I am so happy to be able to feature Jacquelyn from Musings with Jacquelyn. Her blog is a fabulous mix of fashion, family and feminism. My kind of read. She has generously decided to share her kahlua cake recipe with Farmer Jo readers.

I am still working on getting back into the kitchen. Until then, try out this delicious cake!
***********************************************************************************

I first made this on a whim, about eleven years ago. I had a bottle of kahlua and it was starting to get old, so I needed to finish it off. My then-boyfriend at the time suggested we try and find a recipe for Kahlua cake. We found this one, then went to the store to buy a bundt pan. That boyfriend is now my husband, and we make this cake a few times a year. I have no idea where the original recipe came from except "online somewhere".

Once cooled gently flip pan and gently work the cake out. If desired sprinkle the top with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh mint (hopefully from your garden!) and berries. This cake also tastes yummy with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

Cake can be served at room temperature, but really, really tastes great chilled from the refrigerator. 

Since I have a young child I make her a mini-cake in her very own miniature bundt pan (purchased from Ikea). You can also make this in a muffin pan, and I also have a pan that is all mini-bundts that works great, too.

 

This cake is beyond easy to make. You need one bowl, minimal ingredients, no mixer, and a bundt pan.

Kahlua Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix

2 eggs

16 oz sour cream (full fat, light, non-fat, it makes no difference)

1/2 cup Kahlua

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350. 

2. Either use a flour-based spray on the bundt pan or butter and flours the pan. 

3. Mix all the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl, using a regular-sized serving spoon. 

4. Once fully mixed pour into bundt pan. 

5. Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Stumped For Dinner Ideas?

I love reading other people's food blogs.  I am often inspired by what I read, either to cook their recipe or modify it to fit my pantry.

Here are some great recipes I have stumbled across this week:
Pork and Shrimp Dumplings on Chow.com. These would be great with some sauteed brocolli or bok choy.
Mary at One Perfect Bite (Hi Mary!) has a delicious recipe for Portobello Parmesan. It is fast, filling, and not too bad for you either. 
Sprouted Kitchen has a lovely salmon and edamame recipe. Looks fresh and almost spring-like.



Speaking of Spring, on my way to work this morning (I head out around 6:30am), there was a slightly bit of sunrise peeking over Mt. Hood. While walking I have seen green peeking out of the rain soaked earth. My daphne bush has buds on it, so lemon scented blossoms are just around the corner. These all hint at the end of winter here in the Pacific Northwest. I am so ready. Bring it on! Any touches of Spring in your neck of the woods?

If you are looking for a decadent dessert check out this Gourmet recipe for a marshmallow milkshake. I haven't made it yet, but it is on my short list. I may even have to try it with some homemade marshmallows.

A year ago: Thai Curry Salmon Cakes. This is my most viewed recipe and a regular on our dinner table.

Blueberry Orange Handpies

Rumor has it that yesterday was International Pie Day. It explains why I have had pie on the brain, I guess there has been some subliminal pie messages being sent though the airwaves. I NEEDED blueberry pie, a bite of Summer during these dark days of Winter.

My freezer provided the pie crust and a bag of blueberries, all I needed was 30 minutes and a clean counter top. I added orange zest to the filling instead of the tradional lemon. I really like the flavor combination, but you can always sub lemon zest if you would like.

This makes about 6 small pies. You can double the recipe by using 2 pie crusts and just doubling the filling.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Blueberry Orange Handpies
1 pie crust (um, I use Pilsbury because I am horrible at making pie crust. No one can tell. I swear! One box comes with 2 crusts.)

1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
zest from 1/2 of an orange or lemon

1 egg, whisked with a tablespoon of water

1. Mix blueberries, cinnamon, corn starch, sugar, salt and zest until combined
2. Roll out crust (or unroll), using a juice glass or a 2-3 inch biscuit cutter cut circles. Reroll scraps. Continue until all the dough is used up. You should have 12 circles. If not, make a 1/2 pie with the extra one. No worries.
3. Lay out 1/2 of the circles. Spoon a tablespoon or 2 of filling to the center of each one.
4. Top with the other 1/2 of the pie dough. Crimp or roll sides together. This is a little tricky, but I found that holding it in my hand helped to close the sides.
5. Brush with the egg mix.
6. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool at least 10 minutes or else the molten blueberry filling will burn your mouth. This is another foodie danger I want to warn you about!

Also, if you have extra filling microwave it for 3 - 4 minutes. It makes a yummy pancake topping. Store in the refridgerator.

One Year Ago: Cevapcici

Quick Caramel Pudding

I was looking over my favorite foodie blogs (you know, other then my own! :) ) and came across Smitten Kitchen's caramel pudding. I immediately thought of the almost full jar of homemade caramel sauce sitting in my fridge. My future sister-in-law was coming over for dinner so I wanted to make a fun dessert to complete the evening. I thought I would use the caramel sauce as a base to the pudding.

If you have homemade or jarred caramel you can made a hot pudding in about 5 minutes. No Joke!

(We ate it all before I took any pictures!)
Almost Instant Caramel Pudding
3/4 cup caramel sauce
2 cups Milk
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 -3 teaspoons salt (if you like salty caramel go for 3!)

1. Mix 2 cups of cold milk with the corn starch.
2. In a medium sauce pan melt caramel sauce. Pour in milk and corn starch mix. Whisk continuously until begins to simmer. The pudding will thicken.
3. Add salt to flavor.

Serve immediately, or if you like it cold, cover pudding with plastic wrap if you don't like pudding skin.
EDITED TO ADD: The pudding is even better cold! The caramel flavor just shines. Add a sprinkle of kosher salt and becomes even more caramely. I swear!

Caramel Sauce

Have you had enough sweets yet??
Just one more to share because, really, this is so easy and delicious. I have had a deep fear of melting sugar, which has not been replaced with a feeling of wonder. It is SO cool when the crystals begin to melt. Like science class, only tastier.

I made jars of caramel sauce for friends this holiday. It is great for dipping apples into, heating and drizzling over pies or ice cream, or just eating with a spoon. (Although, now that I know what is in it, I don't eat caramel with quite the same abandon as I did before!)

This makes 2-3 cups of caramel sauce. It thickens as it cools, so don't worry if it looks thin when you take it off the stove.


Make sure you have everything ready to go before starting. Melting sugar isn't something to mess around with and will go from toasty to burnt in about 1.2 seconds. Also, clear all pugs or small people from your feet. I have a healthy fear of molten sugar and would hate for anyone to get burnt.
Sprinkling kosher salt over the finished sauce takes it to the next level, taste wise. I **highly** recommend it!

Caramel Sauce
1 cup white sugar
6 tablespoon butter, cut up into tablespoon size
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Get out your heaviest sauce pan, preferably one that can hold 6-8 cups of liquid. This will make it safer for you.
2. Pour sugar into pot and heat over medium-high heat. In a few minutes the sugar will begin to clump and then melt. Continue to stir until all (or most) the lumps are gone. The sugar will turn a lovely golden color.
3. Turn off heat and immediately add butter. It will bubble and sizzle. Keep stirring until all the butter is melted.
4. Slowly drizzle in cream, stirring as you go. Stir until smooth.
5. Now pour hot sauce into jars. Store in the refridgerator for about 2 weeks.

The wooden spoon should now be coated in a delicious caramel candy. It is like a lollipop!

Smore Cupcakes

A few months ago, I made a smore pie, which was a HUGE hit among family members. Last week, was a family member's birthday party. My aunt and I were on cupcake duty and after some discussion decided we need to do something smore related. Graham cracker crust, brownie cake and homemade marshmallow topping made the perfect gooey, chocolaty, cupcake.

These can be made 2-3 days in advance. The marshmallow gets a little drier and more like store bought after 24 hours. Don't toast the tops until the day that you will serve them, just cause. I am not sure what would happen if you toasted them they day before serving. So you are on your own for that.

These are winners! The three layers take some time to put together, but the box of brownie mix makes it a little quicker. (Makes about 18 cupcakes)


Smore Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put muffin cup liners into your muffin tins.

For graham cracker crust
1/4 cup melted butter
1 pack of graham crackers, crushed (about 2 cups of crumbs)
1 teaspoon salt (I use kosher.. so if you have regular salt, use 1/2 teaspoon)

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Press about a tablespoon into each muffin cup.

For brownie layer
1. Mix favorite brownie mix according to directions.
2. Divide mix between 18 muffin cups, about 1/4 cup in each one.
3. Bake about 15 -18 minutes or until edges are cooked, but the middle is still a little gooey.
4. Cool on a rack.

Move cupcakes to a baking pan, for easier toasting once the marshmallow topping is spooned on.
For marshmallow layer
1 packet plain gelatin
1/4 cup water

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Set up your stand mixer with the whisk*. In the metal bowl, add gelatin and 1/4 cup water. Leave to bloom.
2. On the stove in a medium sauce pan, over medium-high heat, add 1/4 cup water, sugar and corn syrup.
3. It will start to boil in a few minutes, but keep it boiling until the thermometer reaches 260 degrees. This took a lot longer then I thought it would. Almost 10 minutes.
4. When sugar syrup as reached temperature, carefully pour it into the gelatin mixer. Then turn on whisk. Start slowly, so it won't splatter and burn you, then move to high. Whip until white and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Add vanilla and whip another minute.
5. Divide marshmallow fluff between cupcakes. Don't try to spread it too much, just dollop, or else you will end up with marshmallow all over the place. It also helps to put the metal mixing bowl in another bowl filled with hot water. This keeps the marshmallow softer for longer.
6. To toast: Turn broiler on high. Slide in marshallows and count to 10, then check. If they need a little more toasting, turn pan, count to 5 and remove. Seriously, these burn quickly! Don't walk away.

*If you don't have a stand mixer, use a heat proof bowl that you secure with a towel under it. Use an electric beater.

Browned Butter, Brown Sugar Cookies

Let me start off by saying this is a recipe from Cook's Illustrated. It is one of my most beloved recipes because the cookies are SO SO SO good. In the spirit of holiday giving, I am sharing it with everyone. (Well, everyone who doesn't have a subscription to Cook's Illustrated)

I know, this time of year we really don't need another dessert in the house. Trust me. One of these cookies with a cup of coffee is the perfect pick me up to get you through the long, crazy days, leading up to Christmas.

Doug resting between holiday parties

The key to these cookies is browning the butter. This is not difficult, but keep the heat moderate and your eye on the butter. Don't check your email or get on the phone. That will cause you to burn the butter, which is, well, gross. (Not that I have ever done this.)

After the butter melts, swirl it with a wooden spoon, watching carefully. My butter always develops a foam of butter on top of the melted butter. These are the milk fats. I have found that just about the time the bubbles die down the butter begins to brown and take on a delicious nutty smell. As soon as this happens turn off the heat. That is the key, the smell. So keep your nose close to the pan.


The rest of this recipe is really straight forward cookie making. Just make sure you underbake them - so they are gooey and butterscotchy and oh so delicious! I use my Kitchen Aid to mix up the dough.
Browned Butter, Brown Sugar Cookies (from Cook's Illustrated)
14 tablespoons unsalted butter. divided
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups packed dark brown sugar, divided
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Heat 10 tablespoons of the butter in a pan over medium-high heat until melted. Continue to cook the butter until it is browned a dark golden color and smells nutty, about 1 to 3 minutes.
2. Pour browned butter into mixer bowl and add the rest of the butter. It will bubble and melt.
3. In a small bowl, mix granulated sugar and a ¼ cup of the brown sugar until combined well; set this mixture aside to roll dough balls in.
4. Using a low mixer speed, add 1 ¾ cup brown sugar and salt to butter. Mix until there are no lumps.
5. Add egg, yolk, and vanilla to butter mixture and mix well, then add flour, salt, baking powder and mix until just combined.
6. Roll dough into balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter, and roll balls in brown sugar and white sugar mixture. Place balls about 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake sheets one at a time until cookies are puffy and lightly browned, about 12- 14 minutes. (It says the cookies will look slightly raw between some of the cracks and seem underdone, but be careful not to overbake.) Cool on sheet for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool.
I find these so rich, that we usually bake up about 6 and then freeze the cookie dough balls for later eating. To bake, put frozen cookies onto a baking sheet and bake 15-17 minutes.

Cherry Clafoutis

We are on a French food kick! The more I read about French cooking the more I realize that it isn't all fancy sauces and expensive cuts of meat, but simple food made from really great ingredients. Well simple food, with cream and really great ingredients. I have bought more cream in the last few weeks then I have in my life as a cook. (That said, I don't think the food is all that bad for you, but I am eating lighter for lunch!)

When the weather turns colder I tend to keep the oven on to make the house toastier. This weekend while roasting up dinner (that recipe to come), I decided to whisk together a clafoutis. A clafoutis is sort of like a cross between a custard and a bread pudding with fruit in it. Most of the recipes I have found call for unpitted cherries. I think this is a bit dangerous, even if the pits empart a slight almond flavor. I have also made a clafoutis with rhubarb. (Just make sure to toss the tart fruit with extra sugar before mixing it into the batter.)


I received a jar of sweet cherries canned in amaretto. They were perfect in this dessert. This is a simple, quick dessert which looks beautiful spooned onto a pretty plate and sprinkled with powder sugar. I getting so brave with this French cooking, I may need to attempt a souffle sometime soon!


Cherry Clafouti
Adapted from The Food of France

2 cups pitted cherries (fresh or canned) or other fruit
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup flour
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk, or you can do 1/2 of the liquid as cream, if you have some extra laying around.
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon amaretto or kirsch

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, sugar and flour. Add milk, vanilla and amaretto.
3. Finally stir in the fruit.
4. Pour into a baking dish. I have a rustic looking one I love!
5. Bake 40 - 45 minutes. The top tends to puff when it is done, but will fall as it cools. Serve with whipped cream or powdered sugar.

The Pie That Caused Silence - Smore Pie

Family dinners are a loud affairs around here. We are a noisy group, well except for my dad and H, who balance out the noise. They are probably the only two listening to the other six talking. Now that I think about it, Justin doesn't get much air time either, with me around.

So, it was all the more shocking last night when we all bit into the Smore pie. The slight crackle of the toasted marshmallow top, giving way to gooey marshmallow, the slightly bitter dark chocolate pudding and finally the graham cracker crust.

Silence.

Then "Mmmm", "Ahhhs", and "there IS another pie in the kitchen, right?" Then more silence. I think this recipe is a keeper. Even Justin, who as a general rule, doesn't like desserts - particularly marshmallowy things - ate every crumb.

I have been holding onto the recipe for Smore Pie for a few months. Attempting to make the marshmallow topping scared me to death. I reread the recipes (there are quite a few out there) a dozen times. But, last night it just seemed like the perfect time to bust it out. It was my mom's birthday, nearly the New Year, and a glorious summery Friday night.

It being Friday and all, I bought a graham cracker crust, but the rest was from scratch. The whole thing came together in about an hour, of which 25 minutes were baking time. The marshmallow topping does get on everything, but luckily, there were numerous family members around to help lick it off.

You need a thermometer that goes up to 260 degrees to make the marshmallows. I discovered my digital meat thermometer worked just fine.

Smore Pie (modified from Smitten Kitchen's recipe)
1 graham cracker crust (homemade if you are adventurous)

1 lb dark chocolate, I used 72% dagoba chocolate, grated into small bits
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg, beaten

1 packet plain gelatin
1/4 cup water

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Heat cream until just boiling in a small sauce pan.
2. Put grated chocolate into a bowl, add salt. Then pour heated milk over the chocolate. Stir until creamy.
3. Slowly mix in beaten egg until combined.
4. Pour mixture into pie shell, smooth and pop into the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
5. When it is baked, cool pie in the refridgerator.

6. For marshmallows; set up your stand mixer with the whisk*. In the metal bowl, add gelatin and 1/4 cup water. Leave to bloom.
7. On the stove in a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, add 1/4 cup water, sugar and corn syrup.
8. It will start to boil in a few minutes, but keep it boiling until the thermometer reaches 260 degrees. This took a lot longer then I thought it would. Almost 10 minutes.
9. When sugar syrup as reached temperature, carefully pour it into the gelatin mixer. Then turn on whisk. Start slow, so it won't splatter and burn you, then move to high. Whip until white and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Add vanilla and whip another minute.
10. Pour marshmallow topping over chocolate pie filling. Try to spread it around.
11. Lick bowl, spatula, whisk. Tell friends when they have marshmallow strings on their faces.

To toast pie: Turn broiler onto high. Place pie a few inches from flame. Count to 10. By 10, you should smell the toasty marshmallow smell and it will be lightly toasted. Take pie out and eat.

Enjoy the silence.

*If you don't have a stand mixer, use a heat proof bowl that you secure with a towel under it. Use an electric beater.

Black Market Popsicles

We finished up our time in China with a trip to the Summer Palace. It is a HUGE park surrounding a lake and an amazing series of palaces. It was so beautiful and peaceful. Filled with families and tourists all taking in the view and the quiet. I can see why past emperors made this their vacation spot. The one detractor was the thick pollution. We wanted to explore the whole park, but the air was difficult to breathe.

After a boat ride (instead of a long walk across the park) we began our hike way up a hill ("Please Mind the Hilly Road") to the temple structure overlooking the lakes. By the time we reached the top we had rivutlets of sweat rolling down our bodies. My throat was burning from the pollution and we were ready for a break.

Lucky for us, there was a black-market for popsicles at the Summer Palace. As we hiked up and up and up we kept being approached by women with backpacks full of popsicles. She would open her bag to show the wares. Her eyes darting back and forth. Suddenly, even if you were deep in negotiations, she would then scamper into the woods. Later we figured out it was the sight of someone official coming up or down the hill that sent them running for the trees.

Eventually, we managed to complete a transaction before it was interuppted by an official. It was worth the wait! Red flavor. Great view (albeit made less great by fog).

I seriously question the business sense of black market popsicle sellers... don't they have like a 10 min shelf life???

What is your favorite flavor?

Frozen Yogurt with Honey

Two summers ago, Justin and I traveled to Croatia. We loved EVERY minute of it. The people, the swimming, the grilled seafood and lamb, the luscious and inexpensive wines. But I especially loved the sladoled. Sladoled is the Croatian word for ice cream. Sladoled was a heck of a lot like the Italian gelato, creamy and fruity, and on every street corner. My standout favorite quickly became the yogurt sladoled. It was tangy and creamy with a wonderful mouthfeel.

This year I had been making due with Haggen Dazs Tart Frozen yogurt. It tastes fine, but at $5 a pint and full of corn syrup it wasn't a great choice. Lucky for me, I came across my ice cream maker while we were rearranging the kitchen cabinets! I rinsed it out and dropped into the freezer and started hunting for a recipe. Again, I stumbled across a fabulous recipe on 101 cookbooks. Heidi Swanson has an amazing blog with great recipes.

I changed the recipe a bit, used nonfat yogurt and honey, and whipped it up in an hour. I used Trader Joes European nonfat yogurt for this batch. I think next time I will use Nancy's yogurt, which I think tastes far better. I would drain it longer though.

Doug helped clean out the empty yogurt container. He is good like that! Always earning his keep.


Nonfat Frozen Tangy Yogurt
1 qt nonfat yogurt
1/4 - 1/2 cup honey

1. Layer a strainer with some tea towels, cheese cloth or paper towels. Put strainer over the sink or a larger bowl.
2. Dump yogurt into the strainer and let drain for at least 30 minutes. I got a cup of liquid from "thick" yogurt. I would drain longer if still loose.
3. In a clean bowl combine yogurt and honey. I love the tart taste, but if you like it sweeter add closer to 1/2 cup honey. Adding sweetness later as a topping is a good option too.
4. Put in ice cream maker and turn on. It was ready in about 15 minutes.
5. Eat and enjoy with a drizzle of honey, some good hood strawberries, OR (my favorite) grilled peaches.

I stored my leftover yogurt (which gets a lot harder) in a tuperware, with plastic wrap pushed onto the surface.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Ever make it?

A Few Bites From Vacation

Spring break has come and gone. I barely blinked!
I had a wonderful week - I headed to New York and New Jersey to see a dear friend and her adorable babies. The family recently moved from Seattle to New Jersey and I missed them so much.
It was a great escape from the gray and gloom of Portland. The East Coast was bright and cold. Perfect walking weather. We made the most of it! Hello Central Park!
After wandering through Central Park, we stopped for a bit. What is better for breakfast than a cupcake and cup of coffee from Magnolia Bakery! (Hey, it was vacation!)

One of my favorite days was a mini road-trip to upstate New York, where my grandma lives. Growing up my family flew back East to visit the rest of our family every few years. No trip was even complete without a visit to Cohen's Bakery. My dad has no self-control in the bakery. Daily trips would end with an armload of pumpernickle bread, poppyseed cake, ruggulah of all flavors, and of course, the black and white cookie.

Turns out the apple doesn't fall from the tree.

I won't go into detail, but we ended up returning to the bakery 3 times in the course of 4 hours. I loved introducing my friend and her son to the black and white cookies! (And raisin pumpernickle, ruggalah, sugar cookies, and poppyseed cake!)

We had a great sugar high going...

I have never found a black and white cookie in Oregon. (Any suggestions??) I have made Joy the Baker's cookie recipe. It was a close substitute, and will have to hold me until a go back to visit!

Happy Very Belated Pi(e) Day!

Pi Day was March 14th. Get it? 3.14?!!?? (Least now you will be ready for next year.)

For the second year in a row we celebrated Pi Day by eating Pie. We had a great turn out for our Pie Party. Our table was weighed down with banana foster pie, berry pie, coconut-cream pie (mmmm!!!), chocolate coconut pudding pie with rasberry topping, blueberry pie, apricot buttermilk pie and the very tasty savory Shepard's pie.

I have to admit that the coconut-cream was my favorite. I invented the apricot, buttermilk pie. It was interesting. Made with dried apricots and creamy buttermilk it is a great winter pie - and breakfast the next morning. I am still working the kinks out of the recipe though.


Interested? What is your favorite type of pie?

Feel Like Celebrating?

Today is a day for celebration in America! I spent my morning watching the swearing in surrounded by first graders. I am not sure they were as overcome with emotions as their teachers and I, but I think they will remember this day!

This is a perfect, quick celebratory butterscotch pudding from Gourmet Magazine. It can be whipped up in a few minutes, so you won't miss any of the ball.
I made a slightly healthier version by subbing skim milk for whole.

Butterscotch Pudding
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp salt in a heavy medium saucepan, then whisk in milk and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking frequently, then boil, whisking, 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Pour into a bowl or fancy glass, then cover surface with buttered wax paper and chill until cold, at least 1 1/2 hours.
Whipped cream is a great addition.

It tastes great hot too!