pão e queijo

Yes! Gluten-free fudgy brownies

As we speak, I'm in Boston getting acquainted with my (I hope!) future stomping grounds.  

 

But, I was feeling nice and didn't want to leave my poor readers alone, so I set up a special mid-week post for you guys!

 

And what better than brownies?  You guys know it's one of my (many) weaknesses.  But this time, they're gluten-free brownies.  STOP! Before you go anywhere because you're turned off by the whole "GF" bit, don't.  These brownies don't taste an ounce like the dry, crumbly, tasteless and lifeless gluten-free brownies you are familiar with.  What's even better, I received the best compliment from my family (including my mom, the GF lady of the house): "You would never know they're gluten free."

 

That's right, folks.  No gluten free flours (so tedious) or xanthan gum here.  No weird oils, just good 'ol pantry staples: chocolate, butter (of course), sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, and… cornstarch!  But just a little to hold the deal together.  They're ooey and gooey, they're fudgy, they're just like real brownies.  So what are you waiting for?  Here's a mid-week perk-up from me to you!

 

David's gluten-free brownies

Adapted from David Lebovitz

 

6 TBSP unsalted butter, cut into pats

8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chips or chopped

Pinch of salt

¾ cup sugar

2 large eggs, at room temp

1 TBSP unsweetened natural cocoa powder

3 TBSP cornstarch

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)

 

Line the inside of an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan with foil, so that two sides are also covered (to act as handles to lift the brownies out later).  Lightly grease the foil using nonstick spray.  Preheat the oven to 350F with rack in the middle.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, chocolate, and salt, stirring frequently, until smooth and combined.

In a small mixing bowl, sift together the cocoa powder and cornstarch.  Whisk well to combine if necessary.  

Remove the butter mixture from heat and stir in sugar, then the eggs, one at a time, whisking between additions.  Add the chocolate mixture and whisk vigorously for about a minute, until the batter is no longer grainy.

Add the nuts if using.  Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan.  Bake for about 25 minutes for a 9-inch square pan, or 30 minutes for an 8-inch square pan, or until the brownies feel just set in the center (don't over-bake!).  Remove from oven and let cool completely before lifting the sides of the foil to remove brownies from pan and cutting them.  

 

What Costa Rica taught me in terms of cooking (Tea-infused Asian pear tarte tatin)

 

A few years ago, while living in Costa Rica, I made a list of all the foods I could not buy there.  It was frustrating because I was still learning (and of course still am, to some extent) the ins and outs of the kitchen.  Perhaps I had no idea that you could substitute plain yogurt for sour cream (I don't care for sour cream, and Costa Rican natilla really isn't sour cream at all, I don't think), or that you could make your own buttermilk substitute.  The list embraced everything from unbleached flour to almond paste, greek yogurt and vegetable stock to sherry vinegar.  Once in a large supermarket, after asking an employee where I could find the CousCous, he laughed and repeated "CousCous," shaking his head as if it were funny.  

 

I went on hunts for tahini, common spices, shallots, ricotta cheese, and phyllo dough.  Most of the hunts came to no avail; however, when I did end up finding the precious loot, I was generally exuberant for at least a week.  But after some time passed, I learned how to make my own ricotta and vegetable stock, to give up hope on not ever eating vanilla yogurt again, and resigned myself to the fact that imported Chilean blueberries that tasted like cardboard cost eight dollars for a dinky box.  My adventures were endless, but I learned how to make useful substitutions in the kitchen.  

 

I also learned how to not waste food: once, my ex-boyfriend's mom took a tupperware with some leftover shrimp from 8 or 10 days before out of the fridge and asked me to sniff it to see if it was still OK.  It didn't smell too yummy, so I told her it would be best to throw it away.  She felt very bad about wasting it- and I could only wish that Americans would have the same attitude towards wasting.  

 

Along the way, I learned how to make my own fresh juices using the ripe produce available.  If you ever go, you will be served fresh cas, blackberry, passionfruit, and other juices at almost every meal- they are wonderful!  Although I admit I never got into the bi-daily habit of eating rice and beans, I learned simple techniques and shortcuts in the kitchen.  I learned to cook more instinctively and make do with what I had on hand, although I did not realize this until I came back to the States.  

 

If you had known me before I lived on my own in Costa Rica, you would have thought correctly that I didn't care for cooking.  You would have thought that I had a not-so-secret despise for leftovers, and had irregular eating habits (that hasn't changed completely).  But living on my own, I had to either learn to cook, or enjoy mac n' cheese from a box five nights a week.  And when I ventured out and started cooking and baking, I realized I was good at it.  And that it was much, much better than any of my other common prepared options.  Sure, it took me two years to find tofu, it wasn't until the very end that I found shallots, and goat cheese was hard and expensive, but Costa Rica taught me something very important: to be grateful.  

 

Now that I'm back in the land where you can purchase just about any food item, I still find myself improvising and substituting.  I still feel elated when I spot a goodie I could not have found before, and my sense of adventure has risen because there is so much available.  The kitchen is a very symbolic place, where warm energy and love wafts through the air.  Where you learn to cook is very special, and the memories in the kitchen determine much of how you view food.  I'm happy to have had to learn to cook simply, improvise, and use what I had on hand.  Where did you learn to cook?  

 

Tea-infused Asian pear tarte tatin

p&q original

  

1 sheet puff pastry from 17.3 oz box, or homemade

3 medium-large or 4 smaller Asian pears, peeled, cored, and quartered (lengthwise)

Juice of ½ a lemon

1 ¼ cup sugar, divided

1 tsp your favorite loose tea (I used one from Tealuxe (Boston) called Unity Blend)

6 TBSP unsalted butter

 

Thaw puff pastry on counter without unfolding for about 20 minutes.  Unfold and place on parchment-lined baking sheet; stick in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

Preheat the oven to 425F with rack in the center.  Gently toss the peeled, cored, and quartered pears in a medium bowl with the lemon juice and ¼ cup of sugar.  Let sit 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the caramel by melting the butter over medium heat in a 9 or 10-inch ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron).  In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup of sugar with the loose tea until well mixed together.  When butter is melted, add the sugar to the pan.  Stir almost constantly until the sugar melts and the mixture turns golden brown and caramelized.  Remove the skillet from heat and stir to cool slightly (it will keep cooking, we don't want it to darken too much).   

Remove the pears from their bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving liquid behind.  Place, round side down, into the caramel in a circle shape with stem ends facing the center, filling the pan with just one layer of pears.  Remove puff pastry from the refrigerator and place over the skillet, trimming edges as needed.  Press down onto the pears and cut four small steam holes near the center.  Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed.  

Have a small bowl nearby and ready.  When you take the tatin out of the oven, carefully pour the loose juices into the small bowl. Let the tart sit a minute, then carefully invert the pan onto a serving platter.  Return the loose juices to the skillet, if you wish, and reduce them over medium heat before pouring them back on the tatin or reserving them for another use.  

 

5 reasons for eating local (Polenta cakes with green beans and gremolata)

 

This is a quick post, I just wanted to share with you our delicious dinner from Wednesday night.  My mom said she never knew green beans could taste so delicious, and she had seconds.  That's really saying something.  

 

Anyways, I thought I'd share my top 5 reasons with you for eating locally:

1. The food is almost always fresher, because it hasn't been picked unripe, injected with chemicals to look like the food you want to eat, endure a long trip, and then sit in a grocery store.
2. We're supporting our farmers'.  Did you know that more than three-quarters of the food industry is owned and controlled by a few select people?  Talk about centralized power!  Don't you want to do something about it?
3. On that same note, we know our farmers.  We can see if their employees and animals are being treated fairly, if their soil is properly taken care of, and how they grow our food.
4. Going to the Farmers' market is fun.  It's not a grocery store pretending to serve you a wide array of flora and fauna from the wilderness, when really everything is produced on Factory Farms and is about as far removed from anything natural as can be.  It's using your five senses to breathe in the beauties of the season, the cheeses, free range eggs, and flower.  It's chatting with others on how to prepare something you've never seen before.  It's getting to know who makes your food, which is a true labor of love.
5. It's generally much better for the environment.  The Farmers' market sells what's in season, respecting Mother Nature's plans for the soil and harvests.   The goods aren't brought from so far away, and a lot of people grow organically or pesticide-free.  

 

On top of all this: the food simply tastes better.  Once you go FM, you will never go back.  Take these green beans, for example.  They're local and organic, and pretty much knocked my socks off.  The Italian flat leaf parsley is from our very own garden, and I just can't believe how beautiful it is.  The garlic cloves are also from the FM, and are huge and fresh and juicy.  Talk about a good down home meal.  

 

Polenta cakes with green beans and gremolata

Serves 3+

p&q original

Polenta

4 cups water

Salt to taste

1 cup quick-cooking polenta

(Note: this makes quite a bit of polenta cakes for the amount of green beans and gremolata.  If you wish to make dinner for just 2 people, you could halve the amount of water to 2 cups and polenta to ½ cup without any problem, following the directions the same.)

Green beans

1 TBSP olive oil

¾ lb organic green beans (locally grown taste best!), both ends trimmed

Sea salt

⅓ cup water

 

Gremolata

2 huge cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

½ cup very packed flat-leaf Italian parsley

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 TBSP water, plus additional as needed

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup shredded Parmesan, or to taste

To make the polenta, boil 4 cups of water in a saucepan about 2 quarts in size.  Add salt to taste, if you wish; then slowly pour in the polenta, stirring.  Lower heat and simmer, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes or until the polenta thickens up quite a bit.  Don't worry if it's a little lumpy.  Remove from heat and spread the cooked polenta on a baking sheet lined with either a silicone mat or parchment paper, until ⅓ of an inch to ½ inch thick.  Let cool slightly.  Bake in oven under preheated broiler (about 5 inches away from heat), with door open, watching closely for about 5 minutes. 

Remove from oven and carefully cut circles using a 2 ½ to 3-inch round cutter.  Remove the scraps (I used them as well but placed them next to the circles).  Return to broiler and bake 5 minutes more.  Then remove the polenta cakes, flip all of them over, and broil 5 minutes longer.  They should be a little crispy on either side, and somewhat soft in the middle.  If you like them crispier, you could either bake them closer to the broiler or broil them longer, just keep an eye on them.  If you wish, you could also cut the polenta into wedges instead of circles.  

To make the green beans, heat olive oil in a large (12-inch) frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the green beans and a pinch of sea salt to the pan and sauté a couple of minutes or until they start to brown.  If the pan gets too hot and oil starts sputtering, lower heat to medium.  Add water to pan and immediately cover the pan.  Cook 15-20 minutes or until tender.

To make the gremolata, blend all the ingredients except the Parmesan until well mixed (I like to leave a few small chunks).  Scoop into serving bowl and mix with Parmesan, adding more if you desire.

Serve the polenta cakes topped with the sautéed green beans and a couple of tablespoons gremolata.

 

Tips on saving on cookware, plus my favorite kitchen items (Crustless quiche with Swiss Chard and leeks)

 

"Grandma never should have told us about this place."

 

That would be my mom, referring to the cookware section at Marshall's.  The exact place where I totally hit the lottery yesterday and left with a huge adrenaline rush and feeling like I had just gotten away with stealing Le Creuset bakeware.  Of course I didn't steal anything, my conscience would never let me, but MAN, did I get some great deals there.

So of course, it got me thinking:  How to get more bang for your buck.  Because if there's anything that makes me go weak in the knees, it's cook and bakeware.  Now that I'm building up my second kitchen, I know what I like and don't.  I know which brands I prefer, and want to share some tips with you on spending wisely to make that buck stretch an extra mile.  

 

1. Stock up on cookware slowly, if you can afford to.  This means no impulse buys!  Purchase only the necessary kitchen items at the beginning and then slowly acquire a beautiful collection- you'll put more thought into it.  I find making a wishlist, whether on Amazon or written down, helps keep track of your priorities and "wants." 

2. Don't buy cookware in sets or kits.  I find they come with a lot of things you don't necessarily want/ need, and also compromise quality.  

3. Buy good quality so you don't have to buy it more than once.  You heard me, I'm telling you to go get the good stuff.  That is, buy it once and buy it good.  Also, if it's a little scratched or broken but still works, repair it, don't throw it away.  

4. That being said, Don't discard second-hand.  I've gotten many plates, props for this blog, and other handy dandies at Salvation Army and the Rescue Mission.  Check out your local thrift shop!  Around here, Wednesdays are 50% off day.  Also, garage-saling never hurts!  Look through mom or grandma's old stuff and see if any suits you (and if they'll kindly give it to you).  It may just need a good soapy wash.

5. Buy cookbooks used on Amazon (or other retailer).  Even better, check them out from your local library.  This one doubles as being better for the environment.  I used to buy cookbooks new on Amazon or in bookstores, sometimes without even checking out the reviews!  Now I have access to a superb local library, I've learned to check books out first to see if I like them.  If I do, I go on Amazon and see if I can get the book used from a bookstore in New York state or in the Northeast.  I've saved a ton of money and generally the books arrive in beautiful condition.

6. Buy multi-functional appliances and kitchen goods.  Try not to buy stuff that will only be good for one purpose, unless you will use it enough to make it worth it.  

7.  Go to Marshall's.  OK, wait.  Go to Marshall's if you have self-control.  Find out what days the home goods truck delivers and try to make it then.  If you see something, grab it; it might not be there next time.  While we're on the topic, Michael's and A.C. Moore often have 40% and 50% off coupons and I've saved big on cake decorating supplies.

8.  Never send your belongings with Fedex.  You heard me.  They might bust your stuff like they busted mine.  Kind of off topic, but I had to vent.

9.  Shop around.  It seems pretty obvious, but don't take one store's prices as the set-in-stone market price tag.  

10.  Check out Etsy shops.  They host a huge amount of talented artists and people selling vintage goods (like cute Le Creuset pots and pans).  They may not be the biggest bargain, but man, you can find very unique and original goodies.

11. Participate in LOTS of giveaways.  My mom thinks I'm just lucky, but I've won 5 (pretty nifty) things since I seriously started playing the food blog lottery about three months ago.

 

And now for my favorite, most-used goodies (P.S. This is not sponsored by any company, although I kind of wish it were).  

 

Cooking:

Victorinox 8-inch Chef's knife  

4 ½ Quart Le Creuset French (Dutch) oven 

Cuisinart Chef's Classic frying pans (I have 8, 10, and 12 inch pans, and would recommend all) 

Epicurean cutting board (My mom got me this!  I LOVE it) 

Le Creuset stoneware, 9-inch square dish  

 

Baking:

Chicago Metallic commercial half sheets

MIU France silicone baking mats

Emile Henry pie dish

Escali Primo Digital scale

Stainless steel mixing bowls   

 

These are items I pretty much use every time I cook and bake.  In another post I will elaborate on necessary kitchen items.  Marshall's generally has a great selection of Le Creuset and Cuisinart and I love to get my stone bakeware and frying pans/ saucepans from there.  

 

 

Crustless quiche with Swiss chard and leeks

2 TBSP unsalted butter

1 large leek, thinly sliced (white and green parts only)

¼ tsp dried thyme or rosemary (or your favorite dried aromatic herb)

1 small bunch Swiss chard, rainbow chard, or chard- stems removed where the leaves end, and the leaves coarsely chopped

1 ¼ cups whole milk

4 large eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

About ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, or to taste

 

Preheat the oven to 350F with rack in the center.  

Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the leeks.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender, 5-7 minutes.  Lower the heat if they are browning.  Add the chopped chard and sauté until wilted, a few minutes longer.  Remove from the heat and cool slightly.  Stir in the dried rosemary or thyme.

In a small mixing bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the milk and eggs until well combined.  Season with salt and pepper and then whisk in the Parmesan.    Combine the vegetable mixture and the custard.

Pour into an 8-inch diameter deep dish pie plate and bake about 45 minutes, checking towards the end to see that the filling is puffed and golden and just set in the center.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool at least 10 minutes to firm up.  

Note on how to wash leeks:  Leeks tend to be kind of dirty.  What I generally do is thinly slice the leeks before washing, and then I submerge them in a medium bowl of cold water.  I leave them a minute or two, clean obvious dirt off with my finger, and then, without stirring up the dirt, scoop the leeks out with a slotted spoon.  

 

Meet your blogger (Rocky road cookies AKA brownie cookies with walnuts and marshmallows)

Hi, I'm Sarah.  Have we met?

 

So I figure it's been a year, a month, and a couple of weeks since pão e queijo started, and I'm happy because more readers are joining us (check out my Facebook page here).  But I think we need to get a little cozier… this should be interactive, you know?  

 

So maybe you know I have an obsession with apple desserts, hate winter, and lived in Costa Rica for a while (ahem, four and a half years).  Wanna know more?

 

I found a fun questionnaire and decided to answer it for you guys:

1. What's your middle name?  Elizabeth.
2. How big is your bed?  Double, although my real bed in CR was a queen.
3. What are the last 4 digits in your cellphone number?  I don't have one here yet… does that make me a loser?  (Used to be 3487).
4. What was the last thing you ate?  Artichoke and provolone artisan ravioli from the Farmers' market, with our homemade cherry tomato sauce… delicious!
5. Last person you hugged?  Probably my mom.  Or my kitty (if that counts), Mrs. Newt LongJohn Bacon Squeegie.
6. Favorite type of food?  Mediterranean, Indian, Mexican, Middle Eastern… um, can't decide?
7. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?  Andrea on Skype!
8. Do you want children?  Maybe someday…
9. Hair color?  Brown
10. Do you wear eyeglasses/ contacts? Yes, both.  I've got pretty bad vision.
11. Favorite holiday?  Probably Christmas for the holiday spirit and family traditions.
12. Favorite season?  Early fall, when the weather is still beautiful but the air and leaves are changing.
13. Have you ever cried over a girl/ boy?  Stupid question!  Of course, probably too many times to remember.
14. Last movie you watched?  Food, Inc.  Watch it- it'll change your life.
15. What books are you reading?  I just got a bunch of Anthony Bourdain's books out of the library.
16. Piercings?  One in each ear, normal ones!
17. Favorite college football team?  I hate football.  Let's not even go there.
18. Dogs or cats?  Usually dogs (big ones), but Mrs. Newt LongJohn Bacon Squeegie is the bomb.
19. Favorite flower?  Pretty much anything but roses.  I love magnolias, bird of paradise, day lilies, tulips…
20. Do you like to travel by plane?  I used to not mind it, but after a scary turbulence issue back in July, I think I'll pass on flying for a while.
21. Right-handed or Left-handed?  Right.
22. Are you 18?  Man, this makes me feel old!
23. What do you have handy at your bedside?  A Bible, Burt's Bees, eye mask for sleeping, foot cream for putting on before going to bed, Vitamin E for the scars on my knee, a notepad & pen for random ideas!
24. What are you afraid of?  A lot of bugs, cockroaches, fires, criminals, um… I could go on.
25. What's your favorite color?  Sea foam green.
26. Stuck on a deserted island and could take one thing?  An endless supply of brownies.
27. Where did you last go on vacation?  The one that counts I guess is to different beaches & volcano in Costa Rica with my friend, N.
28. What 3 things can always be found in your refrigerator?  Heavy cream, yummy cheeses, veggies.
29. Coffee or tea?  Tea.
30. What's your favorite movie of all time?  Hard one!  I have so many… I generally prefer art house, foreign cinema, and drama.  No chick flicks for me, thanks!
31. Do you prefer to read fiction or nonfiction?  I'm gonna surprise myself a little here, but I would have to say nonfiction.
32. What was your favorite book as a child?  Anything from the Nancy Drew series… poor dad, he read us ALL of them.
33. What's your favorite kind of music?  I like alternative, ambient, electronica.  
34. Would you rather have the power to be invisible or the power to read minds?  Be invisible… too cool!  Also, I'd want a "shut off" feature on the reading minds thing… I imagine one could become a bit paranoid or overloaded with information.
35. Shoe size?  7.
36. Eye color? Blue!
37. Favorite perfume?  Tous Touch or Calvin Klein In2You.
38. Last restaurant you ate at? Blue Water Grill.
39. What was your first vehicle?  Not exactly mine, but a 2-door Honda Civic.
40. Have you ever had a surgery?  Yep, a few!  Most recently a repair of my meniscus.
41. Do you believe in karma?  No.
42. Do you believe that aliens exist?  Nope.  Maybe other life forms, though…
43. Do you believe in soul mates?  I think so, at least in kindred spirits.
44. If you were an activist what would you protest against?  Monsanto, fast food, GMOs, not having the freedom of knowing what's in our food.
45. What is your favorite outdoor activity?  I like walking, white water rafting, canopy, gardening…
46. What is your least favorite mode of transportation?  Buses, especially in CR!
47. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?  Beautiful photography, speak fluent Portuguese, learn the art of French pastry.
48. If you won the lottery what's the first thing you would do?  Go to Greece (and other Mediterranean places), do culinary travel, eat lots, and then buy myself the perfect and perfectly equipped kitchen.
49. If you could choose anyone, who would you choose as your mentor?  Dorie Greenspan or Ruth Reichl. 
50. What chore do you absolutely hate doing?  Dusting, it's so tedious.  

 

So… you're now 50 questions closer to knowing me!  Anything else you'd like to know?  

 

<3 Yours truly

And now for the amazing brownie cookies, the chewiest around... 

 

Rocky road cookies (AKA brownie cookies with walnuts and marshmallows)

Adapted from A Cozy Kitchen 

Makes about 30 cookies, depending on size.  Probably more if you don't eat the cookie dough :D

 

1 cup All-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

8 oz semisweet chocolate (i used good chocolate chips; if you use a block of chocolate, chop it to about chocolate chip size), divided

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pats

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup mini marshmallows, plus additional for garnish

¾ cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 325F and line a half sheet pan with parchment or a silicone baking mat.  (Or more than one if you are planning on baking all the cookies).  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.  Melt 4 oz of the chocolate with the butter in a small heatproof (glass or metal) bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  (I like to use a large measuring cup).  

 

Transfer the chocolate and butter mixture to your stand mixer bowl and add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Mix on medium speed until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.  With the speed on low, slowly mix in the flour mixture until just combined.  Then fold in the remaining 4 oz of chocolate, the marshmallows, and walnuts.

 

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to an hour, until slightly firm.  Using a 1 ½ TBSP cookie scoop, make balls of dough and place them on the lined cookie sheet, leaving a couple of inches of space between each one (I put 12 on a cookie sheet).   Bake in the preheated oven about 15 minutes, or until the cookies are still slightly pouffy in the center but crispy around the edges.  Carefully pull the cookies out of the oven and quickly stick a few marshmallows, pressing down lightly, in the tops of the cookies.  If needed, return to the oven (oven off) for a minute to melt the marshmallows.  Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes to harden up.  Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.  

 

Apple tart with spiced apple butter, crystallized ginger, and streusel topping

Oh, hi there!

 

What am I doing, you ask.

 

Oh, nothing.  I just finished a piece of this divine apple tart.  You see, I'm mildly obsessed with apple desserts.  I just love how the apples get all tender and juicy in the oven.  They blend perfectly with flaky puff pastry, and the spices take it up a notch. 

 

Apple tarts are good.  Very good.  But… there's usually a little something missing, and I think I've found it:  spiced apple butter.  It boosts the flavor even more and gives the tart a texture that I just love.

 

Don't believe me?  Try it yourself!

 

 

Another plus: this tart is super easy to make, and looks pretty impressive, if you ask me!

 

Apple tart with spiced apple butter, crystallized ginger, and streusel topping

pão e queijo original

1 sheet puff pastry from 17.3 oz box

3 small apples, cored and thinly sliced (skin on)

½ packed cup brown sugar

1 TBSP crystallized ginger, finely chopped

3 TBSP apple butter (click here for recipe)

About 3 TBSP streusel topping, optional (click here for recipe)

 

Thaw the puff pastry on the counter without unrolling, for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven.  Preheat oven to 415F with rack in the middle.  Prepare a half sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat (you'll want to line the pan; the apple butter oozes out of the tart).  

 

Prepare the apples and combine them with the brown sugar and crystallized ginger in a medium mixing bowl and mix well.  

 

When puff pastry is at least partially thawed, unroll the 3 sections.  Using a knife, cut along the folds, creating 3 long pieces of puff pastry.  Slather about 1 TBSP of apple butter on each section, leaving a small border.  Place the apple slices covered in the brown sugar mixture, overlapping them, down the length of each puff pastry section.  Sprinkle with about 1 TBSP streusel topping each.  Bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed (check towards the end to make sure it's not burning.  Also check to make sure the puff pastry is cooked enough when you take it out of the oven).  

 

Variation: you could crumble these baked gingersnaps to put on top of the tarts before baking.

 

Apple picking photos (Spiced apple butter)

I know I have talked about going apple picking last weekend a lot, but you may have not seen photos yet!

 

As all of you know how excited I was to go picking, I'll just let you enjoy the photo essay, and let the photos speak for themselves.  

 

The apples we picked were Jonamacs, a cross between Jonathan and Macintosh, great for sauce.  I felt incredibly inspired to make the apple butter, and it turned out divine.  Use any flavorful apples that are good for sauce making.  

 

Without further adieu… 

 

Tractor ride (Em & Aimee) + Funny animals

One of my favorite parts- the apple fritters.  They sure were tasty.

The girls and I had a great time!  They were great pickers.

Apple picking; Frida & I on the tractor ride.

Probably the girls' favorite part was the pony ride.

 

As for the recipe...

Spiced apple butter

4 lbs apples (about 10-14 depending on size), quartered (no need to peel or seed)

1 cup apple cider

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 TBSP cinnamon

1 ½ tsp ginger

½ tsp salt

 

Combine the apples, cider, and water in a large saucepan or stockpot (I used 5 qts) and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down a little and simmer for 40 minutes, until the apples are a bit mushy.

 

Place a mesh strainer over a large bowl (have this ready!) and pour the cooked apple mixture in.  Push down on the solids, forcing them to go through the sieve and leaving peel and seeds behind.  You'll end up with about ½ cup of peel and seed waste; discard.  

 

Return the apple sauce to the saucepan on the stove.  Stir in sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.  Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly until the apple butter is reduced considerably, about 25-30 minutes.  Be very careful not to burn yourself, this will jump around quite a bit, and you will need to stir without leaving the sauce at all.  You will know it's done when you draw a line across the bottom of the pot with the spoon and it takes more than a few seconds to disappear.  

 

I do not can (as in sterilize in canning jars) the apple butter, I simply wash the jars, lids, and bands well and then dry them.  Then I scoop the apple butter in the jars, close tightly, and freeze them.  They also last a while in the fridge.

 

Five things. Friday things.

 

1.  Terrycloth bathrobes… love 'em.

2.  Soup, especially creamy ones.

3.  Drooling over particularly delicious food photography (1. 2. 3. 4. 5.)

4.  Apple picking, tractor rides, maple sugar candy, the works.

5.  Sourdough bread.

 

Easy and elegant: Roasted pears with caramel glaze and candied walnuts

 

Once upon a time there was a girl named Sarah who was terrified of making caramel.  The only real attempt had been more than a failure- it had been an incredible mess. 

 

She set out to make a caramel apple pie with the new, beautiful red Emile Henry deep pie dish her sister had given her for graduation.  It was an overcast day in July and the crumb topping had sort of been a failure, but at least it tasted good (you can hardly go wrong with butter and sugar). 

But when it came time to make the caramel to coat the apples, Sarah had no idea what she was getting herself into.  The caramel sputtered on her old stove, and before she realized it, the amber color she was waiting for soon turned to a burnt ochre.  It smelled terrible, and tasted it, too.  That is, if you could lift a spoon out of the sticky mess to taste it.  Instead of throwing the whole pot away, Sarah applied the bitter concoction to the sad apples, hoping that after baking nobody would notice the burnt flavor. 

But she was wrong.  The apple pie came out of the oven as disgusting as it had gone in.  The sticky burnt goo on the saucepan took two days of soaking and scrubbing to give in and be cleaned.  And instead of eagerly taking up the spatula once again, Sarah silently refused to make caramel again for a very long time.

 

If I, older, wiser Sarah, could go back and give some advice to the younger Sarah who was frustrated with her burnt caramel, I'd tell her this: 1) Watch the caramel very carefully; 2) Follow instructions closely; 3) Have everything ready and nearby, it's only a matter of seconds difference between amber-colored and delicious, and burnt and bitter; 4) Do your research on how to make different types of caramel (dry and liquid), the stages, the science, etc. 

Now, over a year later, I can say I've made a successful caramel sauce.  This is the easiest one I have found; it only uses sugar.  Don't crank the heat up too high, and watch carefully so that you start stirring when the sugar starts to melt.  The syrup will turn from a transparent white to a yellow color, and finally darken.  If in doubt, add the walnuts a little early.

 

Roasted pears with caramel glaze and candied walnuts 

Roasted pears with caramel glaze
Adapted from Three Many Cooks
Makes 8 pear halves

3 TBSP butter
4 firm but ripe pears, halved and seeded (I leave the skin on)
½ packed cup light brown sugar
4 cinnamon sticks, halved*
Candied walnuts (recipe below), for serving
Ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350F with rack in the middle.  Add butter to a 9 x 13-inch pan and place in preheating oven to melt while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

When butter is melted, sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter.  Place the cinnamon sticks in the pan and top with the pears, cut side down.  Bake about 25 minutes, or until the pears are tender.  Remove from oven, flip pears so that they are cut side up, and spoon caramel over them.  Return to oven about 5 more minutes, or until they are golden and bubbling.  Remove from oven, cool slightly, and serve with the candied walnuts and a little ice cream or whipped cream. 

Note: You can substitute the cinnamon sticks for 2 tsp ground cinnamon mixed into the brown sugar.  Also, you could substitute the pears for apples!

Candied walnuts
Adapted from Simply Recipes
Makes about 1 ½ cups

½ cup sugar
1 ½ cups walnut halves
⅛ tsp coarse salt, such as sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F with rack in the middle.  Place walnut halves on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment.  Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until toasted and fragrant.  Be careful not to let them burn.  Remove from oven and cool, on the baking sheet, on a wire rack. (Don't skip this step).

Put sugar into a medium (I used 2 qt) saucepan with heavy bottom.  Have walnuts and a wooden spoon nearby.  Cook sugar on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon as soon as the sugar begins to melt.  Stir almost constantly until all the sugar has melted (some crystals will form; don't worry, they'll melt later) and is medium amber in color.  Add the walnuts to the pan, quickly stirring to coat each one. 

When completely coated, spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment (I used the same one I had used to toast the walnuts).  Use two forks to separate the walnuts and sprinkle with salt.  Let cool completely, about 15 minutes.

 

Why suffering is not always a bad thing

We've all been there: the heartbreak, health problems, loss of a loved one, a bad day, financial worries, fights, physical and emotional pain…

 

If I take the wings of the morning and remain in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there also thy hand shall lead me.  Psalm 13:9 (Cape Cod)

 

Each situation is unique and in my opinion, the pain they cause cannot be compared to another person's suffering.  We must respect how each person interprets the situation; if they are in pain and suffering, it's valid for them to feel that way. 

But God says that suffering isn't a bad thing.  And I'm not talking about how Hollywood and our culture glorifies and romanticizes suffering.  I'm not talking about how it's "in" to have problems, or how love is so often associated with suffering in movies (If you don't believe me, the movie, "Love and Other Drugs" is a great example with many common stereotypes present). 

 

I'm talking about how suffering helps us in various ways:

1.  It helps us to reflect, learn, and grow.

John 15:2- He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (NIV).

2. It motivates us to change, look for different ways to solve our problems, and gives us the potential to see this as an opportunity.

3. It helps us to have more faith and trust in God.  It molds us to who God wants us to be.

James 1:2-4: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds. (3) Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  (4) Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

4. It gives us the ability to help others in the future that are going through something similar, and it helps us to be more compassionate towards others' needs.

In the Bible it says we must be victorious during tests (James 1:9- The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position).  Of course, this is easy to say and hard to do, especially if you are going through a particularly rough time.  I for one, know that I can't get through tests without God's help, and I know that each one has strengthened my relationship with him. 

God is love and he will never stop loving you.  He is wisdom and eagerly gives you his wisdom.  Here are some verses that have helped me through hard times:

 

He has plans for us and will always keep us safe:

Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

 

He has made promises to us and will keep them:

Psalms 119:50- My comfort in my suffering is this; Your promise preserves my life.

 

There is a time for everything; this too will pass:

Ecclesiastes 3- The entire chapter (my favorite passage in the Bible)

 

He's always there, just a prayer away.  He always answers, all you have to do is reach out and ask for his help:

Psalms 128:3- When i called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.

 

Our true prize awaits us in heaven:

Philippians 4: 12-14- brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

 

Nothing can take us down when we have the Lord on our side:

Psalm 27:3-4- Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear: though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.  4: One thing I ask of the Lord, his is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

 

He always provides for us and takes care of us:

Matthew 6:26- Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable then they?

 

I am not the only one who has been through this, there have been others who have survived it, someday it will only be history:

Ecclesiastes 1:9- What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

God loves us.  Our suffering has a purpose on our path:

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (2) through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. (3) Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; (4) perseverance, character; and character, hope.  (5) And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 


We need Jesus, and his comfort is never-ending:

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, (4) who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort ourselves have received from God.  (5) For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.


Constant prayer and communication with God, faith and trust in the things above, can help us get through this hard time:

Colossians 3:2- Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 

We have to put in our part, too.  But our rewards will be great:

Hebrews 10: 35-36: So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  (36) You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 

Job was a man who suffered quite a bit.  Read his story in the Old Testament to feel inspired.  God never abandoned him.

 

What has helped you to get through hard times?  What Bible passages have inspired you during trials and tests?

Note: As a respectful and tolerant person, I hope to not offend anyone by posting my beliefs here.  I hope you can find consolation in this post, whether you are a believer or not.