Fancy Pear Tart

Want to get me rousted out of bed and out the door early on a Saturday morning?  Well I have two words for you:  Amish farmers!  Like, horse and buggy, white bonnet, friendly bearded Amish people selling the fruits and veggies from their farms.  The Saturday market in Tower Grove features a few Amish farmstands, and because I have zero self control, I found myself at home that afternoon with about six pounds of pears.  

My husband and I made a deal.  I would make him a pear tart if he would make me a pear-based cocktail.  So I googled and googled, and as soon as I saw the words "butterscotch pastry cream" thrown in, I was sold.   Never mind that I had never made a tart before.  A tart is just a shallower pie, right?

With the holidays approaching, it's time to think about festive treats that solicit "ooohs" and "aaaahs" from your party hosts.  This tart fits that bill perfectly.  While it has a few different components, they can all be made ahead of time, and the tart assembles in a snap.  People are always impressed when you make your own pie crust, and this one does not disappoint. 

Preserved Grapefruit Segments with Mint Syrup

So I canned some yummy grapefruit the other night...

...they were little segments of deliciousness...
...soaked in a fragrant mint syrup...

...tasty on their own, but oh so good with some softly whipped cream.
And then I decided to candy the grapefruit peels at 9:00 at night...
...which may not have been the best idea...
...but that's a story for another day.

Preserved Grapefruit Segments with Mint Syrup
Recipe from Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff

I ♥ Canning

Is winter over yet?? That seems to be a sentiment I’m hearing from a lot of people, and I’m afraid I have to concur. I know that technically we just had the first day of spring, but in my neck of the woods it feels like the sun will never shine again. Ok, so maybe that’s being a little dramatic, but I can’t help it, I’m ready for some sun! That’s why today I’m going to talk about canning, because those jars up there are like bottled sunshine to me.
Sounds silly I know, but that’s just how much joy this little hobby has brought me over the past year. My first venture into the world of canning and preserving was when I canned some apricot and strawberry jams for a special little party last summer. Unfortunately for the recipients, the jams could have used a little bit of work. Sorry guys! It was only my first attempt! But I at least learned the canning process, and after one time I was hooked. I quickly started getting my hands on as much fresh produce as I could and became a canning fool. Every trip to the farmer’s market was an exciting adventure into what I could can next. What could I put-up with fruits such as these?
And what tasty creations would come from these beautiful veggies?

What I've Been Eating!

Here's a quick little glimpse into a few meals I've cooked over the past couple of months that I've really enjoyed. I know posts have been a little sparse around these parts; I think I tend to go through phases where I get more caught up in the preparation and consumption of the food I make, and the photo taking and blog writing fall by the wayside a bit. That being said, I realized today that there has been some really tasty stuff being eaten that I should have been sharing with you all, so I'm going to try and do that right now. Sound good? Ok then.

Let's start with the Sea Bass with Swiss Chard and Piquillo Pepper Sauce pictured above. The recipe for that came from Cindy Pawlcyn's Big Small Plates cookbook, which I absolutely adore. I also absolutely adore Cindy Pawlcyn, who is a local celebrity chef, and the owner of 3 restaurants in the Napa Valley. I've seen her out and about at the farmer's market a few times, and at her restaurants a couple of times, so I think I can say that the two of us are friends now right? She even signed my copy of her cookbook, so I mean, yeah, were friends.

So my friend Cindy has some pretty great recipes, and this is one of them. The fish is simply prepared with salt and pepper, sauteed in a little olive oil, and served over some spicy Swiss chard with a flavorful and smooth piquillo pepper sauce. Yes I realize the sauce in that photo appears a very strange neon color, but trust me that in person it doesn't look as if it was something out of a zombie movie. Another meal that didn't exactly photograph brilliantly, is this oh-so-gosh-darn-good seafood curry:
I don't think that curry is one of those things that usually photographs well though, especially the brown and red ones. Even though they may taste amazing, they can be a little unappealing visually in my opinion. But maybe that's because I'm kind of late to the game when it comes to curry, and never really tried it until last year. I didn't know what I was missing out on though. It has quickly become one of my favorite things to eat, and this recipe that I tried out of Bon Appetit magazine has quickly become one of my favorite meals.

The curry paste is easy to make, and just involves a quick blend of some ginger, jalapeno, herbs and spices. That gets sauteed in a pan for a few minutes, and then a can of coconut milk goes in, and you've got a delicious green curry sauce. Just toss in some veggies & some seafood (I usually do green beans, red pepper, shrimp, and scallops), and you've got yourself a delicious dinner. I don't usually repeat recipes that often, but I've made this at least 3-4 times over the past few months.
And then there was the day I ate these pancakes. Hoo boy these were ridiculous. Ricotta pancakes, topped with toasted almonds, mango, strawberries and an orange maple syrup. They were very loosely adapted from this recipe in Food and Wine Magazine, and were light and fluffy and I loved the combination of orange and maple syrup. Yum.

Now back to dinner foods. I made these Chipotle Winter Greens & Buttermilk Grits one cold and yucky night and they warmed us right up. Once again, maybe not the most appealing looking bowl of food, but trust me when I say it was delicious. Smoky and slightly spicy winter greens, served over a healthy helping of creamy grits. I sauteed some mushrooms with the greens for a little extra protein, and added Parmesan cheese to the grits, because cheese is always a good thing.
Last but not least, I want to share with you the meal I made for Valentine's Day this year. Clockwise from upper left, Fried Chickpeas with Sage & Lemon, Parsley and Endive Salad, Homemade Pasta with Lobster Cream Sauce, and Champagne, which is an essential part of the cooking process. I loved every single one of these recipes, and will definitely be sharing them with you all in full detail in the future. But for now here's just a taste.
Thanks for letting me share! Hope all of you out there are enjoying some good eating yourselves!

Plum Blueberry Upside Down Cake

After two crazy weeks filled with engagement and 4th of July festivities, John and I were very excited to spend this weekend putzing around the house putting photos in frames and clearing out the DVR.  The best part of the weekend was when I got to cozy up in my chair with this beauty, freshly plucked from my library's shelves...

If you don't read David Lebovitz's blog, go give it a looksee.  Mr. Lebovitz is an incredible pastry chef and writer.  I want him to move next door and be my sassy gay man-friend.  However, seeing that he lives in Paris, I don't think he'll be packing up and moving to Culver City any time soon.  Ready for Dessert is his "greatest hits" of sorts, a collection of the most popular recipes from his early cookbooks that are now out of print.  Many are very European and complicated and fancy, but on a lazy Sunday after a trip to the farmers' market, this simple upside down cake was the perfect way to end the weekend.

Piesignment #2 - Allison's Three Berry Pie

I have something I need to say about pies. They don't scare me. Never have, never will. I know this may sound a little cocky, or maybe a little silly to those of you who are also unafraid of pies, but I just had to put that out there. See, I hear all the time about the fear that pie crust instills in people, and I just don't get it. I guess I can see how it would be daunting; all that talk about keeping things super cold you think you'd have to live in Alaska to make an ok crust. Or how about the very specific instruction that the butter must be pea-sized before mixing in the liquid? I still don't know if I've ever achieved the perfect pea-sized piece of butter. And then there's the rolling out, and the horror stories of pie crust sticking and tearing, and ok this does sound a little terrifying.
But here's the thing, the most important thing about pie crust: homemade pie crust always taste better than store-bought, always! At least, that's what has been my experience. And so even if you mess something up, or it looks a little funky, you're still way ahead of the game in the taste department. When I began to bake about ten years ago, one of the very first things I ever made was pie, and since then I have continued to bake pies probably more than any other dessert. There usually is a pie of mine at every family gathering, every summer BBQ, and don’t get me started on Thanksgiving when the baking starts two days before the event and usually ends in 5 or 6 different pies.

Why so much pie? Part of it I think is because pie is just so darn simple to make, and anything that’s simple appeals to the lazy side of me. That’s right, pie is simple! Especially fruit pies. Because most pie crust recipes use the same method (cut cold fats into flour until it looks like coarsemeal, drizzle with a cold liquid and mix until it just comes together), the only part you really have to memorize are the ingredients. So once you’ve got the method down, and the ingredient portions memorized, you will never need a recipe again! Trust me, you'll love the feeling of having a pie crust recipe under your belt; it's like having a secret dessert weapon in your arsenal at all times.

Pie Spectacular #1 - Allison's Sweet Cherry Pie

When it came to the first piesignment for our Summer Pie Spectacular, I didn't think too far out of the box. This is just a traditional lattice-topped, slice of Americana kind of pie. It's the kind of pie that makes me think of Fourth of July BBQ's, state fair baking competitions, and pie-eating contests. To me, cherry pie has such a retro feel to it that it takes me back in time. Back to those days that people like to refer to as "simpler." It makes me think of a pie being cooled on a windowsill (if that sort of thing actually occurs), the scent enticing those who walk by to try and steal a piece. Which is exactly what I attempted to do before realizing my windowsills were not made to accommodate pies, and that I live out in the boonies so if there was somebody happening to be walking by I would be more freaked out than charmed.

I may not have been able to make my homespun vision a reality, but I was able conjure up some of those images while making and enjoying this good old fashioned pie. The pie itself isn't completely traditional though. I did jazz up the filling a bit with some Cointreau and almond extract. I love the combination of almond and cherries, and the citrus kick from the liqueur was the perfect counterbalance. I would love to make a cherry pie with fresh sour cherries which are traditionally used in cherry pie, but unfortunately we just don't see those around these parts. So I went with the sweet cherry varieties that are available instead. I used half Bing and half Rainier which are both very sweet and very delicious in their own different ways.

I'll admit that I had never tried Rainier cherries before last week. I kept passing them over at the farmer's market; maybe it was something about their yellowish hue that didn't appeal to me? I don't know what it was, but I had gone my entire life without consuming one. But when I set out to make pie for this assignment I knew that I couldn't possibly make a sweet cherry pie without trying all the different varieties. Once I popped one in my mouth however, it was love at first taste. These yellow beauties were even sweeter than the Bing cherries that they would be sharing a pie with. I'm just bummed I have been missing out on them this whole time!

Apricot Hand Pies

Ah summertime, there’s nothing quite like it. Each day is a little longer, a little warmer, a little more magical than the one before it. It’s the perfect time for casual entertaining, trips to the beach, camping with friends, and these delicious little hand pies. Because just one of the many things that is great about this dessert is how portable they are, and they would be more than welcome at any of those places I just mentioned. Sure they take a little bit more work to put together than your average pie, but when you get to your destination with a container full of little packages of flaky crust and juicy fruit that need little more than a pair of hands to enjoy, you’ll agree that it’s well worth it.
Summer and pie just happen to go hand in hand (pun intended), and we here at Butter + Cream love our pie any way we can get it. Whether it be covered in a lattice top, filled with a creamy filling, topped with whipped cream, or folded up into a handy treat, they’re allll good. In fact, we love pie so much, this summer we are having what we like to call the Butter + Cream Pie Spectacular! We will be putting up piesignments twice a month and hopefully all of you will play along with us. Click here to catch up on all the details. So needless to say, pie is going to be a very good friend around these parts for awhile, and I can't think of a better way to kick of the summer of pie than with these portable tasty treats.
These hand pies are so good it's ridiculous. Imagine a big bite of your favorite fruit, encased in a buttery flaky crust that fits in the palm of your hand. This is definitely a dessert for anyone whose favorite part of pie is the crust (you know who you are), because there tends to be a higher ratio of it to the fruit. The pies are completely customizable and can be filled with whatever type of fruit or filling your heart desires. I’m a sucker for any fruit or vegetable with a short growing season as it seems to make every bite that much more extraordinary. Which meant that when apricots started showing up at the weekly farmer’s market, I knew I had to make something special out of them that would showcase the fleeting fruit, because blink and they’ll be gone.

Vanilla Pudding with Baked Rhubarb

Oh do I love me some pudding. Whether it be chocolate, rice, tapioca, butterscotch, you name the pudding and I'll be delving my spoon into it. There's just something so comforting and satisfying about a big bowl of pudding. Especially when it's homemade. Don't get me wrong, I'll eat a pudding cup every now and again, but homemade pudding tastes much less artificial, more luscious and decadent.

Which brings me to this pudding recipe, which is definitely more decadent than some of the other pudding recipes out there. The original recipe calls for whole milk, egg yolks, and half a stick of butter. I tweaked it a little bit, using low-fat milk, and half the butter, and still ended up with a very rich and thick pudding. Chock full of flecks of vanilla bean and topped with some sweetly tart baked rhubarb, this pudding gets elevated to a whole nother level of deliciousness.

I used what will probably be the last of the rhubarb this season in my neck of the woods, so I realize that it may not be a topping option for much longer. Which is why I provided several other topping ideas at the end of the recipe. Because I could see foresee using this pudding as a template for so many different flavor combinations. I can also foresee just eating spoonfuls of it plain, standing next to the fridge with the door open, which is what I'm about to go do now.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

 In the great cake vs. pie debate, I've always sat squarely on Team Cake.  Don't get me wrong, I won't turn down a warm piece of apple pie with a scoop of ice cream on top if someone else is making it.  But when it comes to how I want to celebrate my birthday or special occasion, there better be a big tall cake with a hefty dose of chocolate.  Not so for BFF Jill.  For her birthday, she wanted pie.  Fruit pie.  If cake is my comfort zone, fruit pie is the middle seat on an airplane wearing spanx that are one size too small.

When I brought up my baking plans to some friends, I learned that a lot of people are serious about their love for pie.  And then I made this strawberry rhubarb pie with a lattice-topped crust, and now I'm confused.  Why have I spent the last 26 years avoiding homemade pie dough?  And why did it take this long for me to eat my first rhubarb?  And what's so great about cake anyway?  Ok, maybe I'm getting carried away, but I assure you that this pie is a summer classic, and a huge crowd pleaser.  And I'm thinking a lot about pie.  More on that later...  But for now, let's talk about pie dough.

Raspberry Rhubarb Cobbler

This past weekend my boyfriend and I took a spontaneous and completely relaxing trip to Lake Tahoe. Activities included: handling live crabs, reading numerous celebrity magazines, falling knee deep in snow, sleeping in, and stuffing ourselves with comfort food. Now that's my kind of vacation.

And the weather couldn't have been more gorgeous. Bright and sunny, with just barely a hint of chill in the air. There were still plenty of piles of freshly fallen snow, that made me reconsider my recent complaints about winter weather. Because there really is something so spectacularly beautiful about fresh snow.
Especially when you combine it with summer-like weather. What a kick it was to walk through a mile of snow to reach a sunny, sandy beach that could have been warm enough to sunbathe. It's enough to make you want to stay awhile.