Tag: sweet

Easter 2017

I haven’t had time to write these past two weeks- I’ve been too busy living in the moment. This year I was fortunate to experience the “High Holies” of my faith in two cultures- the jubilant evangelicalism of Palm Sunday in the Caribbean and the solemn rituals of my home parish in New York. I love them both!

I also love Easter breakfast. It is hands down my favorite meal of the year, and has been since I was a child. The centerpiece is my family’s version of Pizza Rustica. It’s a once a year treat. In Italy, Pizza Rustica is made for Easter Monday, or Pasquetta. It’s an egg, cheese and meat pie that is made as picnic fare for the day after Easter,  a day Italians spend outside enjoying family and friends. Since we do not celebrate Easter Monday here, many Italian American families make Pizza Rustica for Easter breakfast.

In addition to Pizza Rustica, there’s colored eggs, homemade cinnamon bread and fruit salad all surrounded by my collection of vintage chocolate molds and other Easter decor.

Then there’s Easter sugar cookies and delicious chocolate from my sister’s store as take home favors. All in all a pretty, fun and delicious table!

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A final note- I cook mainly vegan and enjoy doing so.  I started to help my husband control diabetes. I love vegetables and legumes!!! This meal is anything BUT vegan, yet once a year…… 🙂

 

 

 

 

Chunky Monkey Cookies

One of the more fun cookies I developed at Provisons Bake Shop was what we dubbed  “Chunky Monkey”. It speaks to comfort flavors- peanut butter, chocolate and banana, all delicious on their own but when combined they are definitely more than their individual parts! The high school senior working at the counter couldn’t get enough of them- she’d even come in on her days off to stock up!

CHUNKY MONKEY COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup all purpose flour (5 oz)

1/3 cup quick oats (approximately 1 oz)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup sugar (3 ½ oz)

½ cup brown sugar (3 ½ oz)

½ cup natural peanut butter, preferably fresh ground (4 ½ oz)

1 large egg

½ tsp pure vanilla extract (or banana extract)

1 very ripe banana, mashed

1/3 cup roasted peanuts, chopped (1 ½ oz)

¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips (4 oz)

 

METHOD:

Whisk together flour, oats, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

Thoroughly cream together the butter, sugars and peanut butter.

Add egg and vanilla. Mix until combined.

Add mashed banana, mix in lightly.

Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Add peanuts and chocolate chips.

Scoop onto parchment lined baking sheets.

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With wet fingertips lightly press down the dough.

Bake 10 minutes, rotate pans. If cookies are puffing up too much, gently bang pans to let out air.

Bake another 5 minutes until firm to the touch.

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Yield 3 dozen cookies using a 1 ½ tablespoon size scoop.

Enjoy!!

 

Love is in the Air – Heart Scones

I loved the holidays at my bake shop…We always created special holiday themed treats- from sugar cookies to cupcakes to breakfast treats. On Valentine’s Day you could always find a heart shaped scone for your love.

Try these- start to finish in about 1/2 hour. What could be sweeter than for your Valentine to wake up to a special breakfast or to join you for afternoon tea?

Heart Shaped Cream Scones

Heat oven to 400; yield 1 dozen 3 ”  scones

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all purpose flour (10 oz)

1 TBS baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ cup sugar (1 ¾ oz) (plus 1 TBS for sprinkling if not using glaze)

1 ¼ cups heavy cream

1 TBS melted butter

GLAZE: Optional

½ cup powdered sugar (2 oz)

3 TBS milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 drop of pink food coloring

METHOD:

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder and salt.

Slowly add the heavy cream mixing with your scrupulously clean hand until the dough comes together and no dry particles remain. Stop adding cream as soon as the dough comes together. Depending on the weather this could take 1 cup of cream up to 1 ½ cups.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 4 or 5 times.

Roll or pat the dough to about ½ inch thick.

Cut the dough with heart shaped cutters and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

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With your forefinger, lightly make an indentation in the center of each scone. This helps the dough keep its shape while baking.

Brush the dough with the melted butter.

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If not using the glaze, sprinkle the top of each scone with sugar.

Bake 14-17 minutes until lightly browned and firm to the touch.

When done and cooled, combine the glaze ingredients until smooth.

Spread glaze over each scone.

Enjoy!

Mr. Chidlow’s Perfect Apple Pie

Right now with all the political turmoil in the U.S. I find myself turning again and again to comfort food. Baking is my “happy place” and I need to go there often!  Who doesn’t find comfort in a slice of warm apple pie?  My children had a grade school teacher, Mr. Chidlow, who did many cooking projects with his classes. His recipe for Perfect Apple Pie has been a family favorite for almost 30 years and during the time I owned Provisions Bake Shop we made hundreds of them!

Here’s how it goes:

PIE CRUST

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all purpose flour (10 oz)

½ tsp salt

½ pound (2 sticks)  COLD unsalted butter; cut into small cubes

1 large egg

1 TBS heavy cream

METHOD:

In food processor mix flour and salt.

Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add egg and cream and process until a ball of dough forms on blade.

If mixture seems dry, add a DROP more of cream.

Divide dough in half and form into 2 discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Yield 2 crusts (enough for a double crust 9″ pie)

While the dough is chilling prepare the pie filling.

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APPLE PIE FILLING

INGREDIENTS:

7 Golden Delicious Apples

3/4 cup sugar (5.25 oz)

2 TBS All Purpose Flour

1  1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

2 TBS unsalted butter

Egg wash :1 egg whisked with a pinch of salt

extra sugar for sprinkling on top

METHOD:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel, quarter and core the apples.

Thinly slice the apples crosswise.

Whisk together the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt.

Add to the apples and toss gently.

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Roll out one disc of the dough.

Pie Dough

Line a 9″ pie plate with the pastry.

Mound the apples in the pie shell and dot with the 2 TBS of butter.

Roll out the second crust and place on top. Crimp the two crusts together.

Brush the top crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Cut 3 or 4 air vents in top crust to let out steam.

Bake for about 50 minutes until apples are soft. (Test by sticking a knife in an air vent).

If the crust starts getting too brown before the apples are soft, cover loosely with aluminum foil.

I personally like to bake my pies on a parchment lined sheet pan to catch any overflowing juices.

Enjoy!

Cranberry – Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

 It’s snowing outside – perfect time to be in the kitchen and create!!

These cookies are a snap to make and a perfect accompaniment to a nice “cuppa” tea.

My New Year’s resolution is to make sure that you hear from me more regularly- fingers crossed!! 🙂 

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½  cups all purpose flour (7 1/2 oz)

¼  tsp salt

12 TBS unsalted butter (6 oz), room temperature

¼  cup sugar (1 ¾  oz)

¼  cup sweetened dried cranberries ( 1 ½   oz), chopped

1/3 cup pistachios, lightly toasted (1 ¾  oz)

Sparkling sugar

METHOD:

Whisk the flour and salt, set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar together until combined.

Add the flour and salt slowly.

Fold in the cranberries and pistachios.

Roll the dough into a log about 1 ½ inches wide.

Roll the log in the sparkling sugar.

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Wrap the log in parchment or wax paper. Chill until firm.

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

When dough is firm, slice about 1/3 inch thick. Place on parchment lined baking sheets about 1 inch apart.

Bake 15-18 minutes until the cookies are set and very slightly golden on the edges.

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Yield about 30 cookies

Aunt Edith’s Slap Cookies

My Uncle Herb’s sister, Edith, was another wonderful baker that inspired me. She always came to family functions with some sort of great sweet in tow. She called these buttery, delicious cookies “Slap” cookies, because she just slapped them together!

Give them a try- they are simple to prepare. This recipe makes a good size batch. The cookies have a long shelf life and they freeze beautifully as well.

AUNT EDITH’S SLAP COOKIES

Heat oven to 350; Line cookie sheets with parchment.

INGREDIENTS:thumbprint cookie dough

3 cups all purpose flour (15oz)

¾ tsp table salt (not Kosher)

3 sticks (12 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 scant cup sugar (7oz)

1 TBS pure vanilla extract

1 egg yolk, from a large egg

¾ cup red currant jelly

METHOD:

Whisk the flour and salt together; set aside.pastry bag currant jelly

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.

Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract; mix until combined.

Add the flour and salt mixture and mix on low speed until dough comes together.

Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets with a 1” scoop.

Roll into balls.

With your finger tip, make an indentation in each ball of dough.

Fill the indentations with red currant jelly. A pastry bag or a Ziploc bag with the edge trimmed off works very well for this.

Bake for about 15-18 minutes until light golden.

Cool and enjoy!

Yield: 6 dozen