Apple Tart

Yes, it did take forever to lay the apples out like that.

When it gets to be springtime, I start getting really antsy about fruits and vegetables. I want them to come now! Now! NOW! and become very disappointed when I go to the farmer's market and my only choice is what type of apple to use.

But I decided to make the best of it and have an apple tart for Easter dinner dessert.

It was a good choice. This tart is only lightly sweet. You sprinkle on about a tablespoon of sugar AFTER you've laid the apples out. As a result, the apples themselves start pretty crisp and provide most of the flavor.

My one beef is with the crust. Yes, it was nice and flaky. But boy was it a pain to roll out and get into the dish. The recipe was actually supposed to make enough crust to make this galette style, ie enough crust to fold over on top of the tart. Partly because I loaned out my good rolling pin and partly because I was being impatient and didn't refrigerate the crust long enough, that didn't happen. If I were to make this again, I might fall back on my mainstay crust recipe. Or, as my friend PJ recommended, I might break down and (gasp!) use shortening.

Simplest Apple Tart, adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Eat Rating: Good. Not amazing. But definitely a solid dessert. The low sugar content was good for my relatives who need to monitor their sugar intake too.
Difficulty: Medium to hard, depending on how diligent you are with laying out the apples.

Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp sugar
6 tbsp butter, cut into chunks
3-4 tbsp cold water

Filling
2 lbs apples (about 5-6)
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp sugar

Place the flour and sugar for the crust in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to mix. Add the chunks of butter and pulse until a course meal forms. Adding water 1 tbsp at a time, continue to pulse just until the dough holds together. (LN: Alternatively, if you don't have a food processor, mix the flour and sugar in a bowl and use a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour. Then use a hand mixer to incorporate the water)

Lay out a sheet of waxed paper. Remove the dough from the bowl and mound in the middle of the paper, smashing down to form a rounded disk. Wrap in the waxed paper and place in the fridge for at least a half hour.

While the dough is chilling, peel the apples. Cut in half along the stem. Using a melon baller, remove the core and stem. Laying the apple core-side down, cut the apple into thin pieces from top to bottom. Set cut apples aside.

By now, it should have been about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out. You will be using a 9-inch round tart pan, so you'll want to roll it out large than that by at least 1-1/2 inches (don't forget it has to go up the sides). (LN: You really do want to use a round tart pan. I was stuck because I have a 9-inch square and a 10-inch round. I went with the 9-inch square, and, as you can see above, there wasn't enough dough for the top overhang.)

Once it's rolled out, lay into the bottom of the tart pan, allowing the excess to hang over the sides. Lay out the apples. The easiest way to do this is to take each apple-half and fan it out so each piece overlaps the next a little (LN: This is also much easier to do when you're working with a round pan than when you're working with a square).

After you've laid out all the apples, take your melted butter and lightly brush the apples with it, reserving a little bit for the crust. Sprinkle about 1 tbsp of sugar over the apples. Gently fold the excess dough back over the top of the tart. Brush the crust with remaining butter and sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Bake for about 45 minutes, making sure to rotate the tart every 10-15 minutes so that it browns evenly.

Remove from oven and cool completely before trying to remove the outer tart pan (LN: I've made that mistake before. Not pretty). To remove the outer pan, place a sturdy can -- like a can of diced tomatoes or pumpkin -- on the counter. Set the tart on top. The tart should sit on top of the can, and the outer layer will fall to the counter.

Serve the tart warm or at room temperature, preferably with vanilla ice cream.

Asparagus Carbonara

All work and no cooking makes Leah a dull girl.

It also makes her spend way more time/money at Teaism than is healthy for a normal human being.

Often when I get home in the evening at 8 p.m. (or later), I have little desire to cook. One can only make scrambled eggs so many days, though, before a certain CCO begins to protest. Then, one has to get creative with the egg recipes. ;)

In the vein of the Honest ABE, I present to you the Asparagus Carbonara.

Eat Rating: Delicious. Nothing goes better than asparagus and bacon.
Difficulty: Very easy.

1 lb of asparagus, ends trimmed
4 slices of bacon, diced into small pieces
2 eggs
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
3/4 lb of long pasta such as spaghetti or fettuccine

In a skillet, cook the bacon pieces until browned. (LN: Alternatively, you can cook the bacon in whole strips and then chop it. It's quicker with the little pieces, though.) Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

Cut the asparagus into 1 - 1 1/2 inch chunks. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until there are 2-3 minutes left on the recommended cooking time. Then add in the asparagus.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and mix in the cheese.

Once the pasta/asparagus is done cooking, drain in a colander. Place the pasta and asparagus in a large bowl and add in the bacon pieces. Pour the egg mixture into the hot pasta and toss with two forks or tongs. Serve immediately, topped with parmesan or red pepper flakes if you like.

Leek and Potato Braise

I never ate a leek until I was 25. That's probably a little bit odd. But my mom never cooked with them when I was a kid and then I once read that book, the one about how French women are so much better than everyone else because they understand portion control. One of her techniques was to make yourself an enormous pot of leek soup -- just leeks, water, salt -- and eat that for entire weekends. The idea of eating nothing but a glorified onion and water for 48 hours straight horrified me. Whenever I went to the grocery store, I could never look at leeks without thinking of them as a dieting aid a la Slim Fast.

So I stayed blissfully ignorant of their true potential until CCO bought them one day and added them to something -- fried rice, I think it was. That was when I discovered they weren't half bad. Not like Slim Fast at all.

A couple months back, one of the bloggers I follow decided she would try a bunch of recipes with leeks. I was intrigued. Perhaps leeks could be not just "not bad" but actually good. So I made this Leek and Potato Braise for one Meatless Monday and I am now a leek convert. This recipe cooks the leeks and the potatoes slowly for nearly 2 hours. At the end you have a creamy deliciousness, with just hints of spiciness for the leeks. I think I've made this about four times in the past three months. The only downside is it takes a while to cook and if you're very hungry, it tempts you horribly by filling up your entire house with a delicious smell of leeks cooking. We've eaten this several times as a main dish. It's also great as a side.

From All About Braising by Molly Stevens Via The Arugula Files

Eat Rating: Awesome.
Difficulty: Easy. It just takes awhile. You'll need some kind of casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid.

3 large leeks, washed and trimmed
2 1/2 pounds yukon gold potatoes (that's about 5 medium sized ones)
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped (LN: or sub in 1/2 tsp dried)
1 1/4 cup stock, chicken or veggie
1/4 cup cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cut the leeks in half lengthwise almost all the way through, then chop into half inch pieces. Set aside.

Peel the potatoes, then chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Add to the leeks and place in the bottom of your casserole dish. Add the thyme and salt and pepper if desired and toss to cover.

Place the stock in a saucepan and heat just until boiling. Pour over the potatoes and leeks. Cover the dish with the lid and place in the oven. Cook for 45 minutes, then remove lid and stir. Replace lid and cook for another 25 minutes.

Increase temperature to 425 degrees, then add the 1/4 cup of cream and give it a good stir. Cook another 30 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the tops have begun to brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Southern Chocolate Layer Cake

It's true. My layer cake looked nothing like the gem that appeared in the New York Times. But, in my defense, that lady has been making them for something ridiculous like 70 years. And even if it wasn't a looker, it sure was delicious.

Since I'm nothing if not ambitious, I knew as soon as I read the NY Times piece on southern layer cakes that I had to try my hand at it. So when my mom asked what we should have for dessert with Christmas dinner, I naturally insisted it should be a 15-layer cake. Naturally.

Sadly, because of operator error (see above) and inexact measurements, I only ended up with a nine-layer cake. But after all, it was just my first attempt.


Eat Rating: Delicious. The thing I liked about this cake is there is plenty of icing the soaks into the layers, but its not overwhelmed by the icing like some cakes are.
Difficulty: Medium to hard. It certainly is a production. Requires three cake pans, sifter, hand mixer (or Kitchenaid) and parchment rounds.

Adapted from The New York Times, Dec. 15, 2009

Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup of shortening (LN: I, stupidly, assumed my mom would have shortening on hand and didn't pick it up at the store. We subbed another 1/3 cup of butter)
5 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups cake flour (LN: I used all-purpose)
2 tsp baking soda
5 tsp baking powder
2 cups milk

Frosting
5 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces
1 15 oz. can evaporated milk
1/2 cup milk (LN: The recipe calls for whole. I subbed 2 percent)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Liberally grease three 9-inch round cake pans, layer with a round of parchment and grease again. (LN: Don't skip the parchment! It really helps because you're going to need to re-use the cake pans and it's much easier than washing them between layers)

Place the butter, shortening and sugar in a bowl and cream with electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually add the flour mixture in batches to the cake base, adding 1/2 cup of milk in between each round of flour until fully incorporated.

Beat the cake batter for approximately 5 minutes until it is smooth. Add 3/4 cup of batter to each cake pan and bake for 6-8 minutes until cooked through (LN: in my oven, it was more like 10-12 when I baked all three layers at once).

While the cake is still warm, flip it out onto a paper towel or rack. Re-butter and line your cake pan and stick another set of layers in the oven. You should ultimately do four rounds of layers, end up with 12 total. (LN: Unless you have mess ups like I did, in which case you may only have nine layers).

While the layers are baking, start the icing. Place butter, sugar, cocoa, milk and evaporate milk into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Boil for 4 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer, add vanilla and then cook for an additional 10 minutes. You want the icing to be the consistency of hot fudge sauce. Don't overcook. The icing will firm up some as it cools.

Once the icing is finished, place one layer of the cake on a serving plate. Top with 4-5 tablespoons of icing. Add another layer. Repeat until all the layers have been added. Pour the remaining icing over the top of the cake, allowing to drip down the sides. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Vegetarian Squash Casserole

In anticipation of our honeymoon extravaganza to the Big Easy, CCO and I decided to go vegetarian for a month. Although we've been eating vegetarian once a week for Meatless Monday, doing it all day everyday was a challenge at first. (There are only so many days in a row you can eat eggs before it gets boring...)

So CCO suggested we pick up a copy of The Moosewood Cookbook. When he had been a vegetarian during his college days at Harvard, it was his stand-by. Once I finally found a copy, I could see why. There are tons of suggestions for how to move to vegetarian without eating a salad every night (though there is a great chapter on salad). One section that caught my eye was the one on baked dishes, in particular this squash casserole. It's super easy and most things you'd probably have in your house anyway.

If you want to make this, I'd suggest it as a side dish along with something else. If you want it to be the main feature, serve it with crusty bread or pita, something else that has some texture and substance. My one criticism was that everything was so smooth, it was a little like eating baby food (very delicious baby food, but baby food nonetheless).

Eat Rating: Delicious. The squash complements nicely with the tanginess of the yogurt and feta.
Difficulty: Easy.

Adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen

4 cups cooked squash or pumpkin, mashed or pureed (LN: I used acorn. You could also do this with butternut)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 small bell peppers, any kind, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup yogurt (LN: She recommends using firm Greek yogurt. It worked find with plain Yoplait)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in skillet and saute onions and bell peppers until vegetables begin to soften. Add garlic and cook until vegetables completely softened.

Place the mashed squash in a large bowl. Add the onions and peppers, yogurt and feta and mix until well-combined. Spread the casserole into a 9-inch square baking dish (or comparable) and sprinkle the walnuts over the top.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the casserole is thoroughly heated and bubbling. Serve immediately with some crusty bread or warmed pita.

Wedding Cake Project: Results!

Wild Blueberry Pie

The Grooms Cake: Guinness Chocolate Cake


Peach Pie

Photos by Laura Luis at Three Lights Photography.

It's a Recession: Homemade Tortilla Chips

I don't know about you, but I seem perenially incapable of finishing an entire bag of corn tortillas. I like to get them to make enchiladas (they taste much better with the corn tortillas than with flour, in my opinion), but a batch for two people only makes a small dent in the bag. The solution? Make tortilla chips.

Eat Rating: Awesome. A nice bit of crunch
Difficulty: Super easy. An 8-year-old could do this (provided she doesn't burn herself putting it in the oven. That was always my problem as a kid...)

5 corn tortillas
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper .

Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut each tortillas into six triangles. Place the triangles in a small bowl and drizzle the vegetable oil over them, tossing so each piece is well coated. Lay out the chips on the cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 25 minutes or until the chips have begun to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool about 5 minutes before serving.

Variation: Cinnamon Chips
Omit salt. Mix 3 tbsp sugar with 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the chips and follow remaining steps.