So I've been MIA from my blog for a while now, but not because I purposely was neglecting it, but merely because I had been dealing with some crazy health issues.  I found out I have practically no iron or Vit D in my system and have been taking huge doses of prescription vitamins to see I feel better; I have had like zero energy for anything and have been having trouble concentrating and thinking. Thankfully, I think the vitamins are starting to get into my system after 3 mos, so here I am bringing you another tasty dish.

Tomorrow is my boyfriend's father's birthday, and I will be meeting him for the first time.  Ya know, I still can't believe it has been nearly a year since we first started going out; it still boggles my mind that we are where are now.  Funny how when you're definitely NOT looking for a relationship, and the person you've always been in search of was practically in front of you the entire time!  

Since it is a birthday, naturally I wanted to make a birthday cake; however, Cesar says his dad actually prefers pies over cakes just like him.  He also said that his dad is very simple and really likes apple pie so why not.   I thought it was great because I haven't really baked any pies in years and am pretty good at it.  

Important facts about pie pastry:

1.  Cold butter blended with flour will, during baking, melt & leave behind pockets of air that separate layers of the pastry and create a flaky crust.

2.  Do NOT overwork your dough; the more you stir and handle, the more gluten will develop and toughen your pastry.

3.  Do not add water all at once, use minimum amounts to moisten the flour or your pastry can get soggy.

4.  If doing a double pie crust, such as this one, always cut slits in the top to allow steam to escape or you will also end up with a soggy mess.

Ingredients for crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, cut into small cubes
6-7 Tbs ice water

Ingredients for the filling:

6 cups of peeled, cored & sliced apples
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbs finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 Tbs butter
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Preparation:

In a large bowl, mix flour and salt.   With a pastry blender (or 2 knives), cut in shortening and butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs or small peas.

Sprinkle in 6-7 Tbs ice water, one Tbs at a time.  Mix with a fork after each spoon until your dough is moist enough to hold together.  Shape into 2 balls, one slightly bigger than the other.  Wrap and refrigerate 30 min.

On a lightly floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll larger ball 2-inches larger all around than inverted 9-inch pie plate.  Roll dough round gently onto your rolling pin, and gently ease into pie plate.  Trim the edge, leaving 1-inch over hang; set aside.

Combine apples and lemon juice in a large bowl.  Combine 1/2 cup sugar and next 5 ingredients, and mix well.  

Spoon over the apple mixture, and toss gently.  

Spoon filling evenly into the pie shell, and dot with butter.

Roll small ball of dough into 10-inch round.  Cut several slashes; center over the filling.  Trim the edge, leaving 1-inch over hang; fold under and crimp edges.  Brush pastry lightly with beaten egg yolk.  Combine 2 tsp sugar and 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, and sprinkle all over the pie.

Cover edges of pasty with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning.

Bake at 450 for 15 min; reduce heat to 350, and bake 50 more min.

Tomorrow this bad boy gets cut and served; however from the small amount of sauce that dripped onto the baking sheet, it tastes divine.....oh and my apartment smells amazing!

Until next time, Happy Eating!

Thanksgiving Goodies

Oh how I have neglected you blog, but I am back and with a vengeance.  With Thanksgiving festivities upon us and once again spending it with Chris' maternal side of the family, I find myself wanting to make something different than years prior.  Unbeknownst to me, I was apparently bringing a pumpkin pie; I am not crazy about pumpkin pie so I would not make it, and we ended up buying a really nice one from HEB (LOL).  

I had just received my two latest issues of Taste of Home and Cooking Light and had my eyes on some of the holiday pies shown.  Much to my amusement, Chris' stepdad, Mark, was all up for me making a chocolatey pie so Gingered Almond Truffle Tart it is!

I did not tweak anything in this recipe and made as is.  If there's something I feel could have been done differently or flavors that would have enhanced the tart, then I will tweak and update this post.  

You will need a 9-inch fluted tart pan; I bought mine from Sur la Table; however, mine is a 9.5 inch which is not a tremendous issue.  I think it works out better so your filling is not overflowing and leaves a nice, clean edge to your slices.  Another item that you will need is a food processor.

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbs minced fresh ginger root
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup baking cocoa
6 Tbs cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup amaretto, divided
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small heavy saucepan, heat cream and ginger until bubbles form around sides.  Remove from heat.

Place flour, almonds, confectioners' sugar and cocoa in a food processor; pulse until blended.  

Add cold butter; pulse until butter is the size of peas.  

While pulsing, add 1/4 cup of amaretto to form moist crumbs.  

Press onto bottom and up sides of an ungreased 9-in fluted tart pan with removable bottom.  

Bake 13-16 min or until set.  Cool on a wire rack.

Place chocolate in a small bowl.  

Bring gingered cream just to a boil.  Strain through a fine-mesh strainer over chocolate; discard ginger.  Stir chocolate mixture with a whisk until smooth; stir in softened butter and remaining amaretto until blended.  

Pour into cooled crust.  Refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours or until set.

This size tart pan was perfect leaving about 1/2 inch space for the crust/edge.

Due to the richness of this dish, thin slices are highly recommended yielding 16 servings per tart.

Recipe from Taste of Home Dec 2013 issue.

Chilled end result.

Tomorrow morning, I am tackling Cheddar Chive Biscuits before we head out so they can be slightly warm.

Until next time, Happy Eating!

Blueberry Lemon Tart

To start off tonight, let me inform you that I am the Business Office Manager for two VERY busy urologists in the Medical Center.  As it turns out, tomorrow is Dr. Guerriero's 75th bday, and he apparently loves the flavor profile of lemon and blueberry together; I made this special tart for him for Christmas and was told it was a total hit!  So I had a grand idea to make his favorite dessert for his birthday and ease our way into a nice 3-day weekend.  

Let me point out the originator of the fabulous dessert, Tyler Florence!  I must, once again, brag about meeting him and having him chat with me a few minutes to answer questions, talk about food and sign his new book Fresh for me.

This tart is light, refreshing and is an elegant dessert.  It is sure to please any crowd and be the talk of any gathering.  If you're on Twitter, be sure to follow Tyler Florence for all the  latest and greatest on him, his food, his restaurant; if it weren't for this, I would've never known he was coming to Houston.  The following recipe is in its true form; I dare not deviate from the master's plan!

Blueberry Lemon Tart

Ingredients

Pastry:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, in chunks
1 large egg, separated
2 tablespoons ice water, plus 1 teaspoon

Filling:

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 5 lemons)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 lemon, zested
Pinch kosher salt
1 pint blueberries

No need to spend money on fancy pie weights when you can use regular dry beans.  The recipe does call for 1 cup of fresh lemon juice & suggests it would be 5; but in actuality, I normally need 8 lemons to get an entire cup of  juice.

Tart pan with removable bottom

Directions

To make the pastry, pulse the flour, sugar & salt together in a food processor. 

Add the butter and pulse until the dough resembles cornmeal.  

Add the egg yolk & 2 Tbs ice water & pulse again until the dough pulls together.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the edges of the pan and fold the excess dough inside to reinforce the rim.  Cover the tart pan with plastic wrap and put it into the refrigerator for another 30 minutes to rest.

To bake the shell, heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the tart pan on a baking sheet & prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. 

Cover shell with a piece of parchment paper & fill with pie weights or dry beans. 

Bake for 25 min. Remove parchment & weights. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tsp water & brush it onto the bottom & sides of the tart shell; set aside to cool.

(in the meantime, zest one lemon & juice your lemons)

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, cream, zest, and salt. Add the blueberries to the cooled tart shell and pour the filling over the blueberries. 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The curd should jiggle slightly when done. Cool to room temperature, remove from the tart ring, and serve.

The Masterpiece

Unmolded, side-view

So it's all done & ready; I have to let it cool completely before I put the lid on my carrier.  I want to thank Tyler Florence for being the most awesome chef on the plant and for this most incredible dessert and also a special thanks to the Food Network for saving me when I can't get to my cookbooks, lol!

I really hope that you are able to give this tart a try.  Let me tell you that I have, in the past, bought pre-made pie dought; however, this homemade crust holds up SO much better to the filling plus it tastes fantastic!  

I just might have to work on one of Tyler's recipes from his newest cookbook, Fresh.

Until next time, Happy Eating!!

The b-day boy ready for this tart!

Infamous Chocolate Pie

So how many of you have watched the movie, The Help?  Every time I find it on, I can't help but watch it.  Although the nature of the movie is a serious topic/issue, there is such a comical side to it that keeps me watching it over and over again.  

If you've seen the movie, Minny Jackson apparently makes the best Chocolate Pie in all of Jackson, MS.  So good indeed, that her ex-boss, Ms. Hilley Holbrooke, can't help but eat TWO slices of the "special" pie made just for her by Minny who she has basically black-balled in the town by lies.  Since, there are several of you who have possibly not seen the movie, I am not going to give it away; but you really need to see it because it is really funny.


All things and this scene apart, the pie looks decadent.  I really wanted to try making the pie which is apparently not a cream pie.  I researched and researched and has luck would have, I found the ACTUAL recipe!

Minny's Chocolate Pie

Ingredients

1 pckg pie dough crust, such as Pillsbury
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Whipped cream, for serving

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°. Ease the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges decoratively. Prick the crust lightly with a fork. Line the crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Remove the foil and weights and bake for about 5 minutes longer, just until the crust is dry but not browned.  (I used a frozen pie shell that I thawed in the fridge)

2.  Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the sugar with the cocoa powder, butter, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt until smooth.

3.  Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but a little jiggly in the center. Cover the crust with strips of foil halfway through baking. Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool completely before cutting into wedges. Serve with whipped cream.

MAKE AHEAD: The chocolate pie can be refrigerated overnight.

I had enough evaporated milk and an extra pie crust so I went ahead and made two pies!  Sure did.  There are some MAJOR chocoholics in the office where I work so I decided to take a pie for them to ravage to start their Monday out just right! LOL


Well, since the pies are cooling and it's late, I cannot report back on the taste of these pies.  I will post a small commentary after the office devours the pie with their opinions on it.

Hopefully you'll enjoy it as well.  Until next time Happy Eating!!!!

BERRY BERRY DELISH!

Yes, well I have been off the grid for a little while; life has taken over and have been busy and not doing anything really special in the kitchen.  To top it off, Chris & I decided it was time to go camping together!  

SUPER EXCITED!

He is the best because with his mountain biking experience and love of it, he was concerned about finding a place that would have a lake for me to fish in since he knows I love the water and didn't want me to be bored.  (seriously, I don't know how anyone could be bored out in the middle of such beauty; just lay back and take a nap, read a book or if you have a mobile hotspot, get on your laptop or iPad).  

Needless to say, we went off to Cedar Hill State Park near Dallas in Cedar Hill, Tx.  We found out that we make a really great team:  he's the planner and I'm the prepper.  I proved to him that I knew what I was doing and what we needed down to the last detail!  I had all the bedding (I made a makeshift bed out of a bunch of old comforters I keep for camping) including flannel sheets, pillow covers and fleece blankets; breakfast, lunch & dinner; plenty of water; toiletries and cookware & utensils.  Even in the 36 degree weather, we were snug like bugs in a rug. 

I may not have caught anything or even a bite, but I had an amazing time; plus, we were able to select a spot that met our needs and wants.  We were fairly close to the bathroom/showers, his trails and right on the lake.  This was definitely the best campsite I have been to to-date; we are definitely coming back.

Let me say some things about freeze-dried food:  I had always been curious but slight leery of them; I mean how the heck do they do it and how good does it actually taste?

Backpacker's Pantry Granola with Bananas & Milk was truly amazing; seriously, it was delicious.  We actually added boiling water and left it alone for a few minutes to get an oatmeal consistency; we were both amazed at how great it really was!  It was creamy, sweet, crunchy and perfect!

Backpacker's Pantry Risotto with Chicken was also another winner in our book.  You just add your boiling water, stir, zip it back up and leave for like 13 min or so.  I am a risotto fan so I was curious about this product; it was very close to risotto: creamy, cheesy, lots of flavor and very well-rounded.  I would add just a tad less water next time, but nonetheless, it was pretty fantastic.  Gotta love REI cuz they have everything and then some; plus Chris has an app on his phone, and we were able to scan the food and view the ratings.  

                                                

We also bought Mountain House Ice Cream Sandwiches and Neapolitan Ice Cream to try out since we never had freeze dried ice cream before; needless to say, we didn't get to them because we got marshmallowed out, LOL.

STRAWBERRY& BLUEBERRY MASCARPONE TART

Crumb Base:

6 Tbs butter

9 oz cookies (almond, orange or sweet oat)

Filling:

1 cup mascarpone cheese (about 8oz), room temp

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp grated lemon rind

2 cup strawberries, quartered

1 pint blueberries

½ cup Disaronno (or amaretto liqueur)

Preparation:

Place berries in a bowl and add liqueur.  Stir to combine & let sit at room temperature, stirring every 30 min.

                                

Base:

Melt butter in a small saucepan; remove from heat.   In a food processor, pulse the cookies into a coarse powder (not too fine).  You can also place the cookies in a plastic back and use a rolling pin. Add crumbs to the butter and mix thoroughly. 

Spoon into a 9-inch tart pan and smooth intothe corners and up the sides. Refrigerate until base has set, at least a couple of hours.

Filling:
Combine the mascarpone and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl, beating with an electric mixer at medium speed until stiff peaks form.

Spoon mixture into the crust, and spread evenly; top with berry mixture (I spooned a little of the syrup over the top).  Release sides of the pan from bottom before serving.

You can assemble 2 hrs ahead and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Let me recommned my favorite mascarpone of all-time, BelGioioso.  I have tried several but keep coming back to this particular brand anytime I want or need mascarpone for a recipe.  You won't find this in your normal cheese aisle or anywhere near the cream cheese area.  You will find this in the deli area where are the 'high end' cheese (lol, you know what I'm talking about: the parmeggiano reggiano, tellegio manchego, goat, etc...)  -OR- you will find it where the fresh pasta is kept in the refrigerated section.

I hope that you enjoy this dessert; what makes it so good is that the fruit is in season AND you don't have to turn on your oven to bake it.  Chris liked it so much that he had two slices.

 I am attached a few pics from our camping trip for your viewing pleasure just below.  Until next time, Happy Eating!!