Peach Pie

Back

Ingredients:

1 prepared 9 inch pie crust
7-8 ripe medium peaches (pealed and sliced)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Crumble:
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup flour
5 T unsalted butter, melted 

Preparation:
Peel peaches and slice.  You’ll need 7 cups.  In a large bowl stir the peaches, brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, and cinnamon together until thoroughly combined.  Set the filling aside. 

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Spoon peach filling into the crust, leaving any liquid in the bowl.

Mix all crumble ingredients together.  Sprinkle over peaches.

Place on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.  Turn temperature down to 375 degrees and bake another 30-35 minutes until peach juices are bubbling on the sides and the top is lightly browned.  Place crust protector on crust edges if browning too fast.

Cool pie for 3 hours then serve.

Fettuccine Alfredo (Food Network)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. pasta (fresh pasta, made with 1 egg)
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

In a saucepan over low heat, cook cream and butter until slightly reduced.  Add parmesan and stir until melted.  Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta until al dente.  Pour sauce over pasta and toss until pasta is well coated with sauce.

Serve immediately.

All Butter Pie Crust Single Crust Pie

Back

Ingredients:
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
1 1/4 cup (6 1/4 ounces), AP flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ice water

Preparation:
Grate 2 tablespoons butter on large holes of box grater and place in freezer.  Cut remaining 8 tablespoons of  butter into 1/2-inch cubes.

Pulse 3/4 cup flour, sugar, and salt in food processor, 2 pulses.  Add cubed butter and process until a homogeneous paste forms, about 30 seconds.  Using your hands, carefully break paste into 2-inch chunks and redistribute evenly around processor blade.  Add the remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is broken into pieces no larger than 1 inch, 4 to 5 pulses.  Transfer mixture to medium bowl. 

Add grated butter and toss until butter pieces are separated and coated with flour.  Sprinkle 2 tablespoons ice water over mixture.  Toss with rubber spatula until mixture is evenly moistened.  If too dry, add the remaining ice water.  If moist, wrap dough in plastic wrap and form a 5-inch disk.  Chill dough for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Wrapped dough can be frozen up to one month.  If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling out.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll dough out to a 12-inch circle between pieces of plastic wrap.  If dough gets too warm, refrigerate before placing in pie pan.  Ease dough into pie pan leaving a one-inch edge, pressing down into the bottom.  Trim overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pan.  Tuck edge under and crimp the edges using your fingers.  Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.  Line chilled pie shell with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  Remove parchment and pie weights.  Continue to bake another 10 to 15 minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp.  If edges start to burn, cover with foil.  If dough begins to puff, pierce gently with tip of paring knife.  Cool crust completely in pie plate on wire rack, about 30 minutes.

History:
Recipe comes from Cooks Illustrated.

Blinis

Back

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1 large egg
4 ounces unsalted butter, clarified, divided

Preparation:
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  In a separate bowl whisk egg, milk and 1 tablespoon clarified butter. Whisk egg mixture into flour mixture.  Put 1 tablespoon clarified butter on griddle heated to 340 degrees and drop 1 tablespoon of batter on the hot griddle for each blini. Cook until bubbles form on the top and pop then flip and cook for 1 more minute or until brown.

Orange Port Wine Sauce

Back 

Ingredients:

1 large shallot, minced (2 to 3 tablespoons)
1/3 cup port wine
1/3 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/3 cup dried cranberries, minced*
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 can (15 ounce) beef consommé

Preparation:
Sauté shallots until translucent.  Pour in the port wine, orange juice, orange zest and cranberries and bring to a boil.  Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes to reduce the mixture and thicken.  Puree using an immersion hand blender.  Whisk in butter to finish sauce.

I make this sauce early and just reheat it and add duck juices at the end. You can make a larger amount and freeze it for later use.

*I like to use Trader Joe’s Orange Flavored Dried Cranberries.

Inverse Puff Pastry

Back

Ingredients:

  Beurre Manié

  200 grams unsalted butter

    (84% butterfat), chilled

  100 grams bread flour

  Water Dough

  150 grams flour

  85 ml water

  5 grams sea salt

  Egg Wash

  1 egg (50 grams), beaten  2 egg yolks (40 grams), beaten

  1/4 cup milk

Preparation:

Work the flour and butter together with your hands to make beurre manié.  Roll into a rectangle and cover with plastic wrap.  Chill in refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

Make the water dough by shaping the flour into a mound on a cool surface and making a well in the center.  Pour the water into the well and add the salt.  Working with your finger tips, gradually draw the flour into the well so it absorbs the water.  Using a pastry scraper, work the ingredients together to make a smooth dough.  Gather together and shape into a ball.  Make criss-cross cuts in the top of the dough with a knife to relax it. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

CHILL COUNTER TOP WITH GEL PACKS

Roll the dough into a rectangle 8 inches by 12 inches.  Soften the beurre manié with a rolling pin and roll into a rectangle the same width but twice the length of the dough.

Enclose the dough by folding the beurre manié over it, pressing firmly down on all sides to seal the edges.  Lightly dust the work surface with flour.  Roll the dough into a rectangle 10 inches by 24 inches.  Fold the dough ends to center then fold in half to make 4 layers or a a double turn.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 to 40 minutes.

CHILL COUNTER TOP WITH GEL PACKS

Place the dough on the floured work surface, making sure the flap is on one side.  Roll it out and fold in 4 again.  At this stage, the dough has undergone 4 turns.  Cover in plastic wrap and chill for 30 to 40 minutes.

CHILL COUNTER TOP WITH GEL PACKS

Palmier:

Make egg wash by combining egg, yolks and milk.  Cover and set aside.

Making sure the flap is on one side, roll out the dough again and sprinkle with superfine sugar.  Fold in thirds.   This is the 5th turn.  Cover in plastic wrap and chill 30 to 40 minutes before using.

CHILL COUNTER TOP WITH GEL PACKS

Roll dough into a 10 inch by 32 inch rectangle, sprinkle with more sugar.  Fold ends almost to the center.  Fold ends to center and press center with rolling pin.  Fold in half and wrap with plastic wrap.  Freeze for 30 minutes.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove from freezer and cut half inch slices.  Place cut side down on buttered cookie sheet.  Brush with egg wash.  Bake 10 minutes then turn palmier over.  Bake another 10 minutes until browned.  Remove from oven and place on rack to cool.

Variation:

Six tartlettes can be made from the same dough.  Make the 5th turn without adding sugar.  Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. Chill counter top then roll out dough large enough to cut six 6 inch scalloped rounds.  Roll center of round; brush edges with egg wash and place tablespoon of jam in center.  Fold in half and seal edges.  Turn over and place on cookie sheet.  Brush with egg wash and chill another 30 minutes.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove from refrigerator, brush with egg wash again then cut design in top with knife and pierce dough 5 times to let steam escape.  Place in oven and turn oven down to 375 degrees.  When done, remove from oven and brush with simple syrup glaze.

History:

I received the French Patisserie cookbook from Ellen (my granddaughter) for Christmas 2019.  These recipes are from this cookbook.

Pecan Sandies

Back

Ingredients:

250 grams flour

80 grams chopped pecans

170 grams (6 ounces) unsalted butter

   (room temperature)

90 grams confectioners' sugar plus

  more for dusting

Preparation:

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees (convection) or 350 degrees (standard).  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

Combine the flour and pecans in a medium bowl.

Place butter in bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium-low speed until smooth, about 1 minute.  Add confectioners' sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until fluffy.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and mix for about 30 seconds, until just combined.  Scrape the bowl to incorporate any dry ingredients that have settled there.

Divide the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon portions, roll them into balls and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart.  Use the bottom of a glass to press the cookies into disks 2 inches in diameter. 

Alternately, roll dough out to 3/8 inch thick and cut out 2 inch rounds with cookie cutter.

Bake until pale golden brown - about 15 to 18 minutes convection or 22 to 15 minutes standard oven - rotating sheets top to bottom and front to back after the first 8 minutes.  Sandies baked in a convection oven will not spread as much as those baked in a standard oven and will have a more even color.)

Set the sheets on a cooling rack and cool for 5 to 10 minutes.  Use metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.  Once they have cooled, dust with confectioners' sugar.

History:

This recipe comes from Thomas Keller's cook book "Bouchon Bakery".

Arlette

Back

Makes 9 pastries.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

60 gr. strong white bread flour

60 gr. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

40 gr. unsalted butter, melted

50 ml cold water

For the butter layer:

125 gr. unsalted French butter, room temperature

25 gr. strong white bread flour

25 gr. all-purpose flour

For the filling:

50 gr. granulated sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preparation:

Put the flours, salt, butter and cold water in a bowl and gently mix to form an even dough with your fingers.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth.  Shape the dough into a 5 inch square, wrap in cling wrap and chill for an hour or freeze for 20-30 minutes. 

For the butter layer, cream the butter and flours together using an electric mixer.  Sandwich the mixture between two sheets of cling wrap and roll out to a rectangle (the same width as the dough) but twice as long 5 inch by 10 inch.  Chill in the fridge for 25 minutes.

Unwrap the chilled dough and butter layer.   Place the chilled butter sheet, short end facing towards you on a lightly floured surface and place the square of dough in the center of the butter sheet.  Make sure it is positioned neatly and covers almost to the edges.  Lift the top of the exposed butter sheet and fold it down over the dough, then fold the exposed butter sheet at the top, so the dough is completely enclosed in the butter sheet.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, short end towards you.  Roll out to a 6 inch by 12 inch rectangle, keeping the edges as even as possible.  Fold the top quarter down and the bottom quarter up to meet in the center.  Then fold the dough in half along the center line.  This is called a book turn.  Wrap the dough in cling wrap and chill for 25 minutes. 

Remove the dough from the fridge and make another book turn.  Wrap the dough in cling wrap and chill for 25 minutes.

For the filling, mix the granulated sugar and the cinnamon together in a bowl.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a rectangle as before and sprinkle over the sugar.

Make another book turn to incorporate the sugar, then roll out the pastry to 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick, to a rectangle 5 inch by 8 inch.  Roll up the pastry from the short end like a Swiss roll.  Wrap in cling wrap and chill for 25 minutes.

Preheat the Convection oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone sheets. 

Trim the ends of the roll and cut into nine 1/2 inch thick slices with a very sharp knife, dental floss or spectra fishing line.  Dust the work surface heavily with confectioner's sugar and roll each piece of dough out very thinly to an oval (1/8 inch), turning to coat in the sugar and to prevent sticking.  Place the pastries on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 5 to10 minutes or until pastry is beginning to crisp.  Turn pastry over and cook another 5 to 10 minutes (2 minutes at a time) or until golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

History:

This recipe comes from the Great British Bake Off.

Pasteis de Nata

Back

Makes 12 Tartes.

Ingredients:

For the rough puff pastry:

150 gr. all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

25 gr. unsalted butter, chilled and diced

50-75 ml chilled water

60 gr unsalted butter, frozen

For the custard:

375 ml whole milk

45 gr. all-purpose flour

2 strips of lemon zest

1 cinnamon stick

375 gr. confectioner's sugar

7 large egg yolks

Preparation:

For the pastry, mix the flour and salt together in a bowl.  Rub in the chilled butter, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Gradually add enough chilled water (about 4-6 tablespoons) to form a dough. 

Roll out the dough to a rectangle on a lightly floured work surface.  Grate half of the frozen butter over the bottom two thirds of the dough.  Fold down the top third and fold up the bottom third as if folding a letter.

Turn the folded dough 90 degrees and roll it out into a rectangle again.  Repeat the process and grate the remaining frozen butter on two-thirds of the dough and fold as before.  Wrap the dough in cling wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Roll and fold the pastry twice more, each time wrapping the dough in cling wrap and leaving it to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a rectangle measuring 8" by 12".  Roll up the pastry tightly, from the short side, into a log and cut the log into 12 equal discs.

Place 1 disc into the cup of the muffin tin, swirl-side up.  Using wet fingers, carefully press the pastry up the sides with your fingers, working from the center outwards, until the pastry just pokes over the top.  Repeat with the remaining pastry discs.  Chill for 20 minutes.

For the custard, pour the milk into a pan and whisk in the flour.  Add the strips of lemon zest and the cinnamon stick.  Bring to a simmer over low heat, whisking continuously.  Cook for 2-3 minutes until thick.  Remove from heat.

Dissolve the sugar in 185 ml of water in a small pan over a low heat.  Then, increase the heat and boil until a drop of syrup placed in a glass of water forms a thread (or it reaches 106 - 112 degrees C on a candy thermometer).  Gradually whisk the boiling syrup into the milk mixture.

Put the egg yolks in a large bowl and strain the milk mixture over the top, whisking to combine.  Cover the surface with cling wrap and leave to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, remove the lemon zest and cinnamon stick.

Heat the oven to 475 degrees (don't use convection).  Pour the custard into the pastry cases, leaving a 1/4 inch gap at the top, then bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp and the custard is bubbling with tiny brown spots on top.

Cool the tarts in the tins for 5 minutes, then gently transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

History:

Recipe comes from the Great British Bake Off.

Turkey Gravy (Make Ahead)

Back

Ingredients:
3 oz. unsalted butter
1 large red onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved
6 Tbs. all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 Tbs. Cognac
10 large sage leaves
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt & pepper
1 cup dry white wine.

Preparation:
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic and sauté, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onion becomes browned and starts to caramelize.  Sprinkle on the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 1/2 minutes.  Stir in the chicken stock, Cognac, sage leaves, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour then strain, pressing the solids lightly and then discarding them.  Refrigerate until ready to use.   The gravy base can be refrigerated up to a week or frozen for up to three months.

After turkey is cooked, remove it to a carving board to rest.  Place roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat and add the wine.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring and scraping up all the bits clinging to the pan.  Slowly whisk in the gravy base.  Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the gravy is smooth and slightly thickened.  Adjust seasonings.

History:
Recipe comes from Ina Garten.

Breakfast Buttercups

Back

Ingredients:
4 medium eggs at room temperature
4 slices wheat sandwich bread,
    crusts removed
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
4 thin slices deli cheddar cheese
4 thin slices deli ham
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Heat oven to 375º.  Place medium (this size only) eggs in bowl and cover with hot top water.  Let sit 10 minutes.

Roll bread as thin as possible with rolling pin and press into 4 perimeter cups of muffin tin.  Brush bread cups with melted butter and bake until light golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

Following photos below, top each cheese slice with ham slice.  Make cut from center to one side of each stack.  Fold each ham and cheese stack into cone and press into toasted cup.  Crack 1 egg into each cup and season with salt and pepper.

Return muffin tin to oven and bake until egg whites are barely set and still appear slightly moist, 14 to 18 minutes.  Transfer pan to wire rack and cover tightly with aluminum foil.  Let sit 5 minutes.  Serve immediately.

History:
Recipe comes from Cook's Country magazine, February/March 1011.