0 Chocolate Pear Tart

MARTHA'S CHOCOLATE PEAR TART

sometimes Martha has a winner...and this is one of them.

or should i say "Martha's People"...

there's just NO WAY she comes up with all this stuff on her own.

YES, i DO fall into the "Martha vortex" every now and then and i'm not afraid to admit it.

i'm not going to shout it from the roof tops or buy her dinnerware at K-mart, but i sure wish i'd bought some of her stock when it plummeted a few years back.

when things turn out as good as this lovely tart, i assure myself it's OKAY to wander through the Martha recipes...no one's gonna get hurt until something turns out bad.

regardless of how you feel about Martha...good, bad or just don't care...

you should really try this super easy tart.

the base is done in the food processor, slice a couple of pears, bake and VOILA!

a delicious, beautiful tart to be proud of

and...a fabulous addition to the pumpkin, pecan and mince pie line-up that are always regulars at the party.

MARTHA STEWART'S CHOCOLATE PEAR TART

here's where to find the original with comments, but i have copied it for you below.

i made zero, zip...no changes...(well...i only used 1 3/4 Bosc pears instead of 3)

8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp., plus some for the pan

1 cup blanched almonds

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

3 firm, ripe Bartlett pears...i used 1 3/4 Bosc pears

1/2 lemon

2 Tbsp apple jelly...i used strained apricot preserves (Bonne Maman)

preheat oven to 350F degrees.  brush a 9 inch removable bottom tart pan with butter, set aside.

in a food processor, combine almonds and sugar...process until very finely ground.  add butter, eggs, cocoa, vanilla, salt and almond extract, if using...process until combined.

spread mixture evenly into prepared pan

peel, halve and core pears...cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices and rub them with lemon juice to prevent browning

NOTE...i used a small bowl of lemon water for the pear and then blotted them dry before arranging them on the tart

arrange slices on chocolate mixture, slightly overlapping, without pressing in.

place on a baking sheet and bake until top is puffed and toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached (be careful not to mess up the pretty top).

should be about 45-50 minutes.  cool completely in pan

briefly heat jelly or preserves in the microwave until liquefied...strain if necessary.  gently brush the pears with the jelly and set aside for at least 20 minutes.

remove tart from pan, and serve.  

slice with a very sharp knife and you will get pretty slices...take your time or you will drag the pears through with the incorrect knife.

0 Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Bars

apologies for not getting anything posted for a few weeks...i have writers block.  still cooking up a storm with tons of recipes and photos, but i just can't seem to get a post out.  so pardon me if the next few post are a bit short on words...sometimes i like those posts best.  who needs to here all the blah blah blah.

GET TO THE POINT ALREADY !

THESE BARS ARE FABULOUS!

the original recipe can be found at Cooking Light.  great reviews, but i knew i could make it even lighter by what i had gathered from the other bakers.  i substituted the sour cream with non fat greek yogurt and sub'd the white sugar with Splenda.
one thing i would say is don't weigh out your flour...measure it out in a cup.

2 friends already asked for the recipe and i have made them a second time using figs, cardamom, toasted pistachios and lemon zest (might be posting about it).  this second batch i weighed out the flour and they came out a little too moist for my liking, but it DID lend itself to the fig bars.  they turned out like a glorified middle eastern flavored fig newton...DELICIOUS !

try different filling and spices...check the original at Cooking Light and read the reviews.  my friend made the original recipe and said they were great...i just lightened them up a little.  oh, and i added more lemon zest.  enjoy.

CRANBERRY OATMEAL BARS

adapted from Cooking Light

for the crust...

1 cup white while wheat flour

1 cup oats...i used old fashioned

1/2 cup packed brown sugar (do not substitute)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

6 Tbsp butter, melted

3 Tbsp fresh orange juice

cooking spray

for the filling...

1 1/3 cup dried cranberries (6oz.)

3/4 cup non fat greek yogurt

1st time i used 1/4 sugar and 1/4 splenda, but you might try 1/2 cup all splenda

2 Tbsp white whole wheat flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp grated orange rind

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

preheat oven to 325 F degrees

to prepare the crust, combine flour and the next five ingredients, through cinnamon, into medium bowl.  stir well with whisk until combined.  drizzle melted butter and orange juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened...mixture should be crumbly.  RESERVE 3/4 CUP OF CRUST MIXTURE.  press remaining mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

to prepare filling...combine cranberries, yogurt, splenda and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well to combine.  spread cranberry mixture over prepared crust and sprinkle remaining oat crust mixture evenly over filling.  i made sure it was crumbly looking by pressing some of it between my fingers and then gave it a little over all pat down to secure the crumble...

i hate it when you take a bite of a good crumble and it all ends up in your lap !

bake at 325 for 40 minutes or until the edged are golden.  cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

when cut into 16 squares the nutrients are approx...

(nutrition for 1/4 cup sug. and 1/4 cup splenda recipe)

107 calories, 18. carbs, 3.3 fat, 2.1 protein

0 Povitica

I love making yeasted enriched breads. Even though most enriched breads are more bread than pastry, the fact that they are enriched with milk, eggs and butter makes them seem more like dessert. For this month's Daring Bakers' challenge hostess Jenni asked us to make povitica, an Eastern European dessert bread. It can also be known as potica, nutroll, kolachi, or strudia.

I went old school and put away my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. The dough came together quickly and easily using a wooden spoon and a big mixing bowl. It was a sticky dough so I had to knead it for some time before it came together for the initial rise.

Then came the fun part - rolling and stretching. I covered my work surface with a large sheet of cheesecloth and started rolling out the dough with a rolling pin. The dough was really easy to work with and never stuck to the cheesecloth. When it got to about 18 x 18-inches, I lifted the dough off the cloth and started stretching it using the back of my hands and arms. The goal was to get it thin enough that I could read through it.


Dough so thin that I can read through it!

Jenni suggested that we try the traditional walnut filling, but I wanted to use poppy seeds. I used a poppy seed honey filling recipe that I normally use for filling hamentaschen. As you can see I didn't have enough filling to spread over all the edges, but it still turned out just fine. (In hindsight I should have spread the poppy seed filling thinner so that it covered more of the dough. The sliced loaf would have been prettier with evenly spaced layers of dough-filling-dough-filling. Oh well! Live and learn. )



Then I folded the rolled up poppy seed filled dough like a snake into my prepared loaf pan. For my other loaf, I spread the stretched dough with some apricot jam, a light sprinkle of finely ground almonds and some dried cranberries. I rolled it and then twisted the roll into the pan.



When the loaves came out of the oven I couldn't wait to slice into them. The smell was amazing. There really is nothing quite like the scent of freshly baked bread still hot from the oven. After patiently letting it cool in the pan for 30 minutes, I turned them out onto a wire rack.



They tasted as good as they looked. The dough had a hint of sweetness and was very moist. Both flavors were delicious, but my favorite one was the cranberry. Even though I am on a self-imposed low-carb diet, I had a slice a day until the cranberry loaf was all gone!



Who knew something so pretty would be so easy to make? A big thanks to Jenni for the recipe and please visit the Daring Kitchen for a slideshow of other bakers' poviticas.

The fine print:
The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat!

Continue reading...

0 Mean Green Collard Terrine

THE MEAN GREEN COLLARD GREENS TERRINE

i love terrines...i think they can be a work of art.

just about anything can be made into a terrine.  usually you find the good ones in specialty stores or just see them out for special occasions, but once you have made one yourself, i'm sure you'll enjoy a nice beautiful terrine more often.  sometimes i'll have one in the fridge to nosh on through the week.  a little slice can turn an uneventful weekday into at least something a little gourmet...you know what i'm talking about...add a little fancy into your diet and everything looks better.

 first, start with an idea of which type you want...hot or cold, meat or veggie, egg base or aspic...

one of my first terrines was a Pate de Campagne (found here)...for my meat loving friends i suggest you try this one...DELICIOUS!

but...for the veggie lovers the green terrine was a hit..(i DID slip that little layer if ham in).  as i look back i think i bit off a little more than i could chew with this "veggie terrine idea"...i had this visual of a fabulous layered  terrine one day so i went out and bought loads of greens, came home to realize the idea would be a little more effort than expected.  being the perfectionist that i think i am,  i had the bright idea that if i blanched and shocked EACH LEAF it might retain the beautiful green color rather than that semi grey color collards can get when cooked...out came the pots and the bowls and the ice and the paper towels.  after washing each leaf carefully...now i have to touch and coddle each leaf again?!...me and my "bright ideas"

this was definitely a hands on, made with love terrine...more like a work of art rather than a simple dish of collard greens.

THE RECIPE...?....or INSTRUCTIONS to...

A MEAN GREEN COLLARD TERRINE

there really isn't much of a recipe...more like instructions of how to.

if you really have some questions about this terrine please leave a comment and i'll help out.  otherwise here is my attempt at writing out the recipe for this particular terrine...every terrine will come out different and mid way through the building you might want to add a different layer.  i happen to have some sliced ham in the fridge so i slipped a few slices in.  i recommend something with a little more flavor...maybe a little prosciutto or black forest ham.  i find that you need to slightly over season terrines because they just soak it up...choose your ingredients wisely and definitely season as you go along.

2 bunches of collard greens...washed very well, tough middle stalk removed

7 - 10 large asparagus

1 bunch of haricots verts

sliced meat of your choice...prosciutto would be nice

1 - 2 cups good stock made from pig's trotters or chicken feet...something that will be very gelatinous

make your stock...i always keep some rich hearty stock in my fridge.  it has to be made from trotters or tails or chicken feet..(something that creates a gelatinous broth when chilled). not only will this give the terrine some good "glue", but it will have more flavor than using a gelatin or aspic base.

blanch and shock each vegetable separately...this will keep the nice deep green color.

if using a collard layer...keep your greens flat for easier layering and nicer presentation.

next i lined the glass loaf dish with a layer of collard leaves.  let them hang over the sides as you build the inside of the terrine.

now you just start layering...make thick enough layers so you can tell what it is, but just do whatever you want with the vegetables you have chosen.  i happen to have some ham in the fridge so i threw a layer of that in...i think it should have been something else, but it worked.

once you're done with the inside, pour a little broth over the top.  then take the over-hanging leaves and cover the top.  lightly press down to compact everything...there might be some over-spill of broth, so be ready for that...

cut a piece of parchment to cover the top and then cover with foil.

bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes

IMPORTANT NOTE...i used a bain marie,so the outside wouldn't get browned.

preheat your oven and your bain marie vessel of choice.  make sure your water is hot going into the bath.

NOTE...the timing depends on how much you have packed in there, how much liquid, how done you like your veggies and so on and so on...i think mine was 30-40 minutes.  i looked for little bubbles boiling on the sides of the glass dish and took it out.

let this cool to room temp and refrigerate.

to remove you'll need to run a flat thin blade around the edges...or dunk in some hot water to loosen.

slice and serve at room temp or slightly warmed as a side.  i bet a nice poached egg would really be delicious with this and some crumble prosciutto over top

thanks for making it to the end and, again...please leave a comment with any questions

0 Crack Pie

If you follow the food media, then you know about crack pie. I mean, Crack Pie ™. Yup, I believe that Momofuku has trademarked the name. I did not have a chance to visit Momofuku's Milk Bar during my last visit to New York City, but I will definitely go to Milk Bar during my next trip to NYC. And I will try Christina Tosi's Crack Pie ™. If the real thing tastes anything like the pie I baked today, then I will gladly pay $44 for the pie. Although, if the real thing does taste anything like the pie I baked today, then I actually don't need to buy the pie ever again since I can do it myself.

When I first set out to make the crack pie, I wasn't sure which recipe to use. Searching the internet resulted in 2 or 3 "official" recipes from Tosi. Her Milk Bar cook book is coming out this month and it will probably have yet another version of the recipe. I decided to go with the recipe published in the LA Times.



The recipe yields two 10-inch pies. I don't have any 10-inch pie pans, so I used one 9-inch pie pan (1-inch deep) and one 10-inch tart pan (3/4-inch deep). My pie version had a lower crust to filling ratio. The bottom crust was less distinct and melded into the thick and gooey layer of filling. My tart version had a higher crust to filling ratio. The crust stayed distinct and crisp. The thin layer of filling was less gooey and a tad more set than the filling in the pie version.

I had a hard time deciding which version I liked more. If I had to pick only one then I choose the tart version. I really liked how crisp the salty and sweet toasted oatmeal cookie crust was in the tart. It had a perfect amount of the sweet, buttery filling. Not too much and not too little.


^tart version^


^pie version^

The pie version was delicious too, but most of the bottom crust was slightly softened with the yummy filling and was not crisp enough for me. The side crust stayed crisp, but I wanted more crispy crust with every bite of my slice and not just at the edge. A 10-inch pie pan would actually result in the perfect ratio of filling to crust and just the right crispiness which is probably why the recipe says to use 10-inch pie pans (duh!). I will be running out soon to buy a couple pans since I will definitely be making this pie again.

There is an incredible amount of hype surrounding this pie. Many swoon over it. But there are just as many haters. Many of the dissenters have tried the pie at Milk Bar and were less than impressed. They tried the real thing and felt it was just so-so and would never pay to eat it again. I have no problem with that. But even more of the dissenters are people who have not tasted the Milk Bar Crack Pie ™ and have only tasted their own homemade version made using one of those "official" recipes. A lot of people are flabbergasted that anyone would have the nerve to charge $44 (or whatever price) for a simple pie and criticize a pie's cost instead of the taste of said pie. A more fair criticism would be that they would never pay $44 for the pie they made.

[BTW...Yes, I know we're in a recession and $44 for any pie in any economic climate can be considered excessive, but this is a luxury item not unlike $5 lattes or $100,000 cars.]

Initially I was a little worried about serving my crack pie since it's quite cosmetically challenged. It's very brown. Even the dusting of powdered sugar didn’t help dress it up. It was hard to slice and get out of the pan cleanly. When I set the pie out to serve, I wasn't sure what to call it. Should I just say it's a chess pie with a salty, toasted oatmeal cookie crust? Would it be presumptuous to label it "crack" pie? What if people didn't get the name? Or even worse, what if they did get it and didn't agree that it was as addictive as crack? My worries were totally unfounded. Everyone who tried my pie absolutely loved it and said it totally lived up to its name. Someone told me that butter is her favorite food group.



Crack Pie
(Recipe from LA Times February 11, 2010)
Makes two 10-inch pies

LA Times Note: Adapted from Momofuku. This pie calls for two 10-inch pie tins. You can substitute two 9-inch pie tins, but note that the pies will require additional baking time, about 5 minutes, due to the increased thickness of the filling.

Alpineberry Notes:

-- Instead of a 9x13 pan to bake the oatmeal cookies, I used a half-sheet pan and spread the batter out to about 9x13.




-- Instead of two 10-inch pie pans, I used one 9-inch pie pan and one 10-inch tart pan.




-- My baking time for the pies was different from what is stated in the LA Times recipe. My total baking time was 40 minutes (350F for 20 minutes and then 325F for 20 minutes).


Continue reading...

0 Cocoa Oatmeal Muffins

I totally wanted to dust off my rolling pin and participate in this month's Daring Bakers' croissant challenge, but I just couldn't find enough time to fit it in before the posting deadline. Croissants have been on my baking to-do list forever and I don't think I will be marking it off anytime soon.

I've been baking less since I've been trying to eat less sugar lately. I don't like using sugar substitutes like stevia (Truvia), sucralose (Splenda) or aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet). They all have a funny aftertaste. And those sugar substitutes don't do well in most baked goods anyway since real sugar not only adds sweetness but aerates, moistens and adds structure to the baked good. Sugar substitutes can only add sweetness.

This cocoa oatmeal muffin is by no means health food and is definitely not low in sugar or fat. It is seemingly healthy due to the oatmeal. I love the deep, rich flavor of the unsweetened cocoa powder. And as strange as this might sound, it tastes just like a bowl of oatmeal (but with chocolate!).

Cocoa Oatmeal Muffins
(makes 15-18 muffins)

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
2 cups buttermilk (low fat is okay)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (natural not Dutch-processed)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil (like canola or grapeseed)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 15-18 standard-sized muffin wells with cupcake liners.

Combine rolled oats and buttermilk in a large mixing bowl. Let mixture sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt to combine. Set aside the dry ingredients.

Add eggs to the oats-buttermilk mixture and mix well. Add sugar and mix well. Then add oil and vanilla extract and mix well.

Add the flour-cocoa mixture to the wet ingredients and fold until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Gently fold in chopped chocolate (if using). Do not over mix. The batter should still be slightly lumpy.

Fill your muffin wells about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 F until muffin tops have risen slightly and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay), about 20-25 minutes.

0 Parmesan Pound Cake

i know i've said this more than a few times lately..but...

this is another one of my new favorites


PARMESAN POUND CAKE !!!

i agree, this does sound a bit odd, but it totally works...it more than works
it's moist, it's dense...very surprisingly light in flavor and...

IT'S DELICIOUS !!!


this fabulous recipe was impressively obtained by a fellow blogger after she tried it at the restaurant Metrovino in Portland Oregon.  many kudos out to Susan S. Bradley at lunacafe.com...AND the chef that handed over the recipe.  sometimes we just get to enjoy the food at a restaurant never  to have it again, but she loved it so much she begged the owner for the recipe.  i was so happy she did. ..AND so kind of Chef de Cuisine Gabrielle Quiñónez  because there are many many chefs out there who covet their recipes so that no one can duplicate it.
i am quite sure that i, in no way, have duplicated it, but mine DID come out quite spectacular.  it reminded me of these little muffin cakes i made a while back called "Quesadillas" or Sweet Cheese Bread.  did i post about those?...i don't think so.  i should have...they were eaten too fast.  this recipe intrigued me because not only were these little cakes called "quesadillas", but they also had a sweet and savory factor.   these cheesy muffins  are also made with Parmesan AND loads of butter!...a breakfast staple and any-time treat that is very popular in El Salvador.

on with THIS cake...did i mention i LOVE it?!...really a must try.  the recipe is pretty easy and the original with comments can be found here.  i chose to add just a touch of lemon zest for a little zip and acidity. for service?...this is a pound cake!...pound cakes go with just about anything and can be eaten any time.  it's absolutely at it's peak a few hours after baking, but can be kept out covered over night or in the fridge for a few days and brought to room temp for service.  BTW...it sliced very clean with a little chill on it (for presentation purposes)

PARMESAN POUND CAKE

recipe from Metrovino Restaurant in Portland, 

found The Luna Cafe.com...obtained by Susan S. Bradley

preheat oven to 350 F.  butter and lightly flour two 8 x 8 metal cake pans or one  9 x 12 or 9 x 13 metal baking pan...i used a 9 x 13

2 cups unbleached AP flour (10 oz.)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese...fine NOT shredded

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

6 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups creme fraiche, room temperature (or substitute 1 cup cream and 1 cup sour cream combined)

1/2 cup cream cheese

zest of 1 lemon...my add in...optional, but delicious

sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl

whisk in Parmesan.  set aside

cream together the butter and sugar in a mixer for about 5 minutes

add eggs one at a time at medium speed, mixing well after each addition

add cream cheese and zest of 1 lemon...mix until smooth

on slowest speed, alternate adding the creme fraiche and flour mixture, ending with the flour mixture...do not over mix

pour the cake batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.  tap the pan down sharp;y on the counter a couple of times to release any air bubbles

bake at 350 F for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick come out clean. i used NON confection at 350F and it was done at 45 minutes.   let cool

invert the completely cool cake onto cutting board...i let it sit there for a while to completely...i say completely cool.  you don't want the cake to sweat if you are storing it in the pan...so then i flipped it right side up onto parchment paper and back into it's cleaned out baking pan...i knew it was not going to be eaten up that day.  my baking pan has a nice cover and i LOVE parchment.

this recipe is pretty large and goes a long way.  what you don't eat will keep very well in the fridge for about a week...just let it come back to room temp because it's quite dense when cold.

serve as-is or with fresh berries, ice cream, creme anglaise, a little sprig of basil was nice...

how ever you serve it, i'm sure this will be a big winner.