30 by 30: Pizza Crust February 8, 2011
Posted by elly in 30 by 30, breads and muffins.14 comments
I’ve only cooked with yeast a handful of times and, actually, have had a fair amount of success each time. Still, I shy away from yeasted bread recipes for some reason, and am always a bit worried they won’t turn out. That’s why I included a couple yeasted dough recipes on my 30 by 30 list – I am constantly telling myself I’ll make more bread and then I never, ever do.
I feel like a pizza dough is one of those recipes every home cook should have. I don’t make pizza very often, but when I do it’s with refrigerated dough, and it never turns out great. I buy it because it’s convenient and better than frozen pizza, but it’s definitely never been as good as delivery/restaurants and has always lacked the nice crusty but chewy texture a good pizza crust should have.
I’ve seen many, many people have success with this pizza dough from Baking Illustrated so I decided to give it a shot. Happily, I was not at all disappointed. The dough came together super quickly and I had no issues whatsoever. I ended up dividing it in two and freezing half of it. Half the dough made a good sized pizza, though you can divide it in 3 and make more medium-ish size pizzas. I decided to weigh my flour (which I don’t usually do) and am glad I did, because I’m sure it contributed to the perfect ratio. I used the stand mixer for mixing and kneading so I wouldn’t have to hand-knead but you can use a food processor and your hands if you prefer. I baked the pizza on a baking stone, because I always use one for pizzas and doughs. A stone turns even a mediocre crust into a pretty damn good one, I swear.
My pizza did puff up just a tad more than normal, I think, which may have been an issue with me not rolling it out enough or maybe forgetting to punch down the dough (I don’t know – can that cause puffiness? More than anything I was sad I forgot to do this because I feel like it’s one of those fun things about making pizza at home, since I can’t throw the dough into the air. Yeah, I’m lame, I know.).
I actually completely forgot about pizza sauce until I was like 5 minutes from putting my pizza together. D’oh! No worries, it was easy enough to just whip some up using canned tomato sauce and some herbs/spices (basil, oregano, red pepper flakes). I topped this pizza with mozzarella and romano cheeses, garlic, mushrooms and turkey sausage. To me, mushrooms are a quintessential pizza topping. I don’t care what else is on a pizza, but it needs to be adorned with mushrooms. (I sauté them first, to eliminate the moisture.) This was my first time buying turkey sausage and can I say something? It was not good. It had no flavor whatsoever. It was like eating ground turkey–which has no flavor. Now, I was a bit sick so I’m sure that had a bit to do with it and I am positive there have to be better brands of turkey sausage out there, but next time I’ll just make my own mixture or stick to the delicious varieties of chicken sausage I’ve found.
This pizza dough was pretty perfect. It baked up nice and crisp on the outside with just the right amount of chew inside. I’ll be honest and say that I was worried about not prebaking the crust before adding the toppings. When I’ve used refrigerated dough, pre-baking it has been the only way to ensure a crispy crust without it becoming soggy, or overcooking the toppings. But, no worries whatsoever. It was one less step to take and turned out far better than any refrigerated pizza dough I’ve purchased.
I’m so happy to finally have a pizza crust recipe in my arsenal (not to mention a ball of it in the freezer)!
Pizza Dough
1/2 cup warm water (about 110°)
1 envelope (2.25 tsp.) instant yeast
1.25 cups room temperature water
2 Tbsp. olive oil (plus more for greasing the bowl)
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour (plus more for dusting)
1.5 tsp. salt
Measure the warm water into a 2 cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room temperature water and oil, stirring to combine.
Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and briefly combine the dry ingredients at low speed. Slowly add the liquid ingredients and continue to mix at low speed until a cohesive mass forms. Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1.5 to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate it.
Place your stone in the oven and preheat to 500 for at least 30 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two (or three) equal pieces. Form the pieces of dough into smooth, round balls and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30 minutes.
Working with one piece of dough and keeping the other(s) covered, shape the dough and transfer to a pizza peel or parchment dusted with semolina or cornmeal. Top as desired.
Slide the pizza onto the baking stone (you can keep it right on the parchment, if you are using that rather than a peel) and bake for about 8-12 minutes, until crust edges brown and cheese is bubbly.
30 by 30: Osso Buco January 18, 2011
Posted by elly in 30 by 30, italian, veal.20 comments
I have braised many a meat in my time, but for some reason, I’d never made Osso Buco at home until last week. That’s why it was a perfect 30×30 addition. Like all braised dishes, this turns out flavorful, hearty, fall-off-the-bone tender. All of that with minimal effort!
If you haven’t noticed, I’m a big fan of some pork fat in soups and braised dishes. :) Bacon and pancetta, even when just using a minimal amount, add so much flavor to dishes. I went with pancetta here (you know, keeping it I-talian and all). I decided to leave the pancetta in the Dutch oven as the veal shanks braised, but if you want to keep them a little crisper you can remove them after cooking and just add them on top of the completed dish.
I asked for a couple of smaller veal shanks, so depending on how big yours are the recipe below may serve more than 2. The gremolata is optional, but it adds a little freshness to the dish, so I’m in favor of incorporating it.
This was absolutely delicious and I’m so glad I finally made this at home. I served it with some creamy polenta, but it would be delicious over risotto or mashed cannelini beans.
Osso Buco
Serves 2
Printer Friendly Recipe
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 oz. pancetta, chopped
2 small veal shanks
flour (about 3 Tbsp.) for dredging
1 small carrot, sliced
1 celery rib, sliced
1/4 cup diced onion
1 sprig rosemary
1 small plum tomato, seeded and diced
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup vermouth or dry white wine
1.5 cups (approximately) chicken stock
Gremolata
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
1 tsp. lemon zest
Heat a small Dutch oven over medium heat, and add the oil. Once hot, add the pancetta and cook until crisp and it has rendered its fat. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve. Leave about 1 Tbsp. of fat in the pan.
Season the flour with some salt and pepper. Pat the veal shanks dry and then dredge them in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Add to the hot Dutch oven and brown on all sides. Remove.
To the pot, add the carrot, celery, onion, rosemary, tomato, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Increase the heat slightly, and then add the wine. Reduce by half.
Add the chicken stock and salt and pepper to taste. Place the veal shanks and the pancetta back into the pot. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer over low heat for 1.5-2 hours, turning occasionally, and adding more stock if necessary (the liquid should come about halfway up the shanks).
To make the gremolita, combine the parsley, garlic, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the plated veal shanks.
30 by 30: Fettuccine Alfredo with Blackened Chicken December 6, 2010
Posted by elly in 30 by 30, italian, pasta.11 comments
I’m afraid to say that heavy cream has become a bit of a common item in our household. Between my affinity for homemade ice cream and my calorie-laden 30×30 list, it’s almost become a staple. As you can imagine, this is not a very good thing. Well, let me rephrase – it’s not a good thing when it comes to dropping this still-remaining 20 lbs. of baby weight, but it is a good thing because, well, it’s heavy cream. And heavy cream is a very good thing.
I’ve always loved fettucine alfredo, but I pretty much never allow myself to eat it. But then, that’s one of the reasons it made it on my list to begin with – everyone should indulge in some of their favorites at least once in a while. To make myself feel a wee bit better, I added some blackened chicken to add some protein to the dish.
This was so good. So, so good. Mine ended up a wee bit thick but it’s my own fault for becoming distracted while stirring the pasta with the cream (apparently, it is a real possibility to get distracted even with a 2 minute task when you have an 8 month old), and using the last bit of cream I had on hand for this recipe. Still, it was creamy and delicious and luxurious. I wish I could say I’ll make this all the time – but I won’t. I will make it when indulgence is in order, though.
Fettucine Alfredo
Serves 4
From Michael Ruhlman
1 cup cream
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
4 Tbsp. butter, cut into a few pieces
freshly ground nutmeg to taste
12 oz. fresh pasta
2 oz. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
In a pan big enough to toss the pasta, bring the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg to a simmer, then lower the heat and whisk or swirl in the butter, a chunk at a time. Turn off the heat.
Boil and strain your pasta. Toss the pasta in the cream. Sprinkle three quarters of the cheese over the pasta, tossing it to melt and distribute the cheese. Add a little more cream or milk if you’ve let it get too thick. Serve, sprinkling additional cheese on each.
Gratin Dauphinoise November 19, 2010
Posted by elly in 30 by 30, potatoes.10 comments
I have a love affair with gratin dauphinoise. I suspect most people do, too, because what’s not to love about potatoes enrobed in cream and gruyere? It is very, very rare for me to indulge in a dish such as this one (at least home), but I guess indulgence is part of turning 30 soon. :)
When I added these potatoes to my 30 by 30 list, I already knew I’d be heading to my Anthony Bourdain cookbook for the recipe. I halved the recipe–a recipe which is supposed to serve 4–but definitely ended up with 4 servings myself. So unless you plan on eating a whole lot o’ potatoes, I think you’ll find the version below makes 4 more than adequate servings.
This dish is unsurprisingly delicious. I honestly can’t remember what main dish we had these with because, really, who cares? This gratin was the star of dinner that night.
Gratin Dauphinoise
Serves 4 (according to me) or 2 (according to Bourdain)
Adapted from Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook
4 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4″ slices
1 cup heavy cream
5 garlic cloves, slightly crushed, divided
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
1 sprig of parsley
salt and (white) pepper
freshly ground nutmeg (go easy)
1/2 Tbsp. butter
2 oz. grated gruyere cheese
Preheat the oven to 350.
Place the potatoes in a pot and add the cream, 4 of the garlic cloves, and herbs. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and discard the garlic and herbs.
Use the remaining clove of garlic to rub around the inside of the gratin dish. Butter the gratin dish, too, so that it is evenly coated. Pour the potatoes and cream into the baking dish and top with the grated cheese. Cook for 40 minutes or until the potatoes are brown and bubbling. Let sit 10-15 minutes before serving.
30 by 30: Croque Monsieur November 1, 2010
Posted by elly in 30 by 30, french, sandwiches.12 comments
First, let me apologize for being a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad food blogger. Not only have I fallen off the consistent posting wagon, I’ve also been horrible at visiting and commenting on other blogs. Every time I open my Google Reader, I fear my computer may explode. I haven’t had less than 3000 things in there in weeks. Le sigh. I have no excuse other than the fact that I’m pretty sure someone has stolen a few hours of my day and has left me with no time to navigate the food internets!
If I intend to finish my 30 by 30 list in time, I should have about 15 of the items completed by the end of the year. I have, in fact, completed…6. Which means I have a lot of work to do over the next 2 months (well, really, the next 8). This particular item, the croque monsieur, turned out to be the perfect one to scratch off the list a few nights ago. Tom had to work late, which meant I had to pick up the kiddo from daycare and hang with him until it was time for him to go to bed. This didn’t really leave me any time to make dinner (not to mention the husband wasn’t home to eat), so I opted to make something after Zachary had gone to bed for the night (and when I would have some company to eat dinner with). These came together in no time at all, thank goodness, because I was so hungry.
Croque monsieur sounds so much fancier than a ham and cheese sandwich, doesn’t it? Obviously, this is not your standard ham and cheese (although, just so you know, a standard grilled ham and cheese ranks very high on my list of favorite foods). It has gruyere, which is one of the best cheese on the planet, and it’s drenched with bèchamel, which, fascinatingly enough, is one of the best sauces on the planet. It’s then placed under the broiler just long enough for the bèchamel to bubble and brown a bit. Heaven.
I’d love to tell you this is also extremely healthy but clearly it’s not. I did, however, pair it with a simple field green salad with a lemon vinaigrette that I whipped up. This was a nice. light counterpart to the rich sandwich.
Croque Monsieur
Serves 2
Printer Friendly Recipe
2 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 Tbsp. flour
2/3 cup whole or 2% milk, warmed
2 Tbsp. pecorino romano
2 oz. + 2 Tbsp. gruyere cheese, divided
salt
freshly ground pepper
freshly ground nutmeg
4 slices white bread
2-4 oz. black forest ham
Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour. Whisk/stir until the raw flour is cooked off and you have a light golden color. Slowly add the warmed milk, whisking, and bring the mixture to a low boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and can coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the 2 Tbsp. of gruyere and the romano.
Use the remaining Tbsp. of butter to spread on the 4 slices of bread. Add half the ham and half the remaining gruyere to each sandwich (keeping the buttered sides of the bread on the outside). Heat a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat and add the sandwiches. Cook until golden brown on each side.
Preheat the broiler. Place the sandwiches on a broiler safe pan/dish (if you use cast iron for grilling the sandwiches, you can just use that). Spoon half the bèchamel sauce over each sandwich and broil for about 2-3 minutes until the sauce bubbles and browns a bit.
30 by 30: Focaccia October 7, 2010
Posted by elly in 30 by 30, breads and muffins, italian.9 comments
For the longest time, I’ve been telling myself I’m going to make more bread recipes; specifically, I’ve been referring to yeasted breads. When I was making my 30 by 30 list, I knew I needed to include a few breads on there, but which ones? Well, it took me about zero time to narrow in on focaccia, because it’s one of my favorites. You really can’t go wrong with a perfectly textured bread — just a little crusty on the outside and soft and light inside — that has absorbed a good amount of delicious olive oil. Yum.
Incidentally, Kelsey, from whom I completely ripped off the 30 by 30 idea, also had focaccia on her list. So, we decided to both tackle it and post it on the same day. She actually used a different recipe than I did, so be sure to check out her blog to see her focaccia!
I’ve seen this particular recipe on several different blogs, and I always hear wonderful things about Peter Reinhart’s bread recipes, so I decided to give it a go. This bread is a little time-consuming. Well, the active prep time is not terribly time-consuming, but it is a two-day process (which I wish I would have realized before the day I planned on having fresh bread for dinner…I really need to read through recipes in their entirety at least a day before I plan on making them.) That said, each step is very easy, and even a bread novice like myself had absolutely no trouble with this recipe. In fact, I had an Ina Garten moment while making this.
You know how Ina is always like, “the temperature of this should be 140” and then she sticks a thermometer in and it is precisely 140 degrees? Not 138 or 141. Always 140. It doesn’t matter if she is roasting a pork tenderloin or making candy, she always miraculously tests it at the right time and gets the perfect temperature. When I tested this bread before pulling it out of the oven, it was 200 degrees on the nose.
I accidentally left the flash on my camera, so I’m sorry you can’t really get a good look at the airy, light pockets in the bread. But believe me, this bread is the perfect texture. Light and tasty, with the perfect amount of chew. We used this to accompany one of our favorite stews one night, for ham/salami/provolone panini another night, for lunch sandwiches, and yep, for breakfast, too. Some of this made its way to work, since it makes a lot of bread for two people. Not that I couldn’t finish off this whole loaf myself because believe me. I could.
Herbed Focaccia
Adapted from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice
5 cups bread flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. instant yeast
6 Tbsp. olive oil + 1/4 cup for shaping the dough
2 cups room temperature water
1/4 – 1/2 cup herb oil (recipe follows)
Stir together the flour, salt, and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the 6 Tbsp. oil and water and mix on low speed using the paddle attachment until the ingredients form a wet, sticky ball. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium for about 5-7 minutes, or until a smooth, sticky dough forms. It should clear the sides of the bowl, but stick to the bottom. Add additional flour to firm up the dough enough to clear the sides of the bowl, if necessary.
Sprinkle enough flour on the counter to form a 6 inch square. Using a scraper or spatula dipped in water, transfer the dough to the flour bed. Dust liberally with flour and pat into a rectangle. Allow the dough to relax for 5 minutes.
Coat your hands with flour and stretch the dough from each end to twice its size. Fold it, letter style, over itself, into a rectangle. Mist the top of the dough with spray oil, dust with flour, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and fold the dough again, mist with spray oil and dust with flour, cover loosely in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes. Repeat this step one more time, but this time allow the dough to rest for one hour. It should swell in size, although not necessarily double.
Line a 17×12″ baking sheet with parchment. Drizzle 1/4 cup olive oil over the sheet, and use your hands or a pastry brush to cover the sheet with oil uniformly. Lightly oil your hands and using a scraper or spatula, transfer the dough to the baking sheet, trying to keep its rectangular shape as much as possible.
Spoon half the herb oil over the dough. Using your fingertips, dimple the dough and spread it in the pan simultaneously. Do not use the flat of your hands, to avoid tearing. Try to keep the thickness as uniform as possible across the surface. If the dough becomes too springy, let it rest for 15 minutes before proceeding. Don’t worry if you are not able to completely fill the pan, especially the corners. As it relaxes and proofs, the dough will spread out naturally.
Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and set in the fridge overnight, or for up to 3 days.
Remove the pan from the refrigerator 3 hours before baking. Drizzle additional herb oil over the surface and dimple it in. (You can use all of it if you want; it will look like a lot, but the bread will absorb it.) This should allow you to fill the pan completely with the dough about 1/2″ thick. Add any other pre-proof toppings desired. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and proof at room temperature for 3 hours or as long as it takes the bread to double in size, and become 1″ thick.
Preheat the oven to 500 with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Place any pre-bake toppings on the dough.
Place the pan in the oven. Lower the temperature to 450 and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue baking for 5-10 minutes or until it turns a light golden brown. If you’re using any other toppings, put them on at this point and bake an additional 5 minutes. If you are adding cheese, it should melt but not burn. The internal temperature of the dough should be 200 degrees.
Remove the pan from the oven and immediately take the focaccia out of the pan and place on a cooling rack.
Allow the focaccia to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving
Herb oil
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tsp. dried herbs such as basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to heat on low for 1-1.5 hours, in order for the flavors to infuse.
Leftovers may be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
30 By 30: Spaetzle September 28, 2010
Posted by elly in 30 by 30, pasta.16 comments
Now that Fall is here (yay!) I can start getting to some of the more comforting and hearty meals in my 30 by 30 list. I’ve only had spaetzle a handful of times, but I really like it. What’s not to like about something that is a cross between a noodle and a dumpling? Not to mention laced with nutmeg and sautéed in butter.
This was incredibly easy to make. For some reason, I decided I needed to make it on a Wednesday because I work from home on Wednesdays and no commute = more time to prepare dinner. But what happened was I got the mixture together and it was, like, 5:05. So, I actually stuck it in the fridge for a bit while I boiled the water and got everything else for dinner together. I was originally going to make this with some chicken schnitzel, but I decided I didn’t want (errrr…need) the additional carbs since I was already eating the spaetzle. So instead, I just seasoned and broiled some boneless/skinless chicken thighs–which is one of the fastest and tastiest ways to make them–and made green beans, too.
The only issue I had while making these was that the bottom holes on my colander were a bit small, so I had to use the ones on the side. It wasn’t very…um, ergonomic…holding a large colander on its side while pushing the dough through, but it wasn’t bad.
The original recipe said to simmer these for 5-8 minutes, which I think would be a mushy mess unless you have some big spaetzle. I simmered mine closer to 3 and they were perfect.
Spaetzle are a nice alternative to a homemade pasta when you don’t have the proper tools to make pasta or you’re just too damned lazy (hi, that’s me).
Spaetzle
Adapted from AllRecipes
Serves 4-6
1 cup AP flour*
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg (I use whole nutmeg)
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp. butter
2-3 Tbsp. chopped parsley
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce to a gentle boil/simmer.
Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Add the eggs and milk alternately to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth. (*I had to add about 1 Tbsp. extra flour.)
In batches, press the dough through a spaetzle maker or the holes in a metal colander, into the simmering water. Cook just a few minutes until the spaetzle are done–they will rise to the surface. Lift the spaetzle out with a mesh strainer or slotted spoon.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the spaetzle. Stir to coat the spaetzle and cook about 2 minutes or until they start to get a little color. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
30 By 30: Bacon and Smoked Gouda Quiche August 30, 2010
Posted by elly in 30 by 30, breakfast/brunch.9 comments
I love quiche. Love love love it. I eat a lot of eggs, so they are a very special treat indeed when they are enveloped in deliciously buttery pie crust. Unfortunately, said deliciously buttery pie crust is famous for making ridiculously fatty stomach rolls. So, I tend to opt for the much healthier frittata, which has no crust and a little bit of milk instead of half and half.
BUT, you see, it turns out that my unpublished 31st task for 30 by 30 was to get really fat. Clearly if you’ve looked through my blog lately (and could see the ice cream in my freezer and the fact that I’ve enjoyed both cupcakes AND donuts the last few days), you could see I’m going to do a bang-up job of THAT.
At any rate, this quiche is very similar to quiche Lorraine, but with smoked gouda instead of Swiss cheese. Why, you ask? Well, because it’s infinitely better. Something about Swiss cheese has always made me turn up my nose. I think at once point I decided it smelled like sweatsocks, so that could be it. And yet, I find gruyere to be one of the best cheeses ever. Go figure.
I’ve used my favorite pie crust recipe here, but feel free to use any one you like or even a store-bought crust. Once the crust is blind-baked, this comes together in a snap. If you are making your own crust, though, you will probably want to do this on a day when you have more time because of the chilling of the dough that is required. Sadly, I don’t have a tart pan, so I made this in a pie pan. Not nearly as pretty but delicious just the same.
Bacon and Smoked Gouda Quiche
1 pre-baked 9″ pie/tart crust (recipe follows)
5 slices bacon, cooked and chopped/crumbled
3 eggs
1 cup half and half
1 cup shredded smoked gouda
a few grates of nutmeg
salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 375.
Whisk together the eggs and half and half. Add the bacon, gouda, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste and whisk until just combined. Pour into the pre-baked pie/tart shell.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until custard is puffed and set, but still a little jiggly in the center.
Pate Brisee Pie Crust
Joy of Baking
1.25 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, chilled and cut into 1/2″ pieces
1/4 – 1/2 cup ice water
Whisk or pulse-process the flour, sugar, and salt together. Add the butter to the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 seconds. Alternatively, use a pastry blender to combine the butter into the flour. Pour the water in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube until the dough just holds together when pinched. Do not mix for more than 30 seconds.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and pat into a ball. Flatten into a disc, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least half an hour before using.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to fit into an 8-9″ tart or pie pan. (Place your pan upside down on the dough circle to make sure it’s big enough – the dough should be about an inch wider than the pan.) Move the dough into the tart or pie pan (I do this by rolling it onto my rolling pin and then unrolling it into the pan). Press the dough into the pan and remove any excess dough. Prick the bottom with a fork and then refrigerate or freeze for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400. Place a sheet of parchment on top of your chilled pie dough and then weight it down with pie weights, dried beans, or rice. I didn’t feel like wasting rice this time so what I did was put a pie pan that was smaller than the one I was using on top of the parchment and pressed it down a bit. Worked perfectly.)
Bake for 20-25 minutes in center of oven, until crust is dry and lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack before proceeding with the quiche recipe.
30 By 30: Key Lime Pie August 18, 2010
Posted by elly in 30 by 30, sweets/desserts.9 comments
I’ve always been a sucker for lime anything. Key lime pie, marinades, candy, popsicles (Fla-vor-Ice, obviously!). I think I inherited this particular taste preference from my dad, who once wrote to Life Savers telling them they should make a roll of strictly lime Life Savers, like they do with wild cherry ones. Sadly, that never happened. But if anyone from Wrigley is reading this blog…
Key lime pie is one of those things that, while incredibly simple to make, was added to my 30 By 30 List because I’d never made it. With a graham cracker crust & smooth tart filling, how could you not like this and want to make it?
This recipe came together in no time and tasted great. I completely forgot to garnish the pie with additional lime zest, but thankfully since there was already lime zest in the filling, it still tasted great. Neither my husband nor I are big whipped cream people (I know, right?), so I only whipped a cup of cream (the original recipe calls for 1.5 cups), and served it on the side for people who are less strange than Tom and me. I think 1 cup is enough, though, even if everyone likes a healthy dose on their pie.
Key Lime Pie
Adapted from Martha Stewart
1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4.5 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice
1 Tbsp. grated lime zest, plus more for garnish
1 cup chilled heavy cream
Heat the oven to 375. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and 3 Tbsp. sugar. Mix well and press into a 9″ pie plate. Bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes, and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Lower oven to 325. In a medium bowl, gently whisk the condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice and zest. Pour into the prepared crust. Bake until center is set but still quivers when pan is nudged, about 15-17 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Shortly before serving, combine the cream and remaining 1.5 Tbsp. sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until soft peeks form, about 2-3 minutes. Spoon over the cooled pie, garnish with additional lime zest, and serve immediately.
30 by 30: Queso Fundido August 9, 2010
Posted by elly in 30 by 30, appetizers, mexican/tex-mex.6 comments
There’s not much to dislike about queso fundido. Bubbly, melty cheese, spicy chorizo, and earthy, roasted poblanos. I guess there is, in fact, nothing, to dislike about queso fundido.
I love ordering this as an appetizer in Mexican restaurants, but I’ve never made it myself, which is why I decided it would be perfect 30 by 30 territory. It’s certainly nothing fancy or difficult, but it’s so tasty and quick. Wrapped with in some warmed tortillas, you have a fabulous snack or appetizer, or even a meal.
I didn’t use exact measurements for the recipe since I was only making it for the two of us. I definitely used more chorizo, proportionately, but that was A-OK with us. I may have overbrowned it, though (shhh).
This was delicious, of course. Although I know I’ll make it again, I have to hope it’s not *too* often because I show no restraint when it comes to queso fundido…and it’s not exactly the lightest recipe.
Since I didn’t use precise measurements and the recipe that inspired me did, here’s the link to the recipe from The Homesick Texan.
elly says opa! 