It’s 2016! And, with the new year :: nuovo anno a lot of new detox recipes are coming soon, but before I get to those, here is a super delicious whipped mandarin mascarpone recipe to finish off those leftover pies, cakes and, if you’re in Italy, panettone. CONTINUE READING
My family and I live over 5000 miles apart, but we were doing the same thing this weekend: harvesting. My brothers’ and their families got together at my parent’s house in Washington State for their annual “Harvest Weekend” where they picked apples :: mele and made apple cider, apple pies, apple crisps, dried apples and apple sauce. It’s one of my favorite family traditions. There is a lot of Continue Reading
Almost every week I find myself at the farmer’s market ::mercato degli agricoltori in the small town of Correggio, Italy where I live. I shift my weight back and forth on the cobble stone street as I diligently wait my turn in line. I sometimes have a grocery list, but most often I just let my eyes do the shopping. What new produce has my favorite stand brought to the square this week? What recipes come to mind as I gaze at the colorful display?
I’m not a good baker; I have a hard time following recipes where I have to have precise measurements and follow instructions. My first baking flop was when I was 8 or 9 and I made brownies using a box mix. There were three ingredients required: an egg, oil and the mix. I forgot the oil. The result was disastrous; my oldest brother Cliff still teases me about it to this day. Embarrassing? Absolutely.
Flash forward 22 years later, and I’m still not a good baker. Certainly I won’t mess up a three ingredient recipe, but throughout the last year of blogging, I have definitely had a lot of baking disasters (photos to come). Baking is chemistry. Things don’t work if you put in too little of one ingredient or not enough of another.
I like to experiment and create: a pinch of this, a dash of that. Unless I am writing a recipe for the blog, I don’t use measurements. It becomes a 100% engaging sensory process. I tried to recreate this same sensation with baking and gave it a go by inventing a whole wheat crust; let’s just say, I haven’t yet learned enough about the nitty-gritty elements of baking chemistry—my crust was absolutely inedible! Really, it was bad. I ate the filling but since I used 100% whole wheat flour and reduced the amount of butter to try to make it healthier, it turned out to be a flavorless hard rock. (If someone knows a good book or website on baking 101 or baking chemistry, leave a comment below.)
I really wanted to make this rustic swiss chard, feta and gorgonzola tart for a dinner party. So, to help me with my baking dilemma, I headed over to Food52, one of my favorite cooking blogs, for some advice on a whole wheat rustic tart crust. The recipe I found uses whole wheat and half all-purpose flour as well as a good portion of butter. I adapted this recipe ever so slightly and was impressed by the results: a delicious flaky buttery crust.
The thing I like about rustic tarts is that their imperfections are what make them simply beautiful. The crust is higher in one spot, the filling overflows in another, there are cracks or maybe uneven brown spots on the surface. All of these little flaws create a simple, rustic masterpiece; like life itself.
If you want to make a sweet tart with fruit, just add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar to the dough or sprinkle some sugar on top of the dough after you’ve added the egg wash. And, you? Have you ever had some baking disasters?
This rustic Swiss chard, feta and gorgonzola tart is the perfect thing to make when you want to slow down for a moment and make something with your hands.
1.10 ounces(730G) Swiss chard (or spinach), stems removed from the leaves
1 block (200g) Feta
20 walnut halves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Handful of gorgonzola or blue cheese crumbles
1 egg, beaten
Instructions
For the crust:
Chop up your butter, place it on a plate and stick it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
In a medium bowl mix together the flours and salt. Dump in the cold butter and toss with
the flour so it’s covered. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter, two knives or using a
snapping motion with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly and is the size of peas.
Add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing just until the dough comes together as a ball. Pat the ball into a flat disc, wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or even overnight.
For the filling:
Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the Swiss chard stems. Cook for about 5
minutes then add the leaves and cook for another 3 minutes or until wilted and soft.
Drain well and place in a large bowl. Let cool then chop.
For the assembly:
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Flour your rolling pin and roll the dough into a circle on a piece of parchment paper or silicon mat. The sides might be irregular; that’s okay, imperfections are beautiful. Slide the parchment paper or silicon mat with the rolled out dough onto a cookie sheet.
Crumble the feta into the bowl with the Swiss chard and add the walnuts, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir until everything is evenly combined. Pour the filling into the center of the dough, leaving about a 1 inch border. Fold the edges towards the center.
Sprinkle the gorgonzola or blue cheese on top.
Brush the crust with egg wash and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is golden.
Remove from the oven and let the rustic tart sit for 5 minutes before cutting into slices.
I am so behind! I made these delicious mini cherry pies a few weeks ago and have yet to write about them. Where does the time go? Before too long cherries will be out of season and I’ll have to update the recipe with mini apple pies. Speaking of which, that’s not a bad idea. I’ll have to add it to my list. Although I haven’t tested their baking times, you could experiment with any kind of fruit filling :: ripieno di frutta like blueberries, apples, peaches or rhubarb. If you do use another filling, let me know how they turn out and if you needed to adjust the baking time.
I’ve seen a lot of markets and grocery stores :: supermercati slashing prices on cherries. If you’ve taken advantage of a good deal but now are staring at a box (or boxes) of cherries and don’t know what to do with them all, these mini cherry pies are a great solution. Of course, you could could easily make a regular pie and call it a day; but, there is something about “mini” things that just are more appealing. Take my little Fiat 500, for example. It’s cuteness factor increases just for being so small. (Although, I’m sure if I drove this in the states a lot of truck drivers would laugh at the lego car on the road! I should have really taken the photo with me next to the car so you can get a feel for how tiny it is.)
Although these mini cherry pies :: tortine di ciliegie require a bit more time in the kitchen due to their cute little lattice tops, it’s definitely worth it—especially if you have guests you want to impress. I mean, who doesn’t want a pie all to themselves? You get that same rush of happiness you do on your birthday when you know that someone made something special just for you. I served these mini cherry pies with fior di latte gelato, which is basically a neutral white gelato.
The classic vanilla would of course accompany these perfectly, and for an extra splash of flavor add a dash of aged balsamic vinegar or sprinkle a bit of cinnamon :: cannella on top. Buon appetito!
These mini cherry pies are perfect for BBQ's and potluck dinners. You don't even need silverware or plates to serve them. Just pick one up and take a bite!
Measure out the soy milk and add the vinegar to create homemade buttermilk. Store in the refrigerator.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, sugar and cinnamon.
Cut up the butter into small pieces and add it to the bowl. Mix. (Easiest if using a pastry cutter, but I just used a rubber spatula.)
Add the buttermilk and vodka. Mix until the dough starts to stick together. Add water by the tablespoon, if necessary. Divide the dough into 2 balls, wrap each ball in plastic and flatten slightly to form a disc. Refrigerator at least 1 hour or up to two days.
In the meantime, make the filling. In a medium bowl, combine the cherries, lemon juice, sugar, salt, cornstarch, vanilla extract, almond extract and cinnamon.
When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
Take out one disc of dough and place on a floured workspace. Roll out the dough until it is around ¼-inch thick. Flour a round cutter or top of a glass/jar (about 3½ inches round) and punch out 6 circles. Place the circles in the in an ungreased muffin tin and slightly press down the sides. Gather the scraps and wrap in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. Take out the other disc and repeat the process so that the muffin tin is full. Cut the remaining dough into 48 narrow strips, use the chilled dough in the freezer if necessary.
Divide the filling among the 12 muffin cups. Put four strips on each muffin and weave together in a lattice pattern. Trim and press the edges together to seal each cup.
In a small bowl, whisk egg white and water together and brush over the lattice tops. Sprinkle with raw sugar.
Bake for 30-32 minutes. Cool mini pies on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before sliding them out of the muffin pan. (I used a knife to prop them up and they easily came out).
Note: If you have extra dough, you can make cinnamon and sugar sticks. Simply cut it into strips, twist into a spiral and lay on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Combine a bit of sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle on top and bake at 400°F (204°C) until the top is golden brown and the inside well cooked.