Of Secrets and Cherry Pie

Secret number 11. Sometimes I wish I lived in a fictional town called Avonlea on Prince Edward Island, Canada. I wish I lived on a farm in Avonlea with lots of animals, wear pretty dresses with a corset underneath and pin my hair up. I want to be known throughout Avonlea for the excessive number of cherries in my pies, gossip with the ladies at the sewing circle, bake for the church bake sale and have hot tea and scones in the afternoons. I want to live like the characters on my favorite show Road to Avonlea (RTA). Is that weird? RTA has been off the air now for over ten years, but I'm able to relive every episode through my collection of DVDs...all seven seasons.



I've been watching it a lot lately. So much so that Mr. Incredible knows the names and relations of all the characters. I'm fairly confident he would be able to answer an RTA trivia question or two. This show has remained a favorite of mine because the acting is superb, it's heartwarming, and wholesome...which are the adjectives I would use to describe this cherry pie :) I hope you fit making it into your sssshedule.

Sweet Cherry Pie

adapted from Smitten Kitchen
 
dough for double-crust pie (recipe here)
4 cups pitted fresh cherries (about 2 pounds unpitted)
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar (adjust this according to the sweetness of your cherries)
1/8 teaspoon salt
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water

 Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Stir together the cherries, cornstarch, sugar, salt, lemon and vanilla extract gently together in a large bowl. Roll out half of chilled dough on a floured work surface to 13-inch round. Gently place it in 9-inch pie pan, either by rolling it around the rolling pin and unrolling it over the pan or by folding it into quarters and unfolding it in the pan. Trim edges to a half-inch overhang.

Spoon filling into pie crust.

Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface, drape it over the filling, and trim it, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under the bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it, and crimp the edge decoratively. Brush the egg wash over over pie crust.

Cut slits in the crust with a sharp knife, forming steam vents, and bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F. and bake the pie for 25 to 30 minutes more, or until the crust is golden. Let the pie cool on a rack.

Slice and serve.

Homemade Bagels

I didn't have the pleasure of eating a freshly baked bagel until the age of 28. Tragic right? After that first bite of crusty bagel exterior and tender insides, I shot my fists in the air and vowed, Scarlett O'Hara style, never to eat frozen or 2 day old bagels again. I kept that vow (because I'm hardcore like that).

I'm not going to lie to you...making bagels is quite a process, but the end result is so worth it. The recipe I use comes from a Julia Child (may she rest in peace) cookbook and requires it be refrigerated during the 2nd rising. So if I want bagels on Sunday morning, I would make the dough the night before and pop it into the fridge overnight to rise. That way, when I wake up, the dough is ready for me to turn them into delectable bagels. Another thing about making bagels is they need to be boiled in water before being baked. Just a brief soak in the hot tub will give them the chewiness we all appreciate and expect.  After having said all that, I advise that you read through the recipe thoroughly. You can do this! Now get to it.

A Farewell to Summer with Lemon Blueberry Pull Apart Bread

With work starting up again tomorrow, my summer and Lady of Leisure days have come to an end. This has been one of the more enjoyable summers. I celebrated my one year wedding anniversary with Mr. Incredible, I road tripped, gambled, spent time with my family, and did a whole lot of baking. Although I'm sad to see summer go, I look forward the cold fall season (even though that probably won't be until November in Texas), the holidays, and of course the baking that goes along with celebrating the holidays. So I bid farewell to my summer vacation with a bread full of flavors that remind me of summer...blueberries and lemons.

This bread is a variation on Flo Baker's Lemon Scented Pull Apart Coffee Cake. The name was a bit deceiving because it's not a cake or quick bread, but a yeasted sweet bread. The addition of blueberries complemented the vibrant, tangy lemon zest. Topped off with a sweetened cream cheese frosting, it reminded me of a lemony cinnamon roll in loaf form.

Cheese Buttons Fit For a Lady of Leisure

I declared today my "Lady of Leisure" day or LOL for short. Naming it offered a legitimate excuse to bum around in pajamas all day. First order of business was sleeping in until 7:30am. I then made the bed and threw on all the decorative pillows (ones you don't actually sleep on and are used only for decorative purposes), dragged myself downstairs for some coffee, walked back upstairs with cup of coffee and laid back down in the bed I had just made. It felt awesome. Around 9am via text message, Mr. Incredible asked what I was up to today.  "Celebrating lady of leisure day. Duh." Send text.

9:05am movie time. This morning's feature, Marie Antoinette starring Kirsten Dunst. I could learn a thing or two from the ultimate LOL. I really wanted to do this day correctly. I took detailed notes. I will need a bouffant styled white wig, a corseted ruffled gown, petit fours, liquor and a lady's maid. 

Having none of those items on hand, I settled for cheese buttons and a diet Coke. Perfect for nibbling in a leisurely manner :)


Cheese Crackers
from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups aged cheese such as cheddar
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cold butter (cut up)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste and is optional)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt for sprinkling

 Directions

Put all of your ingredients (except the milk and kosher salt) into a food processor. Pulse until all ingredients are well combined and look like fine crumbs. Add milk and pulse until the dough comes together.

Remove dough from food processor and knead in your hands for a few minutes. Fold in half, fold in half again and continue until dough is soft and well mixed. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface roll out the dough to a 1/8 inch thickness. Any thicker and the crackers will be soft in the middle. Cut dough into desired shape. I used a round cookie cutter and a slightly smaller cutter for the button like detailing.

Place cut dough on parchment lined baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart. Using a tooth pick make a small holes in dough. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.

Bake crackers approximately 25 minutes or until lightly browned around edges and crackers are firm to the touch. Some softer centers may occur if the thickness of the dough was not uniform.

Remove crackers to wire rack to finish cooling.

Homemade Thin Mint Cookies

Today, I went lingerie shopping. (Lingerie, skivies, unmentionables...which I am now mentioning). Control your heart rate, it's not as R rated as it sounds. I was on a mission and searching for a decent bra. A beige colored one with extra padding. False advertising? You bet! I found one at that store. You know the one that packs your skivies in pink striped colored bags with unnecessary pink tissue paper saturated with fragrance. It seems to grab the attention of all the males in the mall who think you may have something naughty in there to transform you into a VS Angel. Wouldn't that be nice?

You know what else would be nice? You and me baking and eating chocolate covered chocolate mint cookies. Will I be doing it in my comfy boring bra? Heck yes! Care for some cookies? This is why we're friends :)

Chocolate-Covered Chocolate-Mint Cookies

From Desserts by the Yard

 By Sherry Yard

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter , cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 tsp. peppermint oil
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 pounds bittersweet chocolate 

Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse a few times to combine the ingredients. Add the butter and pulse to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Add the egg yolks, peppermint oil, and vanilla and pulse until a dough forms on the blades of the food processor.

Remove the dough from the food processor and shape into a 2-inch-thick log. Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Place racks in the middle and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick disks and arrange 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Switch the baking sheets from top to bottom and rotate from front to back and continue to bake for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the cookies are light brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on racks. Make sure to let the baking sheets cool between batches. Do not handle the cookies until they are cool, or they'll break; they're very delicate.

Melt and temper the bittersweet chocolate. Keep the chocolate warm while you dip the cookies. Place a sheet pan upside down on your work surface, next to the melted chocolate. Cover with parchment paper. Dip the cookies one by one in the chocolate, using a fork to turn them over and then lift them out of the chocolate. It helps to tilt the bowl forward by leaning it on a folded kitchen towel.

Set the dipped cookies on the parchment, beginning at the far end so you don't drip chocolate on other cookies when you set them down. 

 Allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

I like to store mine in my belly.

Sweet and Spicy Beef Lettuce Wraps

I spent the entire day cleaning and organizing my home. First, I vacuumed then I steam cleaned the carpet, washed the curtains, cleaned the oven, mopped the floor, rearranged the pantry and polished the silver. Ok, I didn't really do that last one, but had I had silver to polish, it would have been polished. For reals. Before I knew it, 10 am had turned into 4 pm. Dinner was fast approaching and I wanted something fast and easy to prepare. It's times like these that I turn to my trusty wok for a quick meal. I was able to have dinner on the table in under 40 minutes. You beat me this time Rachael Ray!

So there's only one question. Are you ready to wok? (Come on, you knew that was coming).

Ingredients

1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1.5 tablespoons sriracha chili sauce (optional or to taste)
1 cup of green onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
2 lbs flank steaks (cut across the grain into very thin slices, no more than 1/8-inch thick) you may also substitute chicken breasts for the steak
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Juice of one small lemon

Broccoli slaw, for topping
Chopped green onions, for sprinkling
Lettuce leaves  (romaine, bib, iceberg)

In a bowl stir together soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, green onions, garlic, ginger and lemon juice; mix until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the steak and toss to coat; marinade 20 minutes at room temperature.

Heat oil in a wok over high heat until just smoking, then add in the steak slices in one layer, saute the slices turning occasionally until browned and cooked through. Transfer to bowl and sprinkle with green onions.

Fill a lettuce leaf with beef and roll it up. Top with broccoli slaw (optional).

Serve with hot jasmine rice.

Homemade Milano Cookies

If I told you something personal would you promise not to judge...too harshly? I'm a bit of a Gleek.

No, not the pet blue space monkey of the Super Friends, but a fan of the television show Glee.

I've seen every episode, I own the Season 1. Vol 1 dvd and bought Vol 2 on advance order. Wait, there's more and this maybe the worst of them. I also have Glee cds which I use to sing at Mr. Incredible. Not sing to him, but I sing at him with intensity. Ever have someone who was tone deaf sing at you? Frightening.

So, I've given this a lot of thought. If these Milano cookies were to represent characters from the super awesome show Glee, then the traditional milano would play Emma Pillsbury, the lovable guidance counselor who is crazy (she's a bit germophobic), sweet, prim and proper.

Prim and proper is how I would describe the traditional milanos. Two thin butter cookies flavored with warm vanilla are glued together with rich ganache.

The double choco milano would play Puck Puckerman, the bad boy Casanova who is a bit temperamental but caring. Puck has a reputation of being a bad-ass which is exactly what these double chocolate milanos are...bad ass. The cookie outsides are dense, almost brownie like with luscious ganache filling.

The ganache filling would play the character Mr. Shuester, the caring and sweet Glee director. His smooth, creamy voice is much like ganache. He is the glue that holds Glee together. Did you feel that? This post just got deep.

Now get deep into making these cookies!

Milan / Milano Cookies Recipe

(Courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website)

Serves: about 3 dozen cookies

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

6 egg whites

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons lemon extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Cookie filling:

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 orange, zested

Method

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).
9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.
10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies. 

*For Double Chocolate Milanos substitute 3/4 c. of dark chocolate cocoa powder for half of the flour in recipe and omit the lemon extract.