Happy New Year fellow bloggers and readers!!

Wow, it feels like forever since I have updated my blog.  Well in the blogging world I guess it has been forever.  As you can tell from my last post I have been pretty busy lately with Charlie.  It’s almost been three weeks that we got her and she’s growing at an incredible rate, so much so I’m a little concerned that she’ll most probably outgrow me..lol. She’s been adapting very well to our home and sleeping throughout the entire night, God bless her.

The house training in getting better as well, of course being a puppy she’s had a few accidents but she is definitely getting better at letting us know when she has to go.  This morning for example I went to take out the trash and when I came back inside there she was waiting for me at the front door not moving, her sign that she has to go.  I would think that in about two weeks or so she should be house trained, or at least I’m hoping she will be.  Am I going on a little too long about Charlie, this is a baking blog after all?  Ok, just one more quick update.  She’s already learned to sit, give her paw, high five, sit pretty and crawl, all for a treat of course. Oh, and I’m slipping in a picture for you all to see.

I found that it has been pretty difficult to spend much time in the kitchen the last couple of weeks.  That’s not to say that I haven’t been baking, I have.  I just haven’t been baking and taking pictures is all. I did make a point of taking out my camera a few days back when I made a Lemon Meringue Pie. I know what you’re thinking, “A lemon meringue pie in the winter, really?”.  Yes, really.  Aside from it being a request from my husband I was craving something tangy yet sweet, I wanted to bring a little summer to our pallets. 

I felt the need to make something that had nothing to do with the holidays or old man winter, and what could be more perfect than lemon meringue pie?  And I don’t mean lemon meringue pie from a box with a graham cracker crust.  I’m talking the real thing; a flakey butter crust filled with a tangy lemon filling and topped off with a luscious cloud of sweet meringue.

The pie crust is my tried and true recipe that can be found in my Apple Pie post, just half the recipe ingredients for a 1 9-inch pie crust.  Or you can make the double batch and freeze 1 crust for later use which is always handy. The lemon filling and meringue is a recipe that from a wonderful book called Baking by James Peterson.

This is one of the first filling recipes that I have used that didn’t call for any corn starch or flour to act as a thickening agent.  The thickening agent here my dear friends is patience, you’ll need lots of it as you stand over your stove as you’re trying to convince yourself with every passing minute that the custard is getting thicker. You many even want to chant (in your head of course), “you’re getting thicker, you’re getting thicker” and before your arm has a chance to completely go numb the custard finally thickens!

I know the boxed lemon meringue and using a premade crust is way quicker than making a pie from scratch, but I tell you all the difference is in the taste.  I would not lie to you and make you spend indefinitely amount of time in the kitchen if I really didn’t believe it.  Make it; it’s worth the extra effort.  And make it in the winter; your taste buds will thank you.

Pie Crust

2 ½ cups of flour
1 cup butter cold (2 sticks)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
4-6 TBSP ice water

Directions
Cube butter and place in the freezer for at least 10 minutes
Combine flour, salt and sugar in a food processor
Add butter and pulse 6-8 times until it resembles coarse crumbs
Add 1TBSP of water at a time and pulse, until dough is combined together
Take out of the food processor, if the dough seems too stick knead in some more flour but be careful not to overwork the dough
Shape into two equal discs, wrap and place in fridge for at least an hour.

Roll out dough in round shape to fit pie plate. Using a fork prick the bottom and edges of pie crust.  Using pie weights or place a layer of foil and fill with rice, bake in a 475 oven for up 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool completely on wire rack before filling.

Lemon Curd Filling

Baking; James Peterson

8 egg yolks

2/3 cups sugar

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2/3 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, cubed or sliced

Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a medium sized bowl.  Whisk for about 2 minutes, or until pale in colour. Add the lemon juice and zest and put over a pot of lightly simmering water. Continue to stir the mixture until it thickens and take off the heat. Stir in the butter and mix until all the butter has dissolved.

Whisk the curd until slightly cooled.  Using plastic wrap cover the bowl, make sure the plastic wrap is directly on the curd so not to create a skin.  Cool at room temperature for an hour and then refrigerate for at least another hour.

Preheat the oven to 350.  While the oven is preheating it’s time to make the meringue.

Meringue Topping

4 egg whites

Pinch of cream of tartar

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a stand mixture and beat on high until stiff peaks form.  Add the sugar and continue to beat for another 2 minutes.

Assembling the Pie

Spread evenly the cooled lemon curd in the baked pie shell. Then spread the meringue over the curd making sure all the edges are covered.  This is the part where you can be creative and form peaks with the meringue or just spread using an off-set spatula.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until meringue is lightly browned.  Cool the pie on a wire rack at room temperature for about an hour, then refrigerate for another 3-4 hours.

Well winter has hit Toronto.  I knew it was too good to be true, almost half way through the month and not a trace of snow, well until this morning. Once we get the first snowfall the summer days of just a couple of months ago are nothing but a faint and distant memory.  I would post a picture of the first snowfall, but it actually looks pretty nasty outside.  You see first it snowed, then it rained, and now it’s nothing but a slushy filthy mess.  Yep, that’s pretty typical of the first snowfall….nothing pretty about it my friends.

I really don’t mind the snow, when it’s the nice fluffy kind reminiscent of a country road painting.  It’s the darn cold that I have an issue with.  Aside from what it does to my hair, it’s just unbearable.  And it doesn’t even get that cold here compared to other parts of the country. It days like this that I find the most comfort in baking, especially on days when venturing outside seems like mission impossible.  Enter the Tarte Tatin in all its buttery goodness.  Have you ever had a slice of warm tarte tatin? No, well you absolutely must.  It’s pretty much the French version of apple pie, just with a heck of a lot more butter.

I know you’re thinking that it’s probably more butter than your arteries can handle, but looking at the positive it also has fruit and we all know fruit is good for you even if they are swimming in a sea of butter and caramelized sugar.  Now if that doesn’t peak your interest I would really be at a loss for words.

The tarte tatin was another first attempt for me.  As you can see it’s not going to win any prizes for being the prettiest tarte tatin, but the taste was all there.  The recipe I used was Dorie Greenspan’s from her book Baking: From my Home to Yours.  For the crust I went with her recipe for sweet tart dough which came together rather quickly.  I didn’t change anything else and tried to follow the recipe as best I could.  I should have been more generous with the amount of apples I put in the pan; I underestimated how much shrinkage there would be.

Another mistake I made was not tucking the dough snuggly on top of the apples in the pan.  Had I done that I think the apples would have sat a little more nicely once the tarte was turned over.  My biggest fear was turning over the tarte tatin onto a plate.  I’ll admit I couldn’t do it,  I solicited the help of my husband who has mastered the skill of flipping an omelette and now a tarte tatin. And there it was, the most amazing amber colour I had ever seen only to be outdone by the warm scent of caramilized baked apples.

After taking a bite of this goodness I almost forget about the skin stinging cold outside.  Then the bitter reality sets in as I find myself outside shovel in hand ready to tackle another Canadian winter.

Tarte Tatin

Baking: From my Home to Yours

Sweet Tart Dough

Makes one 9-inch crust

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 large egg yolk

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times until combined. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely blended, there will be some pieces that are bigger and other pieces that resemble oatmeal flakes – this is what you want. Using a fork break up the yolk in a glass, and add it a little at a time to the butter mixture, pulsing after each addition. When the egg has been completely added, pulse in 10-second intervals until the dough looks almost granular. Keep an ear on your food processor as it will work a little harder as the dough comes together.  Once the dough has reached a stage where it’s still somewhat clumpy turn it out onto a floured surface and knead it until it comes together.  At this point you can roll out the dough so it is an inch bigger than the pan you’re using for the tarte tatin.  Once rolled out place on a lightly floured cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cover your apples.

Preparing the Apples

1 unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

About 8 sweet firm apples cored and quartered (I used Golden Delicious)

Place oven rack in the middle and Preheat oven to 3750

Line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or foil.  Chose a pan or skillet that is at least 9-10 inches in diameter, make sure that it is oven proof.

Put the skillet over medium heat and add the butter. When it melts, tilt the pan so that the sides have a thin coating of melted butter, I used a pastry brush. Sprinkle the sugar over the butter. Remove from the heat.

Fit a layer of apples into the skillet, putting the apples into the pan rounded side down and making circles. Pack those apples in, like I mentioned there will be shrinkage so make sure they’re nice and snug.  Once the first layer is done, quarter the remaining apples and scatter them over the first layer.  Don’t worry if it doesn’t look pretty, this is really the bottom of the tarte that will be covered with dough.

Put the pan over medium heat and cook, until the sugar turns a deep caramel color. The sugar will start to bubble up the sides of the pan. If you want a deeper colour without burning the sugar, lower the temperature and let the apples cook a little longer.  This step took me about 20 minutes or so. Please stay close to the stove when the apples are cooking. and To get the color you want without burning the sugar, you may have to lower the heat after a while. Once the sugar has reached a light amber colour take off the stove and place pan on the covered cookie sheet.

Before you place the pastry dough on top, take one last look at the apples.  If you see there are gaps gently nudging the apples into place.  Take the pastry from the fridge and place over the apples.  You will notice that by now the dough has hardened quite a bit and it may not be very easy to tuck in the edges, if you wait about a minute or so the heat from the apples will soften the dough making it easier to work with.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the pastry is baked through and has a light golden colour.

Here’s the part that terrified me: Cover the skillet with the large, rimmed serving plate and, acting quickly turn the tart out onto a rimmed plate and remove the pan. Please don’t forget to wear good oven mitts.  If there are any apples that remain stuck in the pain remove them with a small off-set spatula and gently press back into place.

Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

It’s just a fantastic feeling when you wake up in the morning and not have to think about going to work, especially when it’s not the weekend.  I thought I would treat myself today by taking a day off, just to you know, relax, take a leisurely walk, spend some time in the kitchen and of course update my blog.

Well, since I knew I wouldn’t have to work today, yesterday evening I baked up this Vanilla Bean Tart that I found on a new blog that I just fell in love with Broxholm Road.  The recipe was rather simple to follow, aside from the differences in measurements (thank you Mom for giving me my  very own scale).  Let me tell you the best thing about this tart is the unbelievable amazing scent coming from the oven when it’s baking.  I tell you it’s like nothing you have experienced before, if I closed my eyes I would have thought that I was standing in a Parisian Patteserie…yeah that good!

These are the type of simple desserts that I enjoy, plain but with a burst of flavour.  As I mentioned, the recipe is pretty simple to follow, my only word of warning is be gentle when handling the dough.  It’s even more finicky than pie dough, so work fast and make sure your work surface is well floured.

There are a few things that I did different, while the recipe called for whole milk I only had 1%.  I must admit, I was a little worried that my custard wouldn’t thicken, but it did.  By using 1% all I may have compromised is some of the richness in the taste, but to be honest who would really notice. The recipe also called for lemon rind in the dough, now this was just a personal preference on my part, I just felt that the lemon taste in the dough would take away for the vanilla custard, again just a personal preference. Although, if I make this again I may very well but a dash of Rum or Bourbon in the custard for a little extra punch.  And lastly for both the custard and the dough I used regular granulated sugar, and it worked out fine.

Adapted from:

Broxholm Road Food Blog

Sweet Pastry Dough

200g AP flour

100g Cold Butter, cubed

50g Sugar

2 Large egg yolks

2 TBSP ice-cold water

Pinch of salt

Vanilla Pastry Cream

250g Whole milk

70 Sugar,

Half vanilla pod

2  Large egg yolks

40g AP flour, sifted

Vanilla Pastry Cream

First, prepare the Vanilla Pastry Cream.  In a heavy bottomed pot on a low heat, bring the milk and half the vanilla bean to a gentle boil.  Remove from heat and cool the vanilla infused milk.  Remove the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds, and put back into the milk.

In a separate bowl whisk together the 2 egg yolks and sugar until well combined.  Slowly while still whisking, sift the flour into the mixture.  Continue to whisk until well combined. Then in a slow stream add the milk mixture, again keep whisking until well incorporated.  Return the mixture to a clean pot and with a wooden spoon stir over low heat until it starts to thicken.  Switch over to a whisk and whisk until there the custard has a smooth texture.  Take off heat and place in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Sweet Pastry Dough

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a food processor), blend the flour and butter.  Add in the egg yolks one at a time, and then add in the sugar until well blended.  If the dough isn’t coming together add in some cold ice water, just enough so that the dough forms into a ball.  If too much water goes in simply, add some more flour.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough and place in an 8 or 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  Trim off the extra dough at the edges, this will be used for the lattice decoration.  Spread the Vanilla custard over the tart pan, smoothing it out with a small offset spatula.  Roll out the extra dough into strips and lay over the cream to form a lattice.

Please in a preheated oven at 350 and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until pastry is lightly golden.

Bring to room temperature before serving or serve cold.

Buon Appetito!

You know that feeling you get when something triggers a memory and you’re suddenly transported back to your childhood? 

It can be something as simple as the smell of bubblegum, for me it was a little Italian recipe book from Bertolini that my mom has had for years.  I was over my moms the other night and I asked her for her apple cake recipe or torta di mele.  She then came back with this little recipe booklet that I haven’t seen in years. 

Aside from the great recipes it holds, the one thing I remember most is the story at the end of the booklet, the story of Maria Rosa. As a child I used to beg my mother to read it to me over and over again, I loved the characters, the pictures and of course the story.   Flipping through the pages I felt like a little girl again in my mother’s kitchen, I almost asked her to read it to me …almost.   The booklet itself according to my mother is 40 years old and she has kept it in pretty good condition.  I asked her to borrow it so that I can scan it to have a copy for myself (not sure if I am breaking any copyright laws here, no copyright notice on the booklet itself). 

The first recipe I made was the Torta Di Mele or Apple Cake.  My mom has been making this for years and everyone who tastes it asks for the recipe. 

I found the recipe pretty simple to make.   Although the lack of clarification i.e. bake at moderate temperature and measurement directions i.e. half a glass of milk…I was thinking, “half a glass, do I use a wine glass, a tumbler perhaps”, I ended up using a smaller glass my mom suggested.  In the end I prevailed making some minor adjustments along the way.  We enjoyed this Torta Di Mele at a Thanksgiving lunch this past weekend at my brother’s house, so there are no post pictures except for one.  And I only thought about posting this recipe once I was already done the cake, therefore, no pre pictures either.  Everyone enjoyed the cake and now I would like to share the recipe with you with some slight modifications.

Torta Di Mele

Adapted from Ricettario Bertolini, 1970

Ingredients

350 grams of all purpose flour

150 grams of sugar

75 grams of butter, melted then cooled

3 ounces of milk

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (the recipe calls for the Bertonlini brand of vanilla that is also a leavening agent)

1 ½ tsp of baking powder

2 TBSP sugar

½ tsp of cinnamon (recipe doesn’t call for cinnamon, but I thought it would add some extra flavour)

1 kilo of apples, cored, peeled and sliced (4 large apples of your choice, I used combination of empire and spy)

1/3 cup of milk (for brushing the latticed top)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease a 10-inch tart pan and set aside.

Toss sliced apples with 1 TPSP of the sugar and the ½ tsp of cinnamon.

Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment add flour, sugar and baking powder and mix.  Add milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla and mix until well blended and dough forms into a soft ball. 

Place dough onto floured surface, remove 1/3 of dough and set aside to make the lattice.  Place the rest of the dough into greased tart pan and using your fingers press onto the bottom and the sides.  Add sliced apples and assemble so that they sit evenly.

Using the 1/3 of dough roll out and cut into strips and make a lattice pattern on top of the cake.  Brush the lattice with milk and sprinkle the remaining 1 TBSP sugar over the entire cake.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown.

Watch for more Bertolini recipes to come!

What we have here is a cake, but not your typical cake or maybe it’s a pie…after all it does have a crust, but it’s also layered, confused yet? 

This is a potato “cake”; I’ve been making this for years.  It’s one of those recipes that’s been in my family for decades, my mom made it, my grandmother made it and now I’m making it.  I learned not from a recipe but by watching my mom.  The only difference between my version and that of my mom’s it that she puts the bread crumb crust on the top of the cake and I out it on the bottom. 

This cake boasts two luscious layers of mashed potatoes, sandwiched in between is homemade salami (I’m Italian, is there any other kind of salami?) , mozzarella, hardboiled egg and parmesan cheese.  It’s assembled and baked to delicious goodness in a 9-inch spring form pan.

Potato Cake

Crust:

1 Cup of breadcrumbs

3 TBSP of EVOO (seriously not trying to go Rachel Ray on you, it’s just easier)

2 TBSP of chopped parsley (optional)

Salt & pepper to taste.

In a medium pan sauté breadbrumbs and olive oil until well coated.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Take off the stove and add chopped parsley.  

In a well greased 9-inch spring form pan press the breadcrumbs on the bottom to form a crust.  Set aside.

Potato Filling

Preheat oven to 350

6 Potatos medium – large

1 TBSP butter

½ Cup of chopped salami (you can use your favourite cold cut as well)

½ Cup grated mozzarella

2 Large hard boiled eggs

¼ Cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

1 TSBP EVOO

Wash and quarter potatoes and add to salted boiling water.  Cook until fork tender.  Drain and let cool for about 10-15 minutes.

Take skin off the potatoes and using a ricer mash potatoes into a medium bowl.  Add butter, salt & pepper and mix with a wooden spoon.

Take half of the mashed potato and spoon into the bottom of the 9-inch spring form pan.  Using your fingers gently press down and make sure the crust is covered.

Sprinkle the parmesan cheese, mozzarella, salami and boiled egg in the centre.

Add the rest of the mashed potato and even out the top of the cake.  With a pastry brush, brush on the EVOO across the top.

Place cake in the middle rack and bake for 45 minutes.

Buon Appetito!

I love all things pie, but I never really ventured into the land of pie making until this year…especially Apple Pie. I have only ever made two types of Pie in the past, either Lemon Meringue or Cherry Pie.  We have a cherry tree in our front yard that boasts the most perfect and sweet cherries imaginable.  So it’s only natural that I make Cherry Pie, which has become one of my favourites.

But for some reason I had never before attempted to make Apple Pie until this year when my husband (Anthony) requested it. I was always worried about making a double crust pie, and I am partial to butter crusts so I wasn’t too sure how an Apple Pie would turn out.  I used my basic pie recipe (recipe to follow) and really don’t follow a recipe for the filling.  I do always use Granny Smith apples; I prefer their firm texture and keep its shape nicely when baking.  Granny Smith do tend to me more tart, so I do add a little extra sugar.  Another trick that I picked up is to scatter some bread crumbs on the bottom crust before putting in the filling; this will prevent a soggy crust.

I made this particular pie posted here for a dinner party, and it was a huge success!

Recipe to follow after the jump

Apple Pie

Pie Crust
2 ½ cups of flour
1 cup butter cold (2 sticks)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
4-6 TBSP ice water

Directions
Cube butter and place in the freezer for at least 10 minutes
Combine flour, salt and sugar in a food processor
Add butter and pulse 6-8 times until it resembles coarse crumbs
Add 1TBSP of water at a time and pulse, until dough is combined together
Take out of the food processor, if the dough seems too stick knead in some more flour but be careful not to overwork the dough
Shape into two equal discs, wrap and place in fridge for at least an hour

Pie Filling
5-6 cooking apples, such as Granny Smith (they hold their shape nicely when baking
¼ cup of sugar (you can use brown or granulated)
3 TBSP of flour
Dash of salt
1 tsp of cinnamon (this can vary depending on how cinnamon flavor you like)
2 TBSP cold butter cubed
1 TBSP bread crumbs
2 TBSP milk or cream

Directions
Peel , core , slice apples & place in a bowl
Add sugar, flour, salt and cinnamon to apples and toss
Roll out pie crust and  place first crust in a 9inch pie plate
Sprinkle the bread crumbs on the pie crust and spoon in the apple mixture including all its juices
Place the cubed butter in-between the apples
Roll second piecrust and place on top of the apple filling.  Gently create a seam with the pie crust
Make 4 small holes on the top crust, this will allow the steam to escape during baking
Brush the milk or cream across the crust
Bake in middle oven rack at 425 for 45-50 minutes

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