Lemon Ricotta Tart

Tomorrow marks Memorial Day and the start of the grillin' season. To celebrate, we're heading down to the in-laws' for some grilled meats and sunshine in the backyard. It would seem that I am unable to visit someone without bringing along some sort of food or three. For this particular occasion, I chose potato salad (even though I really hate peeling eggs) and what was to be either lemon bars or a lemon tart. The time came this afternoon when the potato salad was complete and it was time to make a dessert. I looked at the recipe I planned on using for bars, compared it to the tart recipe and decided they were exactly the same thing using different presentation. Then, I started to wonder if I really wanted to use 10 eggs and 1 1/2 sticks of butter. I was willing to do it, but I knew there was something else out there. I settled upon a sweet tart crust courtesy of Smitten Kitchen with a minor tweak and a lemon ricotta filling. This reduced my egg usage to 3, butter to 1 stick and used only one lemon. The ricotta part came from having had a tub sitting in the fridge for a bit waiting for some pasta to come along and use it.

I clearly went way overboard in the decorating, selecting the best of the purchased blackberries, straining the seeds out of some raspberry jam and making artistic use of the pastry brush. A little thing I learned: when your only fine mesh sieve is dirty and you don't want to wash much more, a tea strainer does a fine job of evenly dusting confectioner's sugar. Stroke of genius!

It certainly looks pretty, but the recipe for filling made a perfect amount for filling the tart shell, so I have no idea how it will taste. The conclusion of that will have to wait until someone eats some.

Lemon Ricotta Tart
(375* for 25-30 mins to blind bake crust,
350* for 20-25 mins for completed tart)

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick plus 1 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Place the flour sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 5 or so times to combine. Sprinkle the butter pieces over the flour mixture and pule 8 times or so until it resembles coarse cornmeal with some larger pieces of butter remaining. Add egg and almond extract and pulse just until it starts to stick together. This can be tested by pinching some between your fingers.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to fit into a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently place in tart shell, trim to 1/2" border (I fed the excess to Luke) and tuck border under to fortify outside crust. Place crust in the freezer for 30 mins. and preheat the oven to 375*.

When the oven is hot, place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and, pressing to achieve a close fit, line the shell with aluminum foil. Bake for 20-25 mins., remove the foil and bake for another 5.

While the shell bakes, prepare the filling:

4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
the zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
12 oz. ricotta cheese
1/4 c. sugar

Combine ingredients in a bowl and, when the tart shell has finished baking, remove it from the oven, reduce the temperature to 350* and pour in the filling. For a proper set, the tart shell should still be warm. Place the tart back in the oven and bake for 20 mins. until the middle wobbles just slightly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Dust with confectioner's sugar or decorate as desired.

Edit: Diagnosis? Delicious! One guest even told me she'd be willing to pay $40 for one. There wasn't a crumb left.

New and Improved Sub Rolls!

I have a tendency to overcommit myself to the kitchen on weekends and when I have other things to do, I try to cram all of my projects into one day. This past Saturday, we went to Schaumberg for a giant mall/Ikea trip and I came home with some really snazzy woodland creature cookie cutters. Moose, anyone?

Anyway, with Saturday a cooking wash, I went nuts on Sunday. I made pizza sauce, cookies, rhubarb compote, raspberry jam and the bagels I mention below. By the end of the day (we even had a dinner guest for whom I made the cookies), I was pooped and may have to reevaluate just how crazy I am willing to go in the name of culinary exploration.

Back to the business at hand, I have been doing a lot more with bread lately and experimenting with what I can easily make at home and what I might want to stick with buying. So far, homemade wins almost all of the time given the right recipe and my having time. This past week alone, I have made honey whole wheat sandwich buns, bagels and now these beauties. I wasn't completely satisfied with the previous recipe I'd made since they turned out to be a bit salty. Sure, they have their applications, but I think these may be a superior all purpose roll for hot dogs, subs and, shaped differently, burgers. The recipe does require more ingredients, but nothing you can't find in a local supermarket. I found it in one of my bread machine books, this one by Beth Hensperger. We made some lovely meatball subs with them for dinner and they are a perfectly flavorful complement.

As previously stated, I am a cheater, but normal bread making rules apply.

Hamburger Buns and Hot Dog Rolls
(375* for 15-22 mins. - makes 8)

1 cup water
1 large egg
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
2 Tbsp. instant potato flakes
1 Tbsp. gluten
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 tsp. yeast

Toss everything together in the bread pan and set for the dough cycle. When cycle ends, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 8 equal(ish) pieces. Shape as desired (6 in. oblongs for long rolls or tight rounds for burgers). Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet or, if you've run out of parchment, a buttered one sprinkled with cornmeal. Flatten each piece by pressing with your palm. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 mins., preheating the oven during this time and running off to play Plants vs. Zombies.

Before placing them in the oven, glaze them with 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp. water. If desired, sprinkle glazed rolls with 1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame seeds or poppy seeds.

Bake for 15 to 22 mins., depending on size, until lightly browned. Remove baked rolls from baking sheet with a spatula and cool completely on a wire rack.

Mother's Day Brunch Pt. 1

I have a growing list of things I have recently made and fully intend to post, and before yesterday, this wasn't one of them! These scones were the result of my waking up early and fretting about how my quiche(s) would be received. I figured if no one liked the quiche, at least these would be there to save the day. I needn't have worried, but they turned out well, all 6 were eaten and they were quick to throw together with fairly minimal ingredients. Not only was everything well received, Luke really liked the scones, so I made a second batch just for him when we got home.

Most of the time when I am looking for a new recipe, instead of looking through my shelf full of cookbooks, I head to the internet knowing there are only 1,000,000 times more options out here than there are in my library. I often end up choosing things from Chow's forums. I really enjoy a good pumpkin scone, but didn't want one of the Starbuck's knockoffs. I settled upon one from Joy of Baking but I tweaked it a little. Theirs calls for both nuts and raisins, which are both tasty, but none of my eaters like them. It also calls for an egg wash and a dusting of coarse sugar. I thought a glaze with a little cinnamon and fresh grated nutmeg would be prettier, so I went with that. Next time, I might brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon before baking.

Pumpkin Scones
(400* for 20 mins.
serves 6)

2 cups flour (I used bread flour because I was low on all purpose)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick butter
1/3 cup buttermilk (I use powdered and water)
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400* and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl whisk together dry ingredients and set aside. In a smaller bowl combine pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla. Grate the stick of cold butter into the dry ingredients and blend with a pair of forks or a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add wet ingredients and stir until combined. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times before shaping it into a disk about 7" around and 1 1/2" high. With a chef's knife or bench scraper divide into sixths and place on baking sheet. Place in oven and bake 20 mins. They will be puffed and just beginning to turn golden. After removing them from the oven, place them on a cooling rack and allow to cool, glazing if desired.

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. milk or cream
pinch nutmeg
pinch cinnamon

Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix until it forms a thick icing. Spoon over cooled scones and allow to set slightly.

Sub Rolls

I decided last week that I was going to try making my own sub rolls. I had been pretty unhappy with the ones offered at the grocery store of late. They tend to be pale, gummy things that essentially taste like a really huge cotton ball. Usually when making bread, I just toss all my ingredients into the bread machine and let it work its magic. But, this project was going to require me to get my hands a little dirty. Granted I allowed the machine to make the dough for me, but the shaping and second rise were up to me. They turned out incredibly well. Well enough for me to make a second batch the next day and double it! They are crusty and flavorful, well worth the time it took. Better yet, it only takes 4 ingredients!

While I am a cheater, standard bread making rules will easily apply with regards to kneading, rising and punching down.

Sub Rolls
(makes 4-8" rolls)

3 cups bread flour
1 cup water
2 tsp. salt
1 T. yeast

Toss all ingredients into bread pan and set for the dough cycle. When the cycle completes, remove dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Divide evenly into 4 parts and roll into 4 8' inch oblongs. Place the oblongs about 2-3" apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Place the baking sheet in a draft free place for about an hour (I use my oven). 20 minutes prior to the end of the rising, remove the baking sheet and preheat the oven to 450*. When the oven comes to temperature, remove the kitchen towel and put the rolls in to bake for 5 minutes, either spritzing the oven with a spray bottle or tossing in a couple of ice cubes. After 5 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 400* and spritz/ice cube again, this time baking for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Edited to add: As it turns out, these are actually a bit salty for any application other than a cheesesteak. I have found a better, lighter roll with less salt that suffices beautifully.

Homemade Granola

I have long read about how easy and economical it is to make granola at home, but I always just figured it was more difficult than I was told. So, this past week, Luke was trolling around the web and found a granola recipe for me. I looked at it and some others, but found none of them to be exactly what I wanted. It was up to me to create something I would want in a healthy, cereal that uses no high fructose corn syrup. I had some blanched almonds kicking around and a bit of sweetened coconut. A good granola also has to have the proper amount of sweetness, oats and dried fruit, so I replenished my supply of rolled oats and picked up a couple of pouches of dried cherries, cranberries and blueberries, figuring those would make a nice change from the old school raisins.

It turned out quite tasty and the making of it went incredibly quickly. I even had a bowl for breakfast yesterday!

Homemade Granola
(Makes 1 gallon zipper lock bag)

4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups chopped nuts
2 cups sweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups dried fruit, chopped
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350* and combine all ingredients in a bowl, stirring to coat everything evenly with liquids. Pour onto a baking sheet and bake 20-25 mins., stirring occasionally with a spatula, until everything is a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely, stirring occasionally to prevent too much sticking and store in an airtight container.

(6.25.09) I made this a second time and made a couple of tweaks. I upped the sweetness a bit by adding 1/3 cup brown sugar and a little over 1 tsp. of vanilla. Also, instead of allowing the fruit to bake with everything else, I tossed it on when I pulled it out of the oven. Dried fruit is already a bit chewy and baking it makes it a lot harder to chew, so best not to expose it to extra heat. I also lined the baking sheet with parchment to ease cleaning. The first time was tasty, the second a taste sensation!

Tres Leches Cake and the Taco Experience

Last night we had guests over for dinner. One of the guests and Luke dubbed it the Taco Experience. While I argued that it sounded like the tacos would be roofied, the moniker stuck and it's supposed to become some sort of recurring event.

For the evening, we made tacos of both pork and tilapia, the previously posted slawlsa, mango guacamole, refried black beans, chile con queso and brown rice Mexican style. Everything was homemade and very tasty, having been dubbed a success.

For dessert, I wanted to do something that would go along with the Mexican theme and chose a Tres Leches Cake. I combed through a number of recipes and finally settled upon that of Alton Brown. The ingredients were fairly limited and also comprised mostly of things I had on hand. I served it with diced mango.

Tres Leches Cake
(350* for 20-25 mins. and
makes 1-13x9 in. cake)

For the cake:

Vegetable oil
6 3/4 oz. cake flour, plus extra for the pan
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
5 eggs
8 oz. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease and flour the pan. In a medium sized bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.

Using a stand mixer, place the butter in the bowl and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed for about 1 minute until light and fluffy. Decrease the speed to low and with the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar over 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches and mix just until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. This will appear to be a very small amount of batter. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F.

Remove the cake pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Poke the top of the cake all over with a skewer or fork. Allow the cake to cool completely and then prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:

1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup half and half (I used heavy cream because it was in the house already.)

Mix these in a bowl and pour over the perforated cake, allowing it to sit overnight in the fridge.

(Now, I actually found that the cake did not absorb about 8 oz. of this mixture, so if you're sporting, you can adjust the amounts before combining them, or do what I did and siphon off the excess liquid with a turkey baster, transferring it to a container to use later on in coffee or tea or something.)

The topping is really easy to make and incredibly tasty, but is ultimately entirely optional. It does make it look very pretty, though.

For the topping:

8 oz. sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Again putting the trusty Kitchen Aid to use and using the whisk attachment, mix on low speed until it forms stiff peaks. This can take some time, so feel free to do something else kitcheny and just remember to keep an eye on it. When stiff peaks are achieved, turn it up to medium until thick. Spread evenly over the top of the cake and enjoy!

Saturday Egg Scrambler

This is something I have started making since we're now getting a weekly dozen organic eggs from a local farmer. It's not so often that we can go through a dozen in a week, but it's definitely easier when they're as good as these are. It's basically a slipshod version of migas, which is a Spanish/Mexican egg dish made with sausage, eggs and breadcrumbs/tortillas. Instead of either of those starches, I usually bake a couple of baby red potatoes in the microwave and dice them.

You can basically throw in whatever you have handy and seems good at the moment, but I do shallots or onions, some favorite herbs and cheese. Today I had some bulk breakfast sausage lying around and some leftover red bell pepper, so those went into the pan, too.

A majority of our dried herbs come from Penzey's, to the point where we have an entire cabinet shelf stocked with little glass jars and a drawer full of bulk sacks. Their prices are reasonable and you can find just about anything you're looking for, no matter the cuisine. I used their Bouquet Garni blend for this.

I didn't measure anything, but I'll try to come up with an approximation.

Saturday Breakfast Scrambler
(Serves 2-3)

1 finely minced shallot or 2 T. onion
3 small red potatoes, baked in microwave
2 oz. breakfast sausage, cooked (can cook in pan prior to adding shallot/onion)
2 T. red bell pepper, 1/4 inch dice
3 eggs
1-2 T. cream
1 oz. grated/crumbled cheese of choice (I used a leftover blend of Jack and cheddar)
1/2 tsp. dried herbs
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt a small amount of butter over medium heat in a mid-sized skillet. Add shallots and bell pepper, cooking until shallot is translucent and pepper softens slightly. Add diced potato, sausage and garlic powder, allowing potato and sausage to heat. Meanwhile, crack eggs into a small bowl, add cream and herbs and whisk with a fork until color is consistent. Push vegetable/sausage mix to one side of pan and pour egg mixture into empty portion. Scrape the bottom of the pan gently to form soft curds. (Some of the egg mixture will seep into the veggie territory and that's fine.) When eggs appear to be about halfway done, bring the veggie/sausage half back into the mix and sprinkle with cheese, allowing it to melt. Divide onto plates and serve with buttered toast or English muffin.

Slawsa

Here we are, on the day of the Taco Experience. Since I'm in charge of the fish, I made some slaw/salsa for the topping last night.

I cribbed most of the recipe from the Bluphie's black bean and corn salsa, but I left out the black beans and added some red cabbage in place. The original recipe wasn't citrus-y enough for my taste, so I also put more lemon juice as well as calamansi vinegar. Also no cilantro, but you knew that.

Luke's Slawsa:

¼ red cabbage, run through the mandolin
½ c corn kernels
1 small onion, diced
about a teaspoon of ground chipotle
a clove of garlic, smashed
2 t olive oil
2 T calamansi vinegar
1 lemon's worth of juice
½ t cumin
salt + pepper

Stick everything in a mason jar. Shake it up. Let it marinate overnight.