Apricot and Basil Shortbread Tart

Seasonal Amazingness. I think that's actually what this dessert should be called. I'm usually aghast at the
poor quality of produce at my local grocery store, but on my last shopping trip I happened to notice some perfectly ripe, large, unblemished, in-season apricots taunting me from amongst the smashed apples and moldy broccoli (seriously). Along with some fresh basil from the gardens of those of you lucky enough to have yards or balconies with direct sunlight (grumble, grumble), this tart makes for an elegantly refreshing taste of early summer.

Herbs seem to be having a moment lately. Infusing everything from cookies and ice cream to cocktails and liquors, herbs add a hint of je ne sais quoi particularly when enriching the flavor of sweets and desserts. I have to admit I was a little wary of the basil-infused pastry cream called for in this tart, but I am now a believer. Yes, it does taste like basil, but in the most amazing way.

Also amazing about this dessert is the crust. Though it's technically a shortbread, it's not the bland, sandy, rock hard crust you're imagining. Made with a unique combination of powdered sugar, egg yolk and potato starch, this crust was soft and tender and probably my favorite component of the entire production.

A couple of notes: This recipe calls for a 14x2" tart pan, but you could easily adapt it for a 9" round tart pan as well and baking for 40 minutes. Similarly, the recipe actually makes more than enough pastry cream and nearly too much crust, so feel free to adjust or adapt this recipe to make several mini tarts instead.

Apricot and Basil Shortbread Tart
     From Food&Wine

Pastry Cream

1 cup whole milk 

5 tablespoons granulated sugar  

1/4 cup packed basil leaves with stems 

2 large egg yolks  

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Pastry 

1 large hard-boiled egg yolk  

1 stick plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter  

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1/4 cup potato starch 

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt 

Topping 

6 apricots (1 1/4 pounds), halved 

3 tablespoons granulated sugar  

1/3 cup apricot jam, melted 

  

1. In a saucepan, combine 3/4 cup of the milk with the sugar and basil; bring to a simmer. Remove the milk from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Remove the basil and squeeze any milk back into the pan; discard the basil.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup of milk with the yolks and cornstarch until smooth. Slowly whisk the egg yolk mixture into the warm milk; bring to a simmer over moderate heat, whisking constantly until very thick, 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted. Scrape the cream into a bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate until chilled, 2 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 375°. Spray a 14-by-4 1/2-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom with nonstick cooking spray. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the hard-boiled egg yolk with the butter and sugar at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, potato starch and salt and beat at low speed until just combined. Using lightly floured hands, press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the side of the tart pan. Refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes, or until chilled.

4. Bake the crust for about 25 minutes, until golden. Transfer the crust to a rack and let stand until cooled, about 1 hour.

5. Increase the oven temperature to 450°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the apricot halves cut side up on the paper and sprinkle all over with the sugar. Roast for about 20 minutes, until the apricots are tender and lightly browned. Let the apricots stand until completely cooled, about 30 minutes.

6. Unmold the crust and transfer it to a serving plate. Using a small offset spatula, spread the cream evenly in the crust. Arrange the apricots on the cream, cut sides down, and brush with the melted jam. Cut the tart crosswise into strips and serve at once.

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Blueberry Lemon Cookies

As much as I enjoy the rich, indulgent, comforting baked goods that come along with wintertime and the holiday season, I have to admit that winter is wearing on me and I'm already aching for spring and summer.  

If you're also yearning for a taste of warmer temps, these supersoft, almost cakelike cookies are like a summer flashback in every bite.

For some reason my cookies didn't really spread out much at all. I know the temperature was accurate thanks to FINALLY getting an oven thermometer and realizing just how out of whack my oven is. So I plan to replace my baking soda and see if that helps. Just a warning in case your cookies come out flatter than mine--that's how they're actually supposed to look :)

These cookies only had the slightest hint of lemon, which was fine with me, but if you're a huge citrus fan you may want to increase the lemon zest or juice.

A couple of notes: Be extra careful when you're mixing in your blueberries, trying not to squish any if possible. Obviously they'll still taste great, but it kind of spoils the look and mouthfeel when you don't get that burst of fresh berry. Also try to distribute the berries evenly throughout so you don't end up with a bowl full of berries and no batter by the end. Not that that happened to me...

 

Blueberry Lemon Cookies

     from Baker Bettie  

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Zest of one lemon

Juice of one lemon

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp cinnamon

3¼ cups cake flour

1½ cups blueberries

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, and beat after each addition.  Add the vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice and beat to incorporate. 

2. In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  With the mixer on slow speed, slowly add the dry ingredients into the batter.  Scrape down the bowl as needed and mix until incorporated.  Fold in the blueberries gently as to not break them.  

3. Allow the dough to cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to overnight.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Use a small scoop (about 1 tbsp size) and place rounded mounds of dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or foil.  Bake for 11-14 minutes until the bottoms look slightly browned (the edges should not brown).

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Peach Streusel Muffins

Happy National Peach Month!! After a slice of delicious Brown Sugar Cinnamon Peach Pie, the peach parade continues with what turned out to be somewhat unfortunate peach muffins...

So, have you ever had that moment in the middle of cooking where you realize things are not exactly going the way you planned? For me, that moment happened with these biscuits err, muffins when I noticed that the dough was getting pretty thick. Really thick. And sticky. We're talking, like, pizza dough.

Then, rather than getting mixed by the mixer, the batter proceeded to actually CONSUME the beaters and become entirely wrapped around the mixer in a giant ball. It was awesome.

Having double and triple checked the recipe, I refuse to admit that this could possibly have been user error :)  Honestly, I think Betty Crocker was just a little off in their liquid measure for this recipe and next time I would definitely up the milk or maybe add oil or sour cream instead. To be fair these muffins were still tasty when warm, but just a little too dense and pancakey for my taste once they cooled.

 Peach Streusel Muffins
     from Southern Living 

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened  
1/3 cup sugar 
1 large egg  
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
3/4 cup milk  
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peeled peaches, chopped 
1/4 cup sugar 
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
2 1/2 tablespoons chilled butter or margarine

1. Beat 1/2 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add 1/3 cup sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg, beating until blended.

2. Combine 2 1/3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, stirring well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract, and fold in chopped peaches.

3. Spoon muffin batter into greased or paper-lined muffin pan, filling two-thirds full.

4. Combine 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon; cut in 2 1/2 tablespoons butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over muffin batter.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

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Brown Sugar Cinnamon Peach Pie

Recently, one of my absolute favorite food bloggers Smitten Kitchen posted about getting back to basics, and allowing simple flavors to shine through in dishes rather than fixing what isn't broken by throwing in heaps of extracts or spices just for the sake of it. Generally, I agree. Well, except for cardamom, you know how I feel about that. : )  In SK's post, she was specifically referring to peach pie, and while I absolutely agree that the delicious flavor of in-season fruit stands on its own, when I had a craving for peach pie a couple of weeks ago, I knew plain old peaches just weren't going to cut it.

I was craving a pie with depth. Specifically, a peach pie complemented by the sweet touch of brown sugar and cinnamon. And when I found a recipe that included both of these things AND a dash of booze, I knew it had to be good.

If you're worried about overwhelming sweetness (not usually something that enters my pie-eating considerations...) although this recipe calls for both white and brown sugars, surprisingly the most frequent compliment I received on this pie was that it wasn't too sweet. Similarly, even though the bourbon smelled a bit overwhelming in the initial stages, the flavors melded beautifully and it didn't stand out at all in the end.

A couple of notes: Using peaches that are a little more on the firm side is fine, this helps to keep their shape during baking rather than getting too mushy. I also, accidentally, reduced the brown sugar in this recipe to 1/3 cup but will probably continue to do so based on the feedback. I went with my new go-to crust recipe from The Homemade Pantry, but feel free to use your own favorite or store bought crust.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Peach Pie
     from Pink Parsley
6-8 large fresh, firm, ripe peaches (3-4 lbs)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbs bourbon or whiskey
2 Tbs butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten + 1 tsp water
1 1/2 Tbs granulated sugar + 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Divide your chosen pie crust dough into 2 equal pieces and on a lightly floured surface, roll the first piece into a 12-inch circle.  Starting at 1 side of the dough, wrap it around a rolling pin and transfer to a 9-inch pie plate.  Press dough into the plate being careful not to punch through.  Trim the overhang.

2. Peel the peaches, and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices, and cut the slices in half.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt.  Add the peaches and bourbon, and stir to coat.  Immediately pour the filling into the pie plate, and scatter the butter pieces over the top.  Don't make the filling until you are ready to use it, because the peaches will give off too much of their liquid and the filling will be runny.

3. Roll the second pie crust into a 10-inch circle, and if making a lattice crust, cut into several strips using a pizza cutter or knife.  Make a lattice design over the peaches.  If you choose to make a standard top, transfer the crust to the pie, pinch the edges together to make a fluted edge or use the tins of a fork to press them closed.  Cut a few slits in the top to release steam.

4. Brush the top with the egg wash, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar.

5. Freeze the pie for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and position the oven rack to the lowest position.  Heat a baking sheet in the oven as it preheats.

6. Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet.  Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.  Bake 40 minutes.  If the crust is getting too dark, cover loosely with aluminum foil.  Bake an additional 15-25 minutes, or until the juices are thick and bubbly.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool 2 hours before serving.

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Jeni's Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

Though I may have brought home quite a haul of sour cherries from this month's berry picking expedition to Hollin Farm, the original purpose of the trip was a hunt for strawberries. A true harbinger of the arrival of summer, I couldn't wait to get my hands on some fresh, ripe berries for the plethora of strawberry recipes I'd been collecting.  Along with jams, galettes, compotes and breads, I knew for sure that Jeni's Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream had to be one of the first destinations for these babies.

If you remember, finally making ice cream has been one of my 2012 Baking Resolutions--after my ice cream maker had been languishing in the cabinet for two long years, I finally took the plunge inspired by the dozens of amazing flavors in the new Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams cookbook. By now you may have seen Jeni's featured on any number of morning and talk shows, not to mention places like Saveur and Dean&Delucca but growing up with it in Columbus, OH I had always taken it for granted. Now that I live in DC, the ability to whip up confections like Toasted Rice Ice Cream with a Whiff of Coconut and Black Tea at home whenever I want is just too tempting.

Despite a couple of missteps, I think my first ice cream attempt came out amazingly well! Rookie mistake #1 was not watching the custard base while it was cooking, letting the milk boil over and create a skin on the bottom of the pan. Rookie mistake #2 was not straining the mixture to remove the skin and assuming that it would get smoothed out during the mixing process. Wrong. So, let this be a warning to you, ye young ice cream maker.

If, like me, you also have an ice cream maker languishing in your cabinets and are thinking about liberating it this summer, I might also refer you to rookie mistake #3--not reading the manufacturer's instructions. Depending on the type of machine you have, it may require you to first freeze the mixing bowl for 16-24 hours in advance or, oh, I don't know, ADD 3 CUPS OF ROCK SALT AND 8 POUNDS OF ICE around the mixing bowl. So, yeah, there's that.

Roasted Strawberries!

All in all the ice cream making was ridiculously easy and now I just have the difficult decision of choosing what recipe to try out next!

Jeni's Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 oz (4 tbsp) cream cheese, softened
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 cup buttermilk

1. To roast the strawberries, preheat the oven to 375F. Mix the strawberries with the sugar and place in an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish, stirring to combine. Roast for 8 minutes, just until soft. Allow to cool slightly.

2. In a food processor or a blender, puree the strawberries with the lemon juice. Measure 1/2 cup of the pureed mixture and refrigerate the rest for another use (I threw it in a smoothie).

3. To make the ice cream base, mix 2 tbsp of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl, mixing to make a smooth slurry. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and salt. Set aside.

4. Fill a large bowl with ice and water and set aside.

5. In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup, heating to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Return the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring with a heatproof spatula, cooking until slightly thickened (about 1 minute). Remove from heat.

6. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese, whisking until smooth. Stir in the 1/2 cup strawberry puree and buttermilk, mixing well. Pour the mixture into a gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag into the ice water. Allow to stand for about 30 minutes, until chilled.

7. Churn ice cream according to ice cream maker instructions. Pack the ice cream into an airtight storage container and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

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Sour Cherry Almond Pie

If you've never experienced the joy of sour cherry season, you're not alone. Available for few brief blink-and-you'll-miss-them weeks at the beginning of June, sour cherries (also called pie cherries, or tart cherries) are the lesser-known cousins of the sweet cherries we all know and love from the late summer. Prepping for a four month stint overseas last June, I managed to miss the entire sour cherry season and vowed to make up for it this year.

While you may find sour cherries available at your local farmer's market this time of year, I was lucky enough to get some hands-on picking experience at Hollin Farm in nearby Delaplane, VA. A beautiful plot of rolling hills just 1 hours from DC, Hollin Farm had strawberries, cherries and a few early raspberries on offer as well as a few early summer veggies for picking. It's also conveniently adjacent to several local wineries if you feel the need to stop off for a quick tasting on the way home, like we did. :)

While I debated for awhile what to do with the quarts of strawberries I'd picked, I knew immediately that these cherries were meant for a pie. I also figured it was about time to try my hand at making a crust from scratch again. I usually go with store-bought crusts, since mine never seem to measure up in taste or texture despite all of the hard work and heartache.  This time I decided to try a recipe from one of my new favorite cookbooks, Alana Chermila's The Homemade Pantry.

My first lattice top pie!

Folks, we may have a winner :)  Flaky but not too flaky and neutral enough in flavor not to overwhelm the pie, I was a big fan of this crust.  I would only note however, this recipe calls for vinegar as the only liquid, but there was no way this crust was ever coming together without a little cold water. I'm not sure exactly how much I added but it was at least 5 tablespoons, so you'll have to experiment.

I have to say I absolutely loved this pie and already can't wait for next year's sour cherry season!

Basic Pie Crust
     from The Homemade Pantry
1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups (12.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup water

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Cut the butter into half-inch squares and combine with the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using your hands, toss the mixture to coat the butter in the flour. Put the bowl in the freezer. In a measuring cup, combine one-third cup water, the vinegar, and salt. Stir until the salt dissolved and put the measuring cup in the freezer. Freeze both mixtures for 10 minutes.


2. Take the mixing bowl out of the freezer and blend the mixture on low speed with the paddle attachment until it starts to become the texture of crumbly meal. take the measuring cup out of the freezer and, with the mixer still running on low speed, slowly pour the wet mixture into the bowl. The dough will be crumbly at first, then after 10 or 20 seconds, it will come together in a ball. Stop the mixer


3. Turn the dough out onto the counter and press it together into a large disc. Cut the dough into two equal parts, wrap each piece in waxed paper, and press each into a disc. refrigerate for at least two hours, and up to three days.


4. Grease a 9-inch pie dish with butter and lightly dust with flour. Take the dough out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before you are ready to roll it out. Unwrap the dough and place one of the discs on a lightly floured counter. Starting from the center, roll the dough into a circle about 12-14 inches in diameter and 1/4" thick.


5. Fold the crust in half then fold that semicircle in half again so that you have a quarter of a circle. Line up the corner of the quarter with the center of your pie dish and unfold the quarter into a semicircle, then into a full circle.


6. Fill the crust with your pie filling. Repeat the rolling process with the second disc of dough, and either lay it on top of the filling, or cut in strips to form a lattice. Brush top crust with 1 Tablespoon milk and dust with remaining 1 Tablespoon sugar. Use your fingers to crimp the edge of the dough along the circumference of the pie dish.




Sour Cherry Pie

     adapted from Epicurious
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons quick-cook tapioca (can substitute cornstarch)
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cups whole pitted sour cherries (about 2 pounds whole unpitted cherries)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon (about) milk

1. Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, tapioca (or cornstarch, if using), almonds (if using), and salt in medium bowl to blend. Stir in cherries, lemon juice, vanilla and almond extracts; set aside.

2. Transfer filling to dough-lined dish, mounding slightly in center. Dot with butter. Top pie with remaining crust or lattice strips as directed below. 

3. 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.

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Martha Monday: Raspberry Custard Tart

I actually made this tart for a friend's Easter dinner this year--even though I may have jumped the gun a little, as raspberry season is finally almost here and this would be a great, refreshing tart recipe to celebrate the early summer.  I especially love that the crust is a super easy phyllo pastry--So long, time-intensive crust baking on hot summer days!

Raspberry isn't usually a fruit I would associate with Easter, but this tart was listed in Martha's recommended Easter dessert recipes, so that must make it legit :) This recipe does take quite a few raspberries, so feel free to substitute any other summer fruit if raspberries aren't on sale at your local grocery, or you don't have easy access to bulk berry picking.

A couple of notes: I wasn't able to find créme fraîche, so I went with a pastry cream recipe for the filling rather than a strict custard and I honestly couldn't even tell the difference. I would recommend making sure your custard is really set after baking (mine was still a little jiggly) and also let the tart sit in the fridge for a little while before serving if you have the time, otherwise it doesn't keep its shape as well during serving. I also decided to brush the berries with a little melted apricot jam to make them shine a little bit more, but this is completely optional.

My fancy shmancy pie weights :)

Really proud of myself for actually cooling the custard in an ice bath...which I usually skip out of sheer laziness

Raspberry Custard Tart
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 cup créme fraîche
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 cups raspberries (about four 6-ounce containers)

1. Roll out pastry sheet to a 12-by-14-inch rectangle. Line a 10-inch ceramic tart dish with pastry, pressing it into bottom and up side of dish. Trim edge, leaving 1/2 inch to hang over rim of dish. Refrigerate dough 20 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick dough all over with a fork. Generously line shell with parchment, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. (Parchment should drape over rim of dish to prevent shell from overbrowning.) Bake shell 35 minutes. Remove parchment and weights, and bake shell until pale golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Let shell cool 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees.

3. Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk together creme fraiche, sugar, vanilla, salt, eggs, and flour in a medium bowl until smooth.

4. Pour filling into tart shell, and bake until custard is set, about 20 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 30 minutes. To serve, top tart with raspberries.

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Blackberry Crumb Bars

For regular readers of this blog, you’ll know that May heralds the arrival of my favorite social event of possibly the entire year: The Virginia Gold Cup Steeple Chase (and terrier race). An homage to floppy hats, fascinators, sundresses and seersucker in the style of the Kentucky Derby, this day filled with lawn drinking, people watching and, of course, horse racing is something I look forward to every year.

In addition to the critical details of planning the perfect attire, unsurprisingly I also spend weeks debating the perfect dessert to bring. Usually I, of course, lean towards cupcakes, celebrating with Derby-worth flavors like Mint Julep and Lemon Iced Tea. But the past two years I’ve come to realize that, sadly, perhaps cupcakes aren’t the most picnic-friendly food. So this year I decided to embrace the finger foods and went with crumb bars. Which can only mean one thing…BLACKBERRIES!

It’s no secret by now that blackberries are by far my favorite fruit, and I can’t help but whip up one of my signature blackberry pies whenever they’re on sale at the grocery.  One would think that crumb bar recipes would be pretty standard, but apparently this is not the case. I scoured dozens of recipes to find one that was not too crumb-heavy, and used both blackberry jam as well as whole blackberries to boost the sweetness and blackberry flavor. And, let me tell you, this recipe from Rumbly In My Tumbly is beyond drool-worthy. Trust me. Plan ahead, because when blackberries hit your local farmer’s market this summer, these will be the star of any pool party or BBQ you take them to.

Blackberry Crumb Bars make their Gold Cup debut

A couple of notes:

I love that these came together very quickly, leaving me plenty of time to also throw together a batch of lemon bars (can we also talk about how there is a dearth of good lemon bar recipes out there?) But I do recommend refrigerating them for several hours if you have the time to help them keep shape once you slice them. You could also substitute just about any fruit/jam combo for these bars, and the cream cheese drizzle frosting is optional if you’re trying to cut sugar but, believe me, it adds a lot. 

Blackberry Crumb Bars

1 cup white sugar
1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon zest (about 1 medium-sized lemon)
1 teaspoon baking Powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, Cold and cut into pieces
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blackberries
1 1/4 cups of blackberry jam
1/8 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons cornstarch

Frosting
3 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 - 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract *optional
1-2 Tablespoons of cream or milk

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a 9x13 inch pan with foil and butter/spray the foil.

2. In a large bowl, combine the lemon zest and 1 cup sugar. Using your fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar until it becomes moist and fragrant. (I used my food processor, and just pulsed the sugar and lemon together a few times) Add the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter, or use your finger tips to incorporate the butter. But work quickly, you don't want the heat from your fingers to melt the butter too much. (Again, I just used my food processor and pulsed it a few times). Stir in the egg. Dough will be crumbly and coarse, like thick wet sand.

4. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

5. In a separate, large bowl, stir together the 1/8 cup of sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blackberries and jam.

6. Carefully sprinkle/spread the blackberry mixture evenly over the crust (leave about a 1/4-inch border around the edges of the pan so the berries won't burn.)

7. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer. Bake in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown.

8. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Slowly sift in the powdered sugar. Start to add a little bit of the cream (don't add it all at once.) Add as much or as little of the powdered sugar and cream as needed. The drizzle should not be too thick, you want to be able to shake it onto the bars in a zigzag patten with a whisk or fork.

9. Drizzle the cream cheese mixture over the top of the warm bars.  Cool completely before cutting into squares.

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Martha Monday: Apple Butter Hand Pies

Apple butter has always held a special place in my heart. And, yes, I realize how completely weird it is to be sentimental about spiced fruit spread.  Growing up, my family went nearly every year to the Roscoe Village Apple Butter Stirrin' Festival--Yes, an entire 3-day weekend devoted to apple butter--in Coshocton, Ohio. A restored river town full of historical reenactors doing doing historical things like wearing bonnets and stirring enormous copper cauldrons of apple butter over open flame, Roscoe Village actually has lots of themed events throughout the year and is an awesome day trip if you're ever passing through Columbus. It's also only 15 miles from the World's Largest Basket. Just saying.

Ok, off my Ohio tourism soapbox.

I originally planned to make the apple butter from scratch as well but, unbeknownst to me, apparently one does not simply throw together an apple butter. It takes 4-8 hours (if you're using a crockpot) or THREE DOZEN APPLES (if you're being a Martha and using the stovetop). I may attempt this in the fall after another seasonal trip to Stribling Orchard, but for now store-bought apple butter will do just fine, and you should be able to find it in the jelly and jam section of your grocery store.

A couple of notes: I am coming to realize that for any type of folded, or poptart-type it is nearly impossible to get the desired amount of filling in your pie without having it leak out into a splendid mess on your cookie sheet. Just something to keep in mind, as I actually reduced the amount of filling called for in the recipe and still had trouble. Just something to keep in mind and, when it says to crimp the edges, crimp like you've never crimped before.

Leaks waiting to happen

Apple Butter Hand Pies
     makes16
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 Tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups Apple Butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and zest.

2. With an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg, and beat until just combined.  Add cream cheese, buttermilk, and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add reserved flour mixture, and beat until smooth. Form dough into a ball, and cover with plastic wrap; flatten into a disk and refrigerate 1 hour or up to overnight, or freeze up to 1 month (thaw in refrigerator before using.)

3.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/8" thick. Using a 4 1/2" round cookie cutter, cut out 16 rounds. transfer rounds to parchment-lined baking sheets, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Spoon about 2 tablespoons apple butter onto half a round, spreading evenly to about 1/2" from the edge. Brush ice water around the circumference of the dough, and fold round in half, creating a half-moon shape. Using your fingers, press down on edges to seal and flute edges. repeat process with remaining dough rounds and apple butter. Place hand pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate 30 minutes.

5. Preheat over to 375 degrees. Combine sugar and cinnamon a small bowl. Lightly brush hand pies with water and sprinkle generously with cinnamon-sugar mixture, dividing evenly. Bake until hand pies are golden brown and crust is just slightly cracked, about 20 minutes. Transfer pies to a wire rack; let cool slightly before serving.

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Martha Monday: Gingerbread Raspberry Linzertorte

If you have the Martha Stewart Pies and Tarts tome that was released this past spring, you may recognize this as the Gingerbread Raspberry Snowflake Tart featured on page 276.  What you will not recognize on my tart are any snowflakes, as 1" snowflake cookie cutters seem to be non-existent in the DC area. So you get a Gingerbread Raspberry Daisy Tart, I hope that's ok.

Ever since the arrival and immediate cracking open of my copy of this cookbook, the Gingerbread Raspberry Tart stood out to me as visually striking, and quickly became one of the recipes at the top of my to-do list.  This is an excellent winter or holiday tart, not only because of the snowflakes (er, snow daisies?) but also because of the interesting gingerbread twist on the classic holiday linzertort.

I have to admit however, although the tart is visually appealing, I and some of my coworkers thought the flavors in the gingerbread were off.  Personally, I found it much too salty and next time would maybe add nutmeg and increase the brown sugar.  If you're a big fan of molasses however, you may like the recipe just as it is.  Either way, the tart was still good, just not quite what I expected.

A couple of notes: When rolled out, the gingerbread dough cracks and breaks very easily, I recommend using a knife or bench scraper to loosen it from the countertop before transfering it to the tart pan or baking sheet.

For my tart I just used store-bought raspberry jam because I didn't feel like spending $20 on raspberries to make my own.  If they happen to be on sale in your neck of the woods, I've included Martha's jam recipe below and it's very easy.

Gingerbread Raspberry Snowflake Tart
  makes one 10-inch tart

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
2 egg yolks (1 egg white reserved for egg wash)
1 1/4 cups seeded raspberry jam (jarred, or recipe below)

1. Sift flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and salt into a bowl.  Add sugar; mix on medium-low speed until combined.  Add butter; mix until combined, about 2 minutes.  Add molasses and egg yolks; mix until dough just comes together, about 30 seconds.

2.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out two-thirds of dough to a 12-inch round, 1/4 inch thick.  Fit into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  Spread jam over shell; refrigerate about 30 minutes.

3. Roll out remaining dough to a 10-inch round, 1/4 inch thick.  Transfer round to a parchment-lined baking sheet; refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.  From round, cut out dot shapes with metal pastry tips, and snowflake shapes with cookie cutters (if desired, reserve snowflake cutouts and sprinkle tops with sugar.  Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees).  Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Lightly beat egg white; brush rim of tart shell.  carefully slide dough round over shell; press edges to adhere.  Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

5. Preheat over to 375 degrees.  transfer tart to a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 50 minutes to 1 hour.  let cool completely on a wire rack.

Raspberry Jam
  Makes about 2 cups
18 ounces (4 cups) fresh raspberries
2 cups sugar

1. Stir together 3 cups raspberries and the sugar in a medium sauce pan (off heat).  Let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until berries begin to give off their juices.

2. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.  Skim off foam.  reduce heat; simmer, skimming foam occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in remaining raspberries; simmer just until berries break up, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Let cool completely. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours, or up to 1 week.

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Apple Pie Rugelach

Although I have decidedly taken a vacation from holiday baking this year (sacrilege, I know) at least my mom is here to pick up the slack.  While elbow deep in Buckeye cookies, chocolate-dipped meringues, dark chocolate cherry fudge and gingerbread, she somehow found the time to write up the exploits of her first attempt at rugelach--Enjoy!

To help celebrate my first year of retirement I decided to attempt something that I had never before had the time to do...Holiday Baking!  I figured that Hilary must have gotten the baking gene from me, right? Wrong!  While I could handle the simple cut-outs from pre-made Pillsbury gingerbread cookie dough and Chocolate-Almond Meringues, Apple Pie Rugelach was more challenging for a beginning baker.

I confess that I had never even heard of rugelach until I saw the recipe in the December issue of Good Housekeeping and then saw some on display at Whole Foods.  After scanning the ingredients and making sure there was nothing that would be hard to find I decided to tackle this treat [note from Hilary: we scoured THREE stores looking for dried apples. Just saying].  After some trial and error (duh, cutting the dough incorrectly) and advice from Hilary the final batch looked pretty good and even the rejects were tasty.

Here are some pointers I would have liked to have seen included with the recipe:

1) Parchment paper is a MUST as the jelly oozes out of the sides. I even decreased the jelly by 1 tablespoon for the last 3 batches.  2) Immediately remove the rugelach from the jelly puddles or they will cool attached to your cookie.  3) I reduced the baking time to 23 minutes, this depends on how well-done you like your rugelach.

Bring on the next challenge!  But maybe not until next year.

Apple Pie Rugelach

     from Good Housekeeping, makes 64 cookies

Dough:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 package (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened 
2 cups all-purpose flour 
1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:

4 ounces (1 1/2 cups) dried apples, finely chopped 
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped 
1/4 cup packed brown sugar 
3/4 cup apple jelly
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Cinnamon Sugar:

1 cup granulated sugar 
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

Trial and error.  Even the rejects were tasty.

1.  Prepare dough: In large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy, scraping bowl occasionally. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour and salt just until blended, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces; flatten each into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until dough is firm enough to roll. 

2.  Meanwhile, prepare filling: In medium bowl, combine apples, walnuts, and brown sugar. 

3.  Prepare Spice Sugar: In small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.

4.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

5.  Sprinkle work surface with 2 tablespoons Spice Sugar. Place 1 disk dough on top of sugar; turn over to coat both sides. Roll dough into 10-inch round, turning round over a few times and sprinkling dough with 2 more tablespoons Spice Sugar to coat both sides.

6.  Spread top of round with 3 tablespoons jelly, then sprinkle with 1/2 cup filling, leaving 1/2-inch border around edge. With knife, cut dough into 16 equal wedges. Starting at wide end, roll up each wedge jelly-roll fashion. Place rugelach, 1 inch apart, on prepared cookie sheet, point side down.

7.  Bake rugelach 30 to 33 minutes or until dough is browned and cooked through. Immediately transfer to wire rack to cool.

8.  Repeat with remaining dough, Spice Sugar, jelly, and filling. Store cookies in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week or in freezer up to 3 months. Dust with confectioners' sugar to serve.

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Lemon Lime Bars

Hi everyone, please welcome my friend, philologist, bassoon player, fellow baker and latest Cupcake Avenger guest blogger Molly Miller and her lemon lime bars!

I felt the urge to bake something summery for a get-together I was having later that night, to help me on my quest to convince my brain that my summer isn't quite over yet.  I originally intended to make some coconut lime sugar cookies, but I realized at the last minute that I didn't want to spend my entire day in the kitchen.  It was 100 degrees outside on the day I was baking, and my kitchen is far far away from my questionable AC unit, so I began to consider other options.  I wanted to toss some stuff in a pan and bake it instead of having to shape dough into balls, make multiple batches, and hang out by the oven all afternoon.  It may have been September, but the temperature told me I should be doing the minimum amount of work possible to make something delicious, and then relax and have a cold drink.

So, I decided to make these.  I had more limes than I knew what to do with, and I was excited to try a new type of recipe, having never attempted lemon squares before.  I did not follow instructions, so I will go ahead and rewrite them to show my process.  Feel free to follow the original recipe without my commentary to distract you.

Get a 13x9 inch pan and line it with something.  I was told to use foil, but I somehow ended up with 3 boxes of parchment paper in my drawer, so I decided to use some of it up and they came out of the pan just fine.  Sometimes, it seems like people are using foil and parchment paper because they just want to reduce the amount of cleanup or be extra careful, but I think you do need to line the pan here if you want to remove the bars without cracking the crust.  Do it.

Crust ingredients:
2/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
2 cups all purpose flour (I used white whole wheat flour, and it was delicious.)
Zest of 1 large lemon (or three small limes, if that's what you have.)

Cream together the butter and the sugar and the zest, and then add the flour.  It will end up crumbly, so you can smash it into your pan for your crust.  I've never tried to do that before, so my crust wasn't as pretty as it could have been, but it held together nicely. 

"Bake 20 minutes at 350, or until center is set."  (I overbaked mine.  20 minutes seems insane.  Remember that the crust will get baked AGAIN, and you don't want your edges to get too dark like mine did.)

At first I was a little annoyed that I would have to make a crust AND a filling, but then I realized that there was absolutely no reason to wash my mixing bowl and beaters between the crust and the filling.  Yay less work! 

My recipe told me to hang out and wait while the crust is baking, but really, you should get started on zesting and juicing those lemons and limes.  I did not have any lemons, so these are going to mainly be lime bars.  Instead of a quarter cup of lemon juice and a quarter cup of lime juice, I juiced between 1/3 and 1/2 cup of lime juice and filled the rest of the 1/2 cup with bottled lemon juice from my fridge and a splash of lemon extract for good measure.  I zested a bunch of limes until it looked like I had at least a teaspoon (there's a picture of how much I used) and ignored the bit about the lemon zest.  My bars taste like lime and are delicious, but if you like lemon too, go ahead and adjust lemon/lime proportions as you like.

Filling ingredients:
6 large eggs
2 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour (I used white whole wheat.)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup lime juice (or some combination thereof)
zest of 1 large lemon (unless you don't have any)
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

My recipe encouraged me to add a drop or two of food coloring to make them pretty, but I just plain forgot.  I'm content with the color I ended up with, but go ahead and throw some extra coloring in if you want them to look a little more cheerful.

(Side note: Cooking with The Spatula of Love will make your food delicious and give you the right to brag that you put so much love into your baking that you had to use a special spatula to control it.)

After 20 minutes, the filling had a crust over the top, but the contents were still sloshing around beneath it.  I realized my oven thermometer was reading 300 instead of 350, so I adjusted things and popped them back in.  After 5 minutes, I didn't exactly know how to tell whether they were done or not.  Is the center set?  Well, my toothpick came out clean and nothing was sloshy, so it might be done, right?  But, I hate cutting into something after it has cooled only to realize that I have undercooked it, so I turned off the oven and stuck it in for a few more minutes.  After letting them cool a bit on the counter, you should cover them and let them chill in the fridge for 2 hours.  Then, sprinkle with powdered sugar (and more zest, if you're not sick of zesting yet.  I was.)

At some point, I scooped a bit of something weird looking (undermixed egg?) off the top of the bars and left a small hole behind, as you can see in the pictures.  The powdered sugar covered it, so no worries.  I've included a picture of the uglier edge pieces as a warning against making the crust climb too high and then baking it for longer than you might need to.

I stored my leftovers in the fridge and they were still delicious a week later, though you might have to refresh the powdered sugar if you want them to look pretty after sitting in the fridge for a few days.

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