Promises Fulfilled - Rosemary Lime Panna Cotta

Two years ago, I made a promise.

Two months ago, I booked my ticket.

Two weeks ago, I fulfilled that promise.

On August 10, 2017, in beautiful Trabia, Sicily, one of my closest friends, D., was married.

After a glorious, stately, at times hilarious, very Catholic ceremony, legal papers were signed, rice was thrown, Prosecco was toasted and the newlyweds were sent off in a car amidst much fanfare and drone videography, leaving all the wedding goers to make their way to a nearby bar for much-needed cool drinks.

I have to admit, none of the pictures and very little of the official wedding video show that it was a scorching hot day and everyone was sweating right through their clothes! Air conditioning doesn't seem to be terribly common in Sicily (Europe?), and the church was aired out by electric and handheld fans at best. Some prescient soul had strategically placed handheld fans on the pews, which were clutched by happy couple, wedding party, and guests alike with a rather religious fervor. The day was lovely, however, and everyone was happy to see them wed.

Once we made it to the bar, well wishes, toasts and carefree jokes were slung. My favorite regarded the bachelor's party, when D. had been whisked off to London for the night. The bride was asked whether she allowed it. Her response? Well, she is Sicilian, so of course she said no, but he is Sicilian, so of course he went!

At the wedding reception, the incredible (and alarmingly ample) food was concluded with a stunning selection of small desserts, each around the size of a petit four. One was fragola panna cotta, or strawberry cooked cream, a tiny pink oval that quivered in the gentle breeze. My friend A. and I discussed this for a while, concluding that it was almost entirely cream and strawberry juice, with either gelatin or egg whites just barely holding it together.

I haven't managed to find really good strawberries this summer, since my time has been consumed by work, karate, and the thousand little tasks that supposedly claim that I am a functioning adult. However, limes are in season during the summer, and the tiny rosemary sprout on my balcony hasn't died yet. I made this flavor combination in a form of a soda first, squeezing the juice of a lime over some ice cubes, tossing in some rosemary syrup and topping up with sparkling water. It doesn't quite qualify as a recipe, but I definitely recommend making a second batch of rosemary syrup just for this! If you're out of limes, lemon juice works brilliantly, too.

On a side note, this recipe requires a refrigerator and some time between components, around 3-4 hours. If pressed for time, I suggest just the panna cotta and leaving the jelly layer for another opportunity.


Rosemary Lime Panna Cotta
Adapted from David Lebovitz, because that man is a god of dessert
Makes around 2 3/4 cups of panna cotta and 3/4 cups jelly, or 3 1/2 cups of dessert total

Rosemary Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
~2 inches of rosemary sprigs, chopped or torn apart, keeping the stems

1. In a small saucepan, heat the water, sugar and rosemary until the sugar has all dissolved. Allow to cool and steal some for drinks.

Note that this same saucepan can be used to make the panna cotta.


Panna Cotta
2 tsp powdered unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup rosemary syrup
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Tiny pinch salt
2 tbsp finely grated lime zest, from around 3 limes. Save the lime juice for the jelly.

1. In a small bowl or cup, place the 1/4 cup rosemary syrup and sprinkle the gelatin over it. This allows the gelatin to soak up the water and "bloom" so it thickens without lumps. The gelatin will look lumpy anyway, so just sprinkle it as evenly as you can and let it sit to work its magic for a while.

2. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and cream until it starts to steam slightly. Take it off the fire and add the lime zest. Add the rosemary syrup and gelatin and gently stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved and there are no grains detectable.

3. Find four glasses, cups, ramekins or other small serving containers and divide the panna cotta mixture between them. Refrigerate until somewhat firm, around 3 hours or so.


Jelly
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp powdered unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup rosemary syrup
1/4 cup lime juice, from around 3 limes

1. Once the panna cotta appears to be relatively firm (I test by tilting it slightly; if the top is gelled enough for a second layer, it won't spill), place the 1/4 water in a small bowl or cup and sprinkle the gelatin over it.

2. In a small saucepan, or honestly, a microwave if you have one, heat the rosemary syrup and lime juice until hot, between 15-90 seconds depending on the fortitude of your microwave. Boiling the liquid tends to destroy the gelling power of gelatin, and you only need the liquid warm enough to dissolve the gelatin completely.

3. Stir the gelatin and water into the lime juice and rosemary syrup until there are no grains detectable and the mixture is cool enough to touch.

4. Pull the firm panna cotta from the refrigerator. Over the back of a spoon (to prevent divots and holes), lightly pour the jelly mixture over the panna cotta.

5. Return to the refrigerator and chill for another 3 hours to fully firm up the jelly. Enjoy!

Summer Just Means No Excuses - Blueberries and Cream

There might be an impending career change in my future, and of course, instead of writing a Kalman filter or applying for fellowships/jobs/internships/anything that might hire a semi-trained engineer, I think I'll stay up past 4am, finally finish cooking that pot of beans from 3 days ago, work on the croissants that I started, impulsively, in the afternoon (see Kalman filter and applying for actual, plausible sources of funding), and whip together this, a take on berries and cream.

On the weekend of July 4th (Independence Day for the U.S.A. folks), my family kindly deposited several grocery items at the house. It's always a blessing and a challenge. Extraordinarily sweet of them, but it does take creativity to finish everything before insidious fuzz creeps in.

One of those items with an alarmingly close use-by date happened to be fresh blueberries, which my aunt had probably scored for less than half-price. More of an idea than a recipe, this jelly works quite well with almost any other berry or fruit that releases a lot of juice when cooked. If you are gelatin-adverse, might I suggest a cornstarch or agar pudding instead?

Forgiving Blueberry Jelly sponsored by Frugal Chinese Relatives, Inc.

Ingredients

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

1 tbsp sugar

1-2 drops vanilla extract

1 tsp gelatin powder

Directions

1. Toss the blueberries and sugar in a heat-proof bowl. Microwave for around 3 minutes, until berries are hot and mostly liquid. 

2. Add the drop/s of vanilla extract. Sprinkle over the gelatin powder, then stir to dissolve.

3. Refrigerate for about 2 hours, until gelatin is set. I actually put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes, which is great if you can remember it's there.

Amaretto Whipped Cream

Inspired by one day running out of vanilla extract. You may pull my baker card now, but only if you promise to taste this whipped cream first.

Ingredients

1/4 cup heavy cream

Pinch (really small!) of salt

1/2 tsp almond liqueur 

Directions

1. Whip cream with the salt until soft mounds form.

2. Add the Amaretto, then whip a bit more. It will form soft peaks.

3. Dollop on top of your cooled blueberry jelly. Alternatively, it's great on hot fruit compote, cake, ice cream, crepes, and pretty much anything. I have completely ignored vanilla extract in favor of Amaretto in my whipped cream for months now, convinced that it's the most heavenly item that has ever left my kitchen. 

Enjoy!

Dreams - Lemon Meringue Pie

I tease my friend D. about his dreams.

This kicked off when we marveled at sea lions in La Jolla Cove, picked up steam when we explored Las Vegas, kept popping up when we hiked in (and admired) the Grand Canyon, and most recently, revived as we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge on foot (twice...). You see, D. is a visiting scholar from Italy, here for 6 months then gone, back to complete his Ph.D. in Palermo. He's the adventurous type, and keen on exploring as much of the States as he can reach before returning home. The joke began when he declared, "my dream!" in his lilting Italian accent as we drove out from Riverside for each of our various adventures, and just hasn't let up.

One boy's dream is another girl's project. If his (English) word is dream, then mine is project. From trekking around the Riverside hills to my Ph.D., each one of my own dreams seems much more achievable when I call them projects and break them into steps. To me, dreams are those far-away wishes that you make, eyes half-closed, when you can't quite see how to make them true. Projects require work. Projects are real. Projects can be kneaded and folded and baked.

One such project is lemon meringue pie, but I seemed to be perpetually short of lemons, eggs or both. Turns out, though, D's favorite dessert is lemon meringue pie. The surest way for me to finally! accomplish something is a promise to another, and his birthday was in November (I'm sorry, blog!). I made it a point to pick up lemons and extra eggs the next time I went to the grocery store, and in one fell swoop, I managed to bring happiness to my friend and fulfill one of my own dreams. Then, two weeks ago was our adviser's birthday, and I could not bring myself to accept one of the too-sweet, mass-produced things from the grocery store bakery as the treat. As I muddled about in indecision, D. finally suggested lemon meringue pie again.

After making our adviser nervous about a sudden lab meeting that had been called, where none of his students would tell him the reason, we managed to surprise him with a small party. He then turned the tables by raising the stakes for next year. Apparently, when he was a grad student, someone in the lab programmed one of their research robots to drive up to his adviser with the cake. The gauntlet, it has been thrown!

The next morning, I received the news from D. that the solitary leftover slice had been a satisfactory breakfast. Dreams achieved.

Lemon Meringue Pie, adapted from use real butter
Makes one 9" pie

Pie (crust, borrowed from Chez Pim)
1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold salted butter
2 tbsp water

You'll need a large, flat surface, a rolling pin, two pieces of plastic wrap (optional, but they make life much easier..), a sharp knife, a large bowl, a cup and clean hands.

Lay one piece of plastic wrap on your flat surface. Put the water in the cup for easy access.

Dump the flour into a large bowl. Cut the butter into slices and drop them into the flour, then break them apart with your fingers. Coat each piece of butter with the flour. Add the water, mix it about with your fingers, then start to fold the flour and butter onto itself. I like to take half the mixture, dump it back on top of itself, turn the bowl, and repeat. Once you have a cohesive dough, pick it up and place it on the plastic wrap, then cover it with the other piece of plastic wrap. Start to roll it into a rectangular shape, so that you can keep folding it a few more times. If the plastic wrap starts to stretch, remove it, dust the dough with flour, replace the wrap and turn it over. Keep folding until you have a smooth, workable piece of dough. It's simpler than it sounds, and better instructions (and pictures!) are found on Ms. Pim's lovely website.

Once you have your crust, roll it out and transfer it to your pie pan. Form your edges, then put it in the fridge or freezer. At this point, preheat your oven to 350F. Once the oven is 350F, prick the pie crust and parbake for 15 minutes. This step is to prevent a soggy crust. If you have your egg whites handy, you might wish to save a few drops in a separate bowl, then brush the saved egg whites onto the crust when it comes out of the oven. This tip is borrowed from Dessert First.

Lemon (filling)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
Pinch salt
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. In a saucepan, boil the water. Turn the fire off, then whisk in the sugar, cornstarch and salt and turn the fire back on. It will immediately thicken and turn somewhat translucent. When the pudding mixture starts to boil, temper the egg yolks by whisking in a bit of the pudding at a time. Pour the egg yolks and pudding back into the pan. Cook until it begins to bubble again, a bit alarmingly. Turn off the fire again and whisk in the butter, lemon juice and vanilla. Pour this into your half-baked pie crust.

Meringue (topping)
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
Pinch salt
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar

You need a clean whisk for this. In a stand mixer or a large bowl, whisk the egg whites, cream of tarter and salt until it forms soft peaks. Pour in the sugar and whisk until it forms stiff peaks. Top the lemon filling, preferably touching the pie crust with the meringue. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes, until a nice, light brown. Alternatively, if you are cooler than I, and possess a propane torch, please use that (and send me pictures!).

Enjoy!

Pomegranates and Imposter Syndrome

I'm tempted to put on music, loud, dance-type bachata that drowns out thought and pulls my brain toward trying to translate it, but it will only tease me with the seductive beat of the songs. Music is emotion recorded, and it's easy to fall into the musicians' states of mind, pretending to have company. Instead, I stand, alone, in almost complete silence with my hands in cool water, methodically breaking down a pomegranate. 

It's the type of task that should be boring to me but isn't, and that leads me to wonder whether I am suited for grad school, in a theoretical field of all things. Over and over, I am told, imposter syndrome, you can do it, just work hard. And so I do. I study, I sit puzzled, I ask questions, I write code, I break my code, I ask my adviser to break my code, he sends me back to fix my broken code, and the cycle repeats. Adjust the equations. Ask more questions. Read more, be more confused, be less confused, be ecstatic when my code runs, crestfallen when my initial conditions or matrix breaks it again, despairing when it's the night before my meeting with my adviser and hopeful when I do leave his office. Rinse and repeat (otherwise, no one will want to sit near you). And so the cycle of a researcher-in-training. It is peppered with hope, doubts, early mornings, long afternoons, late nights, and imposter syndrome. 

Imposter syndrome. I'm told the symptoms are one's feeling of inadequacy when one is perfectly capable. I'm starting to figure out the difference between acquired skills and raw intellectual ability. Acquired skills are the ones that I spend my days learning now, where my capability is truly lacking. My intelligence and creativity (that I'm working on believing I have!) is the reason my adviser took me on, despite my inexperience in pure math. Both skills and intelligence can be developed, though. I'm firmly in the camp that believes that while some people have more mathematical reasoning or kinesthetic ability or tend to like it more, everyone can learn. For some, it may take an unrealistic amount of time, particularly if they have no interest, but it is still possible. Without this sustaining belief, I probably would have dropped out to bake for a living by now.

When I'm done with the pomegranate, I eat the seeds with my fingers. I wouldn't be a food blogger if I didn't comment on how much I love the perfect little sweet-tart garnets, but endless blogs out there have done the same, with beautiful photos. Consider that previous statement my meta-comment for the day. I could have used a spoon, but I like the feeling of being really connected to each little pop and crunch. It reminds me of my lines of code, all nestled in logical statements that turn my matrices into plots across my screen. If you wanted, you could fit each little seed back into its prior resting place, but to me, it's an exercise in futility. In research, you can always push a little farther, add a little more to this paper, prove another theorem. Sometimes, it's enough to recognize that your seeds are ready, and you will enjoy them as much grasped messily from the bowl as if you ate them daintily with a spoon.

It seems a little fitting that I start again with pomegranates. Last time I posted, I was just about to start grad school. Now that I'm a year and a half (!) in, it's as good a time as any to get back into it. In a way, it's a little like coming home, and knowing that this is still fun.

It's been an insane year, and I suspect the insanity will not be over any time soon. Luckily, though, I still have this space that is completely controllable. See you soon!

Pomegranate Soda

Still working on the picture situation. I'm considering switching to Word Press or another blogging platform, mostly because I've found some irritations about Blogger and particularly, the limitations on photos. I'm also considering Flicker or other photo-sharing platforms. It's especially unfortunate today, because today's item (it's not a recipe; it has three ingredients and involves mixing) is really beautiful.

The really exciting thing, though, is its flavor, enough to get me back behind the keyboard of this blog! I'm home from Brookhaven National Lab, and recently visited our to-be new house in Southern California. This fall, I will be a graduate student at University of California, Riverside. My parents have decided that it's worth it to buy and later sell a house rather than rent apartments for my brother (who will be entering UCR as an undergrad, yay!) and me for the few years we'll be there. The house is nice enough, needs a little work, but the best thing about it is the "hedge." Some amazing person decided that instead of jasmine or rosemary, they would plant pomegranate trees! They're in season now, and I brought one home for testing.

I pulled out all the arils (the little, tart red things around the seeds) using a bowl of water, then whirled them in a blender for a few minutes. After straining out all the seeds, I was left with a lovely, very tart, ruby juice. With some sugar and sparkling water, it's probably the best soda I've ever had and actually reminded me a bit of blackberries. Here's to more pomegranate fun in the future!

Pomegranate Soda
2 tbsp. pomegranate juice
1 tbsp. simple syrup (1:1 ratio of sugar + hot water, mix until dissolves)
Sparkling water

Mix the juice and syrup, then top off  with the sparkling water. I like to add about 3 oz. or so to this amount of juice and syrup. Enjoy! Easily scaled up. Hurray, summer! :D

Learning Experience - Strawberry Orange Tart

I have a love-hate relationship with cornstarch.  On one hand, it can help thicken a creamy pudding, or substitute for cake flour.  On the other, it's grainy when overcooked and grainy when undercooked, and I can't quite tell the difference between the two types of grainy.  Luckily, I found out in this pastry cream that 1) grainy pastry cream is less noticeable partnered with sweet tart crust and soft strawberries and 2) the graininess actually seems to dissolve after a day in the refrigerator.  Still, cornstarch is something I will play with cautiously.  

The other components of this dessert, however, seemed to work.  I borrowed Smitten Kitchen's Great Unshrinkable Sweet Tart Shell recipe, which requires close attention to detail.  And a food processor, which I do not have.  The foil that lines the inside of the crust must be pressed a little bit into the frozen crust in order for the crust side not to collapse, but where I did manage it, the crust was perfectly browned and sturdy.  This is another point about the crust; I actually prefer the folding method from Chez Pim's One Pie Dough to Rule Them All.  Although the Unshrinkable is sweet and sturdy, it leans towards cookie territory when I make it.  Next time, I would use the Unshrinkable recipe and the Lord of Pie (I love LOTR so much...) method, which is similar to puff pastry.  I have essentially tossed both recipes in a bowl and folded until they're evenly blended, and splashed in some metaphorical vanilla, to boot.

The strawberries, although oddly huge, were delightful.  Organic, sweet, flavorful from the farmer's market, the sugar was almost unnecessary.  I liked this, though, because the maceration resulted in a lovely strawberry syrup that worked its way into a lemon-orange cream later along the way. 

The pastry cream recipe was from Dessert First's beautiful strawberry tarts.  Aside from the cornstarch fiasco (my own curse....), it was delicious, and the perfect base for a touch of orange zest, which I strained out before cooling it for the tart.  I made about ¾ the recipe, which was about perfect.  I still have issues with pastry cream, curd and generally custard-like items being runny, but I think I just have issues with sweet items cooked on the stove.  Caramel, I can do.  Ice cream custards, just fine.  Anything else... shall we say, a work in progress...

Fresh strawberries, indulgent pastry cream, crisp pastry!

Strawberry-Orange Tart adapted from Smitten Kitchen, Chez Pim and Dessert First

Makes 1 9" or 10" round tart

Tart Crust adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Chez Pim

Ingredients

1½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

9 tablespoons (1 stick + 1 tablespoon) cold butter (salted or unsalted, your choice)

1 egg (I use large)

Egg white for glazing (optional)

Equipment

1 large mixing bowl

1 butter knife

OR 1 food processor (I don't have one)

¼ teaspoon measure

¼ cup dry measure

½ cup dry measure

1 cup dry measure (optional if you can count to 3)

A refrigerator and a freezer

Hard, flat surface for the dough + rolling pin (optional)

9" or 10" round tart pan + aluminum foil to wrap the inside of the crust

Butter to grease the pan and foil 

Fork to prick the crust

Pastry brush or small spoon to glaze (optional)

Directions

1. Cut the butter into small pieces and put back in the fridge.  In the large bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt.  Toss in the butter pieces and quickly rub into the dry ingredients until you have large flakes of butter, about the size of beans.  Crack the egg directly into the bowl and mix quickly, until the dough is vaguely cohesive.  Wrap the stuff in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, make the pastry cream.

If you have a food processor, lucky you!  Toss the butter and dry ingredients and whiz until you have chunks of butter the size of beans.  Add the egg and whiz a little more, until the dough is vaguely cohesive.  Wrap and refrigerate and proceed as usual.

2. Butter the tart pan.  Take the dough out and fold it in thirds.  Roll it out or press it down with your hand, then fold it in thirds the other way.  Pim has a great set of instructions and photos here.  If the dough becomes too soft at any point in time, pop it back in the fridge for about 30 minutes or so.  Once the dough is cohesive, roll it out or gently press it into the tart pan, prick it several times with a fork and freeze for at least 30 minutes.  The dough can keep for several days (possibly weeks, actually) in the freezer if wrapped well.  

3. Just before you take out the frozen dough, butter the foil.  Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Press the foil on top of the frozen dough, making sure to touch every bit of the tart crust.  The foil against the crust will work its magic, keeping the crust from falling down as it bakes.  Put it back in the freezer until the oven is at 375°F.  

4. Bake at 375°F for about 15 minutes.  At this point, remove the foil and continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes, or golden brown.  If you like, when the crust is done, you can brush the hot crust with egg white to help seal it and prevent it from getting soggy when it is filled.  

The white bits are the cooked egg white, but you actually don't notice the
egg once the tart is filled.  Except that the crust is perfectly crisp :)

Orange Pastry Cream adapted from Dessert First

Makes about 1 cup or so of pastry cream (enough for a thin layer in the tart)

Ingredients

¾ cup whole milk (I used ½ nonfat, ½ evaporated.  We're a strange family :))

3 tablespoons sugar

Small pinch salt

2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cornstarch 

3 egg yolks

½ teaspoon vanilla

Zest from 1 orange (more or less) 

Equipment

1 small saucepan

1 rubber spatula

2-cup liquid measure

½ teaspoon measure

1 teaspoon measure

1 tablespoon measure

Strainer

1 small mixing bowl

Plastic wrap to cover the bowl 

Directions

1. In the saucepan on medium-low heat, heat the milk until it steams, stirring most of the time.  Meanwhile, in the 2-cup liquid measure, mix together the egg yolks, sugar, salt and cornstarch.  Once the milk is steaming, pour a little into the egg yolks and mix.  Pour in a little more and mix, then pour the whole egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.  Yay, you have tempered eggs!

2. Take the custard off the heat.  Add the vanilla and orange zest and mix thoroughly.  Allow to steep until around room temperature.  This will take a while.  Go finish and bake the pastry crust, then mix the strawberries and do your laundry or clean the kitchen (not at the same time!) while you wait for both the pastry crust to chill and the pastry cream to cool. 

3. Strain the cooled custard into the bowl, then cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge until cold, around an hour or so.  

Macerated Strawberries

Makes, well, as many strawberries as you put in

Ingredients

15 (about 2 cups) massive strawberries, sliced (more if you have normal strawberries)

1 tablespoon sugar

Equipment

1 large mixing bowl

1 tablespoon measure

1 rubber spatula

Directions

1. Toss the strawberry slices with the sugar.  Allow to sit.  Sneak one, they're tasty :)

Some Assembly Required

Equipment

Flat surface for serving (I used a nice wooden cutting board)

Metal spatula or knife for spreading pastry cream

Spread the pastry cream in the tart shell.  Arrange the strawberry slices on top.  If you like, take an extra strawberry with the stem still on it, carefully slice not quite all the way through it several times, and gently fan it out to be a strawberry flower.  You can also sprinkle some white chocolate flakes on top for garnish.  Enjoy!

 

Pie Crust Conquered - Homemade Pop Tarts

After many, many weeks (time moves 3x faster once midterms are announced, doesn't it for you?), I finally get around to bringing you one of my favorite triumphs: pie crust.  Now, this is not a tart crust.  When I tried to use it for a purpose not meant to be, it slumped and shrank and fell fearfully, sinking to the bottom of the pie pan in defeat.  However, it was still delicious.  Light and flaky, crisp and shattering under your teeth with ample buttery flavor, it nonetheless supports a filling perfectly.  Deb of Smitten Kitchen brought us this recipe years ago, but I think it's another one worth writing about again.  Besides, the scraps of crust brought us these delightful beauties :)

Yes, this recipe as written only makes 5.  They're entirely worth the work.

Although the pie crust is simple (I now understand the meaning behind, easy as pie!), it does require some forethought and space.  And if you follow the recipe as originally written (double this recipe, except the sugar), it requires quite a bit of butter.  Luckily for me, I now live in an apartment on campus and have a clean, empty, reasonably non-wobbly table available, but for those of you who do not, a large cutting board works reasonably well.  Put a damp towel underneath to prevent slippage.  This crust is most well-behaved after about 45 minutes of refrigeration, so try to plan accordingly.  

I immediately fell for these layers.  How could you not...?!

Crust adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Makes about 1 9" round crust, or about 5 Pop Tarts

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) cold butter

½ large egg, beaten well (save the other half for the glaze)

1 tablespoon milk

Equipment

1 medium mixing bowl

1 rubber spatula

1 whisk (optional, but handy)

1 sturdy butter knife (for cutting the butter)

½ teaspoon measure

1 tablespoon measure

1 cup dry measure

Directions

1. In the mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt.  Cut the butter into about 16 slices and toss them into the bowl, coating with the flour mixture as you go.  With your hands, quickly break the pieces of cold butter apart, until you wind up with some pieces and some crumbs.  Add half of the beaten egg and the milk, then gently fold to make a cohesive dough.  It will come together rather reluctantly, but rest assured that the less you mess with it, the more tender and flaky the crust will come out.  If the butter in the dough softens at any point, toss it in the fridge for 15 minutes or so.  Once the dough just barely comes together, refrigerate it for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, put together the filling.

Filling from Smitten Kitchen

Makes about 9 tablespoons

Ingredients

3/4 cup jelly of your choice

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cold water

Equipment

1 small saucepan

1 rubber spatula 

2-cup liquid measure

1 tablespoon measure

Directions

1. In the saucepan, mix the cornstarch and water to form a slurry.  Add the jelly and mix completely, then bring to a boil.  Set aside.

 

Assembly

Equipment

Sturdy countertop

Small, sharp knife for pastry (the cleaner the cut, the flakier the pastry edges)

Pastry brush or small spoon for egg glaze)

The other half of the egg you were wondering what to do with when you made the dough

Fork for pressing the edges of pastry

Toothpick for pricking the pastry (optional) 

Baking sheet

Parchment paper for lining

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Make sure this sheet fits in your fridge!

2. Divide the dough in half, then roll out each half to be rectangular sheets.  Patience, young Padawan.  Eventually, yours too will be even and flat.  Cut the sheets into pairs of rectangles.  With the half batch of pie crust I made, I had 10 rectangles, plus scraps, equaling 5 pop tarts in the end.  

3. Brush a bottom crust with some egg, then about a tablespoon of filling.  Not too much filling, or it will squish out the sides.  Put a top crust on... the top.  With a fork, gently crimp the edges of the pastry.  Gently lay the whole pastry on the prepared sheet, then brush a little more egg on top.  Carefully poke the top of the pastry several times to prevent the blimp effect.

4. Repeat with the remaining rectangles, then put the whole thing in the fridge for about an hour.  With about 15 minutes to go (or however long your oven takes to preheat), preheat the oven to 350°F.

5. Once the pastries are cold, bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or until beautifully golden on the top and the whole kitchen (maybe the house) is fragrant with toasted butter.  Allow to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then let them cool completely on a wire rack.  Enjoy!

Sweet, lightly salty, crispy, perfect bites...!

Good Morning to You - Coconut Banana Muffins

Last week was a long week, full of ups, downs and in between.  This week?  A biofluids exam coming up, homework due a week earlier than usual, a meeting with a professor about robotics and of course, the never-ending stack of articles to be read for research.  Luckily, these muffins may just fortify me enough to scrape the remains of myself off the floor and press on.

I made these the Thursday morning that I suddenly had free.  That was one of the better times of the week. I've been trying to procrastinate less and condense my workload to reduce exhaustion, similar to sprinting, then resting fully, then sprinting again.  As a former cross-country runner, I usually find a long, steady run to be easier, but it seems that my mind is sharpest in bursts.  Since I am attempting to radically overhaul my working schedule, I'll let you know how it goes.  Hopefully, if it goes well, I'll be able to show you the homemade poptarts from a couple of weeks ago next Saturday :)

From Deb of Smitten Kitchen comes these incredible muffins.  Soft and moist inside, topped with toasted, lightly caramelized coconut shreds and hinting at the flavor of banana, they brighten up your day.  Deb actually suggested banana as a good flavor variation on the original coconut muffins, but apparently I didn’t read her entire post carefully.  She was right :)

Neatly lined up, by the dozen.

Coconut Banana Muffins adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Makes about 12 muffins

Ingredients
1 cup white whole wheat flour*
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup + ¼ cup (1 cup total) sweetened shredded coconut
1 banana, mashed**
1 large egg
½ cup sweetened cream of coconut***
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (coconut if you can get it)

Equipment
1 large mixing bowl
1 rubber spatula
1 whisk (optional, for mixing dry ingredients)
¼ teaspoon measure
½ teaspoon measure
¼ cup dry measure
1 cup dry measure
2-cup liquid measure
12-cup cupcake baking tin
12 paper liners/parchment squares/butter or oil for greasing

Directions
 
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners, parchment paper, or simply grease with butter or oil.
 
2. In the large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt.  Toss in the shredded coconut and mix until thoroughly combined.
 
3. In the measuring cup, beat the egg.  Add the banana, cream of coconut and vegetable oil.  Note that the beaten egg will be around ¼ liquid cup, and you can just add the rest of the liquids from there. 
 
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and gently fold until there are no streaks of flour left in the bowl.
 
5. Divide the batter into 12 muffins, filling each cupcake dimple a little more than ¾ of the way full.  Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or a toothpick stuck into the middle muffin comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy!

Pick me, pick me!  I'm delicious!

Notes

* Deb’s recipe called for ¾ cup whole wheat flour and ½ cup all-purpose.  I suspect that a mixture of just about any proportion whole wheat to all-purpose would work here, as long as the total is 1¼ cups, but I like the slight texture that comes with whole wheat flour.  Besides, Trader Joe's (and other places) sell a lovely white whole wheat flour that tastes and bakes up a little lighter, but still offers some of the structure and flavor of whole wheat flour.  Be aware that a completely whole wheat muffin will be rather denser than one made with only all-purpose flour.

** My banana was overripe and leftover from banana muffins.  I froze it for a while, then thawed it in a bowl in the refrigerator.  Warning!  Frozen bananas can leak quite a bit when thawed.  They essentially become mushy bags of sweet banana puree, which is perfect for baking, but perhaps less so for a snack.  Also, not a lot of fun to clean out of your roommate's fridge.

*** Substitute coconut milk or coconut cream with ⅓ cup sugar if you don't have it.  Originally, Deb's recipe called for 1 cup greek yogurt and ⅓ cup sugar, which I substituted with the cream of coconut and the banana.  Fun fact: a medium banana, when mashed, equals about a half liquid cup.

Living Here and Now - Jelly Cookies

Sometimes, all you need is to breathe.  Whenever I procrastinate, inevitably now, it’s the food blogs.  I read through archives of one blog at a time, learning about others’ daily lives and happiness.  I dream of the day when I, too, can cook such beautiful food that others gush over, take photos before the sun sets and purchase fresh ingredients, bursting with flavor and color.  That’s the magic, isn’t it?  But that’s not my life.  Although I have been fortunate enough to move into an apartment with a kitchen, my scheduled day tends to end at 7pm or later.  Classes, research, robotics, biomedical engineering society, badminton all crowd in and leave me wanting food I can eat now, or at least, soon.  

Patience.

I’m not a good cook.  I don’t instinctively add savory spices (I possess two right now, the cheapest iodized salt and pre-ground black pepper money can buy), rarely have a mise en place ready before the (cheap) vegetable oil is smoking hot, often fail to remember to salt things and haven’t a clue what herb goes best with carrots.  I’m a much better baker, having turned out dozens of cookies, several birthday cakes and more tarts and pies than I can count.  I even recently learned to make calzones, and jumped for joy when I pulled a pizza out of my dinky, wobbly, apartment oven. 

The ingredients I use are the cheapest possible.  My cooking and baking are crammed in between everything else I do, and quality tends to suffer, or something else will have to give.  I’m envious of those people who live through food, like Shauna and her family, of Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef.  She seems to be such a sweet and lucky person, surrounded by friends and family, liberated from everything that held her down and fully immersed in her passion for food.  As a college student, especially studying something like engineering, I definitely don’t have that luxury.  

Stop and smell the rosy raspberry jelly :)

But today, as the computer’s clock hit 2:58 pm, I realized with a start that I was wasting my own life away.  Badminton practice is held at 3:00 pm on Saturdays, and even if I sprinted out the door immediately, I’d already be 15 minutes late.  And I was still wearing my pajamas.  Where does the day go?  I’d gotten up around 11:00am.  What did I do?  I made a quiche, ate lunch at about 1:00pm.  What then?  I really had no answer, other than just reading through Shauna’s lovely archives.  It was then that I realized I had to wake up from my dreams of what I wished my life could be, and enjoy the life I have now.  I’ll only be an overstressed engineering student once, without utility bills to pay, without taxes to worry about (yet) and without a commute that requires any more than a 15-minute walk (I live on campus).

I had just learned a method of meditation, where you sit and concentrate on breathing.  Only that, nothing more.  Effectively, you try and do nothing, just to be aware.  It’s more difficult than it sounds.  But the packet stated that meditation taught mindfulness, being present, living in the moment where you are.  You don’t need to think about what you managed to finish today, what you’ll need to do tomorrow, in 3 hours, 10 minutes from now.  Living life here and now, the complete opposite of taking life for granted.

These cookies are an example of living life here and now.  Listen to the sound of your bags and cups and spoons, feel the cool, yielding dough, notice the jewel tones of your jelly.  Inhale the sweet, warm breath from the oven when you take them out.  Crisp, buttery cookies, tender within and topped with tart raspberry jelly, they’re also tiny.  Each batch only makes around 20 cookies.  Pay attention, or they’ll be gone, and you, too, will wonder where they all went.

Start with many...

Jelly Cookies recipe borrowed from my boyfriend’s father

Makes about 20 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

⅓ cup sugar

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 egg yolk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract*

About ¼ cup jelly of choice (I loved the raspberry I used here)

Equipment

1 medium or large mixing bowl

1 wooden spoon (for creaming butter and sugar)

1 rubber spatula (for scraping bowl)

⅓ cup dry measure

1 cup dry measure

½ teaspoon measure

1 tablespoon measure

2 cookie sheets (I made do with 1, in two batches)

Parchment paper for lining

Directions

1. Cream the butter and sugar, then add the egg yolk and vanilla.  Mix in the flour until the dough forms a nice, cohesive ball.

2. Refrigerate for at least a half hour.**

3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Preheat the oven to 350°F and roll the dough into balls with indents.  I happen to think they look like little bowls.  Fill each indent with about a half teaspoon of jelly.

4. Place them on the prepared cookie sheet/s about 2 inches apart (they expand a little) and bake for about 10-15 minutes. 

5. Allow to cool briefly, then enjoy!  Cool them completely on a wire rack, if you can prevent yourself from munching them all as they come out of the oven :)

Beautiful little indulgences.

Notes:

* I would love to substitute with almond extract, particularly with raspberry, peach or cherry jelly. 

** The dough can probably be left in the fridge for a few days without harm. 

The One - Banana Muffins

With bioelectricity homework due tomorrow, I'm starting to flip out a touch.  I barely understand circuits, have not yet managed a single class without falling asleep (the late afternoon time slot doesn't help) and worry about my other classes while concentrating hard to understand the professor.  In addition, there is an analysis due Wednesday that requires software only available in the biomedical engineering lab, which closes at 5:00pm, and I have classes just about all day tomorrow.  Not to mention that biofluids homework is due soon, and I spent all today working on research and robotics....  

Let me take a break.  I'd rather briefly dream about the banana muffins I made, last night.  I made these for breakfast and snacks this week, and I must say, they're quite worth a dream or two.

This is it.  I've found it.  I've been looking for it since the very beginning, and I finally have it.  My one, the banana muffin.  Not the banana loaf, since it doesn't quite have the crusty top I'm still looking for, but this is the muffin.  Soft throughout, not too greasy, full of banana flavor (that my bananas were generously brown-speckled didn't hurt, either) and improved with time.  I've tried this recipe before, but I used softened rather than melted butter.  This time, I went back to the original recipe at Simply Recipes, having once again found it from 17 and Baking.  These banana muffins are beautiful and simple, and there is nothing more to say.

Banana Muffins slightly tweaked from Simply Recipes

Makes about 12 muffins

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas

⅓ cup butter, melted

¾ cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups all-purpose flour

Equipment

1 large mixing bowl

1 fork for mashing bananas (optional)

1 rubber spatula

¼ teaspoon measure

1 teaspoon measure

½ cup measure

12 cupcake liners or butter and flour for your pan

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Butter the cupcake pan.  I actually buttered and floured my pans, which worked great.  However, it was messy and wasted a fair amount of time and flour, and depending on how much time I had, I would really just butter.

2. Mash the bananas* and mix them with the melted butter.  Add the sugar, egg, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and mix until thoroughly combined.

3. Add the flour and gently fold just until there are no streaks of flour left.

4. Fill each cupcake cup almost all the way up and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes.  Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then cool them completely on a wire rack.  Enjoy! 

Note:  I microwaved the butter to melt it first, then used a fork to mash the bananas.

Always Deliver on a Promise - Apple Pie

Sometimes I'm fast.  Usually, I'm painfully slow, with no reflexes to speak of and only picking up concepts long after the exams are graded.  When given an assignment, inevitably I wind up finishing it at last minute.  It took me a good two or three weeks from when my friend gave me the apples to actually making and delivering this pie.

Colorful, pretty apples....

With exams, homework and research, this pie was made between 1:00 and 4:00am.  Somehow, I think it was completely worth it.  Magically, the apples remained incredibly fresh in my roommate's fridge (I borrow some of her fridge space).  I really have to find the name and source of these apples, because they were seriously amazing.  Crisp, sweet, tart and flavorful, they peeled excellently.  I think I ate half the peels while peeling and slicing the apples.  The cores were hard to cut through, but I was borrowing a friend's small paring knife.  The apples also held together when cooked.  I baked the pie for a full hour, and they still retained a certain snap to them when speared with a plastic fork and rapidly devoured.

Apple tart, with fewer apples and a variation on the topping.

The crust was from the blog Not Without Salt, which used to be called Artisan Sweets after the author's bakery.  I am in love with this crust.  It's easy to work with, doesn't require refrigeration and is tender and delicious.  It's not flaky, but rather sturdy with a pleasantly mild flavor and very comforting.  

The topping was from Teens Cook Dessert by Megan and Jill Carle, originally for a Cinnamon Swirl Cake.  The idea was actually from Dutch Apple Pie from the same book.  I have no idea whether the recipes for the toppings are the same, but I don't have access to the book when I'm not at home, and it seemed like it might work.  It did :)

Finished pie!

Pie Crust from Not Without Salt

Makes one reasonably thick 9" diameter crust

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup milk (I use whole milk because that's what I can buy at the food court)

½ teaspoon salt

Equipment  

1 large mixing bowl

1 rubber spatula
2-cup liquid measure
1 cup dry measure 
½ teaspoon measure
1 9" pie pan (I used my 9" round cake pan.  Shhh...)
Lining material of choice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Prep a pie pan in your favorite method, whether that be lining with foil, parchment paper or butter, or a combination, or none at all.

2. Mix all ingredients in the bowl, then either press into the pie pan or roll out and place in the pie pan.  I chose to press because I don't have a rolling pin.

3. Bake the crust at 350°F for about 15 minutes, just to cook it and ensure that the crust won't be soggy when the pie is done.

Apples 

Makes a little more than enough for one 9" round pie

Ingredients

6 large Apples

¾ cup sugar (white or brown, your choice)

2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Equipment
Sharp paring knife or apple peeler
Chef's knife if you have it
Cutting board
Large bowl for apples
Small bowl for peels and cores

Directions

Mix the lemon juice with the sugar in the large bowl.  As you peel and chop each apple, toss the slices with the lemon and sugar so that each slice is covered.  When all the apples are done, toss with a teaspoon of cinnamon.  You should now have a bowl of apples sitting in some sweet, flavorful liquid.  Save that!  It's useful for adding a touch of sugar and spice to many baked goods, like pumpkin bread, or cooked desserts like pudding.

Cinnamon topping from Teens Cook Dessert by Megan and Jill Carle
Makes roughly 1½ cups, enough to cover a 9" round pie + extra

Ingredients
¼ cup (½ stick) butter, softened
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt (optional if using salted butter)
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Equipment
1 medium bowl
1 fork

Directions

Mix all ingredients together until crumbly and reasonably homogenous.  You may also use your fingers right before applying to apple pie.  Be careful, if you use 6 apples the apples will mound up and the topping may simply fall off the sides of the pie.

Some Assembly Required:

Arrange the apples in the pie crust for maximum structural integrity and top with the cinnamon topping.  Bake at 350°F for about 60 minutes, until the apples are mostly cooked and the topping is crisp.  Allow to cool somewhat, then slice and enjoy!