Baked Apple Puff

In case it is not obvious enough let me make a confession.  I am a recipe junkie, always looking for new things to cook and new ways to play in the kitchen.  So last year I happily signed up to help test recipes for The Whole Family Cookbook by Michelle Stern.  I was rewarded by discovering many delicious recipes and having fun playing with new recipes.  The only hard part was not adapting them without trying them first.  I almost never cook a recipe exactly as written, even the first time.  However many of the recipes I tested have appeared often at my table (although now I have tweaked them, it's what I do) so I was excited to see what was in the finished cookbook.

The cookbook is set up to make it easy for you to have your child help in the kitchen.  The recipe steps are color coded to identify which ones are appropriate for your child to help with based on age. Michelle also offers some insightful guidance to getting your children to eat healthy for the long term.  Including some advice on dessert that I love.

Julian mixing the apple puff batter

When I received the actual cookbook one of the first recipes I tried was her Baked Apple Puff.  An oven baked puff pancake has been a family favorite breakfast item for years, so I was excited to try a version that included fruit.  While it was good straight out of the oven I also loved this version at room temperature as a dessert.  After several hours the ingredients have a chance to mellow and soften and the puff itself becomes almost custard like in consistency.  This time of year this recipe has the added benefit of using up some of the eggs our hens are laying every day.  I still love this version hot for breakfast, although then I prefer it without the cinnamon and sugar on top (I told you I can't help adapting in the kitchen).

Baked Apple Puff
reprinted with permission from The Whole Family Cookbook by Michelle Stern

5 Tbsp butter, divided
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
3 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour  [I used 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1/4 cup white flour]
2 small crisp apples, organic if possible (go for fuji if you prefer a slightly sweeter apple , or granny smith if you enjoy a tart flavor) [I was making this in Vermont in the winter, so I used Empire apples]

Preheat oven to 450°

Melt 2 tablespoon butter in the microwave or in a saucepan.

In a medium sized bowl, crack the eggs.

Beat the eggs lightly and then add the melted butter.

Measure milk, 1 tablespoon sugar, vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, salt and flour, and then add to the eggs.

Mix all of the ingredients until the batter is well blended.

If you have one use an apple peeler/corer/slicer to peel, core and slice your apples.  If not, use a vegetable peeler to peel the apples.

Cut out the cores and slice the apples thinly.

Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a 10" ovenproof skillet.  Add the sliced apples and cook until they are golden brown, 5-10 minutes. (If you'd like you can add a dash or two if ground cinnamon).

Put on oven mitts and take the skillet off the heat.  Pour the batter over the apples.

Measure 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and stir together in a small bowl.  Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the batter.

Place the skillet into the oven and cook for 15-25 until gently browned and puffed.  (Do not open the oven during the first 15 minutes of the cooking process, or the puff will deflate!)

Put on oven mitts, remove the skillet from the oven, and immediately place an oven mitt over the handle, so that you won't accidentally burn your hand.

Cut the puff into wedges and serve immediately. [Alternatively you can allow the puff to cool and serve it as a dessert at room temperature]

Pumpkin Pie with a No Roll Crust

When I was twelve years old I made my first pie crust.  An ornate lattice crust for a blueberry pie made  in anticipation of my mother coming home from the hospital.  I removed the pie from the oven and happily cut myself a slice.  The filing was perfect, the crust however could barely be sawed with a knife and took considerable time and effort to chew and swallow.  I did not grow up in a household where pie crust was ever made so I did not have any idea what I did wrong.  I left my doorstop crust pie on the counter and went out to have lunch, my brother told me he would stay home and just have a slice of pie for lunch.

I had lunch with my mother's old physics professor and he explained the science of crust making.  As he told me pastry has to be handled as little as possible to keep it flaky and tender I thought of the hour I had spent watching "The Price is Right," as I rolled and rerolled my crust.  I left lunch knowing that my next crust would be better and at least my mother would enjoy the filling in her welcome home pie.

I still remember how my pie looked when I returned home, 2 slices neatly cut out and the insides scraped completely clean.  There was not even a trace of blueberry filling remaining.  I am sure that a screaming argument resulted, however I do not remember that part.  What I do remember is my mother, who told me she loved the pie crust I made for her.  Then every night after dinner she cut herself a slice of crust until she had eaten the whole tough monstrosity.  That memory is one of my definitions of love, as well as a reminder to have a light hand when making pie crust.

So you can imagine my thought process as I looked for a pie crust recipe to use in the preschool at work.  The crust I ruined that very first time became my favorite crust when handled carefully.  However I do not feel a group of overly enthusiastic three and four year olds would be best suited for preparing a delicate crust.  I do believe in process over product for many things in the preschool setting, but food prep is not one of them.  So I searched for a crust you can smush into the pan with no rolling.   The crust I found calls for oil and all you do is stir it before pressing it into the pie pan.  Skills that seemed perfectly suited to preschoolers, I figured the results would be better than a crust that might be rolled for 20 minutes.

I was very happy with the crust we made, it was better then any I have found in the freezer section, although I feel a need to point out every bite of crust was filled with pumpkin pie, so really my results are skewed.  However I am now thinking quiche could be a fast weeknight meal utilizing a crust that is stirred and smashed before filling.  I have already told my boys they can make the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year.  The filling was also just what I was looking for, although part of that is starting with pie pumpkins instead of a can.  One coworker remarked, as she took her fourth piece, "I don't even like pumpkin pie, but I love this."  I am guessing she never had a pumpkin pie made with fresh pumpkin before.  When I entered the classroom with the baked pies one little girl enthusiastically asked for a piece of pie.  As soon as she was done she was asking for more.  I asked her to please wait until everyone had a first piece.  She sat quietly down and slowly licked her plate clean, and to be honest I don't blame her.

Since then I have had the chance to cook one more time with the preschoolers.  I escorted a small group of them to a local farm where we picked kale.  Then we returned to the classroom and made my recipe for kale chips.  When we sat down to taste them most of the children excitedly gathered around ready for their turn to taste them.  One little boy made a face and looked at the bowl with disgust, although he did cautiously take one from the bowl.  He bit into it and then quickly ate the whole thing.  He said, with wonder "I didn't think they would taste yummy, but they taste really yummy."  Then all but 2 children proceeded to devour the whole bowl.  Personally I am still doing mental cartwheels of joy over the whole thing, 3 days later.

No Roll Preschool Friendly Pie Crust

Adapted from allrecipes.com no roll pie crust

I added sugar and cinnamon to the recipe so it would balance better with the filling.  If I was making a savory pie I would leave out the sugar and cinnamon and add a finely chopped herb such as sage, basil or thyme and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup white whole wheat flour

3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup oil (we used safflower oil, another good neutral oil would be grapeseed oil, for a quiche olive oil would be wonderful and if there are no allergy concerns try roasted hazelnut oil where the nutty sweetness would be appreciated)

1/4 cup ice water

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375°

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.  We chose to divide the dough into 2 balls before pressing them into pie pans.  We had just enough dough for a thin crust in each pie without an extra lip of unfilled crust.  Line the pie with foil and fill with about 1 cup of dried beans or pie weights.  Bake the unfilled pie crust in the center of the preheated oven for 20 minutes.  Remove and fill with desired filling and bake according to filling recipe.

Pumpkin Puree

2 pie pumpkins (you can also use any winter squash)

olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350°

Split the pumpkins in half and scoop out the seeds and strings.  If the pumpkins are very hard to cut through use a large chefs knife or cleaver and a mallet or hammer.  Just place the knife on the pumpkin as sharp side down and tap it with the mallet to slice the pumpkin in half.  Rub all the cut surfaces with olive oil and place cut side down on a cookie sheet.  Bake until tender when pierced with a knife through the skin.  You can scoop out the insides now or place in the fridge until needed.

Use a spoon or grapefruit spoon to scoop all of the pumpkin flesh into a bowl or pot.  Use an immersion blender to puree or place in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Any puree not used in the pie can be used in muffins, pumpkin waffles, soup or frozen for later use.

Pumpkin Pie

Adapted from Gourmet November 1999
(We filled 2 pies with this even though the original recipe states it fills 1.  I tried it at home to fill 1 pie and had leftover batter)

2 cups pumpkin puree from pie pumpkins or 1 can pumpkin puree

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375°  Whisk all the ingredients together and pour into crust that has been blind baked for 20 minutes (baked without its filling).  Pour filling into single pie pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until filling is set but still jiggles when you shake the pan.  Allow to cool on a rack before serving to allow filling to set fully.

Homemade Play dough

Last week we had a stretch of days so cold that my chickens never ventured outside. No fears though, they still gave us eggs every day. When the cold snap ended I went outside and found the temperature so balmy that a hat and gloves was enough to keep me warm. On a whim I checked the weather to find out what I now considered too warm for a coat. It's almost short season with the temperature at 27° Fahrenheit (-3° Celsius). It is amazing how your internal temperature gauge can be reset so quickly. The last 2 days we have had a snow storm that dumped over 33 inches of snow, a record breaking total for a single snow storm.

At a solstice party this year a neighbor told me how nice it is to watch my boys play outside together. She described them as "old fashioned boys". By that she meant they will happily play together for hours with just a shovel and a pile of snow, a pile of rocks and containers, a scooter and a tricycle, a wading pool and a hose or anything else they can lay claim to. Last winter Julian managed to shred one kids snow shovel and totally deform and mangle a kids hoe, chopping up ice. This year we gave them each a tempered aluminum avalanche shovel for Christmas. So far they have shoveled the driveway, made a jump at the sledding hill, used them as toboggans on an icy hill and generally already gotten my moneys worth.

However when they want to warm up inside I can guarantee a peaceful, although not quiet, couple of hours by making a batch or 2 of play dough. Really I am not sure why anybody would buy Play-Doh. For pennies I can make a large enough batch that they can share without fighting. In addition the boys love the process of making it, it is a little like magic. Sometimes we add scented oil to the batch and they each get to choose a food coloring and add it. I know some people like to add instant Kool Aid mix to both color and scent the dough, personally that just sounds gross and sticky to me. If I won't feed it to my family I am not going to mix it in to their toys either.

The play group Julian and I go to uses way less salt when they make play dough and the texture is smoother. However the high salt content acts as a preservative so if you reduce it the playdough will need to be refrigerated when not being played with and thrown away more frequently. I still remember the time we took some of theirs home wrapped in plastic wrap. I found it a week later and had a moment of horror trying to remember what food item I had left to become completely covered in white, green and black mold. Slowly I remembered the piece of green play dough we had brought home.

Homemade Play dough

1 cup cold water

food coloring of your choice

1 cup white flour (I think this is the first recipe I have posted with only white flour)

1/2 cup table salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

2 tsp cooking oil (I often use Extra Virgin Olive Oil because it is all I have in the house)

scented oil or extract (optional, just for scent)

Combine the ingredients in a heavy saucepan (I use a 3QT pan) and stir to mix and review the color. The color will deepen when the playdough is cooked. I usually let the boys add the ingredients and judge the color. The measuring does not have to be precise and I am much better at not micro managing them when we are not eating the finished product. To get really good purples and colors like black I bought gel food coloring.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the play dough pulls away from the sides of the pan. About 3 to 5 minutes, or until it has the consistency of mashed potatoes or well, play dough (I like it to be a ball already).

Remove from the heat, normal people should allow it to cool for 1 minute before kneading the dough. I however have asbestos hands from all the cooking I do and knead it right away.

Store, after cooling, in a plastic container or resealable plastic bags. If stored in an air tight container or bag it can be kept for months or years (although we always let ours dry out by accident and have to start over after a few weeks).

Dark Chocolate Caramel Sauce: Last Minute Gifts

A week or two ago Julian's preschool began to post signs stating the last day of preschool before the Holiday recess would be December 18th. I noticed the signs and somehow conveniently forgot that meant I needed gifts for all five of his teachers almost a week before I was planning. Actually I am not sure I really forgot, it is more like I was a cross between repressed panic and full on procrastination. In previous years I have given preserves that I canned over the summer but this year I don't have enough, (unless I want to give everyone crushed tomatoes). Somehow baking bread for all five of them seemed daunting. Our budget does not allow to buy them all something they would actually enjoy, so I conveniently ignored the problem until it was almost too late.

Then I found a recipe for caramel chocolate sauce that stated it would make old boot leather taste divine. Some people are drawn to recipes by photos of the finished product, personally I want to be seduced by words. Tell me why I want to put everything down and run to my stove and start cooking. Those words were enough to send me, and Julian once I clued him in to my plans, to run to the kitchen. Over Thanksgiving Sebastian was telling his Graunty Eva (my aunt) about the knife skills I am teaching him. When she asked Julian what he is learning to do in the kitchen he said, "I am learning to stay away from hot pans." For this recipe he also poured sugar and water, before staying away from hot pans.

It really is a very easy recipe, one that is very hard to mess up. Unless of course your 4 year old assistant starts trying to pour himself a glass of milk from a very full gallon jug as the caramel starts to turn. Consequently the first batch is good but has an almost, but not quite, burnt sugar taste to it. A flavor that is often prized in high end kitchens, but not really what I was going for. I have made the sauce again and to avoid the almost burnt sugar taste, just do as it says and remove from the heat as soon as it starts to smoke, instead of pouring milk and missing the moment. The difference with today's batch is now I am searching for old boots, before I just served it on ice cream.

This Photo was taken by Julian

Dark Chocolate Caramel Sauce

adapted slightly from The 1997 Joy of Cooking

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into Tablespoon sized slices

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 ounces finely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp kosher salt or more to taste

Place sugar in a small heavy saucepan and pour water over the top. Place the pan over medium high heat and gently swirl the pan by the handle until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is clear. Do not let the syrup boil until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the sugar is all dissolved turn the heat to high and cover the saucepan for 2 minutes, the syrup will boil. After 2 minutes uncover the saucepan and continue to boil, swirling the pan occasionally, until

it begins to get dark around the edges. Once it starts to darken swirl the pan continuously until the syrup is deep amber and starts to smoke. Immediately remove the pan form the heat and add the butter.

Gently mix the butter in with a heatproof spatula or whisk. Once the butter is fully incorporated stir in the heavy cream. If the sauce becomes lumpy, heat over very low heat while stirring until it is smooth and promptly turning off the heat when it is smooth again. (Mine became lumpy but rather then heating I just kept stirring and it smoothed out).

Add the finely chopped chocolate and stir until it is melted and incorporated. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Serve warm on ice cream, cake, fruit, poached fruit, crepes, waffles, a spoon or old boot leather. If refrigerated it can be re-warmed in a microwave oven or with the storage jar set in a pan of simmering water. Should keep in the refrigerator for 1 month.

To make chocolate caramel truffles reduce the butter to 4 Tablespoons and refrigerate the sauce. When cold spoon out teaspoon sized balls and roll them in cocoa powder.