#too much salt on top but i scraped some of that off and yum | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

socialmediasocrates · 4 years

Text

hi i’m back, i’m bored, and i’m still hungry so let’s make some savory oatmeal

Some things of note: -toasting the oats is always a good idea if you have the pan and the patience, because it’ll give real nice roasty toasty flavors to your oatmeal yum -as with any recipe, salt and pepper this to your personal tastes -a lot of recipes will recommend dredging chicken in flour before searing it but i have had absolutely shit results with that so i don’t do it -any time i’m recommending frying something, i’m using olive oil! that is my preferred frying fat, except in some cases where i will use bacon fat or lard (i fry my chicken wings in lard don’t @ me i’m not taking criticism) you can use any that you prefer! it’s your life! -you can make this recipe with grits too if that’s what you’ve got on hand or if you’re one of those people that won’t even consider savory oatmeal

recipe under the cut, along with other suggestions

So for this you will need: -oatmeal; the cheap unflavored kind; i use quaker oats -chicken breast, with skin is ideal but you can use skinless too you’ll just skip one part -chicken stock; again, it can be as cheap as you want you don’t need to use homemade -garlic -egg -olive oil -scallions -chili flakes if you’ve got them -some ground ginger, if you want, but only a very little; i use the smallest pinch -hot sauce if you want it -a pot -a pan

You will need to be able to: -slice chicken -stand for about an hour. things come together pretty quick, but you do have to slice chicken and chop scallions and garlic.

For the chicken:

-if you’re not using a skinless chicken breast, carefully remove the skins and set them aside we’ll be doing stuff with them in a sec -turn the heat on to medium-high, put about a tablespoon of olive oil in there, and swish that bitch around to coat the bottom of the pan; if you end up over-pouring the olive oil just soak the extra up with a paper towel -season your chicken with salt and pepper pretty liberally -you can add other seasonings if you want here; i usually go pretty simple -plop that chicken down in the pan and LEAVE IT ALONE; YOU ONLY WANT TO FLIP THE CHICKEN TWICE SO THAT IT FORMS A CRUST -at this stage a lot of recipes online will recommend that you should have dredged the chicken in all-purpose flour to encourage crust formation, and you totally can if that works for you! never fucking works for me! so i don’t! -you wanna cook your chicken for about 5-7 minutes per side or until the internal temp reads 165F/74C on a meat thermometer if you’ve got one; they’re really useful and i totally recommend them but i get it if it’s not in the budget. you can also make a small incision in the thickest part of the chicken to check internal doneness, or kind of gently push down on it with a fork to see what color the juices are. you want them to be clear -once the chicken is cooked, set it aside and let it rest so the juices do that thing where they redistribute and your meat doesn’t get dry as fuck and gross

For the chicken skins (optional but tasty):

-so you have those chicken skins maybe -if you do, cut them bitches into strips; you want them to be about two finger-widths wide -use a butter knife to scrape off excess fat and gross shit and give them a bit of a rinse -pat them dry with a paper towel, give them a sprinkling of salt, pepper, and chili flakes if you like them a little spicy -put more olive oil in your pan, and a pat of butter, and set the heat once again to medium-high but a little more to the medium side -fry them in batches until they’re all nice and crispy and set them aside on a piece of paper towel to drain -this step is completely optional BUT THEY DO TASTE GOOD

For the oatmeal:

-drip some olive oil on a paper towel and wipe the bottom of your pot with it before getting the heat going; once the pot is warmed up, drop in your garlic and let that cook til it’s soft before mashing it up with a fork; add the chili flakes and ginger if you want them at this stage -once you’ve done that drop in your oats, a little at a time, and stir them around to get them toasted -once the oats are toasted, check the recommended amount of water on the package and pour in that much chicken stock. add your cracked black pepper at this point. let this come to a boil and then let it cook til thickened, stirring occasionally, about 3-4mins depending on your preferred consistency NOTE: canned/boxed chicken stock is salty as FUCK! wait until the oatmeal is done cooking and taste test before you add any more salt!

What you need the egg for: -crack the egg into a hot pan and give it a sprinkling of salt and pepper and maybe a little garlic powder or smth if you want idk your life -cook that until the white is set and the yolk is at your preferred level of done-ness

Now assemble: -add oatmeal to bowl -put your beautiful fried egg right into the middle -your chicken should have rested while the oatmeal was cooking (did you forget this was an oatmeal recipe); slice it into strips and fan them out pretty like on one side of the egg -top with your fried chicken skins if you made those -clean your scallions and chop them into little scallion donuts and sprinkle those over top of your oatmeal -drizzle the whole deal with hot sauce if you live like that (do this step before adding the scallions if you’re concerned with the food being pretty) -take a picture and post it on Instagram or smth -???? -oatmeal

Some general notes: -oatmeal is great because it’s got a lot of carbs and fiber and it’s cheap, but it doesn’t have a lot else which is why we added things to it. the more complex proteins and fats you can introduce, the better, because your body needs that fuel yo -i added a small amount of ginger and some chili flakes because i’ve found that those two things by themselves will make a lot of boxed or canned chicken stocks taste better to me, but the seasonings are totally up to you this is a pretty blank slate of a recipe honestly -there’s a whole wide world of things you can do with oatmeal if you think of it as the base of a meal rather than the meal itself and most of them are pretty cheap. add some bananas and nutella! some apples and a nice drizzle of honey! candied bacon and sharp cheddar! i don’t like mushrooms, but a sautee of mushrooms and cheese with some caramelized onions on top of a nice garlicky oatmeal would probably be good if you do like them! the possibilities are endless! -if you have a hard time acquiring chicken breast, what you can also do is a quick sautee of some canned, shredded chicken, onion, and garlic, and top your oatmeal with that along with the fried egg and scallions; it’ll still be pretty good! -cooking is about creativity! BE CREATIVE!! HAVE FUN!!

#oatmeal #cheap cooking #cheap recipes #recipe #food #arye talks #arye's adventures in cooking

32 notes · View notes

unwritrecipes · 2 years

Text

Oatmeal Coconut Pecan Pie

Hello and welcome to Pie Week! Each day this week I’ll be sharing a new pie recipe with a little roundup on Friday of some tried and true favorites to get you going on your Thanksgiving Day planning! First up is this decadent Oatmeal Coconut Pecan Pie, a wonderful little twist on the classic holiday dessert. Oh what a week it’s going to be!

Guys, there is just so much to love about this pie!

Of course there are plenty of pecans

But there’s also oatmeal and coconut which add so much flavor and texture!

And the deliciousness of a flaky homemade all-butter pie crust. Yum!!

That ooey-gooey filling, almost like candy that melts in your mouth, almost too rich to be enjoyed, but notice I say almost, because I guarantee that you won’t be able to stop at just one bite!

Top with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and know that you certainly do have a lot to be thankful for!

Oatmeal Coconut Pecan Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

Prep Time for crust: 10 minutes plus at least one hour chilling time and par-baking time too. Prep Time for filling: 10 minutes: Bake Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

For the pie crust

1 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out

1 ½ teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (½ cup) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled

⅓ cup cold water

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Ice Cubes

For the filling

4 large eggs, well-beaten

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon maple extract (if you can’t find this just leave it out and the pie will still be great)

¼ cup dark corn syrup

¼ cup quick cooking oats (just whiz old-fashioned ones in the food processor if you don’t have the quick cooking ones in the house)

Generous ½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup sweetened shredded coconut

The Recipe

1. To make the pie crust: Add the flour, sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Add in the chilled butter and pulse a few times until the butter has become the size of small peas.

2. Into the ⅓ cup cold water, add the vinegar and stir. Then add enough ice cubes to raise the level to ½ cup. Add 2 tablespoons of the mixture to the flour mixture and pulse a few times to incorporate it. It will look very crumbly. Then add 1 more tablespoon and pulse again a few times. You should see the mixture start to come together in a shaggy way with lots of crumbly bits. If you absolutely think you need to, add one more tablespoon of water. I never need to—it’s better for your dough to be too dry than too wet.

3. Turn the crumbly dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and gather it all into a ball. Make sure to scrape out the bowl of the processor—sometimes some of the wet parts of the dough get a little stuck and form the whole thing into a ball. Then flatten into a disk, wrap well in plastic wrap and chill for several hours and even better, overnight.

4. When you are ready to roll out the dough, flour a board or counter with a little flour and flour your rolling pin too. If the dough is very stiff (mine usually is) let it sit out on the counter for about 20 minutes till it seems pliable. Roll out the dough, rolling from the center out and to a corner, then lifting the dough off the surface of the board and giving it a little ¼ turn and rolling again, repeating the process until you’re rolled the dough out into a circle that’s a couple of inches wider in diameter than the pie plate.

5. Fold the dough in half and transfer to the pie plate, unrolling it and then carefully easing it down onto the bottom and sides—no stretching! Fold the overhang over and crimp/decorate the edges any way you like. The easiest way is to just use the tines of a fork pressed into the dough to create a little pattern.

6. Place the pie plate in the freezer for 30 minutes.

7. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 350 F. When the 30 minutes are up, line the pie with a piece of aluminum foil and either pie weights or beans. If any of the edges stick out, cut little pieces of foil to fit over them. Bake about 20 minutes and then remove the foil and weights. Cook for another 7-8 minutes just to let everything crisp up a bit. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

8. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, both sugars, butter and milk until well combined. Then add the flour, extracts and corn syrup and mix well. Stir in the oats, pecans and coconut and pour the mixture into the cooled crust, smoothing the top.

9. Bake for about 1 hour until the filling puffs up and is golden. If the center of the pie seems very jiggly when you gently shake it, bake another 7-10 minutes and test again. Also, if the edges of the pie crust seem to be browning too quickly, cover them with little pieces of aluminum foil.

Enjoy!

Note: Pie crust recipe is my regular go-to. Filling is adapted from Sweety Pies by Patty Pinner.

#Flour #Sugar #Salt #Butter #Cold Water #Apple Cider Vinegar #Ice Cubes #Eggs #Light Brown Sugar #Whole Milk #Vanilla Extract #Maple Extract #Dark Corn Syrup #Quick Rolled Oats #Pecans #Sweetened Shredded Coconut

1 note · View note

plotleek8-blog · 5 years

Text

Wild Rice & Lentil Stuffed Delicata Squash with Cranberries & Pecans

November 19, 2018

by Kare Dinner, Entrees, Fall, Healthy, Holidays, Lunch, Meal-Worthy Sides, Protein Powered, Recipes, Sides, Thanksgiving, Vegan Dinners, Vegetables, Winter 0 Comments / Leave a Comment »

They say Thanksgiving is all about the sides, and as someone who doesn’t partake in turkey, it’s safe to say that I agree.

This here’s a side that I’m pretty excited about, too: Wild Rice & Lentil Stuffed Delicata Squash.

Stuffed delicata squash makes for the perfect transitional side. And by transitional I mean it can be a side for the meat-eaters but easily transition into a main dish for the vegan and vegetarian folks. (I also call these substantial sides or meal-worthy sides because apparently it is in my nature to be wildly inconsistent. Either way: Super-handy for multi-vore households.)

This recipe uses what is apparently my favorite winter squash to cook with this year, delicata squash. I’ve had these things in bowls, baskets, rolling around on my kitchen counter, and roasting in my oven all season long. Love the things, just love ’em.

This stuffed delicata squash might be my application so far.

So here’s what we’ve got:

A nice, hearty wild rice pilaf, amped up with French green lentils, flavored with curry powder and cumin, and dotted with dried cranberries and pecans. So good on its own. BUT WAIT. There’s more.

While the pilaf is cooking up to perfection, just go ahead and roast up your delicata squash, because we’re about to elevate it to something special.

Once your pilaf is done and your squash is roasted, just fill in your little squash boats, sprinkle with parsley, and away you go.

Can’t you just see this on your Thanksgiving table?

Oh and did I mention these bad boys are vegan AND gluten-free? Perfect for when you have guests with special diets – just cover ’em all in one swoop. Well, and if you have anyone with nut allergies coming to the table, you could totally leave those out too – this dish is still plenty delicious without.

Yield: Serves 6

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 45 minutes

Total: 1 hour 5 minutes

Wild rice pilaf heartied up with lentils, flavored with curry spices and cumin, and dotted with sweet dried cranberries and crunchy pecans – all served up in delicious roasted delicata squash halves. Yum!

Ingredients:

For the pilaf (filling):

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3/4 cup wild rice blend, rinsed well

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

1-2 teaspoons curry powder, to taste*

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3-4 cups vegetable broth

1/3 cup French green lentils, rinsed

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup chopped pecans

For the squash:

3 delicata squash, stems cut off, halved vertically, seeds removed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the garnish:

A few leaves of fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make the pilaf. Set a large saute pan with lid (or a medium dutch oven) over low heat. Add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until a few pieces of the rice start to get golden on the ends, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, 1 teaspoon curry powder, cumin, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for one more minute.

Add 3 cups of the vegetable broth, the brown sugar, and the lentils. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer, stir, and cover. Set the timer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the mixture begins to get too dry before being cooked all of the way, add additional broth. If the mixture seems too wet after cooking for awhile, vent the pan to help some of the liquid evaporate. I’ve found making the pilaf is not an exact science as each pan is different, so just monitor your pilaf as it cooks. Pilaf is done when it’s relatively dry and the lentils and rice are tender, about 40 minutes.

Remove pilaf from heat and stir the dried cranberries and chopped pecans. Taste and add the remaining teaspoon of curry powder and more salt and pepper if you wish.

Meanwhile, while the pilaf cooks, prepare the delicata squash. Cut the stems off the ends, half lengthwise, scrape the seeds out with a spoon, and brush the inside of each half with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place cut side down on a large baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, until fork-tender and golden around the edges. Remove from oven.

When ready to serve, flip over the delicata squash and spoon pilaf into the squash halves. I like to mound it just a bit but not too much or serving will become interesting (as in messy). You may have some pilaf left over. Transfer to serving plate and sprinkle chopped parsley over the top. Serve.

Make-ahead tips

You can make the pilaf and roast the squash ahead of time and refrigerate for up to two days. Spoon pilaf into the squash and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes to warm them through.

* The heat in curry powders can really vary, so I recommend you start with 1 teaspoon and, if you’d like a bit more, add another teaspoon at the end.

All images and text ©Kare for Kitchen Treaty.

Kare

Kare is a vegetarian home cook living among carnivores. She loves creating irresistible and flexible recipes that help multi-vore families like hers keep the peace - deliciously.

Don’t Peace out yet!

Subscribe and get my Top 10 Easy Weeknight Dinners eBook for FREE!

Source: https://www.kitchentreaty.com/wild-rice-lentil-stuffed-delicata-squash/

0 notes

marblefeet08-blog · 5 years

Text

Wild Rice & Lentil Stuffed Delicata Squash with Cranberries & Pecans

November 19, 2018

by Kare Dinner, Entrees, Fall, Healthy, Holidays, Lunch, Meal-Worthy Sides, Protein Powered, Recipes, Sides, Thanksgiving, Vegan Dinners, Vegetables, Winter 0 Comments / Leave a Comment »

They say Thanksgiving is all about the sides, and as someone who doesn’t partake in turkey, it’s safe to say that I agree.

This here’s a side that I’m pretty excited about, too: Wild Rice & Lentil Stuffed Delicata Squash.

This stuffed delicata squash might be my application so far.

So here’s what we’ve got:

A nice, hearty wild rice pilaf, amped up with French green lentils, flavored with curry powder and cumin, and dotted with dried cranberries and pecans. So good on its own. BUT WAIT. There’s more.

While the pilaf is cooking up to perfection, just go ahead and roast up your delicata squash, because we’re about to elevate it to something special.

Once your pilaf is done and your squash is roasted, just fill in your little squash boats, sprinkle with parsley, and away you go.

Can’t you just see this on your Thanksgiving table?

Yield: Serves 6

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 45 minutes

Total: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients:

For the pilaf (filling):

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3/4 cup wild rice blend, rinsed well

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

1-2 teaspoons curry powder, to taste*

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3-4 cups vegetable broth

1/3 cup French green lentils, rinsed

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup chopped pecans

For the squash:

3 delicata squash, stems cut off, halved vertically, seeds removed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the garnish:

A few leaves of fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove pilaf from heat and stir the dried cranberries and chopped pecans. Taste and add the remaining teaspoon of curry powder and more salt and pepper if you wish.

Make-ahead tips

You can make the pilaf and roast the squash ahead of time and refrigerate for up to two days. Spoon pilaf into the squash and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes to warm them through.

* The heat in curry powders can really vary, so I recommend you start with 1 teaspoon and, if you’d like a bit more, add another teaspoon at the end.

All images and text ©Kare for Kitchen Treaty.

Kare

Kare is a vegetarian home cook living among carnivores. She loves creating irresistible and flexible recipes that help multi-vore families like hers keep the peace - deliciously.

Don’t Peace out yet!

Subscribe and get my Top 10 Easy Weeknight Dinners eBook for FREE!

Source: https://www.kitchentreaty.com/wild-rice-lentil-stuffed-delicata-squash/

0 notes

coachdog96-blog · 5 years

Text

Wild Rice & Lentil Stuffed Delicata Squash with Cranberries & Pecans

November 19, 2018

by Kare Dinner, Entrees, Fall, Healthy, Holidays, Lunch, Meal-Worthy Sides, Protein Powered, Recipes, Sides, Thanksgiving, Vegan Dinners, Vegetables, Winter 0 Comments / Leave a Comment »

They say Thanksgiving is all about the sides, and as someone who doesn’t partake in turkey, it’s safe to say that I agree.

This here’s a side that I’m pretty excited about, too: Wild Rice & Lentil Stuffed Delicata Squash.

This stuffed delicata squash might be my application so far.

So here’s what we’ve got:

A nice, hearty wild rice pilaf, amped up with French green lentils, flavored with curry powder and cumin, and dotted with dried cranberries and pecans. So good on its own. BUT WAIT. There’s more.

While the pilaf is cooking up to perfection, just go ahead and roast up your delicata squash, because we’re about to elevate it to something special.

Once your pilaf is done and your squash is roasted, just fill in your little squash boats, sprinkle with parsley, and away you go.

Can’t you just see this on your Thanksgiving table?

Yield: Serves 6

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 45 minutes

Total: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients:

For the pilaf (filling):

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3/4 cup wild rice blend, rinsed well

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

1-2 teaspoons curry powder, to taste*

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3-4 cups vegetable broth

1/3 cup French green lentils, rinsed

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup chopped pecans

For the squash:

3 delicata squash, stems cut off, halved vertically, seeds removed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the garnish:

A few leaves of fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove pilaf from heat and stir the dried cranberries and chopped pecans. Taste and add the remaining teaspoon of curry powder and more salt and pepper if you wish.

Make-ahead tips

You can make the pilaf and roast the squash ahead of time and refrigerate for up to two days. Spoon pilaf into the squash and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes to warm them through.

* The heat in curry powders can really vary, so I recommend you start with 1 teaspoon and, if you’d like a bit more, add another teaspoon at the end.

All images and text ©Kare for Kitchen Treaty.

Kare

Kare is a vegetarian home cook living among carnivores. She loves creating irresistible and flexible recipes that help multi-vore families like hers keep the peace - deliciously.

Don’t Peace out yet!

Subscribe and get my Top 10 Easy Weeknight Dinners eBook for FREE!

Source: https://www.kitchentreaty.com/wild-rice-lentil-stuffed-delicata-squash/

0 notes

poisonlipstik · 7 years

Text

CHICKPEA AND DUMPLING SOUP

CHICKPEA & DUMPLINGS

Soup:

2 sweet yellow onions

2 carrots

3 ribs of celery

1 small crown of broccoli

3-4 cloves of garlic

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 ½ cup of frozen green peas

5-7 leaves of kale*

¼ cup olive oil

7 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 ½ teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ cup white wine**

10 cups of vegetable broth

3 cups of cooked chickpeas***

Dumplings:

2 cups all-purpose wheat flour****

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup of unsweetened, plain almond milk

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 bunch of chives*****

First thing, make the fucking dumplings. Chop up the chives into little pieces. Add the flour to a medium bowl and whisk in the garlic powder, baking powder, and salt. Drizzle in the olive oil and mix it all up. Add ½ cup of the milk and stir it all together. If your dough still looks really dry, add a couple tablespoons of the rest of the milk until you can form kind of shaggy ball of dough. If you add too much milk the dough will be sticky and hard to handle so slow your ass down. Knead in ¼ cup of the chopped chives, make sure they are all mixed in and the dough looks like it has its shit together. Save the rest of the chives for later.

On a well floured surface, roll out the dough about an ⅛ of an inch thick. Think super thin crust pizza. Cut the dumplings into pieces about 1 inch wide and 1 ½ inches long. You will have some fucked up sized ones because that’s how shit is but don’t stress. They'll be fine. You should get around 60-70 dumplings but if you end up with more or less no worries, you just wanna make sure they're bite size. Stack them up on a floured plate and stick them in the fridge uncovered while you make the rest of the soup.

Chop up the onions, carrots, celery, and broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Remove the hard rib from the kale and slice that fucker into 1-inch ribbons. Dice up that garlic. In a large soup pot, heat up the 2 teaspoons of oil over a medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and sauté until the onions start to brown in some places, about 5-7 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes or until the carrots are getting soft but the broccoli still has some bite. Turn off the heat and dump all that shit into a medium bowl and set it aside. Make sure to scrape out all the veggies out because you are reusing that pot ‘cause fuck making extra dishes.

Mix the oregano, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper together in a small cup. Warm that soup pot back up over a medium heat, add the ¼ cup oil, and whisk in the flour. It should look somewhere between glue and runny paste. Yum. Keep stirring that shit around until it smells kinda nutty and looks a little toasted, about 2 minutes. Toss in the spices and keep stirring for another 30 seconds. Whisk in the white wine. The flour will ball up with the wine and make it look like frosting or some shit like that. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of the broth. Mix that shit up until it is all incorporated and it starts to look all thick like movie theater nacho cheese. Slowly whisk in the next 4 cups of broth and make sure it is all incorporated without any chunks of flour. Whisk in the rest of the broth and let the deliciousness simmer, whisking every minute or so, for about 15 minutes. The broth should sort of thicken up and start to look and taste kind of velvety. You know what the fuck I am talking about. Try it. Fucking awesomeness without 2 sticks of butter.

With the pot still simmering, add the dumplings. Add a couple at time so they don’t get all stuck together in a clusterfuck of dough and dying dreams. Once they are all in, gently stir them around once so that everybody is well covered by the broth. Let them simmer together for 3 minutes so that the pot gets a chance to warm back up. Add the chickpeas and sautéed veggies and let them all simmer together for about 10 more minutes or until the dumplings don’t taste raw. Once your dumplings are on point, add the peas and kale. Cook for another 2 minutes so that the peas warm up and the kale wilts. Yeah, that’s right, I just dump the peas in frozen because what.the.fuck.ever. Turn off the heat and throw in ¼ cup of those chives from earlier. Taste that shit and see if you want more herbs, spices, or salt to get it where you love it. Serve immediately and top the bowls with some of whatever chives you have left.

Serves 6 hungry motherfuckers

* Spinach or collards will work here too.

** Whateverthefuck you like to drink will work. No wine, because of reasons? Just add more broth.

*** About 2 15 ounce cans if you aren’t cooking your own.

**** Whole-wheat flour is a little too dense for these fuckers but give it a go if that’s what you got and you are feeling brave.

***** Green onions will work here but chives are way sexier.

#soup #chickpea #dumpling #vegetables #recipe #recipes

0 notes

unwritrecipes · 4 years

Text

Pan Seared Chicken with Lemon-Shallot Sauce

Good morning to you all! And it is a good one. Not only is it actually, officially summer, but finally, I have a brand new recipe for boneless chicken breasts to share with you! And this one comes with the most delicious lemon-shallot sauce. What a triumph! It’s all about finding the joy in the small things, right?

Do you pan sear often (or am I getting too personal, lol!) If you’re not all that familiar with the term, pan-searing is basically cooking a protein (generally) at high heat in a heavyweight skillet so that it forms a nice browned crust. It makes food especially delicious but it can often be tricky to achieve the right level of doneness on the inside without over-searing the outside and essentially burning the whole thing. But with a few easy techniques and ingredients, you can ensure perfectly cooked chicken that is tender and juicy on the inside and has that great pan-seared crust that everybody loves. Here’s how:

You start by poking holes in the chicken and baking the pieces in a covered pan at a very low light so that they get 80% of the way cooked through before you do any pan-searing.

Then, after removing as much excess moisture as you can from them with some paper towels—

You brush each side with a cornstarch/flour/butter mixture that helps to lock in all those juices and create that gorgeous golden brown coating that we’re after when we pan sear.

YUM!

You could just serve the chicken as is, but I would strongly urge you to finish it all off with the lemon-shallot sauce. Not only does it catapult ordinary chicken breasts into a special meal, but it comes together quickly and easily in the same pan that you pan-seared the chicken in, making for an easy clean-up!

Mmm…every bite is tender and crispy with that wonderful little lemony zing. And with that, dinner is served. Happy Monday!

Pan Seared Chicken with Lemon-Shallot Sauce

Prep Time for Chicken: About 1 hour (but a lot of this is hands-free) Prep Time for Sauce: 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the chicken

About 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (if these are very thick, slice them in half lengthwise)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 rounded tablespoon unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 rounded teaspoonful cornstarch

Pinch of two of black pepper

For the sauce

1 large shallot, minced

1 teaspoon unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (you could add more if you like things very lemony)

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Salt and pepper to taste

The Recipe

1. To make the chicken: Adjust rack to lower middle rung in the oven and preheat to 275ºF. Place the chicken in a large glass baking dish and use a fork to poke holes in each chicken breast in the thickest parts 5 or 6 times. Sprinkle the salt evenly over each one and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for about 40 minutes, until chicken is mostly cooked through.

2. Line a couple of plates with paper towels and drain the chicken on the towels to remove excess moisture. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, flour, cornstarch and pepper. Light brush the tops of the chicken breasts with the mixture.

3. Heat the canola oil over medium-heat, until very hot and add the chicken breasts, coated side down and cook for about 4-5 minutes until nicely browned. While the chicken is cooking, brush the tops with the remaining butter mixture. Flip the breasts and lower the heat to medium. Cook for another 5 minutes or so to allow the bottom to brown as well. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Do not wash the skillet.

4. To make the sauce: Add the shallots to the same skillet and cook for a few minutes, until softened, stirring often. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds. Then slowly whisk in the broth, scraping up any browned bits. Let the mixture simmer well and cook for another 5 minutes or so, until thickened and reduced. Stir in any of the juices from the chicken on the plate, let simmer for another 30 seconds or so and remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and butter. Taste and add salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately with additional lemon slices on the side.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Revolutionary Recipes. I simplified a lot of the techniques and cooked the chicken much longer than the original recipe suggested. Also, I cut the chives from the pan sauce—made it once that way but it was not all that attractive and chives don’t seem to add much here.

#Boneless Chicken Breasts #Kosher Salt #Canola Oil #Butter #Flour #Cornstarch #Black Pepper #Shallots #Chicken Broth #Lemon Juice

0 notes

unwritrecipes · 4 years

Text

Fresh Blueberry Brioche

Today I present you with this gorgeous Fresh Blueberry Brioche and three simple words that in the current situation, will make your heart sing: 2 Day Project!

Yup, now that we’re mostly homebound, it’s more important than ever to have small, labor intensive, sanity-saving activities lined up and for me that means baking things off my bucket list, like this amazing bread. Even if you’ve never worked with yeast before in your life, If you can in any way get your hands on some fresh blueberries, I implore you to give this a try! It’s guaranteed to cheer you up and take up quite a bit of your time!

Would that I dreamed up this beauty all by myself, but the fact is that it’s straight from the pages of Huckleberry by Zoe Nathan, one of my favorite baking cookbooks (and bakeries). I’ve already featured her amazing french toast on the site in a Famous Fridays post almost 3 years ago and I’ve always wanted to try this bread (it’s temptingly on the cover), so what better time than the present?!!I

On Day 1 you freeze the berries and mix up your dough, which thankfully takes a surprisingly long while to knead and incorporate the butter into!! Lol!

Next you press that dough into a rectangle and scatter the frozen berries—

And some sugar across the top.

Now you roll up the dough into a log, cover, let it sit overnight in the fridge and binge watch something on Netflix!

Day 2: You press the dough into a rectangle again—taking care not to squash the berries too much.

Sprinkle it all over with sugar—

Then roll into a log again, place into the bread pan and brush with the egg wash (this is what helps to give it a golden crust)

Then you scatter more sugar across the top—it’s particularly good to use demerara or “crunchy sugar” as I like to think of it. YUM!

See how much time we’re using up?!! And we haven’t even baked this baby yet! Tack on at least another 45 minutes to an hour and what emerges is a a golden-crusted, blueberry studded loaf of brioche perfection!

Seriously, have your camera ready because you are going to want to remember this!

Every buttery, tender bite is loaded with sweet, melt-in-your-mouth blueberries!

Depending on your mood, you can cut it into neat slices

Or tear into it and get some of that aggression out while you stuff your face with the magnificent fruits of your labor.

Can’t think of a much better way to spend 48 hours of social distancing!!

Blueberry Brioche

Makes one 9x5 loaf

You kinda need a stand mixer with a bread dough hook for this. You can probably try it the old fashioned way but I haven’t tried it like that.

Prep Time: This a two day project. Day 1: About 1 ½ hours; Day 2: 3 ½-4 hours (mostly rising time); Bake Time: 45 minutes-1 hour

Ingredients

For the bread

1 ½ cups (225g) fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (140g) unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (140g) bread flour

6 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar, divided, plus extra for sprinkling (you can also use demerara or sanding sugar for the sprinkling part)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 large eggs

1 egg yolk

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (140g) very soft unsalted butter

For the Egg Wash

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Pinch of kosher salt

The Recipe

1. Day One: Place the blueberries in a single layer on a plate and freeze. (FYI- I used fresh berries I froze myself from berry picking last summer—the original recipe says not to use already frozen berries but it worked out fine for me.)

2. Slightly warm the milk and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast and use a whisk to combine. Add both of the flours, 2 ½ tablespoons of the granulated sugar, the salt, eggs, and egg yolk. Attach the dough hook and mix on low speed for about 2 minutes to combine (scrape down the sides as needed).

3. Increase the mixer to medium-low speed and mix the dough for 6 minutes, stopping the mixer every minute or so as the dough creeps up the side of the bowl. Scrape it down and off the hook and continue to mix until it pulls off the sides and looks like a strong bread dough.

4. Lower the speed of the mixer and slowly add the butter, a little at a time, over the course of a few minutes. After the first minute, scrape down the bowl and hook. It will seem like the butter won’t incorporate and may look like the dough is sort of falling apart, but just be patient and keep mixing. When you see the butter really beginning to blend in to the batter, increase the mixer to medium-high and allow the butter to fully incorporate and have the dough come together. This will probably take 6-10 minutes.

5. Lightly flour a board or work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Press the dough into approximately a 16x10-inch rectangle. Scatter the frozen berries and 2 tablespoons of the sugar across the dough. Starting with the shortest side closest to you, gently roll the dough into a log.

6. Lightly spray a sheet pan with nonstick spray and use a large spatula to transfer the log to the pan. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least one hour and preferably overnight.

7. Day 2: Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Remove the dough from the fridge and press it into an approximate 12x6-inch rectangle again. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Position the dough vertically and roll down toward you into a tight log this time. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan (you may need to squish in the ends a little) and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for about 3 hours or until more than doubled in size (if your kitchen is cold it can take longer or you can turn the oven on and place the pan nearby to help it rise).

8. To make the egg wash: Whisk the egg yolks, cream and salt together in a small bowl until well combined.

9. When brioche looks nearly risen enough, preheat oven to 350ºF. Carefully brush the dough with the egg wash, so that it doesn’t pool around the edges. Generously sprinkle the top with more granulated or demerara sugar. Bake for 45 minutes and check to see if it’s golden brown on bottom and top. If you like things more on the well done side, bake for additional 10-15 minutes (I did). Remove from oven and let cool in pan on a wire rack. Then transfer to the wire rack to finish cooling completely. Use a serrated bread knife to carefully cut slices. Bread keeps well wrapped at room temperature for 2-3 days and up to one week in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Huckleberry by Zoe Nathan. The original recipe says not to use frozen blueberries cause it will make the batter too watery. I used fresh ones that I had frozen over the summer and they worked well. Not sure if you can just buy frozen berries and use them. Probably best to just freeze fresh berries.

#Blueberries #Whole Milk #Active Dry Yeast #Flour #Bread Flour #Sugar #Demerara Sugar #Kosher Salt #Eggs #Egg Yolk #Butter #Heavy Cream

0 notes

unwritrecipes · 5 years

Text

Chocolate Pound Cake

I have been trying to share this Chocolate Pound Cake with you for an embarrassingly long time now. See, I first made this in early March, fell in instant love and have made it three times since, the love only growing with each bake. But for whatever reason, I have never been able to take a really good shot of the finished product. And lord knows I’ve tried—there are over 50 meh to bad shots of it on my Google Photos. See what I mean about embarrassing? And even the photo from my most recent bake this week is not exactly a star. Still, it’s the best of the bunch and I have realized that with this one, maybe I can eat my cake, but not photograph it too! (Cricket-chirp—apparently I’m also losing it in the humor department!)

But all that aside, I think it’s totally unfair that you should suffer the deprivation of this deliciousness just because of my lame photography skills, so let’s just pretend that the photos are good enough and let my words inspire you instead.

Memorable, impressive, homey, decadent, simple, wondrous…I could go on and on with words that describe how I feel about this cake (and for those of you who know me, you know how much I love everyday cakes—not that you couldn’t serve this at a party—it may not have frosting and other bells and whistles but it’s undeniably special.)

First off, it’s got an incredible, almost creamy crumb—something I’ve never found in any poundcake before, let alone a chocolate one.

And by the way, this is not just a suggestively chocolate poundcake. No siree, this one is chocolate-y through and through as there is both cocoa and mini chocolate chips in the batter! Dreamy!

It’s also got the most delectable, crater-like, irresistible crust! Just look at that!

Which means that with every bite you get the yin/yang of that soft cake and crunchy exterior! YUM!

It also comes together extremely easily and in a somewhat unique fashion too. Unlike pretty much every other cake in the universe, this one starts out in a cold oven—no preheating necessary. Apparently that slow bake is what allows it to have such a moist and creamy texture and perfect crust. If preheating is the bane of your existence, there’s even more for you to love about this cake.

And it gets better with age (would that we all did) which makes it the perfect make-ahead for parties!

Okey, dokey, I think you all know what you have to do now. Me, I’m going to eat another slice and put some much needed time into things like “f stops” and shutter exposure!

Chocolate Pound Cake

Makes 12-15 servings

You will need a 10-inch tube pan for this.

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Bake Time 1 hour and 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into cubes, plus a little extra for greasing the pan

3 ⅓ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

6 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk (well-shaken before measuring)

1 cup mini chocolate chips

The Recipe

1. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan and set aside.

2. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

3. Place the butter and both sugars into the bowl of the electric mixer and mix together on low speed for about a minute to combine them. Then, scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and beat at medium speed for a few minutes, until the mixture is really creamy. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl. Add in the vanilla and beat well to mix.

4. On low speed, add about ⅓ of the dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl to help it incorporate into the batter. Add in half of the buttermilk and mix to combine. Add another ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix and then the rest of the buttermilk and mix again. Add in the remaining flour mixture and mix well to combine. Scrape down the bowl, especially the bottom because this is a thick batter and you want to make sure none of the dry ingredients are stuck to the bottom of the mixing bowl. Still on low speed, mix in the chips.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and stick the pan into the cold oven. Turn the oven to 325ºF and bake for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the cake comes out clean—you can’t just tell by the darkness of the top of the cake, since it’s dark chocolate brown.

6. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then unmold and let cool completely on the rack.

7. This is definitely one of those cakes that gets better if it sits around for a day or two before slicing, which makes it a great make-ahead cake. Store well wrapped at room temperature. Leftovers will keep for about a week.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Carla Hall’s Soul Food. I didn’t really change much about this because it’s so perfect but I usually do cook it for a little longer than the original recipe recommends—all ovens are different.

#Butter #Flour #Unsweetened Cocoa Powder #Baking Powder #Salt #Eggs #Sugar #Light Brown Sugar #Vanilla Extract #Buttermilk #Mini Chocolate Chips

0 notes

unwritrecipes · 5 years

Text

Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen's Blueberry + Peach Crisp with Graham Cracker Topping-Famous Fridays

Here we are, guys—the last Friday in August. Keeping with the spirit of my other posts this week, we’re going to celebrate and hang onto the gloriousness of summer, ‘cause to sit around and mope about the end of it all would be a big mistake. Just like it would be a huge mistake to miss this seriously amazing and easy Blueberry + Peach Crisp with Graham Cracker Topping straight from the pages of our famous Fridays honoree of the week, Mastering My Mistakes In The Kitchen by Dana Cowin (notice my seamless transition there). If you’re looking for a true crowd pleaser for any Labor Day celebrations, I think your search is over!

Before we get to talking about this delightful-way-to-end-a-meal crisp, I want to rave about Mastering My Mistakes a bit. My mistake was not getting my hands on this book earlier, lol! It came out in 2014 and somehow totally escaped my radar 😂😂.Anyhoo, it’s written by Dana Cowin, former editor-in-chief of Food & Wine, who surprisingly is not the most accomplished chef, though it’s her dream to be. Though she’s obviously had a ton of exposure to food, she’s self-taught just like a lot of the rest of us, who learn by trial and error. In her case, though, she has legendary chefs (65 in total) like Daniel Boulud and Nancy Silverton not only providing her with their foolproof recipes, but also revealing to her their inside tips, advice and techniques that set them apart and make them the amazing cooks that they are.

And happily, Dana passes along their recipes and advice to us so we can learn from their kitchen flubs and drink in (or eat) all of their combined wisdom. Plus, because the book is full of so many different chef’s recipes there’s a really eclectic mix of more involved, newish dishes like Coriander and Cumin-Crusted Duck Breasts and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Caper-Raisin Sauce to the more basic and classic things like Grilled Cheese and Gas Station Fried Rice. I’m really loving cooking my way through this book. I’ve already made the Chicken Stir-Fry (will definitely share with you soon), the Milk and Dark Chocolate Cookies (YUM!!!!), the Buttermilk Biscuits and Cacio e Pepe Frittata and all were yummy and accompanied by helpful professional tips.

For example, this Blueberry Peach Crisp we’re talking about today, comes with advice from star baker Cheryl Day of Back In the Day Bakery (one of my favs—she’s already well represented here on the site, with these Plum Tartlets, Strawberry Custard Pie, Blackberry Lime Fizz, Little Plum Custards, Fluffy Buttermilk Dinner Rolls and Pecan Sandies—I guarantee that you’ll love ‘em all!, definitely try them when you have a chance)

In addition, to making sure you have a enough fruit to begin with because fruit really shrinks down when you bake it, Cheryl advises adding a couple of nectarines to balance out the sweetness of the peaches and berries. It’s a genius idea because the filling has just the right balance of tart and sweet—totally hits the bliss point!

Then Dana adds her own genius by having you crush up graham crackers (so clever) along with the oats and other ingredients for the topping so you get loads and loads of crunchy, flavorful crumble with every bite. It’s addictively delicious!

Plus, it’s a terrific party dessert because you can make this earlier in the day and simply reheat it before you’re ready to serve. Easy-peasy and done!

However, you do it, you can’t go wrong. Your only “mistake” would be to not make this asap while summer fruit is still around! I’ll be shutting up shop around here for a few days as we take our daughter off to college (fingers crossed we can fit everything into the car and don’t kill each other in the process!!). I’ll be back next week with more food and fun as we unofficially head into the new season together. Have a delicious and safe holiday weekend!xoxo

Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen’s Blueberry + Peach Crisp with Graham Cracker Topping-Famous Fridays

Makes at least 10 servings

Prep Time: About 30 minutes; Bake Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

For the filling

2 cups (1 pint) fresh blueberries (I actually used unthawed ones I had frozen after an over zealous berrypicking experience earlier this summer)

8 large peaches, halved, pitted and sliced into 1/2-inch wedges (no need to peel)

2 nectarines, halved, pitted and sliced into 1/2-inch wedges (no need to peel)

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For the crumble

10 graham crackers, crushed into coarse crumbs (about 2 cups)—place them in a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin or cup till you get large and small crumbs

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into chunks

The Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place a 9x13-inch glass baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

2. Place all the fruit in a large bowl and toss well with the brown sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice so that everything is coated. Scrape out into the baking dish and set aside.

3. In a separate medium bowl, combine the graham crackers, oats, brown sugar, and salt. Then use your fingers to work in the butter to get coarse crumbs. Scatter the crumble evenly across the fruit in the dish.

4. Bake for about 1 hour. I would check at the 30 minute mark—if it seems like the topping is getting too dark too quickly, cover it loosely with a piece of silver foil. That’s what I did. Crisp is done when fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown. The original recipe says to wait 30 minutes before serving but of course, we couldn’t. It’s probably neater that way, but we’re not about looks with this one—it’s kinda messy no matter what, so I say go for it. What you can do is make this much earlier in the day and then reheat in a low oven. And of course leftovers are amazing eaten cold or microwaved for a minute or so.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen by Dana Cowin. I didn’t but would definitely cut the salt down or maybe even out of the topping—it was too salty with the original 1 teaspoon salt. I’ve cut it in half in the above recipe—that’s what I’m going to try the next time I make this. Also, I changed some of the cooking techniques so you could learn from my mistakes too!

#Blueberries #Peaches #Nectarines #Dark Brown Sugar #Cornstarch #Lemon Juice #Graham Crackers #Old Fashioned Oatmeal #Fine Sea Salt #Butter

0 notes

unwritrecipes · 5 years

Text

Pie Squared's Easy-As-Pie Apple Slab Pie-Famous Fridays

Next Tuesday is Pi Day-you know, the one that celebrates the uniqueness of the number 3.12, but that we bloggers use as an excuse to share new pie recipes? So it’s kind of “infinitely” perfect that for Famous Fridays today, I get to tell you all about one of my favorite new cookbook finds, Pie Squared : Irresistibly Easy Sweet & Savory Slab Pies by Cathy Barrow and this terrific twist on traditional apple pie. Honestly, after getting to know this book, you won’t think about baking pies the same way ever again!

Do you know about slab pies? If perfect, flaky homemade pie crust is something you dream about but haven’t quite perfected yet or have maybe found too intimidating to even attempt, a slab pie is your answer. Not only do you get more crust per bite than you would with a traditional round pie, but making a slab pie is so much less fussy and labor intensive. Basically a slab pie is just what it sounds like—a slab of pie, in other words, a pie baked in a sheet pan rather than in a pie plate. No need to roll out a perfectly round crust and crimp it just so, which takes a lot of the pressure off. I’ve been baking pies for years and years now with varying degrees of crust success and I have to say that with these slab pies, I’ve had 100% stress-free dough experiences.

That’s because Cathy gives you foolproof recipes with very specific and user friendly techniques which seem labor intensive and persnickety but which once you get the hang of, are actually fairly routine and easy and are what will allow you to turn out perfect pie after perfect pie. More on that below.

And there are all sorts of crust variations in the book, like cream cheese, olive oil, hash brown, and chocolate— even recipes for super simple press-in kinds. No matter what kind of crust experience you’re looking for, I guarantee you that it’s in here. The book is also filled with gorgeous, mouth-watering photos and loads of recipes for both sweet and savory slab pies. Some are more traditional, like this apple one I’m sharing today and others more off the beaten path like Sour Cream Peach Melba Slab Pie, Good Morning Cream Cheese Danish Slab Pie with Jam, Spinach, Gorgonzola and Walnut Slab Pie, Loaded Baked Potato Pie with a Caramelized Onion Crust and Pan-Roasted Mushroom and Kale Slab Pie (will share this one next week—it’s pretty stellar) to name a few. if pie baking is something you love to do or want to learn how to do, I can’t recommend this book highly enough!

But before I go on and on and get you even more excited, there’s one essential item you need (and a couple more that will make this whole experience a lot easier.) Pretty much all of the recipes in the book call for a quarter sheet pan. If you already have one, great! I didn’t, so I ordered this one from Amazon (you can see it in the picture above, nesting in the larger half-sheet). It costs less than $15 and had worked out very well.

It’s also really useful to have a metal bench scraper. I’ve had mine for years but you can buy one for under $10 and it’s one of those kitchen gadgets that doesn’t take up a lot of space and that you’ll really use, especially if you get majorly into pie baking, which you just might after getting your hands on this book! It’s also great to have a baking stone, though you could totally use an upside-down rimmed baking sheet.

Last 2 items: a food processor and painter’s or masking tape. Whew!

And now finally, onto this wonderful apple slab pie. We’re going to go through it step by step, which I do in the recipe below, but I thought it’d be handy to kind of see it in action too. If you don’t want (need) the tutorial, you can just skip down to the actual recipe below—no hard feelings, I promise!

First off, you’re going to freeze your cubed butter for 20 minutes. Don’t skip this step because keeping the dough cold is what will eventually allow the pastry to be light and flaky. When that butter’s nice and frosty, you mix up the dough ingredients in the food processor. You can do it by hand (and I’ve included instructions for that in the recipe too) but it is so much easier to do it this way, so beg, borrow or steal one if you have to!! Ha ha!

Again, I want to emphasize not to handle the dough with your hands too much or overprocess it. You want it to almost form a ball but still be a little shaggy looking with some crumbs that don’t totally adhere to the ball. When the dough looks ready, you are going to turn it out onto two pieces of crisscrossed, floured plastic wrap and fold up the wrap over it. Then you’re going to use that bench scraper to push the dough (through the plastic) into a 6x4-inch block, pounding it 3-4 times per side with the rolling pin in the process on both sides to remove any bubbles and make it more compact. Now, you let that dough block rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours and better yet, overnight.

Before you’re ready to begin the rolling out process, you are going to set up your board, using the painter’s (or masking) tape to make an 11 x 15-inch rectangle. I know this may seem like an annoying extra step but it makes it so easy to roll the dough out to the correct size and will actually wind up saving you time in the long run.

Once the dough has warmed up for about 10 minutes, you cut it into two slightly unequal pieces and…you’re ready to roll, literally.

Once the dough is rolled out, you simply transfer it to the 1/4 sheet pan and gently press it in. Then you repeat the process for the top crust, place it on a floured baking sheet and let both doughs chill while you make the filling.

Into a large bowl, you place a thin cotton towel and a box grater and grate the apples directly into the towel. Then, you use the towel to wring out as much liquid from the apples as possible. This helps to keep the pie crust from getting soggy.

After you’ve put together the rest of the filling, you transfer it to the bottom crust in the pan, use a scissor to cut off some of the dough overhang and dot the filling all over with some cold cubed butter.

Now you position the top crust on the filling, tuck the bottom crust up and over the edges and use a fork to decoratively crimp the edges.

We’re in the home stretch now! One more short chilling stint, some heavy cream brushed across the surface of the pie, a few sprinkles of sugar and steam-venting slashes and…

You are ready to bake!! Yippee!

Your kitchen is going to smell fantastic! And what emerges from the oven is going to make you feel fantastic and taste even more fantastic!

Light, flaky, buttery pastry dough with the sweet crunch of sugar and a thin layer of, cinnamon-apple filling that cuts like a dream. Neat, perfect, squares that will feed a crowd, definitely more than the 8 that a traditional pie does and so much easier to transport too.

It’s terrific as is—kind of reminds me of the best pop tart you can imagine. Of course, I wouldn’t say no to square with a scoop of vanilla ice cream either! YUM!

Okey dokey, guys, long, long post—you must be exhausted reading! Hopefully not too much to attempt this lovely pie—it would make a fun weekend project. So on that note, I’m wrapping things up here. Treat yourself to a copy of Pie Squared, bake up a slab pie and have a yummy, safe and warm weekend.

Pie Squared’s Easy-As-Pie Apple Slab Pie- Famous Fridays

Makes 12-16 servings

It is helpful to have a food processor for this. It is also helpful to have a bench scraper and a baking stone but not absolutely necessary.

Prep Time for Crust: 10 minutes, plus 20 minutes pre-freezing for butter and at least 4 hours chilling time for dough; Prep Time for Filling: 20 minutes; Assembly Time: 15 minutes, plus 20 minutes chilling time; Bake Time: About 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the Crust

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour (325 grams), plus extra for shaping and rolling out dough

16 tablespoons (225 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and frozen for 20 minutes

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup (120ml) ice water

For the Filling

2 pounds apples, (I used 5 large Granny Smith), peeled

1/3 cup packed (75 grams) light brown sugar

2 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into little cubes

1 tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk

At least 2 tablespoons sanding or coarse sugar (you could also use regular sugar as well)

The Recipe

1. To make the crust: place the flour, butter and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal steel blade and pulse for 15 times until the butter is in small, pea-like pieces and coated with the flour. Pour in all of the ice water and pulse until the mixture almost forms a ball. You still want it to be a bit shaggy. If you over mix it, it’ll be tough. If you don’t have a food processor, you can mix the dough by hand. If so, freeze the sticks of butter and then grate them using the largest holds on the box grater right into the flour mixture. Working quickly, use your hands to combine the ingredients until the grated butter pieces are coated in flour. Pour in the water and and use your hands to sort of toss and fold the dough together into a shaggy cohesive ball.

2. Take 2 large pieces of plastic wrap and lay them criss-crossed on the counter so that they form a large “X”. Take a little bit of flour and scatter it in the center. Turn the dough out right into the center of the X, scraping the food processor clean and fold the plastic wrap over the shaggy ball and any stray crumbs. You want to avoid touching the dough with your hands as that warms the fats and cuts down on the pastry’s flakiness. Use a bench scraper or a firm spatula to push the dough into a 6 by 4-inch block that will look like a compact piece of dough not a crumbly block but you will still see pieces of butter throughout. (It helps if you use a ruler to measure—will make the rolling out later a snap). Now use a rolling pin to gently press across the surface of the dough to remove any bubbles. Flip the dough over and repeat on the other side. Place in the fridge to rest for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.

3. Before you are ready to roll out the dough, set up your rolling surface—it can be a board or your clean counter as long as it’s cold. Use painter’s or masking tape to make an 11x15-inch rectangle. Remove the dough for about 10 minutes before you roll out—you don’t want it to get too warm. Generously dust the rolling surface with flour. Remove the plastic wrap and cut the dough into 2 pieces, one a little larger than the other—this will be the top crust.

4. Working quickly, smack the dough 3 times with the rolling pin. Now flip it over and do the same to the other side. This helps to compress the fats. Now flour your rolling pin and roll out the dough from the center outward, angling to the sides, working to fill the shaped space. Every so often slide the bench scraper underneath the dough to keep it from sticking to the board and turning the dough to get it to fill the space evenly. If it shrinks back when you roll it, don’t pull it—just be patient and keep rolling—it will fill the space eventually. Once it’s rolled to size, gently fold it over in half and carefully place it in the 1/4 sheet pan. Gently press the dough into the corners using the sides of your hand, not your fingers which might poke holes. Place the pan into the fridge while you roll out the top crust.

5. Roll out the top crust using the same technique, but only to about 10x14-inches. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and sprinkle with flour. Transfer the dough to the sheet and refrigerate as well.

6. If you have one, place a baking stone on the center rack of the oven. If not, use an inverted rimmed baking sheet. Turn the oven to 400ºF and let preheat with the baking stone. Meanwhile make the filling.

7. To make the filling: Line a large bowl with a thin clean, cotton kitchen towel or a double layer of cheesecloth. Place a box grater in the bowl and grate the apples, down to the core, right into the towel lined bowl. Discard the cores. Gather up the ends of the towels and twist, wringing as much juice as you can out of the grated apples. This will keep the pie from being soggy. Pour the juice into a glass and set aside. Dry the bowl out with paper towels and return the apples to the bowl. Add in the brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt and mix well.

8. Remove the bottom crust from the fridge and turn the filling into it, spreading it evenly across the surface. Dot the filling with the cold cubed butter evenly. Use a scissor to trim the dough to about 1/2-inch over the edge of the pan. Remove the top crust from the fridge, place it on top of the filling and tuck the bottom crust edge over the top crust. Use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges decoratively. Place the pie in the fridge for 20 minutes.

9. Remove from the fridge and brush the surface of the pie with the heavy cream. Sprinkle all over with the sugar. Make one or two slashes in the pie crust to allow the steam to vent and place the pie on the baking stone. Let cook for about 45 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Let sit for about 10 minutes to make for neater slices. Serve as is or with a scoop of ice cream.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Pie Squared by Cathy Barrow. The original recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon each of ground ginger and nutmeg in the filling—I omitted these and upped the cinnamon a bit instead. Also, the recipe tells you to grate the apples, peel and all which I did but I think I would peel the apples next time before grating them.

#Flour #Butter #Kosher Salt #Ice Water #Apples #Light Brown Sugar #Lemon Juice #Cinnamon #Heavy Cream #Demerara Sugar

0 notes