Rosemary Cheddar & Leek Quiche

This is a variation on ATK's quiche lorraine recipe...

Ingredients:

Crust...

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter, cold, cut into 2 pieces
5 Tbsp shortening, cold, cut into 5 pieces
4 Tbsp ice water

Filling...

2 strips bacon
2 leeks, sliced thinly, green parts discarded
2 c. half & half
2 eggs + 2 yolks
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
pinch nutmeg
1 c. grated extra sharp cheddar


Directions:

In a food processor, combine salt, flour, sugar and rosemary. Pulse for 1 min or until combined. Add pieces of butter and shortening, one at a time. Pulse in food processor until pea size pieces are formed. Transfer to large bowl. With a rubber spatula, fold in the 4 Tbsp of ice water until dough comes together. Remove from bowl and form into a disc, 4" in diameter. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 45 mins.

Par bake the crust:

Preheat oven to 375. Roll dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap to about a 12" diameter and transfer to pie plate. place piece of tin foil over pie shell and fill with pie weights or dried beans or rice. This will prevent crust from bubbling up while baking in the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 mins then remove from oven and remove foil with pie weights. Return to oven and bake for an addtl' 5 mins or until light golden. Remove from oven.

Make the filling:

Fry bacon in a skillet until fat is rendered and bacon is crispy. Remove bacon and transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp bacon grease and saute leeks in bacon grease until tender, about 5 mins.



Chop bacon into small pieces, about 1/4 inch each.
Whisk eggs, yolks, half & half, nutmeg, white pepper and salt. Put cheese, leeks, and bacon into bottom of pie shell.




Pour egg mixture on top of bacon, cheese and leeks.
Return to oven and bake at 375 for 30-35 mins or until a knife blade inserted in middle of quiche comes out clean.
Allow to cool 10 mins before serving.

Earl Grey Cookies Dipped in Dark Chocolate

Ingredients:

2 heaping Tbsp loose Early Grey tea (about 6 teabags)



2 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c granulated sugar
2 sticks of butter, cut into 16 pieces
2 tsp apple juice or apple cider
2 Tbsp cream cheese

For chocolate glaze:

4 oz bar of bittersweet chocolate, broken up into several small pieces.
1 Tbsp corn syrup
1 Tbsp butter

Directions:

Put sugar and loose tea in food processor, process until tea leaves begin to become powdery, about 3 mins.



Add flour and salt, process x 10 pulses.
Add butter, 1-2 pieces at a time. Add cream cheese and cider, pulse in food processor a few more times until larger globs of dough begin to form and dough becomes well blended.
Turn out dough onto counter top and knead into smooth dough, shape into 2 discs, 4" diameter each. Wrap in plastic and place in fridge for at least 1 hr.
* you can use a standing mixer when you add the cider and cream cheese



Preheat oven to 375. Cover two baking sheets in parchment paper. Roll dough on floured surface x 1/8 inch thick. Use cookies cutters to cut as many cookies as possible and reform extra dough trimmings into a thick disc and roll out again to form more cookies. Repeat up to 3 times. Transfer cookie dough to sheets using a metal spatula.

Bake x 10 mins.

Remove from oven and carefully slide paper with cookies to wire cooling rack.

Meanwhile, place chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in double boiler and melt over low heat, stirring often. Decorate cookies with chocolate glaze while it is still warm and liquid. Allow to cool.

Crab Cakes

I made these with cheap-o canned crab...
..Mixed with some diced red pepper, scallions, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, pepper, bread crumbs and eggs.
The chutney is a mixture of corn, sauteed onions, red bell peppers, chili powder, cumin and cilantro... serve with chipotle mayo with lime and cilantro.

Rosemary Blackberry Scones

Again with the scone recipe in America's Test Kitchen's Baking Illustrated...
I typically use this one... after a recent trip to Harvest restaurant in Harvard Square, I came up with the idea of using rosemary and blackberry. Harvest was serving a peach raspberry rosemary shortcake for dessert during restaurant week... I thought the rosemary and raspberry went well together and I decided to make these scones. Why blackberry and not raspberry? Well, I happened to have blackberries in the fridge...but you should would try these with raspberries too!






Ingredients:

2 c. all purpose flour, plus more for dusting counter top
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar, plus more for dusting tops of scones
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 c. blackberries
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 c. heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, rosemary, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. 4. Toss blackberries with about 2 tsp flour and stir them in.
5. With a spatula, stir in heavy cream until evenly combined.
6. Dust counter top with flour and gently knead dough into a 1" thick disc. Cut as you would a pie, into 8 evenly sized wedges and place on baking sheet.
7. Dust the tops with additional sugar and bake for 15 mins.

Catching Wild Yeast for Sourdough

I tried catching wild yeast for Sourdough...

Step 1: Crush some green grapes and put them in cheesecloth:


Step 2: Make a sachet our of it by bundling and tying with string, and submerge it in a mixture of about 1 c. flour and 1/2 c. water (it should be like pancake batter):




Step 3. Let it sit 12-24 hrs. It will foam and smell sort of like beer. Mine actually did foam, but I didn't get a picture of it because I forgot!!

Step 4. Stir and keep in the refrigerator, use as you would any sourdough starter in a bread recipe.

This is what happens when you leave it out too long:



It began to smell pretty bad... was probably plenty of bacteria in it...lysteria, MRSA and who knows what else, total disaster ;)

Deep Fried Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Here are the blossoms... Kate painstakingly filling them (next time we will use a pastry bag)... and the finished product!

Squash Blossoms, stuffed with cheese and deep fried-

This was a team effort inspired by a recent trip to Salvation Cafe in Newport, RI. They were serving up a salad on special that featured a stuffed fried squash blossom in mesculun greens.
We used summer squash blossoms but you can use zucchini blossoms as well.
Also, for the filling, Kate made homemade ricotta using Ricki's Cheese Making Kit and milk from Shaw Farm in Dracut, MA...

Here's the recipe we used:

Battered Squash Blossoms
(With or Without Stuffing)

The Batter:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fat-free chilled milk, beer or water

Cheese-Mushroom Stuffing:
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 tablespoon mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tablespoons fresh basil or parsley, minced
16 large squash blossoms, washed
Canola oil for frying

1. Prepare the batter first. Sift together dry ingredients, then whisk in milk, beer or cold water until smooth. Cover and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Leftover batter can be stored for up to two days. If it is too thick after refrigeration, add a few drops of water to return to original consistency.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing. In a bowl combine the ricotta cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, mushrooms and basil. Open the blossoms and spoon about one 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture into the center of each. Avoid overfilling the blossoms. Twist the top of each blossom together to close. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

3. Pour the oil into a skillet to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat over high heat until a small cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown within seconds.

4. Briefly dip each stuffed blossom into the batter, then carefully slip into the hot oil. Cook until golden on all sides, about three minutes total cooking time. Add only as many blossoms at a time as will fit comfortably in the skillet. Transfer with a slotted utensil to paper towels to drain briefly.

5. Sprinkle with salt, if desired and serve immediately.

NOTE: In place of the cheese-mushroom stuffing, try another of your favorite bread or meat stuffings.

Source: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension

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You only need Half of the batter that this recipe calls for. I used water, but I think beer would taste the best!!!

Chocolate Cake made with Guinness Beer...

Legend has it this recipe is from a restaurant in Great Barrington, MA.

Chocolate Stout Cake
2 cups stout (Guinness)

2 cups unsalted Butter (4 sticks)

1 1/2 cups unsweetened Dutch coco powder...(preferably Dutch-process..Droste)

4 cups flour

4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1 1/3 cups sour cream

Icing

4 cups whipping cream

2 pound bittersweet chocolate or semi sweet chopped

For cake: Preheat oven to 350*F. Butter three 8 inch round cake pans with 2 inch sides. Line the pans with parchment paper, butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to a simmer in a large heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add coco powder and whisk until smooth. Cool slightly. This is very important...cool or the hot/warm mixture will start to cook the flour mixture.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl. Add stout coco mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and briefly beat slowly. Using rubber spatula fold mixture until well combined. Divide batter evenly into cake pans. Bake until tester comes out clean about 35 minutes. Cool on racks for 10 minutes...turn cakes out on racks and cool completely.

For icing: Bring cream to simmer in heavy sauce pan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently about 2 hours. Make sure to whisk this in the refrigerator.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over cake. Refrigerate for a few minutes between each layer.. Top with second layer, spread 2/3 icing on cake. Top with final layer and spread remaining icing on cake. Refrigerate to set icing. You will have a bit of the frosting left....enjoy..but it is important to really spread the frosting on the layers and of course on top and sides..really lay it on..also DO NOT USE A STOUT BEER IN A CAN WITH A WIDGET. It ends up way too frothy and will overflow in oven...a real mess!!!