Everything Good To Eat: Apricot Pie

"Summer was everything good to eat; 

it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape." 

~Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

This is the point of summer when I'm savouring every detail, every day. The way the warm breeze flows into the house at night, moving the curtains just so. I know the cool nights are coming, but I'm not quite ready for them. I'm thoroughly enjoying ice cream on the patio, as the dragonflies swoop under the trees, which are beginning to change, but I pretend I don't see the yellowing of leaves. Whenever I put on a pretty summer dress, I feel the fabric and admire the way it swirls about my hips, all the while thinking that this could be the last time I wear it this year. End of August always has me feeling a little choked up, like I'm saying goodbye to a lover, forever. I savour every moment we have together, whether it's driving out on country roads to look at the stars, or one last dip of the toes in the lake. Late August has me feeling like this Cat Stevens song and I'm not sorry.

Rustic Fig & Honey Goat Cheese Tart

"The measure of your life is the amount of beauty and happiness 

of which you are aware." ~ Agnes Martin 

The earth is quietly opening up around here.  Today I looked at the teeny buds on the lilac bush in the front yard, and on the apple and plum trees behind the house.  Tentative first steps of the beauty that lies ahead.  It's been a warmer than usual spring.  Typically there should still be snow lingering, but it's been gone for a couple of weeks now.  Even the grass is beginning to turn green, and the cats couldn't be happier.  Their little mouths chomp down voraciously on the fresh chlorophyll until they eat too much and...we all know what happens when cats eat too much grass.  I too have the spring fever and can't wait to don a new pair of garden gloves and begin peeling back the layers of mulch in the flower beds.  I'm always pleased to see the fresh growth underneath.  I silently congratulate the perennials for surviving another bitter winter.  Like us locals, they too deserve a pat on the back for enduring another multi-month Saskatchewan deep freeze.  As the cats roamed the perimeter, I sat in one of the dusty patio chairs hauled out from the garage and turned my face towards the sun (I wasn't even wearing a jacket!) grateful for another season of fresh, happy starts. 

Start Me Up: Smoked Salmon & Goat Cheese Quiche

"For last year's words belong to last year's language

And next year's words await another voice. 

What we call the beginning is often the end

And to make an end is to make a beginning." 

~ T.S. Eliot

Happy New Year!

I hope 2015 is off to a grand start for all of you.  It's only been six days, but I can feel it's going to be a good one - I hope you do too.  I've been in full-on reflective mode.  A new year always does that to me; thinking back to what all transpired within the last twelve months.  Plenty of good things, the jump for joy good things, but also those moments that had me do the ugly cry and curl up into a ball.  Oh the agony and the ecstasy of life.  But somehow, we dig deep, and just get through it.  No doubt with a little help from our friends.  And chunks of dark chocolate and cheese; and new seasons of favourite shows (Downton!  GIRLS!) and the odd glass of red wine.  And whiskers on kittens.  You get my drift.  It's all in the details.  The minute, seemingly mundane things that make up a life, a year.  As the year flashes back, there's no need to connect the dots right away.  Oh but we try.  The thing is, with as much gratitude as we can muster, to recognize that each new person and experience is another dot on our map.  I hope your map for 2015 is full of all things beautiful and glorious.  Cheers to beginning again.  

Plum & Nectarine Hazelnut Galette

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."  ~ Lucy Maude Montgomery

With Canadian Thanksgiving just around the bend, I feel like I should be thrown into food blogger jail for not posting something pumpkin.  Please forgive?  However if you do a search on my blog for lovely pumpkin confections, you'll find tiramisu, and pumpkin roll, and even waffles.  So there you go. And. And!  Near the end of this week I will be posting something Thanksgiving related, so hold on to your hats for that.  There will be pumpkin!  But first things first, there are nectarines and plums.

Fallen: Rustic Almond Pear Galette with Dulce de Leche

When I look back on the year 2013, I will have to say it was anything but boring.  I've never much cared for roller coasters, but this year is quickly becoming one.  You might recall that I recently returned from my yurt adventure, all rejuvenated and rosy cheeked.  Warm, fuzzy feelings of everything being right in the world set in.  It was good times.  Flashback to a week ago when, out on an innocent sightseeing Sunday, I took a tumble and fell, hard.  Too smitten with the South Saskatchewan River to watch where I was going, my foot caught in a rut and I, in all my uncoordinated glory, ended up breaking a bone in my right foot.  At first I thought it was a simple, yet painful sprain, but as the shock wore off the excruciating pain set in and yup, an X-Ray revealed a broken foot.  Oh my.  This was so not how things were supposed to go for me!  I had plans and activities and work to look forward to.  Now, I'm laid up with crutches and an oh-so-sexy walking boot that still scares the bejeezus out of the cats.  Seeing as I'm the pastry chef in a busy kitchen, work is put on hold indefinitely.  I've had to rely on friends to help do simple tasks around the house.  Let me tell you, it's pretty humbling to see someone else sweep your floor, do your laundry and take out your trash.  I'll never again take for granted these simple activities that I wish I could do for myself.  The broken foot has definitely cramped my independence, but given that today is Thanksgiving in Canada, I still have so much to be grateful for.  Like, of all the bones to break in the foot, I broke the right one, requiring only 6 weeks to heal instead of 6 months (that would surely put me over the edge).  I'm grateful to the friends and family to have stopped by with food, comforting words and offers of assistance.  The sign of a true friend is one who will clean the litter box without being asked.  True that.  I've no doubt I'll heal well; the pain and swelling are already decreasing.  Just be patient, the doctor said.  I nodded my head.  Just another one of life's adventures to look back upon when I'm 90 years old and shooting the shit in the seniors' home.  

Streusel-Topped Strawberry Balsamic Galette

 

I'm kind of at that place in my head (scary stuff) where I need to use all of the most amazing in-season fruit, right.  now.  before, it goes away again til next summer.  There are peaches on my counter crying to be put in a buttermilk cake, and cherries that absolutely must be combined with chocolate in any way, shape or form.  Plus apples, just picked last week that might make a mighty fine pie.  Not too mention that the nectarines have failed to make it home from the market, but I'm hoping to remedy that soon.  Too much fruit!  Too little time!

Runneth Over: Swiss Chard & Heirloom Tomato Tart

Holy cow these are busy busy times.  My garden is running over with goodness, the veg doing their thing and growing crazy fast and furious and making me wonder, yet again, why the heck I planted for a family of 12 when there is just me and my handsome man to feed.  But we'll eat loads of it fresh, then preserve the rest.   I'm almost a little afraid to go out and check the beans because I know they'll be out. of. control. and some massive blanching/freezing will have to ensue in the next day or so.  If you are bored and/or want a bag o' beans, come on by - I can use the help :) Speaking about out of control, my chard has gone bonkers crazy productive, and I know I'm not the only one.  A funny thing happened last week.  Within a matter of minutes two friends, from different provinces, one in real life face to fave convo, and the other via Instagram begged pleaded with me to post a Swiss chard recipe on the blog.  Seems like their favourite green has gone bonkers crazy productive too.  Less I disappoint those I love, I have a chard recipe for y'all today.  And it's crazy bonkers good. 

Caramelized Banana & Bourbon Upside-Down Tart

 

Bananas aren't my favourite fruit.  In fact, I mostly buy them for the sole purpose of banana bread, of which I'm a huge fan (especially if it contains chocolate and pecans!).  There's the off chance I might grab a few bites if it fits into my banana window.  What?  You don't know about the banana window?  For me, I'll only eat a banana if it's got the faintest bit of green, but not so under-ripe that the peel won't come off cleanly.  The texture must be firm.  If it goes any longer and I detect mush, then forget about it.  Don't even get me started on bananas that have already turned spotty - I'll leave the room if someone eats one of those in front of me.  They make fine baking bananas though so into the freezer they go to turn black; at the ready for any impromptu banana bread baking.  You're probably thinking I have massive issues a thing about textures and you're not wrong.

Saskatoon Berry Crème Fraîche Tart & An Anniversary

Sometimes all it takes is a few words to change the course of your life.   A little over three years ago my brother said to me "Ren, you should buy my house."  And poof!  Just like that everything changed.

I'd been living in a different city, sort of stuck in a rut, I guess you could say.  Same old apartment, (though it was quite lovely), I was renting, and rent was escalating beyond what was reasonable and affordable.  My job was quite good, but I'd been doing it for so long, things were a bit, well, repetitive.  (Great people, great place, but it had come to a point where I needed to cook different food.)  The relationship I was in felt scratchy like an ill-fitting sweater, with no room for expansion either. All that was keeping me in Edmonton was a heaping handful of really good friends, and while they were sad to see me go, they understood why.  So when my brother put those few words to me, I thought about it for a little while, at first hesitating because change always scares the crap out of me.  But then through the haze of fear and uncertainty, I saw that a lifeline was being extended.  I grasped at it and haven't looked back since.

Three years ago this past week I moved into my little house in Saskatoon.  Good friends borrowed a trailer and helped me move my belongings the six hours East.  Halfway through our journey we stopped for Chinese food, and my fortune cookie read:  Life is a series of choices.  Today yours are good ones. Goosebumps allover.  While I was certain I was doing the right thing, I had no job lined up and I knew I'd have to make new friends in my new city.  Question marks always freak me out a little (or a lot!). Luckily I had my family nearby to see me through the transition.  My Mom lives just a few blocks away, and my brother is across the city.  Being here also means I get to see my sister way more frequently than before; especially important because she totes along her gorgeous little girls who have Aunty wrapped their tiny fingers. It took some trial and error but I found a pretty great job doing what I love and I've made some really great friends too - some of the best people I've ever known, in fact.  And the house!  I love owning my own house. I love my massive back yard; planting and harvesting the vegetable garden. I love sitting on my patio admiring the flower beds full of bees.  I love that I can paint whatever colour I want on my walls - my bathroom is pink!  I love that I can play music at all hours if I like, which I don't that often, but it's nice to have options.  I love that I have a garage.  I really do.  With a garage door opener and everything.  I love my little green kitchen, with the gas stove, and the fridge in the laundry room because, well, my kitchen is little.  It's quirky, and it's mine.

And my city.  I love Saskatoon.  It's a beautiful and vibrant, with tremendous growth happening right now, and I love being a part of it.  And I love that it's named after one of my favourite berries in the whole world.  Saskatoon berries are native to North America, but especially abundant in Western Canada.  They grow wild along riverbanks and coulees and my summers when I was a kid were spent picking them.  They look kind of like blueberries, but with their purple-black skin and sweet almond like taste, there is no comparison. If you don't feel like being a hard-core bush whacker, there are U-Picks a-plenty where you can get some that are cultivated.  Still quite good, but not the same as stumbling across them in the wild.

In honour of my 3 year anniversary in the city, I decided to bake a  Saskatoon berry tart, just because I'm a total cheese ball.  And the recipe said I could make my own crème fraîche - something I always wanted to try.  You basically combine some whipping cream and sour cream together and let it stand overnight on the counter.  12 hours later you have something like thickened whipping cream.  At least that's how my turned out.  Later on it's folded into the custard for the tart and it turned out beautifully.  The cornmeal in the crust yields a nice crunch to the creamy, berry bursting filling, and I love the cracks that formed on the surface of the tart. This being the first time I've tried the recipe, not sure if that was supposed to happen, but hey, they are only cracks!  If you don't have Saskatoons, you can use any other berry you like, or a combination.  Blackberries and raspberries would be insanely good.  Peaches and plums, heck even pears would be delicious.

You'll never do a whole lot unless you're brave enough to try.  Dolly Parton

And she's right.  I've always been a bit of leaper into the unknown kind of girl.  Be it moving across the country to study art, or moving back across the country to hone my culinary skills, or moving to the wilds of the Yukon to take my first cooking job.  I guess I have an adventurous spirit (at least that's what my resumé says).  Don't get me wrong. I've been terrified while undertaking such ventures.  But sometimes you have to let faith trump fear.  Bravery trump boredom.  If someone extends a lifeline - grab it.

Saskatoon Berry Crème Fraîche Tart

To make your own Crème Fraîche:
Combine 1 cup whipping cream and 1/4 cup sour cream in a container.  Stir well and cover.  Let stand for 12 hours at room temperature.  When the mixture is nicely thickened you can store it in the fridge for up to two weeks.

For the pastry:
1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
pinch of salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1 egg
grated rind of one lemon

Filling:
3 cups of Saskatoon berries, or your favourite berries (fresh or frozen)
3/4 cup crème fraîche
3 eggs
1/4 cup ground almonds
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract

For pastry:  pulse ingredients together in a food processor just until dough forms a ball.  Alternatively combine the dry ingredients, cut in the butter with a pastry blender and stir in the egg until it forms a ball.  Press dough into bottom and up sides of a 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Prick the sides and bottom with a fork.  Chill for one hour or overnight.   Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes. Arrange the berries in tart shell.  Whisk together filling ingredients.  Pour over fruit and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes, until firm, golden and puffed.  Dust with icing sugar before serving.  Excellent both warm and cold.  I did have it for breakfast and it was delicious!  Serves 6.  Adapted from "High Plains" by Cinda Chavich.

Smell This: Peach Tart With Dulce de Leche

The people at the fruit stand are starting to know me by name.  Seems like I'm there a couple of times a week, getting my fair share of cherries, plums, and by far my favourite - peaches.  There's only a short window to get really really good peaches here in Sask.  They're trucked in from BC, but better that than some warehouse in California, arriving under ripe, sprayed with God knows what and tasting like cardboard.  No, this is the only time of year I eat fresh peaches, and I'm savouring every last drop of juice running down my chin.

Biting into a perfectly ripe peach is one of my favourite summertime activities.  First I pick it up and hold it to my nose, for longer than is probably normal.  Just inhaling.  And inhaling again. Sometimes I'll eat one peach right after the other just because I can and no one is looking.  The cats don't judge me, that's for sure.  Well at least not on my copious peach consumption.

Have I ever told you about my Mom's peach pie?  She makes all kinds of delicious pies, but whenever a slice of her peach pie was placed before me, it was truly an experience:  buttery crust, warm and sweet peachy filling with hits of cinnamon.  Lord knows I harass her every summer to make some, but she hasn't obliged in awhile (what's up with that, Mother dear?). So. It's time I take my peach pie cravings into my own hands.

These hands could have made a perfectly fine double crust peach pie, with fluted edges and the whole bit, but I wanted my peach pie without all of the drama, so I opted for more of a free form tart. (Truth:  it was a Sunday and I was lazy and it was hot and I just wanted to curl up in my hammock with Rob Lowe's memoir.)  Luckily I had some frozen pie dough from when I made that glorious rhubarb pie a short time ago (that was really smart of me!), so most of the work was already done.  Sliced up some ripe and oh so fragrant peaches, tossed them with a little bit of sugar, bundled them up in the pastry and poured over a little dulce de leche, just because I had some in the fridge, and seriously, what could go wrong with that combo? Besides, Emily put some in her peach tart and it looks magnificent. 

I purposefully stayed in my kitchen cleaning up the dishes while the tart was baking, just so I could bask in the beautiful smell seeping out of my oven.  Took me back to being a kid and asking my Mom when the pie was going to be ready.  Just 35 minutes is all it took.  I ate a substantial slice warm, without ice cream, just because I couldn't wait (patience is not one of my virtues), but do indulge with vanilla ice cream.  A short while later, for the sake of "recipe research" I had a smaller slice this time, but with a good size scoop of ice cream, and yes, it does taste as delicious as it sounds. Be sure to get your peaches before they're gone.  Tell them Renee sent you.

Peach Tart with Dulce de Leche

Pastry for the tart can be found here.  Roll out as you would for the bottom of a pie.  Place the pastry on a parchment lined cookie sheet. 

The filling is very simple.  4 peaches, peeled and sliced, tossed with 1 tbsp flour, 2 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon.  Place this filling in the middle of your rolled out pastry.  Gently fold in the sides.  That's the great bit about it being "rustic".  Anything goes.  Meanwhile melt 2 heaping tbsp of Dulce de Leche, with 1 tsp of butter and pour this over the top of the peaches.  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven, and bake for about 35 minutes until golden.  Serve warm as is or with ice cream.  Serves 4-6.

Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart

 

There's a pretty decent sized raspberry patch nestled back by the garden, where I go once in the morning to pick berries for my cereal or yogurt parfait made with this amazing granola.  I'll venture there again at dusk, just to see if any more berries ripened while I was gone.  I'm kind of in love with raspberries, see?  Especially when you pop them in your mouth while they are still warm from the sun.  The.  Best.

Do check for little bugs before you do this, otherwise you might get a little more protein than you were banking on...Not to speak from personal experience or anything.

When I was scrolling through the archives,  it dawned on me that I hadn't baked anything with chocolate since the Double Chocolate and Skor Trifle I made for my sister's birthday.  Seriously!  I'm not holding out on you either; believe me - if I'm baking with chocolate you'll find out about it. Truth is I haven't really eaten that much chocolate over the Summer.  I know!  Someone check the calender to make sure it's not 2012 yet and the End of Days is upon us.

Renee + Chocolate is a universal understanding, but with all of the glorious fruit abounding this season, I've been baking with whatever I've picked up at the market. Some may say I've been a little heavy handed with the rhubarb, but that's okay.  You can't please everyone.  Until now.  Now I bring you chocolate.

Raspberry and Dark Chocolate.  There's nothing like it.  Especially when the chocolate is creamy and truffle like, and the raspberries freshly picked from your (or someone else's) backyard.  Add to that a buttery, flaky crust, and really, it's amazing.  What else can I say?

My Mom was my taste tester that night,  and we both agreed that the tart needed a little whipped cream to balance out the strong flavours of chocolate and raspberry.  I had also eschewed the raspberry glaze first night, because, well, I didn't have any raspberry jam in the house like I thought.  Got some the next day, and you can probably see a difference in the photos.  Better with the glaze, no? The tart was even more delicious on the second night, especially with the whipped cream.  And I may have eaten it for breakfast on the third day.  With strong coffee.  Glorious!

The raspberries are waning now.  But I can't really complain.  They've been good to me for over a month, and I'm grateful for it.  There may even be just enough for tomorrow's breakfast.  One last taste of the ruby red gems.

Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart

crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp butter, cold, cut into 1/2" cubes
3 tbsp icing sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp cold water

filling:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
12 ounces (360g)  70% dark chocolate (I used Lindt this time), chopped
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp Kahlua or strong coffee

4 cups fresh raspberries, lightly rinsed, and laid to dry on a tea towel
3 tbsp seedless raspberry jam

sweetened whipped cream for garnish

To make the crust, combine the flour, butter, and icing sugar in a food processor and pulse until crumbly.  In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks with the lemon juice and water.  Add to the flour mixture, with the motor running.  Dough should be soft.  Gather into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.  Roll out and fit into a 9 inch tart pan, trimming edges.  With a fork, poke a few holes in the crust.    Freeze 20 minutes.   
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake crust for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Let cool completely.
Meanwhile, heat cream in a heavy saucepan, until it comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate.  Stir until completely smooth.  Add the vanilla and coffee flavouring.  Let cool 15 minutes.  Pour into cool crust.  Refrigerate until firm, about 40 minutes, then top with berries.  Melt down the raspberry jam with a bit of water and brush over the tart.  Chill for a 20 minutes before cutting.  Serve with sweetened whipped cream. Serves 6-8.  

Sour Cream Rhubarb Oatmeal Streusel Pie

 

Rhubarb.  It's the gift that keeps on giving this Summer.  I've made it into tarts, cakes, and tiramisu; slathered it on grilled salmon, and who can forget those gorgeous Foxy Ladies?!!!

This time around though, it's all about pie.  And rightly so because it's been ages since I've built a pie.  Remember the chocolate peanut butter birthday pie?  That was utterly dreamy.  And this rhubarb pie is too.  Creamy, almost custard like filling, not too sweet, balanced between a tender buttery crust and a brown sugar buttery oatmeal streusel topping.  Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and well, it's Summer dessert perfection.

You may have guessed by now that I love feeding people.  Be it a hungry brunch crowd, or leisurely afternoon lunches on the patio with the ladies, or just my mom and I gathered 'round my small dining table.  On this occasion I gathered together some of my friends I hadn't seen all Summer, and we sat in the shade of my tall, tall trees eating glorious pie and ice cream.  What better way to spend a Summer afternoon? 

I've declared before that one of my goals is to make really good pie crust.  Some people want to go to the moon or become President.  But I want to make really good pie crust.  And I'm off to a good start.  I think the trick is to add a little more ice water than the recipe tells you, so the dough is quite soft.  And make sure every thing is cold, from the butter and shortening, to the egg and water.  And don't over handle the dough.  Chilling it for an hour or so before rolling it out seems to help too.  This pastry turned out well, no cracks to be found!  And I have more pie dough in the freezer awaiting my next pie concoction.  I've been dreaming of peaches....

The question remains on what to do with the rest of the 'barb that keeps growing in the garden.  You're probably getting tired of blog posts about rhubarb, even if they are of pie!  You want chocolate, don't you?  Well, I've got something up my sleeve for that, don't worry.  In the meantime I guess I will freeze the rest of the rhubarb for days in mid Winter, when I'd dreaming of eating pie and ice cream, under the shade of my tall, tall trees.

Sour Cream Rhubarb Oatmeal Streusel Pie

For the pastry:
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1/2 cup cold shortening
2 tsp vinegar
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten

For the filling:
2 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped
1/2 Gala apple, peeled and diced
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

For the streusel;
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
3/4 - 1 cup large flake oatmeal

To make the pastry, in the bowl of a food processor, add the flour and salt and fats.  Pulse until the dough is crumbly.  In a 1/2 cup measure, add the egg and vinegar and enough cold water to fill. With the motor running, add the liquid to the flour mixture.  Then add a teeny bit more cold water.  The dough should come together and be soft, not crumbly at all.  On a floured surface, divide the dough into 3 and form each into a disc.  Put one in the fridge for an hour or so, and put the other two in the freezer for later use.  Alternatively, you can leave the dough in the fridge overnight, and remove 30 minutes before you want to roll your pastry out.  When ready, roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface, drape over your pie plate, and pinch the edges and trim excess dough.  Set aside.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
For the filling, combine the ingredients in a large bowl and pour into the prepared pie shell. Bake 25 minutes and remove from oven.  Combine the streusel ingredients in a large bowl.  You want it to be quite buttery and crumbly.  If too buttery add more oatmeal.  Sprinkle the streusel on top of the pie and return to oven to bake for 25 minutes longer, until golden and gorgeous.  May be a good idea to line the bottom of your oven with foil in case it runs over like mine did.  Let pie cool before cutting into wedges.  Absolutely serve with vanilla ice cream.  Serves 6-8.

Rustic Ham and Brie Tart With Grape Tomatoes and Thyme

One of the things I like most about cooking is taking a peek into the fridge, seeing what needs using up, and concocting some sort of splendid dish out of the whole mess.  All of these years in the food biz have taught me well...you don't dare throw any food out unless it's a rotting disaster. Ideally you stay on top of your inventory and use accordingly; buying only what you need for certain functions, etc.  Throwing away food is like throwing away cold, hard cash.  Same goes at home.  I'm the total nerd in the market with my list, buying only what I need for what I'm cooking this week.  There may be the odd impulse buy in the cheese section, or hello, I do in fact need this bar of dark chocolate.  Cheese and chocolate will get me every time.

Speaking of cheese, this delicious tart came to fruition because all that remained off of a wedge of brie were a few lonely slices.  There was also a container of sour organic whipping cream that needed to be used up ASAP, as the odour in the fridge was getting to be a bit much.  A few bits and pieces of roast ham were kicking around and I've got wonderful fresh spring onions in the garden now, and herbs galore!  The only thing I bought special were some lovely grape tomatoes.  I love eggs and tomatoes, especially in a warm buttery crust with all of that brie.

One of the things I want to become better at is making pastry.  The press-in crusts are awesome, and they come to my rescue many a time, but I really want to kick some butt at making honest to goodness roll out pastry.  Usually it tears apart and ends up a garbled mess of dough after trying to patch the pieces together, then it's tough as nails because I overworked it.  Joy.  So, practice practice practice.

I'm happy to report that this attempt did not suck.  Far from it.  I even added some whole wheat flour to the pastry, and it turned out just fine, save a minor crack I noticed after I par-baked the crust.  I just filled the shell with my fresh ingredients, wrapped the tart pan in foil, hoped for the best, because sometimes that's all you can do.  I kinda figured the egg would set up before any disaster took hold.  And I was right.  No kitchen nightmare here!

The best thing about this tart, is that you can prepare it in stages.  I made the dough the day before.  Rolled it out and put it in my tart pan, pressed the edges in, pierced the crust.  Plunked it in the freezer and forgot about it until the morning I wanted to make the tart.  Par-baked it for 20 minutes, prepped my filling ingredients, cracked some eggs, chopped some herbs, filled the tart and let it bake up into golden goodness.  Really, it's that easy.  Served warm, this tart is a splendid sensation of creamy brie and buttery crust, salty ham tamed by the sweet of the tomatoes.  Aromatic thyme and a tender bite of spring onion compliment it perfectly.  These ingredients are just a jumping off point...think bacon and Gruyere; roasted zucchini and cheddar; goat cheese and anything. Perfect for brunch guests, or a simple supper with salad.  And seriously, if I can make this pastry and it turns out half decent, you can too. 

Rustic Ham and Brie Tart With Grape Tomatoes and Thyme

crust:
11/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp chilled butter
3 Tbsp chilled shortening
4 Tbsp ice cold water

filling:
5 slices brie (about 1/2 cup) approx
1/2 cup diced ham, approx
2 green onions, sliced
1 handful grape tomatoes, cut in half
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
3 large eggs
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

To make the crust:  in a food processor, add the flours and fat.  Pulse until coarse crumbs form and if pinched between your fingers it holds it shape. With the motor running, gradually pour in water until a ball forms.  Pour in a bit more water if need be. Gently place the dough on a surface, gather into a ball and wrap in plastic.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  After it has chilled, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface.  Place in a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom.  Trim the overhanging crust to 1 inch, and fold it in, pressing gently.  Pierce crust allover and refrigerate for another 30 minutes, or you can wrap it and freeze overnight.  When ready, heat your over to 375*F, bake crust until golden, about 20 minutes, pressing down with fork if it bubbles up.  Remove from oven, layer in the cheese, meat, veggies. Whip the eggs with salt and pepper, pour over filling ingredients.  Sprinkle with fresh thyme.  Bake for 30- 40 minutes, until golden and filling has set.  Let rest 5 minutes and cut into wedges.  Serves 4-6.  Adapted from Bon Appetit. 

Cooking On The Farm, Part Two: The Desserts!

It's been well documented here that I love love love my sweets, so it's no surprise that the best part of the cooking cousins weekend was the desserts.  Yeah, everything we made here was super super awesome, but the desserts were the standouts.  Oooooohed and awwwwed over.  Eyes-rolled-back-in-the-head they were that good.  Some even cooed.  Ok, I cooed, but couldn't help it.  I was eating a strawberry chocolate springroll.  You would coo too!!!

When Leanne and I were texting back and forth over the menu, as soon as she said, "I'm going to make chocolate springrolls", I thought, holy smoke, this is going to be one helluva weekend!  I COULD NOT WAIT to see how these were made.  Leanne and Brian, like many of you I'm sure, religiously watch The Food Network (I don't have cable, so I almost never see it.  If I did have The Food Network I'm not sure I would ever leave my house.) and some dude was making these springrolls, and well, they were hooked.  Simple process really, make a chocolate and strawberry filling, add some nuts, if you like, freeze it.  Then chop the frozen filling into bar shapes, wrap in egg roll wrappers, and deep fry.  Heavens, yes.  We served them with Leanne's homemade chocolate sauce, and if you like caramel, try this amazing sauce to go with the springrolls too.  Delicious. 

Leanne's Strawberry Chocolate Springrolls

Melt:  3 100g Dark Chocolate Bars (Lindt 85% Cocoa was used in the recipe) plus
          4   1 oz. semi-sweet baking squares.

To this melted chocolate, add 2 cups sliced strawberries and a handful of nuts.  Leanne used peanuts, but use whatever you like.  Press in a parchment lined 9x13 baking dish, and freeze.  Great to make a day or two ahead.  While it's frozen, chop into bar-shaped chunks. 
Using egg roll wrappers, (Leanne used 1.5 packages), place one chunk in the middle of the wrapper. Dampen the edges, and fold corners in around the chocolate.  Set aside.  When all are wrapped, heat vegetable oil in a large pot on stove.  I'm not very scientific about deep frying, so I'm just going to tell you that when the oil is hot, start deep frying a few at a time, until golden.  Set aside, and keep frying until all are done.  Serve with chocolate and caramel sauces, and why not add some whipped cream too?  But I say that about almost all the desserts! 


Lately I'm all about the rhubarb.  There are so many great recipes abounding, I have to try them all!  Well not quite, but I'm trying.  I made this cake here, and I'm brainstorming another incredible rhubarb dessert to serve this weekend, but you have to hang onto your hat for that one.  This Rhubarb Tart with Brown Butter Streusel was no slouch either.  The Epicurious people described it as "a country tart meets city topping..."  and me being a city girl heading to the country for the weekend, well it seemed somehow apropos.  I'm a farm girl at heart, after all. 

When you make the streusel with brown butter, you'll wonder why you haven't done it sooner!  It adds a lovely nutty flavour to an already buttery, crumbly almond topping.  The crust is one of those straightforward shortbread types you press into your tart pan, and par bake.  (Can I just give a shout out to IKEA, and how much I loved baking this tart in their $6.95 tart pan?  Deal of the day!) And the fresh rhubarb shines through all of the butter and sugar, more and more delicious with every bite.  Again, a side of whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream would put this over the edge.  There were leftovers in the fridge and I almost snuck down from my attic guest room to have a slice in the middle of the night. But I didn't want to be rude because I'm hoping for another invitation to their wonderful farm. Maybe I'll even get a chance to drive a tractor!

Rhubarb Tart With Brown Butter Streusel

Crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large egg yolk
4 tbsp chilled whipping cream

Streusel:
9 tbsp (135g) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup golden brown sugar, packed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup all purpose flour

Filling:
5 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp grated lemon peel

To make the crust:  In a food processor, or with a pastry blender, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, and cut in the butter until coarse meal forms.  Add egg yolk, and 3 tbsp of cream.  Blend until moist clumps form, adding more cream if dough is dry.  Gather dough into a ball, and press it into a 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom, to make 1/4 inch crust.  Pierce crust all over with fork, and chill for at least 2 hours. 
To make streusel:  Cook butter in large skillet over medium heat, until golden, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, add nuts, sugar and cinnamon.   Add flour and stir until moist clumps form.  Cool completely.  (Crust and streusel can be made one day ahead.)
For filling:  Preheat oven to 375*F.  Toss all filling ingredients in a bowl, let stand until filling looks moist, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.  Bake cold crust until golden, pressing with back of fork if crust bubbles, about 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, reduce oven temp to 350*F.
Spoon filling into warm crust.  Crumble streusel over filling.  Bake until filling is bubbling and streusel is crisp and brown, about 1 hour.  Cool tart on rack for 30 minutes.  Serve warm, or room temp.  Serves 8-10.  Adapted from Bon Appetit.

I slept like a baby in the cozy attic, not even banging my head once!