Peach and Crème Fraîche Pie

I was recently introduced to crème fraîche. I guess it's more popular in Europe than in the U.S., so it's hard to find in stores. However, you can make your own using whipping cream and yogurt or buttermilk. It's super easy. Basically it's a fluffy, tangy version of whipped cream and is very yummy. Because of the tang, no sugar is necessary to use it as a lovely topping for fruit or desserts.

Here's how to make your own crème fraîche:
1 cup whipping cream, room temperature
1 tablespoon buttermilk or yogurt or 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

In a jar with a lid, place whipping cream and buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream; cover securely and shake 15 seconds. Set aside at room temperature for 24 hours or until very thick. Stir once or twice during that time. NOTE: Cream will thicken faster if the room is warm.

Stir thickened crème fraîche well. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving. Cover tightly and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Now on to the pie:

This was very easy and a yummy, light summer dessert. I only used 2 Tbsp. of sugar to sweeten the peaches (see recipe for suggested sugar levels), and it was not sugary at all. I served it with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Peach and Crème Fraîche Pie
from Smitten Kitchen

One pie crust, homemade is best

Streusel
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 to 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I needed the latter amount to get this into a crumble)
1/4 cup cold (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling
1 1/2 pounds ripe (4 to 5 medium) yellow peaches, pitted and quartered
2 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
5 tablespoons crème fraîche*

Prepare pie dough: Roll out pie dough to about 1/8-inch thick and fit into a regular (not deep dish) pie plate, 9 1/2 to 10 inches in diameter. Trim edge to 1/2 inch; fold under and crimp as desired. Pierce bottom of dough all over with a fork. Transfer to freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F right before you take it out.

Make streusel: Stir confectioners’ sugar, baking powder, salt and three tablespoons flour together in a small bowl. Add bits of cold butter, and either using a fork, pastry blender or your fingertips, work them into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add additional flour as needed; I needed to almost double it to get the mixture crumbly, but my kitchen is excessively warm and the butter wanted to melt. Set aside.

Par-bake crust: Tightly press a piece of aluminum foil against frozen pie crust. From here, you ought to fill the shell with pie weights or dried beans, or you can wing it like certainly lazy people we know, hoping the foil will be enough to keep the crust shape in place. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove carefully remove foil and any weights you have used, press any bubbled-up spots in with the back of a spoon, and return the crust to the oven for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until it is lightly golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

Make the filling: Sprinkle quartered peaches with sugar (two tablespoons will make a just-barely-sweeteened pie; add the other two for a still not overly-sweet but sweeter pie) and salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. Spread two tablespoons crème fraîche in bottom of par-baked pie shell, sprinkle with one-third of the streusel and fan the peach quarters decoratively on top. Dot the remaining three tablespoons of crème fraîche on the peaches and sprinkle with remaining streusel.

Bake the pie: Until the crème fraîche is bubble and the streusel is golden brown, about 50 minutes. Cover edge of crust with a strip of foil if it browns too quickly. Let cool on a wire rack at least 15 minutes before serving.

Stored this in the fridge, due to the crème fraîche, and serve cold or room temperature.

CSA - Week 7

The CSA shares are coming in strong. This week included: garlic, radishes, onion, yellow squash, cucumbers, red potatoes, green pepper, green tomato, yellow beans, corn, eggs, banana peppers, blackberries, and a carrot.

I made potato salad and a lovely green garden salad as well as the following recipes.

There really aren't too many recipes for green tomatoes out there. I found this salad recipe and was very pleased. Actually, I think any salad with a good dose of cheese and nuts is always tasty. I used feta cheese and peaches instead of blue cheese and nectarines, because that's what I had on hand.

Caramelized Green Tomato and Nectarine Green Salad
from danazia.wordpress.com

For the vinaigrette:
4 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons of finely chopped shallots
4 tablespoons of champagne vinegar or
white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of salt
Few cranks of black pepper

Put all the ingredients into a jar and put on the lid. (Important safety tip, make sure it is a tight fitting lid!) Shake it all up till well blended.

For the salad:
2 large nectarines or apples, cut into thin wedges
4 unripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 teaspoon of sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
A few drizzles of olive oil
6 cups or so of mixed salad greens
1 cup of fresh basil leaves, shredded
½ cup or more of crumbled blue cheese
½ cup of chopped toasted hazelnuts or walnuts
Fresh cracked black pepper

In a medium bowl, toss the tomato and nectarines wedges with the sugar and the salt. Mix the salad greens and basil together. Arrange 6 salad plates with the greens. Heat up your favorite large skillet and add a few drizzles of olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, lower the heat to medium and add the tomatoes and nectarines, laying them on their sides. Try not to crowd them in the skillet and cook, without disturbing them till them begin to brown. Flip them onto their other sides and caramelize that side too.

Working quickly, remove the tomatoes and nectarines from the skillet and arrange them artfully on the greens. Sprinkle with the blue cheese and hazelnuts and drizzle with the dressing. Crank a bit of pepper on top and serve immediately.

Green beans are not my favorite...I actually don't really like them at all. But this salad is so zesty that the green beans are masked so I gobble this up like candy.

Green Bean, Feta Cheese, and Kalamata Olive Salad
from The Schwarzbein Principle Cookbook by Diana Schwarzbein

1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed, sliced diagonally into
1-inch pieces and steamed until tender
½ thinly sliced red onion
2/3 c. pitted and diced Kalamata olives
2/3 c. crumbled feta cheese
¼ c. slivered fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried basil

Dijon Garlic Marinade
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 minced garlic cloves
freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil

In a small bowl, using a fork, combine vinegar, garlic and black pepper. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking until smooth and well blended. Taste, and adjust seasonings.

Combine all ingredients and mix with Dijon Garlic Marinade.

I have seen David Lebovitz's cookbook The Perfect Scoop mentioned all over the web. I borrowed a copy from the library and have tried several selections. He definitely is an ice cream master. This white chocolate ice cream is very rich and the blackberry swirl goes well. My only complaint is that the blackberries stay a little icy, so this is best served after sitting out for 10 minutes or so. Or if you're too impatient, stick it in the microwave for 10 seconds to start the melting process.

White Chocolate Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream
adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz via joelens.blogspot.com

8 oz white chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup fresh blackberries
2 tablespoons sugar

Put the chocolate pieces in a large bowl and and set a mesh strainer over the top.

Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. In a separate medium bowl whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer over the white chocolate. Stir until white chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth, then stir in the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator overnight for flavors to meld.

When ready to prepare the ice cream, combine the berries and sugar in a bowl and mash slightly; set aside. Pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream maker and churn account to the manufacturer's instructions. After the ice cream has churned, alternately place the ice cream and a couple tablespoons of the blackberry mixture into your freezer container. Freeze overnight for ice cream to ripen before enjoying.

Waffles II

Since waffles are one of my favorite foods, I love trying out different batters. Here are two variations: multigrain waffles and spiced pumpkin waffles.

These multigrain waffles are from the awesome Heidi Swanson of 101cookbooks.com. She is a great inspiration to me for trying new grains and incorporating more whole foods into recipes. These waffles are heavier than regular, but not too much. I didn't have any poppy seeds when I tried them, so I left them out. The overall flavor is subtle, so top them with whatever you like on regular waffles.

Multigrain Waffles
from 101cookbooks.com - with Heidi Swanson's suggested substitutions

1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1 tablespoon natural cane sugar or Muscovado sugar
1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
3 large eggs, whisked
1/3 cup / 3 oz unsalted butter, melted and cooled a bit

If you happen to remember, soak the poppy seeds in the buttermilk overnight, if not, it's no big deal. Just add them to the wet mix later on.

Preheat your waffle iron. I set mine to medium heat, but you'll have to play around a bit with the settings on your particular waffle iron to settle on the right temperature.
In a large bowl mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs into the buttermilk mixture, then whisk in the melted butter. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined.

I use about 1/2 cup of batter per waffle. Close the iron, and resist the urge to peek for a couple of minutes, the waffle needs time to set and develop a bit of a skin. After that you can check to see how your waffle is coming along. Cook until deeply golden. If you aren't eating the waffles immediately, keep in mind they can get a bit soggy if you place them directly on a plate. I tend to set hot waffles on a metal cookie rack in a warm/hot place while cooking the remainders. Serve with syrup, preserves, or sprinkled with more Muscovado sugar.

Makes 6 - 8 standard waffles.

Spiced pumpkin anything floats my boat. Since these waffles are full of flavor, only a simple topping is needed. I prefer plain yogurt, but maple syrup pairs nicely as well. Don't peek before the waffle iron says the waffle is done baking as these tend to separate if the iron is opened before the batter is baked.

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles
from Pancakes and Waffles by Kate Habershon

1 ½ c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp. ground ginger
A pinch of salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
¼ c. firmly packed brown sugar
8 oz. pumpkin puree
1 2/3 c. milk
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Freshly grated zest of 1 orange

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Put the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, milk, cooled melted butter, and orange zest into a second bowl and beat well. Gently fold in the flour mixture.

Pour batter into waffle iron and cook until crisp, about 4-5 minutes.

Favorite Pizza Topping - Edgar Allen Poe

So there's a great pizza place called Dewey's with awesome pizza and salads. I've actually only been there about 3 times total, but only because I don't eat out much. One of the best things about Dewey's is their creative pizza topping combinations.

The Edgar Allen Poe is my favorite combo. I don't know why it's so named, but it's soooo good: kalamata olives, roasted garlic, goat cheese, parsley, tomatoes, and mushrooms on top of a white sauce.

I found this crust recipe in the local newspaper; supposedly someone took a class from a Dewey's chef and shared the recipe. Really, most crust recipes I've tried all have very similar ingredients and in similar quantities. So if you have a favorite crust recipe, keep using it, but if you're looking for one, try this one.

I want to do an extensive pizza post someday, and when I do I'll tell you about some important lessons I have learned about making great pizza. One of the secrets is the high temperature, so I highly recommend trying the high temperature on any pizza recipe. You'll thank me. I thank my mom for finally figuring this out and sharing it with me. I loved my homemade pizza before, but since the high temp revelation, now I have pizza once a week. Is that bad?

Dewey's Pizza Crust

1 ½ c. of warm water (110 - 115 degrees)
1 ½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
4 c. flour

Pour the warm water into a mixing bowl. Add sugar and yeast. Stir slowly until dissolved. Let sit to "mature' about 10 minutes or so. A foamy head will form.

Add the salt and olive oil and stir to combine. Mix in first cup of flour. Add second and third cups one at a time, making dough fairly thick. Add fourth cup and combine and knead with your hands.
Remove dough to a tabletop to knead it. Use dusting of flour to reduce stickiness. Knead for 8-10 minutes. When ball no longer sticks to hands, it is smooth-textured, and the size of a grapefruit, it is done.
Coat with a thin layer of olive oil, and place in large mixing bowl coated with oil. Stretch clear wrap over top and set in warm place, like unlit oven. Allow to rise, undisturbed, for 60 to 75 minutes, growing twice original size.

Take dough and cut in half. Roll each portion into balls. Press dough ball flat to squeeze and release any air trapped inside.

Pre-heat oven and pizza stone for 20 minutes at 500. Roll out dough on parchment paper, add sauce, cheese and toppings. Carefully transfer pizza on paper to something large and flat, like an upside-down cookie sheet. Carefully transfer pizza and paper from cookie sheet to hot stone in oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden. Makes 2 12-inch pizzas.

Edgar Allen Poe: top crust with olive oil and minced garlic, then mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, roasted garlic cloves, kalamata olives and goat cheese. Bake pizza, then add fresh tomatoes and parsley. (Roast whole garlic bulb in 450° oven. Slice off top ½ inch of garlic bulb and discard. Drizzle the bulb with olive oil. In a small baking dish, bake garlic until cloves pop out of their skins, about 15 minutes. When cool, squeeze cloves out of skins.)

Gougères

I went searching for a recipe with Gruyère cheese since I had some leftover from Summer Squash Gratin. I had never heard of gougères before that. They are like a savory cream puff (but not filled with anything) - a light, airy center with a crunchy crust. They actually weren't too difficult to make either.

Gougères
Adapted from Baking Illustrated via danatreat.com
Makes about 16

2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg white
5 tbsp. butter, cut into 10 pieces
2 tsbp. whole milk
6 tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
3 oz. Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
Pinch cayenne pepper

1. Beat the eggs and egg white in a measuring cup or small bowl; you should have 1/2 cup (discard the excess). Set aside.
2. Bring the butter, milk, water, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring once or twice. When the mixture reaches a full boil (the butter should be fully melted), immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the flour with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon until combined and the mixture clears the sides of the pan. Return the saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, using a smearing motion, until the mixture is slightly shiny, looks like wet sand, and tiny beads of fat appear on the bottom of the saucpan, about 3 minutes.
3. Immediately transfer the mixture to a food processor and process with the feed tube open for 10 seconds to cool slightly. With the machine running, gradually add the eggs in a steady stream, followed by the Gruyère and the cayenne pepper. When everything has been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then process for 30 seconds until a smooth, thick, sticky paste forms. (Can be made two hours ahead. Transfer to a medium bowl, press a sheet of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray directly on the surface, and store at room temperature.)
4. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a large (18 by 12 inch) baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper; set the pan aside.
5. Fold down the top 3 or 4 inches of a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip to form a cuff and fill the bag with the paste. Unfold the cuff, lay the bag on the work surface, and, using your hands or a bench scraper, push the paste toward the tip of the pastry bag. Twist the top of the bag and pipe the paste onto the prepared baking sheet into sixteen 2-inch mounds spacing about an inch and a half apart. Use the back of a teaspoon dipped in water to even out the shape and smooth the surface of the mounds.
6. Bake 15 minutes (do not open oven door), then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until golden brown and fairly firm, 12-14 minutes longer. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. With a paring knife, cut a 3/4 – inch slit into the side of each puff to release steam; return puffs to the oven, turn off the oven, and prop the oven door open with the handle of a wooden spoon. Dry the puffs in the turned-off oven until center is just moist (not wet) and the surface is crisp, about 45 minutes. Transfer puffs to a rack and cool until just warm. Serve warm. (Puffs can be cooled completely and stored at room temperature for 24 hours or frozen in a zipper-lock plastic bag for up to 1 month. Before serving, crisp the room temperature puffs in a 300 degree oven 5-8 minutes; crisp the frozen puffs 8-10 minutes.)

Pan Bagnat

I love a tasty sandwich on good bread. This is yet another sandwich that can be made on the easy baguette and is a good alternative to the traditional tuna sandwich.

Pan Bagnat
from mediterrasian.com

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ clove garlic—minced (crushed)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium-sized baguette
6 oz (180g) can tuna in olive oil—drained and broken into chunks
¼ green pepper (capsicum)—diced
1 tomato—sliced
2 eggs—hard-boiled, peeled and sliced
10 half rings of red onion
6 pitted black olives—sliced

Place the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a jar with screw top lid and shake until well combined. Cut the baguette in half lengthways and remove some of the soft bread from the center of each half to hollow out a little. Arrange the tuna, green pepper, tomato, eggs, onion and olives on the bottom half then drizzle with the dressing. Top with the other baguette half and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop. Bring to room temperature before cutting in half to serve.

Orange and White Chocolate Petit Fours

My friend and I attempted petit fours - I'm not sure if we succeeded or not. This recipe is pretty basic: cake with melted white chocolate on top. Our only problem was that the white chocolate didn't melt quite right; it was a little clumpy. Oh well, they were still scrumptious. I love the flavor marriage of orange and white chocolate.

Partially freeze the cake before cutting into squares. This made cutting crumb-free.

Orange and White Chocolate Petit Fours
adapted from theforeignkitchen.blogspot.com

For the Cake:
1 1/3 cups of softened butter
1/2 cup of sugar
4 eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla extract
2 cups of flour
1 Tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
zest and juice of one Valencia Orange

For Decorating:
9 oz. of white chocolate
orange zest from one orange

Split the egg yolks from the whites. Beat the egg whites until stiff and then set aside for later.

Mix together the softened butter and sugar until they have a creamy white color. Now add the egg yolks and vanilla to this mixture and blend together.

Fold the orange zest into the dough.

Combine all dry ingredients in a seperate bowl and then alternately mix in the dry ingredients and orange juice.

Now fold the stiff egg whites into the dough making sure not to beat them in, otherwise the egg whites will brake down. (By folding the egg whites in you are adding a little air and creating a light and fluffy texture).

Pour the batter into a buttered and floured cake pan and bake at 320 Fahrenheit until the top is a nice golden brown or a tester comes out clean.

After letting the cake cool for a few minutes it should have pulled away from the side of the pan; if not run a knife around the edge and then turn it out onto a cooling rack.

In the meantime melt the white chocolate on low heat in a double boiler (or very carefully in a small pot, if you don't watch it, it will burn and become clumpy). Stir in 1 tsp. orange zest.

As soon as the cake has cooled, drizzle it with the white chocolate and decorate as you like (more orange zest works).