Kitchen Code

It seems that the best recipes are always the ones we never write down. A dash here, a pinch there or until it tastes right are all common enough measurements in my family. I was recently assigned the task of transcribing a few of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Loose recipes torn from our favorite magazines, and more commonly ones written on scratch paper, fill the green file folder that holds all of our classic sides, sweets and stuffings.Most of the recipes were easy enough to decipher, but the real challenge came from my mother's cranberry sauce. It reads, ''Skin Dice Pears, 3/4 cups, sugar over pears, put enough water, add clove, allspice and squeeze lemon''. Not entirely cryptic, but certainly troublesome enough to cause confusion. After a quick tutorial from the riddle master herself, I managed to get everything down on paper and most importantly into the pot and on the stove.

Cranberry Sauce with Pears

Ingredients

4 pears, peeled and diced

2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Pinch of ground clove

Pinch of allspice

1 bag of fresh cranberries

Method

Place pears and the next 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Add enough water so that the pears are just covered. Cook the pears over low heat until they have softened slightly and remove from the heat. In a large stockpot, cook the cranberries according to package instructions. Allow the sauce to cool slightly and while the sauce is still warm add the pears to the cranberries using a slotted spoon. Thin the cranberry sauce with a couple tablespoons of the pear liquid until it reaches your desired consistency. You do not need to use all of the liquid, just enough so that the sauce is slightly thinned. Taste the cranberry sauce and adjust the seasonings as necessary. You may need to add more sugar and/or lemon juice to balance the flavors. At this point, I begin by adding sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and a teaspoon of lemon juice (if necessary), tasting after each addition. As the sauce becomes less tart, I add sugar in teaspoon increments, until it is just right, again tasting after each addition.

Fall Baking

Last week, my mother and I baked a pie from scratch. I'll use the word pie loosely. Falling somewhere between a cobbler and a crumble, the results were rustic and less than picture perfect. Having examined our missteps and stumbles, we headed back to the kitchen determined and driven. I refused to be defeated by pastry. After finding a simple recipe for blueberry pie, it was time to go shopping.

Three groceries stores later and still no blueberries in sight, we opted for a blackberry and raspberry pie instead. The second attempt was far more successful. We rallied. Our grocery shopping complete, it was time to tackle the pie crust. Not wanting to recreate the horrors of my first encounter with pate brisee, I first made sure that all of my ingredients were extremely cold. I began by measuring the flour and butter and placing it in the freezer. This will ensure that you achieve the perfect, flaky crust and not something in between. A food processor is another invaluable tool. It processes the dough quickly, thereby preventing over-handling. Ours went from the food processor to the refrigerator in about two minutes.

After an hour in the refrigerator, it was time to roll out the dough. The dough rolled out with relative ease and given my last attempt, I was pleased to have crust in the pie pan. It's not that I have low standards, I simply revel in little victories.

While the crust chilled, I began making the filling. I adapted the filling from the blueberry pie I had intended to make, adding lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. I also adjusted the amount of sugar, increasing it from 1/2 cup to 1 cup, since berry pies generally trend toward the tart side.

Before placing my pie in the oven, I quickly brushed it with egg wash for a golden, glossy finish and set the timer. As the ruby red juices bubbled out of the pie, my parents and I hovered around the oven, anxiously waiting to take it out. It wasn't more than five minutes before we began digging into the pie. We served each slice in big bowls, the filling spilling out onto the vanilla ice cream to create the most lovely shade of pink. It was a messy, delicious concoction and it could not have been anymore perfect.

Blackberry & Raspberry Pie

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Blueberry Pie

Ingredients

Makes one 9 inch pie

All purpose flour, for dusting

Pate Brisee

8 cups of fruit (5 ½ cups blackberries and 2 ½ cups raspberries)

1 cup of sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

½ teaspoon lemon zest

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon of milk

Directions:

1. On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll out one disk of dough to a 12-inch round. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour; fit dough into a 9-glass pie plate, pressing it into edges. Trim dough to a ½ inch overhang all around. Fold edge of dough over or under, and crimp as desired. Roll out remaining dough in the same manner; transfer dough (on parchment) to a baking sheet. Chill pie shell and dough until firm, about 30 minutes.
2. Place fruit in a large bowl; with your hands, crush about ½ cup of the berries to get the juices flowing. Add sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir to combine. Spoon mixture into chilled pie shell, mounding berries slightly in the center. Dot with butter. Remove dough from refrigerator and place over the filing. Tuck edge of top dough between edge of bottom dough and rim of pan. Using your fingers, gently press both layers of dough along the edge to seal, and crimp as desired.
3. Using a paring knife, cut several vents in top of dough to allow steam to escape. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and milk. Brush surface with egg wash, being careful not to let it pool. Freeze or refrigerate pie until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F with rack in the lower third of the oven.
4. Place pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until crust begins to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking, rotating the pan halfway through, until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling and have thickened, 40-50 minutes more. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool.

Tomato, Mozzarella & Spinach Tartines

I think the picture speaks for itself. Tomato, mozzarella and spinach tartines. A delightfully simple sandwich to excite your taste buds and your lunch box.

Tomato, mozzarella and spinach Tartines

Ingredients

1 slice of rye bread, cut in half

1/3 cup mozzarella, shredded

1/4 cup spinach, cut in a chiffonade

1 tomato, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon grated parmesan, divided in half

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven warms up, assemble the tartines. Place the bread on a foil-lined baking sheet and evenly sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Roll the spinach leaves into a cigar and cut into long, thin strips. Place a little of the spinach on each half and top with two tomato slices. Finish the tartines with a light seasoning of salt, pepper, and a sprinkling of parmesan on top. Place the tartines in the oven and cook for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese melts and the bread is lightly toasted.

The Triumphant Return of the Sheet Cake

Whatever happened to the sheet cake? Growing up, I remember them at every birthday party I ever attended. Then, at some point, the sheet cake disappeared. Undoubtedly usurped by other class favorites like cupcakes and cookies, it was soon forgotten. After careful thought and consideration, I decided to bring the sheet cake back. I simply had to find a way.

Earlier this week, my mom and I drafted our menu for our Rosh Hashanah dinner. Rosh Hashanah celebrates the Jewish new year and the meal commences with apples and honey to symbolize a sweet new year and offers all the traditional favorites like brisket, challah and kasha, a healthful buckwheat grain best enjoyed soaked in gravy. Did I mention it's good for you?

With our menu nearly complete, the only question remaining was dessert. After rummaging through my mom's recipe box, we landed on a recipe for the 1886 Chocolate Cake. A rich chocolate cake topped with a decadent chocolate and pecan icing. Sweet with a little bit of crunch--truly, the quintessential chocolate cake. To make things even better, it was a sheet cake.

The preparation was simple enough too. Mix flour, sugar and salt with a mixture of melted butter, water and cocoa powder. Once the wet and dry ingredients have been combined, add eggs, vanilla, baking soda and buttermilk. Pop it in the oven for 30 minutes and spread a thick layer of chocolate icing on top. Remarkably simple, scrumptious and fast, victory is sweet with the return of the sheet cake.

1886 Cafe and Bakery Chocolate Cake

For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a 3 quart mixing bowl, sift together and set aside:

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour-sifted

1/2 tsp salt

Melt in a heavy saucepan and add to the above:

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup water

4 Tbsp cocoa

Mix well.

Add and mix with the above:

2 eggs, beaten with a fork

1/2 cup buttermilk with 1 tsp baking soda dissolved in it

1 tsp vanilla

Pour into a lightly greased an floured pan. Bake as follows

13" x 9": 25-30 minutes

15" x 10 1/2": 15-20 minutes

For the Icing:

Melt in a heavy saucepan:

1 stick unsalted butter

4 heaping Tbsp cocoa

Add 1/3 cup milk and heat to nearly boiling

Add:

1 (1 lb) box powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

pinch of salt

Mix well and pour over cake. Cake freezes well or can be stored in the refrigerator. Stays moist if tightly covered with foil or plastic wrap.

Tool of Choice

Anyone that loves to cook has a favorite tool they rely on time and time again. Perhaps it's that particular tool that is simply indispensable or maybe it just makes you feel fancy. For me, it's my set of wooden spoons and for my grandfather it is his skillets.

My grandfather loves a classic, big American breakfast. Every time we come to visit, he loves preparing breakfast for everyone. Before you've even had your first cup of coffee, he'll set a generous helping of scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast right in front of you. Resistance is futile. You will lose.

Naturally, a meal of this scale requires some heavy machinery and his skillets always rise to the occasion. He handles them with the utmost degree of care and stores them on top of one another with a soft cloth between each skillet--lest anything damage them. There's a pride and a tenderness in how he takes care of his favorite skillets and it's that love along with his favorite tools that creates the perfect breakfast every time.