What's Baking?: Berry Rhubarb Pie

I'm back!  I hope you enjoyed Brownie's contribution to last month's What's Baking? challenge!  This month, the challenge was to bake something using seasonal ingredients, chosen by Adventures in My Kitchen.  This was actually pretty simple for me, because I recently signed up for a CSA through Horse and Buggy Produce!  Every Wednesday, I get a box of fresh, local, seasonal produce delivered straight to my doorstep!  And because of it, I have tried kale, Swiss chard, bok choy, and a whole host of other yummy vegetables for the first time!  When last week's box arrived, I received rhubarb and some frozen blackberries from a previous year's harvest.  That was all the inspiration I needed!  I've never made a rhubarb pie before, and the boyfriend said that he had a great recipe, so he and I tackled this one together!  There wasn't a whole lot of rhubarb in the box, so we adapted his recipe to use some berries in it, too.  It turned out deliciously!

Berry Rhubarb Pie (from Andrew, original source unknown)

• Your favorite double pie crust recipe (or two store-bought refrigerated pie crusts if you're starting this project at 9 pm on a weeknight)
• 4 Tbl. butter, divided
• 6 Tbl. flour, divided
• 1 c. sugar, divided
• 2 c. chopped rhubarb
• 2 c. assorted mixed berries (we used blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries), drained of excess liquid if they were previously frozen
• 2 eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 450* F.  Put one of the pie crusts into the bottom of a 9" pie plate.  Melt 2 Tbl. of the butter, and lightly brush the crust with it.  You may not need the full 2 Tbl.  Chill the crust.

Combine 2 Tbl. of flour with 2 Tbl. of sugar.  Sprinkle over the chilled pastry.  Mix the rhubarb and berries together, and then mound them in the crust.  Mix the remaining flour and sugar with the eggs, and pour this mixture over the rhubarb and berries.  Dot with the remaining 2 Tbl. of butter.  Fit the top crust over the bottom one, trimming and sealing the edges.  Make sure to cut steam vents!

Bake the pie in the preheated oven at 450*F for 15 minutes.  Shield the edges of the pie with foil or a metal pie shield.  Drop the temperature to 350*F, and continue cooking for another 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.  Enjoy a new way to get your vegetables!

What's Baking: Challah and Pain Polka

It's that time again--another What's Baking? post! The challenge this month was to bake something involving yeast. Despite having made pizza dough last night, I decided to bake TWO things with yeast because I just love carbs that much.

And I have a confession to make--despite that love of carbs, I had never eaten challah before today. This presented a slight problem as I was making it--I knew that it was going to be a rich, brioche-like bread, but having never tasted it, I had to just trust in my recipe *gasp* with no intuition for texture. I've also only braided dandelions before, having only ever had fairly short hair, so doing a 4-plait braid took a couple of attempts. But if I can do it, you certainly can!

Without further ado, the recipes:

Challah
Recipe from Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter's The Bread and Bread Machine Bible

1.25 pounds flour (you should use bread flour; I was out of vital wheat gluten so I used plain AP)
2 tsp salt
.75 oz fresh yeast (I used dried and cut the amount down)
1 cup lukewarm water
2 Tbsp caster/superfine sugar (I used normal granulated)
2 eggs
6 Tbsp butter/marg, melted and cooled slightly (I used marg because I'm a cheapskate)

Proof yeast in a bit of the water with the sugar.  Stir the flour and salt together.  If you're doing this by hand, make a well and start adding the liquid ingredients to form a soft dough.  If you're doing this in a mixer, you can just start off with the dough hook (no paddle necessary) and add the yeast-water, eggs, and butter (make sure it's not still hot).  Knead for 10 min by hand or 6 min by mixer (low to medium speed).
Let rise 1 hour, then punch it down and let rise another hour.  This is a good time to go grocery shopping, say, if you used up your last eggs on the dough and need another for the glaze.

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (if you're doing a 4-plaited braid; you can do more or fewer if you wish).  Stretch/roll them to about 18 inches in length--I just went by the length of my cookie sheet (smaller than a half sheet); I think they were about 1.25 inches in diameter at this point.

Squeeze one end of each strand together to form the end of the braid.  Now imagine that going from right to left, your strands are A-B-C-D (so D-C-B-A).  Move A over B and C over D.  Then take D (your original D, not the new left-most strand) and pull it over top so that it's between A and B.  Now relabel the strands A-B-C-D (D-C-B-A) and repeat.  Squeeze together the ends of the braid (it's okay if one strand is longer; it brings it to a nice taper) and let proof another 30-45 minutes.

Mix an egg yolk with 1 Tbl water and brush onto your proofed plait.  Sprinkle with poppy seeds if you like and bake at 400 degrees for about 30-40 min, until just browned.  I usually poke my breads with a thermometer to be sure--if they've hit 200 degrees, they're done (99% of the time).  Soft breads like challah and brioche are done at a lower temp.

The verdict?  I'm not sure if this is what challah is supposed to taste like, but it's darned good.  I cut off a bit of the end to check out the crumb, and upon trying said piece, I was surprised to see how light it is.  It's not that much butter in there, and although the crumb looks dense it's quite springy and soft, like a nice dinner roll.  I've heard that challah makes killer French toast, so if there are leftovers, that's where this is going!





Pain Polka
Recipe from Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter's The Bread and Bread Machine Bible

8 oz leftover dough (I used some leftover pizza dough from last night), divided into pieces
.25 oz fresh yeast (again, I used dried and cut this amount down)
1-1.25 cups lukewarm water (I used just over 1 but my pizza dough was pretty hydrated)
16 oz bread flour (again, I used AP)
1 Tbsp salt

I neglected Christine and Jennie's directions for mixing and just went on the basic "flour + proofed yeast-water + other ingredients," mixed it a bit, then threw in my dough pieces and kneaded for 4-5 minutes in my mixer until the dough became smooth.

Let rise in a bowl for about 1.5 hours, then punch down on a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball.  Place on baking sheet and let rise for another hour until doubled.

Sprinkle flour over the top of the loaf and cut the boule fairly deeply in perpendicular direction. Be careful with your slashing motion to get a consistent depth across the loaf.

Because I didn't.

Let rest for 10 minutes, then bake on a baking stone (if possible) in a preheated 450 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until browned.  If you have a spritzer bottle, spray the oven several times in the first 15 min of baking.  If you don't you can put a dish with ice cubes/cold water in the bottom of your oven to generate steam.  Using the baking stone cut the time down to about 20 minutes for me. 

You probably noticed that both these recipes come from the same book.  I bought it several years ago (2009 edition) when I started baking bread.  There's a new edition coming out in July which you can preorder on Amazon for $13 at present.   I've only made a handful of recipes from this book as I rarely use cookbooks, but the Georgian Khatchapuri recipe is another one that is to die for--I think I've made it 6 times now.  Disclaimer: I don't know the authors and don't profit personally from the sale of the book or you clicking the link provided.  I just think it's a informative, well-illustrated book with some great formulas in there.

What's Baking: Baileys Cream Pie

It's that time again--another What's Baking? post! The challenge this month was to bake something St. Patrick's Day-inspired. After thinking about car bomb cupcakes or some sort of car bomb cheesecake, I realized I was short on time and needed something that would come together a little more quickly. The boyfriend wanted to make butterscotch pie (his specialty), but that's obviously not very Irish! However, it did get me thinking about cream pies. Now, I love cream pies. I've made Spiked Eggnog Cream Pie and Butterscotch Pie in the past, and I've enjoyed eating many other kinds. But how could I make it Irish? Then it hit me--Baileys Cream Pie! I've never had it before, but I love Baileys Irish Cream (who doesn't, really?!), and I love cream pies, so why not combine them?

I've adapted Martha Stewart's Rum-Vanilla Cream Pie recipe for other purposes before, and it has always worked well, so that was my starting point here, as well, but I adapted it very heavily. Interestingly enough, it didn't occur to me to simply Google "Irish cream pie recipe" until after I had finished making the pie. I was curious, so I did, and most of the ones that I saw involved Cool Whip or boxed pudding mix or things like that, so I think this is a fairly unique recipe. I am both happy and sad to report that it was gobbled up so quickly that I did not get a chance to take a picture. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Baileys Cream Pie (a Brownies and Blondies original)

• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. Baileys Irish Cream (or other Irish Cream liqueur)
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• 4 Tbl. butter, softened
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Pre-baked graham cracker crust (I used regular, but chocolate would be fantastic!)

Combine sugar, salt, Irish Cream, and milk in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture just starts to bubble (unless you want to cook the alcohol off, in which case, boil it for a good two minutes, stirring frequently). Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolks and cornstarch in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth and thick.

Once the milk mixture starts to bubble, remove from heat. Temper the egg yolk mixture by slowly drizzling and stirring in about 1 c. of the hot milk mixture. Once tempered, add the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan of milk, and return it to the heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens significantly.

Remove pan from heat and stir in the softened butter, 1 Tbl. at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Pour the custard into the graham cracker crust, and press plastic wrap over the surface of the custard, working out any air bubbles. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. Feel free to top it with whipped cream for serving, if you like. Enjoy!

Brownie Returns--Super Bowl Strawberries

So I hope I'm not looking too much like a one-trick pony with the strawberries I did last year and now strawberries again.  I was between these and football shaped devil dogs (whoopie pies for anyone not related to us), and the strawberries seemed like they offered some redeeming health value.

Without further ado, here are your instructions--

1. Dip strawberries in melted chocolate.  I prefer it to be a bit on the darker side, so I use half milk and half semisweet (because I didn't have any actual dark chocolate).  Go for whatever combination you like.  I'd suggest dipping in a deep, narrow-necked vessel to give you maximum coating time (it gets tricky towards the end if you have a shallow chocolate puddle).  My new trick is spearing the berries on a toothpick and then sticking them into styrofoam (that I've covered with foil just in case).  It doesn't really matter for these since they'll be decorated, but it's good for getting a smoother finish.  If you happen to overcrowd your styrofoam and can't insert a berry along the edge, stick a second toothpick in from the opposite side and give it a quick jab.  The toothpick will go into the styrofoam and you can pull the top one out--as long as the chocolate hasn't become tacky it will fill the hole right back in!

The speared strawberries

Resting on a tray that had been in the freezer

Decisions, decisions

2. Decide on your weapon of choice.   On the left, we have a microwaveable decorating bottle.  Convenient for melting, but the tip size isn't adjustable.  Mine worked fine for the lines, but not the laces--too thick a bead for my taste.  On the right, a FREEZER quality plastic bag.  Regular storage bags tend to split.  You'll go through two of them and end up spending the same amount of money with more frustration.  Or you could be classy and use a decorating bag and tip.  That would probably work best.

3. Pipe your first line--go as close to the top as you can.  You want to go a little more than half way around, since the strawberry might be viewed from the side.  It's easiest to start off the berry and finish off the berry.  Repeat with the smaller line 1/4 to 1/3 up from the bottom.

The straightness of my lines left something to be desired...

4. Add the laces line.  By this time your white chocolate may have cooled, leaving you with slight bumps where the cooled chocolate clogs the tip.  You should reheat it so yours look better than mine.  I just soldiered on because I was tired.

They're even somewhat football-shaped!

5.  Add your laces--4 or 5 of them.  Do your top and bottom ones first, and then see if you think you can fit 3 more.  If so, do the middle first.  Here's your comparison shot--the left strawberry laces were done with the bottle (thicker lines) and the right ones were done with a plastic bag.


6.  GO NEW ENGLAND!

What's Baking: Kitchen Sink Cookies

It's that time of month again--the one time that I actually update the blog. It's time for What's Baking? This month's theme was snow day treats. When I started thinking about the theme, I realized that if it's really snowy out, I'm not going to want to be driving to the grocery store to buy all sorts of ingredients to make something. So, when I thought of a snow day treat, I thought of something simple, something that I could make with ingredients that I already had on hand.

Now, if you're anything like me, you've always got partial bags of baking chips, nuts, etc. lying around the cupboards because a recipe called for 1 c. or 3/4 c., and you never got around to using up the rest. Well, today, I'm going to share with you a simple cookie recipe that I call kitchen sink cookies, because you can add in whatever mix-ins you want, except maybe the kitchen sink, and you can use up all those partial bags! In my case, the mix-ins were coconut, walnuts, hazelnuts, and white chocolate (about 3/4 c. coconut, 1 c. white chocolate, 1/2 c. walnuts, and 3/4 c. hazelnuts) chips, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand--baking chips, nuts, candies, or whatever else is lying around your cupboard!

Kitchen Sink Cookies (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 c. butter, melted
• 1 c. white sugar
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 c. mix-ins of your choice

Sift or whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla into the butter/sugar mixture. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and stir until mostly combined. Add in the mix-ins, and mix until combined. Refrigerate for approximately 1 hr.

Drop cookies by rounded tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 325* F for 12 minutes, or until the edges are set. Take the cookie sheet out of the oven, and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for another 10 minutes before removing them. Makes ~2 dozen.

The boyfriend said that these were the best cookies that I had ever made after devouring about 4 of them in a row! So, I encourage you to try these out next time you're snowed in or just need an excuse to clean out the baking cupboard!

What's Baking?: Brownies!

So, I didn't participate in last month's What's Baking? challenge. Lame, I know, but the theme was a savory baked good, and this blog is all about sweets, so I decided to pass. When this month's theme, brownies, rolled around, I knew that I had to participate! We were to make a brownie recipe from scratch. Surprisingly enough, this is something that I only really started doing relatively recently. I used to be a big fan of boxed brownie mixes (especially if you substitute rum or your favorite wine or liqueur for the water that it calls for--try it some time!!!). But then, I discovered a brownie recipe that puts all others to shame. And, it's easy! Boxed brownies are a thing of the past, for me. And the best part about this recipe is that it's highly adaptable! This time, I added spiced rum, butterscotch chips, and hazelnuts because that's what I had on hand and what I wanted to use up. But I've added chopped Oreos, peanut butter chips, a cheesecake swirl, and marshmallows and graham crackers with success. That's the beauty of a good brownie recipe. So, while I'm sharing a recipe with you, I encourage you to experiment! Play around with what appeals to you!



Fudgy Brownies (brownie base from David Lebovitz)

• 1 stick of butter
• 2/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips
• Scant 1 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 c. spiced rum*
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. flour
• 3/4 c. chopped hazelnuts**
• 3/4 c. butterscotch chips**

Combine the butter and chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until chocolate is softened. Stir until the chocolate and butter are combined. Stir in the sugar, then the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla and rum (*note: feel free to substitute any liqueur or liquor that suits your fancy, here). Add the flour and salt and mix until mostly combined. Stir in your mix-ins (**again, feel free to substitute whatever you like!) until everything is mixed.

Pour into a greased 9x9 or 8x8" pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350*F, or until a toothpick inserted 1" from the edge comes out clean.

These brownies will be extremely gooey and soft out of the oven, so if you want to eat them warm, plan on doing so with a spoon. They'll set up a bit as they cool, but they are still an extremely rich, fudgy brownie (just the way I like them!). The taste of the liqueur/liquor is subtle, but it definitely adds a little something-something to the brownie! The combinations of flavors and mix-ins are endless, so play around until you find what works for you!

What's Baking?: Mulled Wine Cupcakes

It's that time again! Another What's Baking? challenge. This month's challenge was to make something with fall flavors, preferably other than apple and pumpkin. What a task! When I was pondering what other things come to mind when I think of fall, my mind went from hot apple cider to mulled wine. I love wine in any form, as anyone who knows me well (or even not so well!) knows, but there's nothing better on a chilly fall day than a warm glass of mulled wine. So, I decided to make it in cupcake form! Mulled wine is good. Cupcakes are good. So, wine + cupcakes = extra good!


I combined a couple recipes here and was pretty pleased with the results. I thought the spices turned out a little overpowering in the cupcake, so the recipe below has been adjusted to reflect that. If you're looking for more of a spice cupcake, feel free to double the spices.

Mulled Wine Cupcakes (cupcakes adapted from Missouri Wine, frosting adapted from Sprinkle Bakes)

Cupcakes

• 1 ½ cups of flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
  
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup red wine (I used a Cabernet Sauvignon from Horton Vineyards)
  

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside. Cream together brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the the eggs, one at a time. Add half of the flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Add the wine, and beat it in. Finally, add the remaining flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated.

Portion out into greased muffin tins (I got 10 cupcakes, but the original recipe yield is 12). Bake for 20-25 min at 350 degrees F, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Frosting

• 1 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
  
• Pinch salt
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• Pinch cloves

Combine the red wine and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the mixture is reduced to a thick syrup of approximately 1/3 c. Off the heat, stir in cinnamon and cloves. Cool completely.

Cream together butter and red wine syrup. Mix in confectioner's sugar and salt until smooth and silky. Frost cupcakes. Devour.