Rachel Getting Cooking

Field greens with a Fried Egg, Lentils, Avocado, Tomato and Lemon Vinaigrette

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:06:00 +0000

Poached, scrambled, hardboiled or fried, I’ve yet to meet a dish that I won’t top with an egg. In my kitchen, where there’s a will, there’s an egg white. I will concede cake and ice cream. I do not believe eggs are appropriate dessert toppings. Not yet at least. Of course, when you get down to it, eggs are a cheap, easy solution for transporting many a savory dish from simple to sublime. And nothing tastes better than cheap.

Take salad. More specifically, the salad I had for lunch today. A bed of field greens piled high with buttery, sliced avocado, tender lentils, tomatoes and a drizzling of lemon vinaigrette. Admittedly, this salad doesn’t require much else, unless that certain something happens to be a fried egg. Then you’ve really got yourself a salad. Warm egg yolk enrobes creamy avocado and sweet tomatoes in a luscious emulsion making for a light, satisfying lunch. So if it sounds good, go ahead. Put an egg on it.

Ingredients:

Juice of one lemon

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

½ teaspoon honey

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ cup olive oil

2 cups lightly packed field greens

¼ cup halved cherry tomatoes

¼ cup cooked lentils (I get mine from Trader Joe’s but you can often find them canned as well)

½ avocado, sliced

1 large egg

1 tablespoon butter

For the Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette:

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, salt, pepper, honey and Dijon mustard. Pour the olive oil in a slow stream while whisking constantly. Taste and adjust seasonings.

For the Salad:

Arrange the field greens on a plate and top with the cherry tomatoes, lentils and avocado. Set aside. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the butter and swirl it around to coat the pan. Crack the egg into the pan and cook until the white is solid and edges are lightly browned, approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove the egg from the skillet and place on top of the salad. Drizzle the salad with a couple teaspoons of the Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette and serve.

Lunch Snapshot: Lentil salad with a Fried Egg, Avocado, Tomato and Lemon Vinaigrette

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:18:00 +0000

My Unexpected Love Story with Southern Food

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:55:00 +0000

My latest article with College Gloss.

http://www.collegegloss.com/2011/03/my-unexpected-love-story-with-southern.html

Where The Countertop Ends

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:41:00 +0000

It is the rare New Yorker that’s lucky enough to possess a real working kitchen. For most of us, it's just a dream. Oh, what we wouldn't do for a little counter space? Hell, we'd settle for just a counter. When I landed my first apartment this summer, I was shocked to discover this amenity. As far as I was concerned, it was reason enough to sign for the place on the spot. When it came time to move in, I neatly arranged bottles of olive oil and vinegar along the wall, tucking my miniature coffeemaker into the corner and placing glass containers full of dried pasta, flour and coffee on display. It was just perfect—an immaculately organized space. Then, I realized something. Somewhere in between the flour jar and the pepper mill, things had become a little cramped. Forcing my cooking to become highly strategic, every dish presented its own unique set of challenges, obstacles and little victories. Diced onions have become a daily casualty, but the frittata continues to renew my faith in the magical properties of eggs. Of course, fancy maneuvering aside, I still manage to chop, smash and mince my way through it all, keeping my balance somewhere in between the wall and where the countertop ends.

Everything But The Kitchen Sink

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:34:00 +0000

Just before going home to Texas, I decided to clean out my refrigerator. Finding fresh kale, half an avocado, artichoke hearts, roasted asparagus, sliced apple, tomatoes and smoked duck breast, I knew I could pull something delicious together. I decided on salad. I began by marinating raw kale in lemon juice, spanish olive oil and and pecorino romano. While the kale softened, I quartered and sliced a small mountain of vegetables. After a quick toss in my salad bowl, I piled my chunky salad onto a small white plate. With toothsome kale, sweet apple, creamy avocado and smoked duck, it was satisfying, but certainly not for the faint of heart. Cleaning out the fridge has never tasted so good.

Breakfast Snapshot

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:44:00 +0000

Sometimes you cook something so delicious, you can't help but take a picture. This morning was one of those moments. A simple breakfast of roasted asparagus with crumbled Pecorino Romano cheese, toast and some shoddily prepared (but nonetheless tasty) poached eggs with cracked pepper and sea salt. I'll be making this again soon.

The Perfect Cup of Coffee in NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:59:00 +0000

http://www.collegegloss.com/2011/03/perfect-cup-of-coffee-in-nyc.html

The Everlasting Vegetable

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 03:22:00 +0000

Over the last year, I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking about food and meaning making. Extending beyond the sensory experiences of smell and taste, food roots itself within certain emotions, memories and places. Looking inward, I didn’t have to dig very deep to find these memories in my own life and while I rarely ended up in the same place, I often found myself in my grandmother’s kitchen. By most accounts, she was the typical Jewish grandmother—loving, warm and impossible to say no to when it came to food. Thinking back on my own relationship with her, it is not so much her cooking that feeds my memory of her, but rather, something entirely inedible—a silver bowl of paper mache vegetables. Food possessed a powerful presence in my grandmother’s kitchen and it was always around—even if you couldn’t eat it. Since her passing, over a year has come and gone and while pictures have been rehung and furniture moved, those vegetables have remained in their proper place on her dining room table. A symbol of all that nourishes and sustains, those shellacked squash and radishes epitomize stability and permanence, harboring a kind of permanent love that continues to fill her kitchen and my memory.

Cinnamon

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:33:00 +0000

As of late, cinnamon has been the spice of my life. I'm not quite sure when this obsession began, suffice to say that it started innocently enough with a cup of coffee and cinnamon sticks. Admittedly, I am not typically one for experimentation, especially on the grounds of coffee. And yet, one morning I felt bold. It was the kind of boldness that only the finest french roast blend can impart and so I began to grate. Just a touch of fresh cinnamon was all it took and as the coffee began to brew, my anxiety began to slip away as the warm, spicy aroma filled my kitchen. Reaching for my favorite mug, I poured in the coffee and added a healthy splash of cream and sugar. A quick stir and that first slurp was nothing short of a revelation. Ok, perhaps it wasn't a revelation, but it certainly was delicious.

One Pot Wonders: Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:16:00 +0000

Deep [Foodie] Thoughts: Glorious Grilled Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:23:00 +0000

The classic grilled cheese sandwich is a simple equation. Wedge two slices of American cheese in between buttery white bread, toast until golden brown and devour. It is the kind of processed goodness that one never really outgrows. And who would want to?
Growing up, grilled cheese sandwiches were an especially big treat. Every once in a while, my mom would make them and their preparation was not without a certain degree of spectacle. She would rustle through the kitchen cabinets and pull out the griddle, while my brothers and I waited impatiently. Once the griddle was hot, she would step aside and watch as we performed our ritual test. We would dash to the sink, grab a handful of water and throw it on the griddle. The surface would steam and crackle as little droplets of water danced across the top, disappearing just as quickly as they had appeared. With the griddle prepped, we watched as pads of butter slid around, bubbling and browning as my mom arranged the bread and pulled the cellophane wrappers off of the cheese. Slowly, the soft white bread turned crisp and golden; the cheese creamy, melty and delicious. The crunch of the buttery bread against the knife signaled the lunching hour as we sat down to eat our sandwiches. It was mostly a quiet affair, aside from the intermittent "mmms'' that filled in for actual conversation.
Since then, we have all grown up quite a bit. Our tastes have broadened and I'm almost certain we're far better conversationalists now than when we were kids. Yet, if a grilled cheese happened to land on our plates, we would all dig in--quietly, of course. And we wouldn't want it any other way.

One Pot Wonders: Creamy Risotto with Shrimp, Garlic and Parsley

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:41:00 +0000

Hello everyone,

While you're scoping out Rachel Getting Cooking, head to GoodBite.com and check out my bi-weekly feature, One Pot Wonders, where I create delicious meals with the help of one giant pot! Just click the title above that scrumptious photo and it will link you directly to the article! Thanks and happy eating!

The Ultimate Macaroon

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 03:19:00 +0000

Passover sweets are notoriously bad. Even with a host of cakes, candies and confections to choose from, the end result is always the same--regrettable. Fortunately, there is the macaroon. Simple and delicious, these cookies are light, chewy and nothing like the macaroons you find in the cardboard canisters. A virtual oasis in a kosher desert. Adorn with an artful schmear of chocolate and consider the cardboard canister ancient history.

Coconut Macaroons, Adapted from Ina Garten's Coconut Macaroons

1 (14 oz) bag of sweetened coconut

1 (14 0z) can of sweetened condensed milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 large egg whites, room temperature

1/4 tsp kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla and almond extracts. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and salt with a hand mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture, taking care not to deflate the egg whites. Using two teaspoons, drop the batter onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Chill the baking sheets in the refrigerator for 5 minutes. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and enjoy!

This is Not a Brownie

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:43:00 +0000

This is not a brownie. Sure it has the makings of a brownie with its creamy, dense center; nuts and chocolate chips, but this is not a brownie. There's no flour, no eggs, no baking soda. Unusual? Maybe. Brownie? Definitely not. Creamy, chewy and slightly sweet, it is the most satisfying little square you will ever lay your hands on. Perhaps this is beginning to sound a lot like a...nope, it's not. This is not a brownie. It's a dirty blondie.

Dirty Blondies

Ingredients

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

2 cups of graham cracker crumbs (Honey Maid is best)

6 oz of semisweet chocolate chips

1 tbsp instant coffee granules

1 2/3 cups of pecans, chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk

Method

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy. If you do not have a mixer, you can cream it by hand with a wooden spoon. Add the remaining ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. The batter is very thick, so it's best to mix it by hand. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 11x7 pan. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of the pan to test for doneness. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is ready. Do not bake them longer than 22 minutes. They will continue to set up once you take them out of the oven. Let cool for 30 minutes and cut into small squares. Enjoy these little bites warm with a glass of ice-cold milk or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Experiencing Okra

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:22:00 +0000

Okra is a real Southern vegetable and true to my Texas roots, I’ve always been a sucker for it. Fried, pickled, stewed, pretty much anyway it’s made, I’m eager to explore. Yet, in all my explorations, I have never attempted to cook it myself. Like so many things in life, true appreciation comes from experience. So into the kitchen I went, ready to cook.

Of course, cooking okra is not for the meek. Scratch that. Cooking it is easy, it’s the preparation that’s unsettling. Nothing can prepare you for the slimy aftermath left by a pound of sliced okra. It is unseemly. Consequently, okra does not beget many superlatives in its raw form. Fortunately, a big pot of stewed okra and tomatoes is far more charming. Nothing is as enticing as the aroma of okra, onions and tomatoes simmering away on the stovetop. The resulting dish is wonderfully complex and savory with a slow burn that you'll want to experience for yourself.

Stewed Okra and Tomatoes, Adapted from Martha Stewart's Stewed Okra and Tomatoes

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, sliced into half-moons

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 lbs of tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 lb of okra, stems removed and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tsp of kosher salt

1/2 tsp of freshly cracked pepper

Method

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is tender, approximately 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to release some of their liquid. This will take about 2 minutes. Season with kosher salt, freshly cracked pepper and cayenne pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and partially cover the pot so that the mixture simmers gently. Cook for an hour and a half or until the okra is tender.

Bright Green Stalks

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:41:00 +0000

Bunches of bright green asparagus signal the start of springtime. Marry these fresh, tender stalks with a delicate blend of lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, garlic, dried basil and chopped tomatoes for a simple side that is sure to delight.

Sauteed Asparagus with Marinated Tomatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 lbs asparagus, rinsed and tough ends removed

For the Marinated Tomatoes:

1 tomato, roughly chopped

juice of half a lemon (about 1/4 cup)

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp dried basil

salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Method:

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. While the pan heats up, toss the chopped tomatoes with the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, garlic and dried basil. Lightly season with salt and freshly ground pepper and set aside. Once the pan is hot, add the asparagus and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Sauté the asparagus until tender, approximately 10-12 minutes. Just before serving, toss the marinated tomatoes with the asparagus until the tomatoes warm up, approximately 1 minute. Finish with more freshly squeezed lemon juice, if desired.

From Baking Dish to Bowl: Blackberry Cobbler

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:01:00 +0000

A proper cobbler consists of the following: a rich fruit filling topped with a golden, crisp crust. It is essentially a lazy woman's pie. No crimping required. With its tart blackberry filling and sweet, cinnamon sugar crust this cobbler is completely irresistible and the kind of dessert you will want to make again and again.

Method

Blackberry Cobbler

For the crust:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp kosher salt

For the cinnamon sugar:

Combine 2 tsp granulated sugar with ¼ tsp cinnamon.

For the filling:

4 ½ cups of blackberries, rinsed and picked over

1 tbsp lemon juice

½ tsp lemon zest

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

1 ¼ cups white sugar

¼ cup light brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp butter, sliced

Beat the two sticks of butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high until smooth. Add the egg and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, sift and add it slowly to the butter mixture, mixing until just incorporated (the dough will be stiff). Shape into a flat 1-inch thick disk. Refrigerate the dough for one hour. While the dough chills, mix together the blackberries, lemon juice and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, both sugars, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the flour mixture to the blackberries and mix. Pour the mixture into a pre-greased 7x10 inch baking dish, evenly place bits of butter in the filling and set aside.

Once the dough has chilled, roll it out onto a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Using a floured jigger glass, cut the dough into small ½-1 inch rounds and cover the filling completely. Brush the dough with 1 tbsp of melted butter and lightly sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. If making ahead of time, wait to brush the dough with butter and cinnamon sugar until you are ready to bake the cobbler. Place the cobbler on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes-1 hour or until golden brown and bubbling. Allow the cobbler to rest 5 minutes, slice and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Prairie Life

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:53:00 +0000

This week, our water heaters died a sudden, tragic death. In an instant, we were transported somewhere between Little House on the Prairie and Survivor. Perhaps that's a touch hyperbolic, but we did have to fetch water. Prairie chores aside, the worst of it lied in the fact that we could not cook. Eating out every night this week, we sought comfort in dining out and in a certain brand of fast food fried chicken. Gotta love those Cajun spices. Thankfully, as of late this afternoon, life has been restored to normal, home-cooked meals will resume tonight and we can burn those damn prairie skirts.

Pancake Rules

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:58:00 +0000

What makes a box of pancake mix and fake maple syrup so special? Without a doubt, these two elements are at their finest when they come together at the breakfast table. Breakfast for dinner is an infrequent practice at our house, but when it comes down to it, no one ever turns down a nice short stack. Making pancakes is highly ritualized in our house. There are rules and structure to the whole process. The plates are to be hot, the syrup warm and the pancakes brown and buttery at the edges. Bacon should also be present. Failure to comply with these measures will result in an inadequate pancake experience. All pancakes must be crisp on the edges with a light, fluffy center and they must be served on warm plates. It's amazing the difference a warm plate makes. Just place them in the oven on the lowest setting and by the time you're ready to eat, they will be plenty warm. There is simply nothing more unappetizing than hot pancakes on a cold plate. It kills the mood, but more importantly, doesn't keep your food as hot.

Then there's the syrup. Many people will argue that it's all about using real maple syrup. Normally, I would agree but pancakes are hallowed ground. I grew up on the fake stuff and I'm still partial to the flavor or perhaps it's just the high fructose corn syrup. Like the plates, the syrup has to be hot, so regardless of your preference, be sure to zap it in the microwave and you will elevate your experience from so so to so good. Once the pancakes are ready, everyone eats them in their own way, and after twenty three years of this ritual, I have no intention of changing my ways or my pancakes.

A Taste of Home

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:42:00 +0000

Whenever I am far away from Texas, I always crave a taste of home. Whether I'm gone for a day or a week, I can never go too long without Mexican food. It's like my life blood. Tonight, the solution was clear--shrimp tacos with a tomatillo avocado salsa.

The entire meal came together in a flash with the salsa only requiring a quick whirl in the blender and the shrimp a simple saute. Served on warm corn tortillas, these shrimp tacos are light and fresh with just a little bit of heat. With a few sprigs of cilantro, onion, purple cabbage and a drizzle of salsa, these tacos are the perfect cure for homesick taste buds.

Shrimp Tacos with Tomatillo Avocado Salsa (Adapted from Food Network's Chipotle Shrimp Taco with Avocado Salsa Verde)

Tomatillo Avocado Salsa

1 small onion, quartered

1 jalepeno, seeded and quartered

2 garlic cloves, smashed

6 medium tomatillos (about 1 cup) husked, rinsed and chopped

1/2 avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

1 teaspoon of salt

Juice of half a lime

1 teaspoon of olive oil

1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped

Shrimp

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 1/2 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 teaspoon of salt

Garnish:

Chopped onion

Cilantro sprigs

Shredded purple cabbage

Lime wedges

Method

Put the onion, jalapeno, and garlic in a food processor and finely chop. Add the tomatillos, avocado, salt, lime juice and olive oil. Blend until smooth, transfer to a bowl and stir in the cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional lime juice or salt.

Heat a skillet on medium-high heat. Mix the olive oil, salt and shrimp in a bowl and toss to coat. Grill the shrimp until translucent, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side.

Lightly moisten the tortillas with a small amount of water on both sides. Heat the tortillas one at a time in a skillet over medium heat until warm. Once the tortillas are warm, serve each taco with 3-4 shrimp, chopped onion, cilantro, shredded cabbage and a healthy drizzle of tomatillo avocado salsa. Serves 4-6.

A New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:28:00 +0000

I never make New Year's resolutions, because inevitably I always break them. I usually do not give my resolutions too much thought either. I generally opt for the standard resolution fare and before the clock strikes midnight I've already abandoned ship. However, with twenty three years of unfulfilled resolutions behind me and it being the start of a new decade, I thought it appropriate to rethink my resolutions. I began by thinking about things I wanted to do, books to read and things I wanted to learn. Ultimately, everything circled back to food and I have a sneaking suspicion that this year I just might keep my resolutions.

1. Continue to read and learn as much as possible about food, wine and culture.

2. Perfect my pie crust and bake a delicious pie complete with a beautifully crimped crust.

3. Make pasta from scratch

4. Drink beer on the porch with my dad and master the art of the grill

5. Dabble in Asian cuisine

6. Roast a chicken.

7. Make homemade preserves

Kitchen Code

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:42:00 +0000

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 (cooked according to package instructions)

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

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:07:00 +0000

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:

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.
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.
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.
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

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:07:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel Tucker) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:27:00 +0000

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.