Dandelion Green & Asparagus Tart, filled with disaster.

And then I dropped the tart on the floor.

And I laughed, because really, what else can you do?

But let me back up.

I’m a morning person. I can see that look you're giving me right now. A morning person? And you don’t even drink coffee? Yup. I’m that annoying person who is stupidly cheerful first thing. I love the early morning light and the birds chirping and dewy grass and a cuppa tea.

This morning, I was not that person. I was cranky as all get out. There were dishes piled up in my sink, ones I needed to wash before I could get to work. I couldn’t find the bottom of my tart pan. The one I’m always losing, because some people (me), should not be allowed to buy things with multiple parts, because they will lose them. I get down on my knees, body half way into the dark cabinet, rooting around for said tart pan, when the dogs start barking, scaring the wits out of me, so I bang my head on the top of the cabinet. I found the pan, though!

Then my stove top won’t light. There will be no sautéing of the onions. Okay, I’ll microwave them to soften em up a bit. No big. My crust looks weird. I think I pre-baked it too long. Am I out of milk? I should plan better.



I finally get it in the oven. I check on it and see it’s leaking. I go to yank it out and the rack moves, sending it careening towards the back of the oven. I let out a “NOO!!!”, and grab it with my bare hands. I hop around, hand in the air, doing a “it hurts!” dance. I get it back in, on a cookie sheet this time.

My kitchen starts smelling like overcooked egg, thanks to the bit of filling the hit my oven  floor. I gag a bit. Can we all agree that’s one of the worst smells ever?



It comes out and it looks beautiful. I run it down to my little table by the window, nearly falling down the stairs on the way, to take photos. My camera dies. I put my battery on to charge and take the tart back upstairs, cut out a piece to try, and then drop the thing on the floor.

Asparagus everywhere. A cute little puppy licking the floor, happy as a clam to clean up 10 bucks worth of cheese for me.

And I laugh. Because seriously?! 

I occasionally get emails saying "your life looks so lovely and perfect!".  It's not all wildflowers in mason jars and farm fresh eggs around here. Some days look like this. Imperfect, frustrating, and also kind of hilarious.

(The tart was delicious. I’d totally be eating another piece right now if it weren’t for the whole floor thing. I'd never had dandelion greens before, I bought them because my new philosophy is this: “if you see something in the produce section you’ve never tried, buy it!”, and turns out really really like them. They’re kinda bitter and that’s my jam. My crust sucked, though, so I won’t be providing the recipe I used here. Just use your favorite savory tart dough! I obviously didn’t go the sauteeing of the onions, garlic, greens and asparagus way, but I suggest you do.)



(Sorry about the iphone photo.)

Dandelion Green & Asparagus Tart
Slightly adapted from The New York Times

1 generous bunch dandelion greens, about 12 ounces
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 bunch of asparagus
1 or 2 garlic cloves (to taste), green shoots removed, minced
4 large or extra large eggs
3/4 cup low-fat milk
Freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup Gruyère cheese, grated (3 ounces)

1 tart crust

Cut the tough stems from the dandelion greens, about 1 inch from the bottom, and wash in two changes of water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the dandelion greens. Blanch four minutes and transfer to the ice water. Drain, squeeze out excess water and chop.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes, and add a pinch of salt and the asparagus. Cook, stirring, for seven or eight minutes, until the asparagus have softened and the onions are golden. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then stir in the dandelion greens. Stir together for a minute, and remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Brush the bottom of the pastry shell, and place in the preheated oven for five minutes. Remove from the oven. Whisk the milk into the eggs, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, freshly ground pepper to taste and stir in the cooked vegetables and cheese. Turn into the crust. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until set and the top is lightly browned. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving. Serve hot or warm.

PS, a HUGE thank you for all the kind words of congratulations on my last post. Y'all are the best! In other exciting news, h&j was nominated as one of the "best baking and desserts blogs" over at the Saveur Food Blog Awards! How cool is that? I'm in such great company and it's such an honor. You can vote for your faves today and tomorrow!

Carrot Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting + A Cookbook

When I sat down at my kitchen table one night in November of 2008 and started honey & jam, I had no idea what I was doing. I was a directionless 18 year old in need of a creative outlet. Real talk: I was a bit of a mess.

I started baking things and taking photos, posting them here, even though I was sure no one would ever read it. I hadn't baked much before, and hadn’t taken photos in years, but the more I did it, the more I loved it. One day, I realized “hey, this is my thing!”.

And now, 4 years later? I’m still a mess, but I know what I love to do, and by what feels like a crazy stroke of luck, other people love what I do too, and I’m going to get to share it with you in a new way. I’ll be spending the next year writing & photographing my own cookbook! How crazy is that?!

The book, tentatively titled Farm to Cake, to be published in the Spring of 2015 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, will be full of cake recipes, all using seasonal fruits, veggies and herbs, and, of course, plenty of photos! I cannot thank you all enough, for reading this little blog and for your kind comments & emails. I know everyone says this, but believe me when I say it’s true, without you all, this wouldn’t be happening. It also wouldn’t be possible without my friends and family, who are my faithful supporters, encouragers & taste testers and put up with my emotional ravings about cake disasters. And of course, a huge thank you my book agent, Holly Schmidt.

 

I made us cupcakes to celebrate - simple, tasty ones, which just might find themselves in the cookbook. The frosting is what makes these special, the honey flavor comes through strongly and pairs so well with the spiced carrot cake.

 Carrot Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
makes one 2 layer cake or 24 cupcakes

I made cupcakes, but this recipe would make a great layer cake too. If you go that route, just use 2 9-inch round cake pans and bake them for 30-35 minutes.

For the Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
3 cups grated carrots (about 6 large carrots)
1 cup pecan halves, plus more for garnish

For the frosting:
2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

 Spread read pecans in a single layer on a baking pan and toast them in the oven just until they become aromatic, about 6 minutes. Roughly chop and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar, oil and eggs until well blended. Add in flour mixture, beat until just blended. Stir in carrots and pecans. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

While cupcakes are cooling, make frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer, Beat cream cheese, butter and honey until light and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar and beat until you reach desired consistency.

Frost the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with chopped pecans.





Oh! And while I'm announcing exciting things, I recently had the honor of being featured on Savuer's "Sites We Love". You can see that here.

                          

beauty & terror & apple skillet cake with rosemary crumb

"Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.
Just keep going.
No feeling is final."
Rainer Maria Rilke

This process, the one of growing up, it's hard. You don't know the right decisions to make - you've never done this before. Trying to create a career, or to even figure out what you want that career to be, meeting new people, becoming a full, interesting and interested person, to fill your life with good things and keep going through the beauty and terror can feel so overwhelming.



 It's stopped me in my tracks for a while. The little fears, ones that go something like this: "what if people don't like what I do anymore?" "what if this blog post isn't as good as the last?" "what if they don't like what I have to say?", they started getting to me. I forgot that those feelings weren't final. I dealt with them as I'm apt to do - I ignored them and stopped moving.

I came across the quote above from Rilke the other day; I had read it before, but this time it took my breath away. Let it happen. But keep going.



I wasn't letting it happen, I was pushing it away. I was trying to pretend it didn't exist and also letting those feeling be final. But I realized you have to live these things out, the beauty and the confusion, to change and grow. You have to keep moving. I'm working on that.




Apple Skillet Cake with Rosemary Crumb
Apples and rosemary are often paired together with pork, but they work really well in sweet dishes, too. This cake is so simple and tasty, the earthiness of the rosemary really makes it.

For rosemary crumb:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons roughly chopped rosemary
1-2 tablespoon water

For Cake:
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 cup salted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup apple, diced

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9 inch cast iron skillet.

To prepare crumb topping: Combine the flour, sugar, salt, butter and rosemary in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine on low speed, until it becomes the texture of coarse crumbs, add in water and mix until crumb comes together. Set aside.

To prepare cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together, on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of bowl after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Add in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk. Fold in the apples.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and sprinkle crumb on top.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until lightly golden and firm to the touch.

Cider Caramel Apple Pie

A while back, Joanna from Cup of Jo asked me to share my favorite apple pie recipe with her. Head on over there to see the recipe. It involves apple cider caramel, which might just be the best thing ever. Seriously. Make it. Pour over ice cream. Enjoy!

Honey Balsamic Strawberry Galette

Hello from the month of May!

It seems I blinked and April had come and gone. When I looked up, May was here, and with it came open windows, bright green leaves on all of the trees, honeysuckle scented air, baby sheep & cows in all the pastures, and strawberries in my garden.

I love strawberries because they seem to usher in the warmer seasons. The actual first taste of the bounty to come. There’s just something so good about that. It makes me happy.



The recipe I’m sharing with you today is definitely a grown up dessert.  It’s a little something different than your run of the mill sweet strawberry pie. I macerated strawberries in a balsamic and honey mix, baked it up in a whole wheat crust & topped it off with some freshly ground pepper. It’s hearty, a little bit tart, and really tasty.

Honey Balsamic Strawberry Galette

For the crust:
(adapted from martha stewart)
makes 2

    2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
    1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 freshly ground pepper
    2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small
        1/4 cup ice water, plus more if needed

For the filling:

1 pint fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons honey


1 teaspoon flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon almond flour
(this part is optional, but it helps to soak up excess juices)

1 egg, beaten

    In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt and pepper; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry blender.)

    With machine running, add ice water through feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

    Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Slice strawberries, toss in bowl with balsamic vinegar & honey. Let sit for 1 hour or more, up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 375. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Lay crust flat on cookie sheet or cast iron pan. Strain strawberries, reserving the liquid.

Combine the flour, sugar and almond flour, and sprinkle around the center of the dough, leaving 2 inch border.

Mound strawberries on top of the dough, then fold dough over, overlapping where necessary. Brush dough with egg. Bake until golden brown & bubbling, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, place remaining balsamic & honey in a small saucepan, adding 2 more tablespoons of balsamic and 3 more tablespoons of honey, boil until thickened.

Remove galette from oven & top with freshly ground pepper. Serve warm with balsamic honey sauce.


PS, check out my feature on Oh Joy!

Raspberry & White Chocolate Honey Almond Meal Muffins

Raspberries. White Chocolate. Honey. Almonds. I’m not sure it gets much better than that. I’ve been craving raspberries for a few weeks, I finally caved & bought a most definitely not in season basket full at the grocery store. I don’t regret it one bit.

I've had a string of kitchen misses lately. I’ve made dry cookies, cupcakes with much too heavy frosting, and cornmeal muffins I spat out after one bite (which never happens! they were bad enough to justify my gross actions.). As soon as these came out of the oven, I picked at a corner of one and popped it into my mouth while it was still piping hot. I knew instantly I had a hit on my hands, even as I did a little "this is too hot, why I'd do that!" dance while fanning frantically at my mouth.

These are best if you use good quality white chocolate, not that candy-making kind you find in the baking section at the store. The white chocolate is what sweetens these up, as there’s no sugar & only a little bit of honey in the batter. I like to mix most of the raspberries in but leave a few to press into the tops before I bake them. Enjoy. :)





Raspberry & White Chocolate Honey Almond Meal Muffins
adapted from Roost
Makes 8 muffins

        2 cups finely ground almond flour*
       1/2 tsp salt
   1/2 tsp baking soda

2 eggs
    1/4 cup melted butter
    1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup chopped white chocolate
3/4 cup fresh raspberries


Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a bowl. Combine wet and dry until well incorporated. Gently mix in white chocolate & raspberries Pour into lined muffin tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F (or until golden brown).

*you can buy pre-ground almonds or make your own.

Lemon Cake with Black Tea Frosting

This past Saturday, I spent most of the morning baking & photographing this cake. Hours spent in the kitchen, singing along with Daisy May, measuring out flour, standing over bubbling pots, peeking through oven windows. It’s been too long since I’d done that. It felt good.

You see, life has been a little more stressful than usual lately. Mostly, it’s the normal every day sort of stress, with a few real humdingers (trips to the hospital (everyone is fine!), etc) thrown in. Whenever things get like this, I feel creatively drained & unmotivated. I don’t want to pick up the camera, get in the kitchen or blog. Then, when I do, it’s like a revelation. “Oh THIS. This is where I’m happy.”. I feel so silly for having spent so much time away.



Let me tell you about this revelatory cake. Oh, my friends, it is good. It’s base is one of my favorite cake recipes by Dorie Greenspan, made extra lemony by a glaze poured over while it’s still warm. The frosting is something I’ve been thinking about for a while. I was trying to figure out how to make tea frosting happen using the leaves (I’ve done that, and while it tastes good, the texture can be a bit off-putting). Seven minute style frosting seemed the perfect solution - I made the simple syrup with tea instead of water, and added just a little bit of super strong tea straight into the frosting. I had no idea if it would work, but it did! It came out the perfect consistency and flavor - you can definitely tell it’s tea, but it’s not overwhelming. This is easily one of my favorite things I've ever made.

Perfect Party Cake
from Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

 Center a rack in the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-x-2-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

Add the butter and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.

Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the tough – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean.

Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

While still warm, poke each layer all over with a fork, and pour over lemon glaze (recipe follows). When cool, frost cake with black tea frosting & garnish with candied lemon slices.

Lemon Glaze

1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon juice, stir with a fork.


Black Tea Frosting

2 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup strongly brewed black tea
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup strongly brewed black tea

Beat egg whites in a mixing bowl until foamy & thick, they should mound, but not peak.

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cream of tartar, black tea & salt. Bring to a boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes, or until a candy thermometer reads 242 degrees F and all sugar is dissolved. 
Begin beating the egg whites again and slowly pour in boiling sugar syrup in a slow steam. Continue to beat on high for 7 minutes or until stiff peaks form.

Add 1/4 black tea by the tablespoon, beating after each addition.

Continue beating until frosting reaches desired consistency, about 2 minutes. Use immediately.


Candied Lemon Slices
From Martha Stewart

1 large lemon

1 cup sugar

    Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, cut lemon into 12 paper-thin slices; discard seeds and ends of rind.

    Bring a medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, and add lemon slices; stir until softened, about 1 minute. Drain, and immediately plunge slices into ice-water bath. Drain.

    Bring sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium skillet, swirling to dissolve sugar. When liquid is clear and bubbling, reduce heat to medium-low. Add lemon slices, arranging them in one layer with tongs. Simmer (do not let boil) until rinds are translucent, about 1 hour.

Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Let stand until ready to serve.

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Caramelized Shallot & Sage Butter (Plus a giveaway!)

I’m snowed in today. I’ve always loved snow days. The world slows down a bit, gets quiet.  Snow days always mean baking for me.

A few days ago, I mentioned on twitter I wasn’t sure what to bake next. If you’re ever out of ideas, turn to twitter, seriously, crowd-sourcing is the way to go. I got lots of suggestions, but sweet potato biscuits grabbed my attention (thanks, tim!).



I love sweet potatoes - probably more than your average person. I have them several times a week, in every different form, baked, roasted, as fries, I should have probably turned orange by now, but I’d never tried sweet potato biscuits before.



The biscuits are very mellow in flavor, and just a touch sweet. They go really well with the savory & flavorful caramelized shallot and sage butter I threw together.

What also would go great with these biscuits are the goodies in Eat Boutique's breakfast box. A couple of months ago, Maggie, the owner, asked me if I’d like to host a giveaway and I jumped at the opportunity to share this business with you. I’ve been a huge fan of Eat Boutique since it’s creation and I’ve loved watching it grow.

Eat Boutique is an online marketplace for handmade, artisanal foods. They create well thought-out seasonal gift boxes, full of handpicked goods. The one you can win today is the breakfast box, which will contain coffee, maple syrup (so good on biscuits!), and lots of other delicious things. (Yours may vary just a little from the one listed on the site.)


How to enter:

It’s simple. Just leave a comment here saying you'd like to be entered (I'll only count the ones that mention they'd like to be entered, since this is a US only giveaway. If you're not from the US but you'd like to comment anyway, feel free. ;).

Enter a second time by becoming a fan of Eat Boutique on Facebook, come back here and leave another comment saying you’ve done so.


Enter a third time by tweeting about this giveaway (be sure to include @honeyandjam and @eatboutique) and leave another comment saying you’ve done so.

No entries after 11 pm EST this Sunday, January 8th. US residents only. Winner will be picked at random and announced the 9th.



Sweet Potato Biscuits
From Martha Stewart
Makes 8

Ingredients
    1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and shaping
    2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
    2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus 1/2 tablespoon melted butter and more for pan
    3/4 cup Sweet-Potato Puree, chilled
    1/3 cup buttermilk

Directions
Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some pea-sized lumps of butter remaining. In a small bowl, whisk together sweet potato puree and buttermilk; stir quickly into flour mixture until combined (do not overmix).

Shape the biscuits: Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead very gently until dough comes together but is still slightly lumpy, five or six times. (If dough is too sticky, work in up to 1/4 cup additional flour.) Shape into a disk, and pat to an even 1-inch thickness. With a floured 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits as close together as possible. Gather together scraps, and repeat to cut out more biscuits (do not reuse scraps more than once).

     Bake the biscuits: Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack on lower shelf. Butter an 8-inch cake pan. Arrange biscuits snugly in pan (to help them stay upright). Brush with melted butter. Bake until golden, rotating once, 20 to 24 minutes.

Caramelized Shallot & Sage Butter

1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, room tempature
1 shallot, finely minced
2 tablespoons sage, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small saucepan, over low heat. Add the shallot and cook until brown & soft. Let it cool completely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, or by hand, beat the butter, shallot, sage and salt until combined.

You can place this mixture in a bowl, or scrape the butter onto a piece of plastic wrap, mold into a log shape and refrigerate.

The giveaway is now closed. Jacqui has won! Congrats Jacqui, your package is on its way!

Maple Buttermilk Tarts with Hazelnut Crust

You’re probably sick and tired of sugar, aren’t you? The last thing you want to think about is something sweet. All those christmas cookies, puddings, pumpkin pies. But I’m going to ask you to give these little tarts a try.



Earlier this month, I received a couple of products from Gilt Taste. One was a most likely  delicious pork shoulder - that I accidentally left on the counter overnight instead of in the fridge. But we’re not going to talk about that, okay? (Yes, I am a total dunce some days.)



The other product they sent over was BLiS maple syrup. I’d been wanting to combine buttermilk & maple syrup for a while now, so this seemed the perfect time. (Although I could have eaten the maple syrup by the spoonful - it's that good.)



We’ve got very simple flavors here. Hazelnut, buttermilk, and maple. That’s it. It's not hard to make, you can pull together the crust up to a week ahead of time if you put it in the freezer, and the rest just requires a bit of whisking. The custard filling is creamy & comforting, and the maple syrup flavor is enough of a change from the sugaryness of the season to make it perfect for January.



Maple Buttermilk Tarts with Hazelnut Crust

Makes 1 large tart or 4 small ones

For the crust:
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup toasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling:
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the whipped cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream, optional
1 tablespoon powdered sugar, optional
1 teaspoons vanilla extract, optional


Preheat oven to 350.

Place 3/4 cup of hazelnuts and powdered sugar in food processor. Pulse until nuts are finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add flour and salt, pulse to combined. Add butter; pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few pea-sized chunks of butter.

With the machine running, add the yolk. Pulse just until the mixture begins to clump together. If the dough is dry, add cold water, 1 teaspoon at a time, and pulse until moistened.) Press dough evenly into bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Prick dough all over with a fork, freeze for 20 minutes.

Bake crust for 10 minutes. Remove and press down bottom and sides. Bake for 10 minutes more.  Let cool for 15 minutes.


In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, melted butter, flour and salt. Add in the eggs, maple syrup, buttermilk and vanilla extract, stir to combine.

Pour mixture into pre-baked tart crust and bake for 45-55  minutes, (25-30 minutes for smaller tarts) or until outer edges are set, the middle will still bit a bit wobbly.

If using, whisk the heavy cream until lightly whipped, add the powdered sugar and vanilla, stir to combine.

Top with remaining 1/4 cup of toasted hazelnuts and lightly whipped cream.

Tomato Cobbler

I can’t believe autumn is almost here. I’ve spent most of the summer busy as a bee, a little travel, a few exciting photo jobs, a new puppy, (who is currently snoozing at my feet as I type this) with little time to blog or bake.



I had a few free hours this afternoon, and I spent them baking this tomato cobbler. It’s an idea I’ve had in my head for a while, a savory cobbler instead of sweet (not a very original idea, true, but new for me!), but I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to go with it. Then I found this recipe from Martha Stewart. It was just what I was looking for.





This cobbler has it’s feet firmly planted in two seasons. It’s bursting with juicy, late summer tomatoes, but it has the feel of fall. It’s warm and filling, just the thing for when the evenings turn cool. It’s perfect for the in between. A transitional cobbler.



The original recipe uses a different biscuit recipe, and gruyere instead of thyme. I think gruyere AND thyme would be perfect, but I didn’t have any. If you try it out, let me know! Also, the thyme biscuits are perfect on their own. Just preheat your oven to 400, form into rounds, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Tomato Cobbler
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves 4

For the filling
extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 pounds grape tomatoes
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

For the biscuit topping
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (plus more for garnish)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup heavy cream or buttermilk


Directions
Make the filling: Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool.

Toss onion mixture, tomatoes, flour, and red-pepper flakes with 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Make the biscuit topping: Whisk together flour, baking powder, thyme and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until small clumps form. Add cream, stirring with a fork to combine until dough forms. (Dough will be slightly sticky.)

Transfer tomato mixture to a 1 quart baking dish or medium cast iron pan. Spoon 5 clumps of biscuit dough over top in a circle, leaving center open. Brush dough with cream. Bake until tomatoes are bubbling in the center and biscuits are golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 20 minutes.

Peach Blueberry Pie

Today is a fantastic day. Do you know why? It’s a Pie Party! A few food bloggers were chatting on twitter and somehow this happened. Pretty awesome, right?



I love pie, but I only make it a couple of times of year, In fact, I’m pretty sure the the last one I made was exactly a year ago. I should do it more, because though mine taste good, they always, always fall apart! I haven’t figured out why yet, but I’m working on it. (albeit very slowly. ;)

I went all-American this time around, for Independence day. Peaches & blueberries. Perfect for enjoying while watching fireworks.



Peach Blueberry Pie

Pie Crust:
From Martha Stewart

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Filling:
5 peaches, peeled and sliced
3 cups blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
juice of 1/2 lemon

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc of dough into a 12-inch round, 1/8-inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Set aside in the refrigerator.

In a large bowl, combine peaches, blueberries, sugar, flour, and lemon juice, toss to combine. Pour into pie plate, mounding in the center. Roll second disc of dough into a 12-inch round, 1/8 inch thick. Wet edges of the crust in the plate, then lay dough on top, pressing at edges to seal. Cut vents into top crust. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.


Remove pie from refrigerator. Brush crust with egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, until crust is browned at edges. Turn oven down to 350, bake for another 40-50 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cherry Almond Crumble

Every year, around this time, I’m reminded of how much I adore cherries. I forget about them during the long winter, those days when fresh fruit is scarce. Then, as soon as I see them in the grocery store, I snatch them up, not giving a second thought about the $10 price tag.



I love that not only are they tasty, they are absolutely beautiful. There’s lots of pretty fruit out there, but I think cherries win the beauty contest, hands down. All those shades of red, their shiny skin, their ombre interior.



Today was the first time this season I seen them in the grocery store, so I grabbed a bag and brought them home to make this crumble. I’m an absolute crumble/crisp fiend, I think it’s the perfect way to bake with fruit. The flavor of the fruit it’s self really shines through, and the crunchy topping only adds to the deliciousness.





This recipe is loosely based on a recipe for a rhubarb, oat & pecan crumble from one of my favorite cookbooks, Rustic Fruit Desserts. While that recipe sounded great, I knew I wanted to bake with cherries and almonds, so I used it as an outline for what you see here. It turned out wonderfully, cherry and almond go so perfectly together. I used dark brown sugar in the cherries, to add a richer flavor, along with some almond extract.




This is best served fresh out of the oven, topped with vanilla bean ice cream. Let the ice cream melt into the crumble a little bit, it adds a creaminess that makes it taste even better.



Cherry Almond Crumble
adapted from Rustic Fruit Desserts

Crumble

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Cherry Filling

1 1/2 pounds fresh cherries, pitted
1/3 cup dark brown sugar (more or less, depending on your taste)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 8x8 baking dish (or 3 smaller dishes, like I used here)

To make the crumble, mix the flour, oats, brown sugar, almonds and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the butter, then press the mixture together in your hands to form clumps.

To make the cherry filling, mix together the cherries, brown sugar, almond extract and cornstarch.

Transfer the cherry mixture into the prepared pan and scatter the crumble topping over the top. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.