Welcome Back!

Before we renovated the kitchen, my cookbooks were everywhere.  Upstairs, downstairs, in the hallway and in the cheap Ikea bookshelves in that nasty old kitchen.  As you know, I have a pretty extensive collection, so when I needed to find a particular volume, it was anyone's guess as to where it was hiding.

Not anymore!  I now have brand new floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in the two rooms adjoining the kitchen and, even though everything is still unorganized, all of my cookbooks are right there, waiting for me like dear old friends.  I missed them when they were all packed up in dust-covered boxes in the construction zone that used to be my living room.

It took hours to unpack and set them on the new shelves, largely because I couldn't help myself from thumbing through them as they came back into the light of day.  They brought back lots of memories and reminded me of old recipes I had forgotten.

Like Sour Cream Apple Pie.  How did I manage to let this one fall off the radar screen?  If apple pie is good, then sour cream apple pie is even better.  Welcome back, old friend!

SOUR CREAM APPLE PIE

For the crust:

1 ½ cups all-purpose, unbleached flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and diced

3 – 4 tablespoons ice water

Process the flour, salt and cinnamon in a food processor for 15 seconds.  Distribute the butter evenly over the flour and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 15 – 20 seconds.  With the processor running, pour 3 tablespoons of the water in a steady stream through the feed tube and process until dough just comes together.  If dough is too dry, add remaining water and process again.  Do not let dough form a ball.

Remove dough from processor, flatten into a round and wrap well with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

To roll out, place dough on a lightly floured surface.  Use a rolling pin to roll out into a 11-inch circle.  Keep the dough moving on the floured surface so it doesn’t stick.  When rolled out completely, drape it over the rolling pin and ease it into a deep dish 9-inch, lightly greased glass pie plate.  Trim edges and crimp, then place in freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  Remove pie plate from freezer and line with aluminum foil.  Fill with dried beans or pie weights and bake for 15 minutes, or until dough starts to set.  Remove foil and beans and bake for another 10 minutes, or until dough is barely starting to become golden.  Set aside to cool.

For the filling:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup light brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

8 tart apples (I used Granny Smiths), peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch slices

Zest and juice from 2 lemons

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Over medium heat, melt butter in a large skillet or sauté pan.  Add brown sugar and salt and stir until combined and smooth.  Add apple slices, lemon zest and juice and cook for 8 – 10 minutes until apples release their juices but still hold their shape.

Use a slotted spoon to remove apples to a heatproof bowl.  Stir cornstarch into juices remaining in the pan and cook, stirring frequently until slightly thickened.  Pour over the cooked apples and let cool slightly.

For the sour cream mixture:

1 ¼ cups sour cream

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla paste (preferable) or vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

2 eggs (I used extra-large)

Whisk all ingredients.  Pour over cooled apple mixture and stir gently to combine.

For the streusel:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose, unbleached flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced

Place the first five ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk to blend.  Add the diced butter and use your fingers to work it in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

To assemble and bake:

Preheat oven to 375-degrees.

Pour the apple/sour cream mixture into the partially baked crust.  Top generously with streusel.  Place on a baking sheet lined with foil (to catch drips) and bake for 35 – 45 minutes until top is golden and apples are bubbling.  Remove from oven and cool on a baking rack.

Yield:  (1)  9-inch pie  

*  This is a wonderful pie to make for Thanksgiving.  Just sayin'.....

*  Yes, there are a few steps required to get this baby into the oven, but I have experimented with this recipe for years and I think it makes a big difference to partially prebake the crust (keeps it from getting soggy) and cook the apples before baking (keeps them from being watery and gives the filling better depth of flavor).  One woman's opinion.

*  The pie recipe was inspired by recipes from The Silver Palate Cookbook (remember it from 1979? - oy veh, I'm dating myself) by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins and Rosie's All Butter, Fresh Cream, Sugar-Packed Baking Book by Judy Rosenberg, published in 1991.

*  The streusel recipe comes from Scott Peacock's and Edna Lewis' great book, The Gift of Southern Cooking.  This is the best streusel I have ever made and it is stunningly simple, like most of their recipes.  You probably won't use it all, but you can store any leftovers in the freezer and do your best not to nibble on the stuff when you need a sugar fix.  Who would do that????  Certainly not me!

*  So which cookbooks did I keep out during construction?  Those would be the cookbooks by Ina Garten  (the Barefoot Contessa), those by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito of Baked in Red Hook, the aforementioned book by Scott Peacock and Edna Lewis (probably my favorite cookbook of all time) and my own Recipes From Home.  Just in case you were curious!

Bitchin' About My Kitchen

For years, I have dispensed the sage advice of "be careful of what you want because you just might get it" to more people than I can count.  Uh-oh.  It appears these words are now coming back to haunt me.

When we bought this house five years ago, I was so eager to get out of that 85-year-old-house-where-we-lived-for-20-years-which-needed-major-renovations-and-major-money, I didn't really pay attention to this kitchen.  It looked just fine and I never stopped to look at the lack of counter space, the cheap cabinets, the bottleneck between the kitchen and the eating area and the lack of natural light.  At least, not until the move was complete, the unpacking was done ... and the reality of this crappy kitchen set in.

Trust me,  I had more than a few of those "what in the hell have I done?" meltdown moments.  Just ask Henry.

http://nevertrustaskinnycook1.blogspot.com/2010/11/kitchen-heaven.html

So now we have gone and done it.  Hired an architect and a contractor, that is.  We are about to rip out the entire kitchen, open it up to the adjacent rooms and build a brand-spanking new one.  And while we are at it, we are also adding a screened porch to the back of the house, since that's the thing Henry misses most about that old house on Fairview Road.  Oy veh, this is going to be a nightmare!

Demolition starts in two days.  I've done my part by cleaning out all of the cabinets, packing everything in boxes and turning the living room into a great big storage area.  My entrance hall is going to become a temporary kitchen (this will not be pretty) and it's going to be interesting to live through this.  For at least three months.  Double oy veh.

Packing up the living room

And turning it into storage space

For now, in addition to packing, I've been engaging in a baking marathon, figuring that not much of it will be happening in the temporary kitchen.  Ha, maybe I'll become proficient in producing baked goods from a microwave!  (Don't hold your breath on that one).

This gets a makeover into a temporary kitchen.  Seriously?

But here's a recipe worth passing on.  I call it Cookie Dough Pie, but it isn't really a pie at all.  It's more like a giant cookie baked in a pie dish so it's a snap to make and it doesn't require a crust.  (I'm betting I can even make it in my faux-kitchen).  It's also scrumptious and you can adapt the recipe to any combination of ingredients you like.  Here's my take on it with macadamias and white chocolate chunks.

COOKIE DOUGH PIE


1/2 lb. unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (I used extra-large)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 oz. white chocolate chunks
1 1/2 cups macadamia nuts, toasted, cooled and roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  Butter a 9-inch glass pie plate.

In an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes.  Scrape down bowl several times.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat on medium speed to combine.  Beat in vanilla extract.

Combine flour and baking soda in a medium bowl, whisking well to blend.  Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture, beating only to just combine. Remove bowl from mixer stand.  Use a spatula to fold in white chocolate and macadamias.

Turn batter into the prepared pan.  Cover the edges with foil by placing the pan onto a large piece of foil and bringing sides up to cover edges.  Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until just golden and set in center.  Place on a baking rack to cool completely.

Serves 8 - 10

*  This is a basic recipe, so tweak it as you desire.  Chocolate chips and walnuts?  Butterscotch chips and pecans?  Add cocoa to the batter, omit the nuts and keep the white chocolate chunks?  Consider adding dried fruit, such as cherries or cranberries instead of the chips?  Flavor the dough with lemon instead of vanilla and add dried blueberries?  I could also see adding coconut to the above macadamia and white chocolate version.  Change it up any way you like.

*  Needless to say, everything is better with a scoop of ice cream.  Or a dollop of freshly whipped cream.  This dessert is no exception.

So now you know.  If you invite me to dinner in the next few months (please, oh please) and ask me to bring dessert, this is what you are likely to get.  Just letting you know in advance!

Forbidden Fruit

Bananas are a thing of the past around here. Poor Henry used to consume one every morning along with his cereal and morning coffee (unlike me, he will not eat leftovers for breakfast) until I did a little research and discovered that bananas are extremely high in both sugars (28 g) and carbs (51 g). Now granted, they are a good source of fiber, vitamin C and potassium, so I don’t want to give them a bad rap but they no longer grace our breakfast table. Sigh.

Ah, but when we find ourselves on vacation, all bets are off.  Remember that trip we took recently?

http://nevertrustaskinnycook1.blogspot.com/2011/02/gone-fishin.html

We needed a quick get-a-way, so we headed for the Turks and Caicos. We had never been there, but it was a pretty straight shot from Atlanta (less than 2 hours on a plane, unless you travel in the midst of severe thunderstorms, which happened on the way back), we found a lovely, quiet place to stay (no big, all-inclusive resorts for us) and it looked like a good place for a five-day sojourn.

Indeed, it was. While Provo isn’t a hotbed of activity, it was lovely and easy to navigate. We spent time on the beach, kayaked, explored an iguana-inhabited island, relaxed and enjoyed some lovely dinners at local restaurants. As these islands are under British rule, this last one was a surprise!

Nonetheless, we found good food on the island. Our favorite restaurant was Coyaba which is helmed by Chef Paul Newman (I’m not making that up). We were lucky enough to meet him and he shared some insights as to the difficulties involved in running a successful restaurant on the island. Unfortunately he did not share his recipe for Banana Caramel Eton Mess, but I am determined to re-create it. Stay tuned.

The other memorable dessert we encountered was Magnolia’s Banoffee Pie. I stumbled across the recipe while perusing one of the local dining magazines and figured it was reason enough to have dinner there. Well, why not? We had to make up for our banana deficiency somehow, right?

BANOFFEE PIE  (adapted from Chef Matt Gaynor, Magnolia Restaurant, Providenciales)

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 ½ cups dulce de leche (or salted caramel, which is what I used)
2 bananas, sliced
2 cups heavy cream, chilled
¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Place graham cracker crumbs in a large mixing bowl. Add melted butter and stir until combined. Press into a 9 or 10-inch tart pan, or 6 individual tart pans with removable bottoms. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until just set; remove from oven and set aside to cool.

When crust is cool, pour the dulce de leche over and smooth top. Place in the refrigerator to set up and cool completely.

Just before serving, layer banana slices over the caramel layer. Whip the cream to soft peaks with the confectioner’s sugar and espresso powder. Spread evenly over the bananas. Cut and serve immediately.

Serves 6 – 8

• I will admit that I am a snob when it comes to graham cracker crusts. I normally eschew them in favor of some other type of cookie, as you know from my prior cheesecake posts. But, since this is a traditional British recipe, I elected to just go with it and you know what? I liked it!

• I had some leftover salted caramel from making one of those Sweet and Salty Cakes so I subbed it for the dulce de leche. This was a good decision; so much so that if I make this again, I would venture so far as to make some salted caramel specifically for this dessert. Make your own choice: here are the links for both:

http://nevertrustaskinnycook1.blogspot.com/2010/12/baked.html

http://nevertrustaskinnycook1.blogspot.com/2010/05/dulce-de-leche-vs-dulce-de-leche.html

• F.Y.I., when I made this (for that potluck recently where I took the mac and cheese), I used an 11 x 7 ½ -inch rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom. Use whatever you have.

• Yeah, we had both mac and cheese and banoffee pie that night. What was I thinking????????

Deeper Dish

Ouch.  I made a visit to the grocery store today (Kroger) to buy all the stuff you can't find at Whole Foods Paycheck, like affordable paper towels, glass cleaner and dog treats.  Along the way, several bottles of wine also found their way into my shopping cart.  When I checked out, I was asked for my ID (how ridiculous).  The cashier looked at it, looked at me and said, "it's Senior Citizen's Day; you're eligible for a senior citizen's discount." 

WTF?????  Seriously????? 

Tragically, yes.  Turns out you have to be 55 to qualify and unfortunately that applies to me.  Guess that means I am officially "old."  Who knew?  It sure ruined my day!

I will, however, admit to a habit that is now attributed to older folks and that's sitting at the kitchen table every morning with a cup of coffee and a newspaper.  Especially if it's the Dining Section of the New York Times.

I was especially intrigued by a recent article by Julia Moskin entitled "Pie to Cupcake:  Time's Up."  The gist of the piece was about how pies are being transformed by young, innovative bakers (based on the above story, that does not apply to me) and how cupcakes are being replaced by some of these creations.  The one that really caught my eye was the Rye Pecan Pie from the folks at Diner in Brooklyn.  Not because it was a unique recipe for pecan pie but BECAUSE IT WAS BAKED IN A SPRINGFORM PAN.  Of course, I had to try it.

Now, you already have my recipe for Pecan Tarts from Watershed.  As far as I'm concerned, you never need another recipe for pecan pie other than this.

http://nevertrustaskinnycook1.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-nasty-little-pie-crust-secret.html

Nonetheless, I'm posting this one anyway, as much for the technique as the filling.  It gives a whole new meaning to deep dish pie.  It was stunning in its presentation and I can't wait to adapt it to other variations.  Lemon meringue and coconut cream versions, here I come!

BOURBON PECAN PIE (adapted from Diner)

For the crust:
2 ½ cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
½ pound cold, unsalted butter, diced
½ cup ice water (more as needed)
About 5 cups dried beans (for blind-baking)

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, salt and sugar at low speed until just blended. Add butter and mix until pea-sized lumps form. Increase speed to medium-low and add ½ cup ice water in a slow, steady stream, mixing until dough just comes together. If dough seems crumbly, add more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time until dough sticks together when pinched. Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to three days. Dough can also be frozen for up to a month.

Open a 10-inch springform pan, flip the bottom over so the outside surface faces in, then close. This will make removing the pie easier, by preventing the dough from sinking into the pan’s crease. Spray pan with cooking spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough into a 16-inch circle. Ease it into the prepared pan and fit dough down into the edges. Press the sides firmly against pan and pinch around the top rim. Trim dough so it hangs over the rim by one inch. Freeze until very cold, for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Lay a piece of parchment or waxed paper in pan, then a piece of aluminum foil. Fill with dried beans to top of pan. Bake 15 to 25 minutes, until the sides of the crust have set and turned a light golden brown. Remove from oven and carefully lift out foil, parchment and beans. Return to oven and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until just golden. Cool completely before filling.

For the pie filling:
5 extra-large eggs
1 ¼ cups light brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla paste (or extract)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons bourbon
2 cups finely chopped pecans
2 ½ cups pecan halves

Preheat oven to 325-degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, molasses, corn syrup, vanilla, salt and bourbon. Pour into the prebaked pie shell in springform. Sprinkle chopped pecans over surface then arrange pecan halves on top in concentric circles until entire surface is covered. Do not overlap.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes until filling is just set in center. Let cool completely, then use a serrated knife to saw off overhanging pie crust. Carefully remove outer ring of pan. Slice with a very large, sharp knife and serve with a dollop or two of freshly whipped cream.

Serves 12

Here are a few pictures of the process.  I hope you try it and adapt it to your own taste in pies.  Let me know how it turns out!

Hazelnuts for Henry

There isn't much Henry won't eat (except for maple syrup   ...   really, Henry?) but he does have a few favorites, like duck (not my fave) and capers.  He would probably eat cardboard if capers were involved.  He would also walk through fire for hazelnuts, which are the subject of this post.

A friend of mine who lives in Oregon recently lamented the fact that she couldn't find Georgia pecans.  I responded by sending her a bag and she reciprocated by sending me these big beautiful hazelnuts from Oregon.  Already skinned, no less!  Everyone should have a friend like this - thanks, Carol!

Now when you're given a gift like this, you don't want to bury it in your freezer, to be unearthed in a couple of years when those hazelnuts will be hard little dried-out pebbles with no flavor.  Heck no!  Instead you set yourself immediately upon the task of using them in everything you can think of.  Sooner rather than later. 

Let's start with a tart.  As you know, chocolate and hazelnuts are a match made in heaven and this (heavenly) creation does full justice to that.  I would even go so far as to say this would be worth it even if you had to skin all of the hazelnuts yourself!

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT TART (adapted from Giada DiLaurentis)
  

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 9 pieces

3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Place flour and salt in food processor and process for about 10 seconds. Place butter evenly over flour and process until it resembles coarse meal, about 15 to 20 seconds. With processor running, pour 3 T. of the water in a small steady stream through the feed tube and process just until dough comes together. Add a little more water if needed until it just forms a smooth ball.

Remove from processor and knead for several turns then flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out onto floured board and ease into a greased tart pan.  Trim edges and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before proceeding with recipe.

Yield: enough dough for one single crust 9-inch pie

For the pie:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 T. all-purpose unbleached flour
3 extra-large eggs
1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped hazelnuts
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (or chunks)
1 cup light corn syrup
2 T. butter, melted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all of the ingredients and pour into an unbaked pie crust. Preheat oven to 325-degrees and bake for about 45 minutes, until slightly puffed in center and golden brown. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 8 - 10

BTW, this pie crust recipe (not from Giada) is the one I have used for years.  It's pretty much foolproof, so don't be afraid to try it.

One down, three more (hazelnut recipes) to go!