Summer's disappeared

S'mores... they're not just for camp fires anymore!

So here I am, writing my first post in over a month.  It seems like I fell off the face of the earth, but I managed to pick myself up and dust myself off.  The last 6 weeks have been a blur of house-guests, out-of town visitors, errands, dinners,  more visitors, meetings, work functions, appointments and all on top of the regular day job.  Yep, I've been running on fumes, and I sincerely apologize to you, my readers, for the long pause in posting.  For my "tasters",  a sincere apology to you as well, for the long pause in baking... In fact, the past month has been so busy that, for more than a week,  I had no flour in the house, and the shiny new All-Clad pan that my sister brought me when she arrived, stayed in it's package for almost 10 days before it felt the heat from my stove.  When I finally did re-stock my pantry with staples, I started with some basic chocolate chip cookies.  Gooey and warm, I piled them into a pretty glass apothecary jar as a housewarming gift for a friend, before heading off to see her new place.  I was also hired to bake a carrot cake for a summer garden wedding - the best kind of wedding to have, in my opinion.  It's just too bad that the weather has been so unseasonably cold for August.  I'm sure when the bride was planning her August wedding, she probably wasn't envisioning October weather.

Even though my kitchen hasn't been getting the work-out it's accustomed to, August did bring some really nice foodie surprises...  I received lots of lovely surprises from some blog buddies I met at Food Blogger Connect in London in June.  Gourmet sugars, heavenly scented tea and coffee, beautiful textiles, and an incredible selection of chocolates from around the world.  YUM!  There really is nothing better than finding sweet surprises in your mailbox... it sure beats the crap out of the usual bills and junkmail.

In getting back into the swing of things, I was struck by inspiration earlier this week on Twitter, when a friend re-tweeted some interesting trivia about graham crackers:

RT @Foodimentary  Who knew? Graham crackers,originally "Dr. Graham's Honey Biskets" 

were conceived to suppress "unhealthy carnal urges"(sex)

Huh? Can someone please explain to me how honey-flavoured biscuits suppress "unhealthy carnal urges"? Some incredibly decadent chocolate could probably distract folks for a while, but dude, graham crackers aren't exactly one of those foods that people go nuts for. On their own, they're pretty boring; a dry, crisp mildly sweet honey & brown sugar flavoured biscuit. You can't even call them a cookie! In my world, graham wafers have existed for only two reasons: to be ground up, mixed with butter & pressed into a pan as a crust for cheesecake and flapper pie, and for s'mores. Even then, you only really need them so you don't burn your hand on the molten marshmallow & oozy chocolate when you're sitting around the campfire. So, no, I can't really get too wound up for graham crackers, and I certainly wouldn't be denying my {ahem} carnal urges in exchange for one.  Anyway, a conversation ensued, in which it was suggested that the homemade version were tastier and I should give them a try.  All right, I'm game.  After all, what store bought biscuit is better out of a box than it is fresh from the oven?

I have to admit that these are incredibly simple to make, with a much shorter ingredient list than I anticipated.  So much so, that I doubt I will ever buy graham crackers again (Geez, I hope Honey Maid doesn't go bankrupt! Ha, like they're really going to notice the lost sales of $2.49 every 8 years).  And while I was rolling out dough and cutting them into shapes, I started brainstorming about s'mores, and how to turn them into something that could wow and involves less potential need for a burn kit.  {idea} S'mores Tartlettes!  Aha! Now we're onto something!  

S'mores for grown ups... toasty marshmallow tops

I cut the dough into rough circles and pressed them into my mini cheesecake pan.  "Why a cheesecake pan" you ask? Because it turns out I don't own a mini-muffin pan.  Not sure how that's possible - and I gotta say, it's a little alarming to someone like me who takes pride in her incredibly well-stocked kitchen tool arsenal. After all, I own a mini-cheesecake pan, for crying out loud!  Anyhoo... I baked up my little graham wafer crusts, made a thick fleur de sel dark chocolate ganache and then got to work on my homemade marshmallows for the top.  Homemade marshmallows?!?  Hang on, lady!  Isn't that just a tad overboard?  You know what?  It's not.  Unless I'm sitting around a fire with a nice marshmallow-toasting stick in my hand I'm about as fond of store-bought marshmallows as I am of graham crackers, but homemade ones - those are incredible!  When you taste one, you can see how marshmallows pop up in gourmet stores all over Europe - because they're delicious!  And if you have a stand mixer, they take a whole 10 minutes of actual effort on your part.

The end result looks pretty impressive, and tastes pretty incredible too.  It's one of those things where the individual ingredients themselves don't have a lot of wow, but put those components together, and you have a hit.  I think these would be a huge hit on the dessert table at your next party.  Great finger food, not as messy as their original counterpart, and they look as though you spent hours and hours making them, when in fact it should take you less than one.  So here's the recipe, tuck this one away for the upcoming holiday season, when party trays need some a little inspiration.  These are bound to be a huge hit.

Happy Baking!

S'mores - all dressed up with nowhere to go!

Graham CrackersAdapted from Nancy Silverton's Pastries from La Brea Bakery

375g all-purpose flour 

175g dark brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cardamom100g unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
115g honey (mild honey is recommended, but I used Manuka honey, which is strong and dark and caramelly, because it's my favourite)
75ml milk
30ml vanilla extract

Adjust the oven rack to the centre and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and spices in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse  several times to combine. Add the butter and combine, using 1-second pulses, until the mixture is the butter is about the size of small peas.

In a small bowl, mix together the honey, milk, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough just comes together.  If you want to make these into regular cracker-type biscuits, turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.  If you're making adorable little tartlettes like I did, press a small amount of dough into your tart molds, then chill the entire pan for about 20 minutes.  Because the dough puffs up quite a bit, I recommend lining the tarts with parchment paper and then filling them with pie weights before baking.

While the dough chills, you can make the ganache:

Fleur de Sel Chocolate Ganache

120ml heavy cream

200g dark chocolate (chopped) or high quality chocolate chips

2tsp fleur de sel

1/2 tsp vanilla

Place the chocolate, vanilla and fleur de sel in a heatproof bowl.  In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it is steaming, but do not allow it to boil.  Pour the cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for a few minutes.  Gently whisk to combine, until the mixture is thick and silky.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

Just add chocolate...

Back to the tart shells:

Bake for 15 -20 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch.  Transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes before filling half to 2/3 full with the chocolate ganache.

While the shells are baking up in the oven, you have time to make the marshmallow:

Marshmallows

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine's Toasted Coconut Mashmallows

1 envelope gelatine powder

80ml water

100g sugar

115g light corn syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, put 40ml of the water, and sprinkle the gelatine overtop.  Set the bowl back on the mixer, but leave the mixer turned off so the gelatine can "bloom".  

Pour the remaining 40ml water into a heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Gently add the sugar to the centre of the pan, then add the corn syrup.  Place over medium high heat and, without stirring, bring mixture to a boil.  Check the temperature and measures 240˚F on an instant-read or candy thermometer.  Remove from heat and set aside until the bubbles dissipate. Turn the mixer to medium-low and, with the mixer running, pour the hot syrup mixture into the bowl in a slow and thin stream .  Once all of the syrup has been added, turn the mixer to high and continue to beat until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe marshmallow on top of the ganache-filled graham cracker shells.  The marshmallow will be extremely sticky, but will set up immediately.

Using a small torch, gently toast the tops of the marshmallow topping.  Alternatively, you can do this under the broiler in your oven, just keep a very careful eye on them so they don't burn.

.... and devour!

I've never thought of myself as "cheap" before

Not that kind of cheap!  I mean cheap as in thrifty, a penny-pincher (or as we say in Canada, one who can "squeeze a nickel 'till the beaver farts").  We're a classy bunch, aren't we? :-)

I've always been cursed with expensive taste, an appreciation for the finer things in life. That said, I was also raised by a veteran bargain hunter, a woman who can spot sale signs anywhere, even in a foreign country in a language she does not speak.  Sis, mom and I often e-mail, text or call one another to brag about our sale finding prowess; "Gorgeous dress, 100%silk, regular $185 on sale for $29 bucks!"  "Oh yeah?  Check out my shoes, Cole Haan's regular $280, I got them for $40."  We boast about bargains the way fishermen brag about their size of catch.  Sometimes though, it's a case of you get what you pay for, and price must be sacrificed for quality.  I choke at the thought of paying more than $50 for a pair of jeans, but I don't even flinch at the $200 price tag on a Kasumi knife.  Maybe it's more about what I'm paying for than how much. After all, I've been known to pay what some consider an obscene amount of money for sugar cubes.  In my defense, these were not just any ordinary sugar cubes - these were sugar works of art I discovered in Paris, the likes of which I had never seen.  Just take a look for yourself, then we'll see;

Oh no, these are not for coffee, silly!

These are saved for special occasions, to put on cakes and such.

So when I see that peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries - all kinds of juicy, fresh orchard fruits, are finally and briefly in season, I gotta say, I wish they weren't quite so expensive.  But when something's only available for a few weeks each year, there are only two options: pay up or go without.  I was eyeing  Ranier cherries at the grocery store recently, the ones that are the exact colour of a tropical sunset.  My mouth watering just looking at them, but I just couldn't justify the $7 per 100g for them.  It would cost me a fortune just to make one pie!  Suddenly, at $2 per 100g, the dark red Bing cherries seem like a steal, as did the apricots.  I loaded up my shopping basket and headed to the checkout before I got buyer's remorse.

It occurred to me when I got home, that I have never had fresh apricots.  How weird is that?  I've had more than my fair share of dried apricots, but not fresh.  Maybe if I had grown up in the Okanagan region of BC, where all of these things are grown, things would be different.  Here in Alberta, our climate's better at producing berries, corn and beef than orchard fruits, kiwis or grapes.  Well, one of the best things about being a foodie is trying new things - letting your taste buds be adventurous and discovering new delights.

I decided that a simple tart would be the best way to showcase these delicate and fuzzy little guys.  I pressed some pâte brisée into a tart pan and slid it into the oven to bake up.  I sliced up the apricots, and threw them in a bowl.  I wanted to do something a little more inspiring that simply tossing them in sugar, when I spied the bottle of ginger syrup mom brought back from Hawaii.  That and a little bit of vanilla was all that was needed to make this tart something special.  And what better to serve it with than ice cream? 

For the past couple of weeks I'd been wanting to make some matcha green tea ice cream, and this seemed like the ideal opportunity. I didn't have time to run down to chinatown for some authentic matcha, but I remembered seeing it sold at the local juice bar.  I no sooner walked into the juice bar and I was walking out empty-handed, however, eyes wide at the $28 price tag on a small tin of tea.  Yikes!  Talk about sticker shock!  I've since learned that this is an average cost for this glorious green powder, especially since the world has learned of it's seemingly endless health benefits.  As luck would have it, I found an inexpensive cheat at the grocery store a few days later: a tetra pack of Tazo Green Tea Latte mix.  I love an ice cold green tea frappucino on a hot day, and the flavour would be perfect for ice cream.  This time I made a simple Philly-style ice cream, combining the sweet green tea mix with a little milk and some cream.  After churning in the ice cream maker, I folded in some sliced cherries and put it into the freezer.  A few hours later, dessert was served.

One thing completely took me by surprise, was discovering that I am not a fan of the smell of fresh baked apricots.  There's just something odd about the fragrance, or perhaps it's the mix of ginger, pastry and apricots... whatever it was, I found it a little confusing to be put off by the smell of such a delightful dessert.  Once the tart was fully cooled, I was able to enjoy it more, just not when it's fresh from the oven.  Weird.  Have you ever encountered something similar?  Or the opposite - do you find the scent of a certain food to be intoxicating, while the actual taste is less than delightful?  

If you want a simple summer dessert, bake up a few empty tart shells on a rainy day.  When inspiration strikes and fresh seasonal fruits beckon to you from the produce section, you can have an elegant and flavourful dessert on the table in about 20 minutes.  Of course, there are lots of other delectable fillings you can have in a tart, but that's another post entirely....

Until then, Happy Baking!

Oh, and as for recipes, this time there really aren't any.  Follow my recipe for Pâte Brisée, then add in some sliced fresh fruit, tossed with just enough flavourful syrup to make them glossy and about 1.2 tsp of vanilla and bake until the fruit is just starting to soften.  As for the ice cream, combine green tea latte mix with some milk and cream to taste and run it through the ice cream maker.  Add some sliced cherries and freeze.  This dessert was all about baking to taste...

Happy Pie Day!

23 eggs

1.6 kg of butter

7 lemons

400 g of chocolate

800 g of Saskatoons

600 g Nutella

1.2 kg flour

500 g sugar

14 pies for Pi Day

(for those of you questioning my sanity, you're not alone...)

Pi Day is finally here!  Yes, it is officially a day observed by math geeks around the world (I use the term "geek" with nothing but affection - I consider myself to be a food geek), but I don't see any reason why a lousy "e" should keep me from observing the day in my own way.  Interestingly enough there is an actual National Pie Day in the US, on January 23rd (raise your hand if you missed it, too), as declared by the American Pie Council (raise your hand again, if you didn't know there was an American Pie Council).  Well, I'm a Canadian girl and in Canada we don't have a national pie council to speak of, so, just as we celebrate our Thanksgiving in October instead of November like our neighbours to the south, I figure Canadian Pie Day should be March 14th.  Any objections?  No...?  Alrighty then, I hereby declare March 14th as Canadian Pie Day.  But whatever your nationality, you're invited to celebrate along with us.

So in honour of 3.14, I baked a variety of pie shells in many sizes; treats to package up and give to friends and co-workers.  Ironically enough, I ended up with a total of 14 pie shells, so I thought it only fitting that I make 3 types of pie; Nutella Tart,  a Lemon Meringue (hubby's favourite) and Saskatoon Pie.   The Nutella Tart is a recipe I've had my eye on for a while - ever since I bought my copy of Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé, written by Dorie Greenspan.  The idea of an entire tart with the taste of chocolate and hazelnuts had my mouth watering as soon as I turned the page, and as luck would have it, I had a nice big jar of Nutella in my pantry.

For the Lemon Meringue pie, I decided to switch things up a bit after thumbing through Dorie Greenspan's Baking.  If you've ever been disappointed by a store-bought lemon meringue pie that was nothing but rubbery meringue covering a transluscent, but tasteless yellow gelatine, then this is the lemon pie recipe you've always dreamed of.  "The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart" is nothing short of lemon luxury.  She writes about Pierre Hermé's Lemon Cream - his take on the traditional lemon curd most of us know and love.  I was intrigued by her description of the taste as well as the preparation method, and decided this was the perfect opportunity to test drive it.  Well, let me put it this way;  I made one batch of lemon cream (enough for a 23 cm/9 inch tart shell), and after licking the spoon completely clean, immediately whipped up a second batch.  It is deliciously light and super lemon-y.  I still decided to top a few of the smaller tarts with meringue, and leave a couple of them unadorned.  I'm interested to see which one everyone prefers.

Finally, I happened to have a couple of bags of Saskatoons in the freezer from my trip to the u-pick berry farm last summer, which is great, since we are many months away from this year's harvest.  If you've never had Saskatoons, you're not alone; they're indigenous to western Canada, and nearly impossible to find outside that area; even my uncle in Toronto, tells me how much he misses Saskatoon pie every summer.  They have a wonderful and very unique taste to them, not really like any other fruit; mildly tart, reminiscent of purple grapes, but with a distinctive almond aftertaste.  They're very similar in appearance to blueberries, but have a chewier texture.  Ultimately, they're delicious and very popular in the summertime; jams, pies, ice cream, syrup, smoothies, even sparkling wine are made using these unique berries.  If you ever find yourself in the Canadian Prairies in late summer, you shouldn't have trouble finding something saskatoon.

Saturday, I spent making batch after batch of pie pastry and blind-baking an assortment of sizes and shapes of shells to fill with these tasty fillings.  Even in their naked state, the smell of flour & butter baked into golden shells filled the entire house with their fragrance; a fragrance I happen to love.  I also dove right into making the Lemon Cream, since it needs to chill and be poured into the shells right before serving.  Sunday morning I woke up to the lingering smell of bright, juicy lemons, so I donned my apron and got to work combining berries with sugar, lemon juice and just a hint of cardamom, and mixing bowls of melted chocolate with so much melted butter it should be illegal (seriously, don't even read the recipe if you're on a diet).  By the time hubby got out of bed for breakfast, there was no room to eat at the kitchen table; it was covered with desserts, cookbooks, camera and laptop.  We carefully reconfigured everything to allow enough room for coffee cups and a backgammon board so I could take a little break and enjoy a bit of the morning with him, before getting back to my sugary witchcraft.

All that's left to do now is wrap up all the goodies and get them the heck out of my house - save for 1 medium lemon cream tart, 1 small saskatoon pie, and 1 mini nutella tartlette.... after all this work, I should at least get a taste.


Here are the recipes:
~~~
Pâte Brisée (Flaky Tart Pastry) from In the Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley
makes enough pastry for one 10-11 inch tart shell

1 1/2 Cups (156g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3-5 Tbsp (45-75ml) ice water

In a food processor, combine flour, salt & sugar.  Add the butter and using short pulses, cut in butter until the largest pieces are about the size of large peas.  Add the ice water through the feed tube, and pulse just until the dough comes together.  Stop the machine and feel the dough - it should hold together well when squeezed.  Add a little more water if dough feels too dry.  Be careful not to add too much water - or you'll end up with tough pastry.

Editor's note: Although it is recommended to press this into a disk, wrap and refrigerate before rolling out and placing in tart pan, I seem to have intermittent luck with shrinking pie dough.  So, I immediately press this dough directly into the tart pan, starting with the edges, and then fill in the bottom and smooth out the base by covering it with parchment paper and then running the flat side of my meat pounder over it.  Works every time.

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Line cover tart pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are just starting to colour and the bottom is starting to bake.  Remove weights and parchment and continue to bake for 10-12 minutes longer for a completely baked shell.






~~~
Nutella Tart from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé, written by Dorie Greenspan
makes one 9-inch tart

one pre-baked tart shell
2/3 Cup (200g) Nutella
400g dark chocolate, chopped
7 Tbsp (200g) unsalted butter
1 large egg, at room temperature and stirred with a fork
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature and stirred with a fork
2 Tbsp (30g) sugar
1 Cup (140g) hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and cut into large pieces

Centre a rack in the oven and preheat to 375°F.
Spread the Nutella evenly over the bottom of the tart crust and set aside while you make the ganache.
Melt the chocolate and the butter, each in separate bowls - either using a double-boiler or a microwave oven.  Allow them each to cool until they feel just warm to the touch (140°F on an instant-read thermometer is perfect)
Using a small whisk or rubber spatula, stir the egg into the chocolate, stirring gently in ever-widening circles and taking care not to beat any air into the ganache.  Little by little, stir in the egg yolks, and then the sugar.  Finally, still working gently, stir in the melted butter.  Pour the ganache over the Nutella in the tart shell.  Scatter the hazelnut pieces over the top.
Bake the tart for 11 minutes - that should be just enough time to turn the top of the tart dull, like the top of a cake.  The centre will shimmy if jiggled - that's just what it's supposed to do.  Transfer the tart to a cooling rack and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes or until it reaches room temperature - the best temperature at which to serve it.

~~~
Lemon Cream from Baking by Dorie Greenspan
page 331, "The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart"(I consider this to be a understatement by Ms. Greenspan)

1 pre-baked 9-inch tart shell
1 Cup (201g) sugar
grated zest of 3 lemons
4 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 Cup (180ml) fresh lemon juice (4-5 lemons)
2 sticks plus 5 Tbsp (299g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces

Have an instant-read thermometer, a strainer and blender (preferred) or food processor at hand.  Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.
Put the sugar and the zest in a large, heatproof bowl that can be set over the pan of simmering water.  Off the heat, rub the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic.  Whisk in the eggs, followed by the lemon juice.
Set the bowl over the saucepan and start stirring with the whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch - you must whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling - you'll see that the mixture starts out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as it gets closer to 180°F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks.  Heads up at this point - the tracks mean the cream is almost ready.  Don't stop whisking or checking the temperature, and have patience - depending on how much heat you're giving the cream, getting to 180°F can take as long as 10 minutes.
As soon as it reaches 180°F, remove the cream from heat and strain it into the container of the blender (or bowl of the food processor); discard the zest.  Let the cream stand, stirring occasionally, until it cools to 140°F, about 10 minutes.
Turn the blender to high (or turn on the food processor) and, with the machine running, add the butter about 5 pieces at a time.  Scrape down the sides of the container as needed, as you incorporate the butter.  Once the butter has all been added, keep the machine going - to get the light, airy texture of lemon-cream dreams, you must continue to blend the cream for another 3 minutes.  If your machine protests and it gets too hot, work in 1-minute intervals, giving the machine a little rest between beats.
Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.  The cream will keep in the fridge up to 4 days  (HA! Not once you taste it, it won't!)
When you are ready to assemble the tart, just whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon it into the tart shell. Serve the tart immediately or chill until needed.

~~~
Saskatoon Pie
makes 1 deep-crust pie or 2 open-faced tarts

pre-baked pie or tart shell
6 Cups (750g) Saskatoons (thawed if frozen)
1 Cup less 1 Tbsp (185g) sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
3 Tbsp Minit Tapioca
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp unsalted butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 375°F and place rack in centre of oven.
In a large bowl, combine the berries with sugar, salt, lemon juice, zest, tapioca and cardamom.  Mix well until juices start to dissolve the sugar.  Don't be afraid to crush a few of the berries for a better texture in the pie.
Fill the tart shell with a heaping mound of the mixture (the berries will shrink considerably during baking).  Dot with butter, and bake for 25-35 minutes, until the berry mixture is bubbling.  Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes to an hour.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, or at room temperature with fresh whipped cream, lightly sweetened.
If you prefer a covered pie, fill the pre-baked pie shell with the berry mixture, top with second layer of pastry - either latticed, or vented to allow steam to escape.  Brush top crust with a beaten egg, and sprinkle lightly with sugar before baking.  Bake until crust is golden brown.  Cool and serve as above.