Sunday, October 26, 2008

Pie Class


Last Thursday evening I attended the Larchmont & Mamaroneck Continuing Education Great Holiday Pies class. Our class was held in the home economics room of Mamaroneck High School. I felt like I was back in school as we watched our teacher (minus the infamous overhead mirror) make a fabulous deep dish apple pie and impart to us many great pie-making tips.

A fun-filled two hours later I left armed with new skills, a prepared crust and a packet full of recipes.

Spencer had to leave work early for me to attend and when I returned home, he informed me that his co-workers were now expecting a sweet treat. I decided to have a go at the Kentucky Derby Pie. It was amazing! Lucky for me Spencer took most of it to work or I would have eaten the whole thing!

Kentucky Derby Pie

3/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Flour
1/2 Cup Melted Butter
4 Eggs
1 Cup Pecans, Chopped
1 Cup Light Karo Syrup
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 Unbaked 9-inch pie crust

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

**My oven required a longer baking time. Just make sure it's set in the middle.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Carmel Apple Turnover


This was divine, I stole it from a cooking site I frequent all the time. I found the Pillsbury Crescents at Walmart, basically they are just a sheet of the crescent dough. Definitely going to try this again. Next time I would make sure the apple mixture was much cooler before I added it to the dough.

1 Granny Smith apple (or two Gala apples), peeled, halved and thinly sliced
½ cup caramel topping, plus some for serving
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tube (8 oz.) Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 375°.Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray. In 10-inch skillet, cook apple, caramel topping and ½ teaspoon cinnamon over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until apple is tender.Unroll dough onto cookie sheet. Spoon apple mixture lengthwise down center of dough; spread to within ½ inch of edges. Sprinkle with pecans. Starting with short side, roll up; firmly pinch edges to seal.In small bowl, mix sugar and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Brush dough with egg. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Make 3 slits 2 inches apart on top of dough.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until deep golden brown. Top with more caramel sauce when serving

Chicken Pot Pie


This was a perfect solution to a raining/ snowy weekend. Easy to make and you basically add whatever you want from your fridge.
Crust, I used a box but you can always make from scratch. Line pie pan with one crust.
6 boneless chicken tenderloins (or 2 chicken breasts) poached in chicken broth then diced
3 carrots sliced thin
2 small potatoes diced
1 TBS dehydrated onion
Take both carrots. potatoes, dried onion and salt and pepper, microwave in either a Ziploc or a bowl with saran wrap, until tender
Sauce - created Roux
3 TBS Butter (melted in sauce pan)
3 TBS Flour mix with melted butter and brown lightly
Add below items and whisk until well combined.
2 cups Milk
1 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Minced or crushed garlic
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Salt and Pepper
Cook until thickened
Add chicken, potatoes and carrots and 1/2 cup of frozen peas to sauce and put in pie pan, top with other crust and seal edges, make several slits in top pie crust.
Bake at 425 degrees for 40 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes and cut and serve.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Blueberry Scones




Happy Conference day two! Yesterday we made crepes with yogurt and today we had Blueberry Scones!


This recipe is from on of my favorite collections, American Test Kitchens. They test the recipe multiple time (even up to 50 times) till it is perfect. While there are extra steps, do follow them as they make the lightest scones I have ever had.



The butter should be frozen solid before grating. In hot or humid environments, chill the flour mixture and workbowls before use. While the recipe calls for 2 whole sticks of butter, only 10 tablespoons are actually used (see step 1). If fresh berries are unavailable, an equal amount of frozen berries (do not defrost) can be substituted. An equal amount of raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries can be used in place of the blueberries. Cut larger berries into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces before incorporating. Refrigerate or freeze leftover scones, wrapped in foil, in an airtight container. To serve, remove foil and place scones on a baking sheet in a 375-degree oven. Heat until warmed through and recrisped, 8 to 10 minutes if refrigerated, 16 to 20 minutes if frozen. See final step for information on making the scone dough in advance.Makes 8

16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), frozen whole (see note above)
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (about 7 1/2 ounces), picked over (see note)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups all-purpose flour (10 ounces), plus additional for work surface
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest


1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Score and remove half of wrapper from each stick of frozen butter. Following photo at left, grate unwrapped ends on large holes of box grater (you should grate total of 8 tablespoons). Place grated butter in freezer until needed. Melt 2 tablespoons of remaining ungrated butter and set aside. Save remaining 6 tablespoons butter for another use. Place blueberries in freezer until needed.


2. Whisk together milk and sour cream in medium bowl; refrigerate until needed. Whisk flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in medium bowl. Add frozen butter to flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.


3. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula until just combined. With rubber spatula, transfer dough to liberally floured work surface. Dust surface of dough with flour; with floured hands, knead dough 6 to 8 times, until it just holds together in ragged ball, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.


4. Roll dough into approximate 12-inch square. Following illustrations, fold dough into thirds like a business letter, using bench scraper or metal spatula to release dough if it sticks to countertop. Lift short ends of dough and fold into thirds again to form approximate 4-inch square. Transfer dough to plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in freezer 5 minutes.


5. Transfer dough to floured work surface and roll into approximate 12-inch square again. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over surface of dough, then press down so they are slightly embedded in dough. Using bench scraper or thin metal spatula, loosen dough from work surface. Roll dough, pressing to form tight log. Lay seam-side down and press log into 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using sharp, floured knife, cut rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.


6. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Pantyhose Pumpkin

After reading comments about fall decorations, I decided to share my favorite. It's very easy, cheap and adorable. This would also be a good craft to do with kids.

Here is what you need:

Two pairs of old pantyhose
Orange and green poster paint and a paintbrush
Fiberfill
Scissors
Two rubber bands
Hot Glue Gun
Ribbon

Here is what you do (see picture of steps below):
  1. Cut the four legs off the pantyhose. Arrange the legs crossing over each other at the center like spokes of a wheel. Glue the legs together at the point where they all cross over each other.
  2. Cut the toe end off the foot of the pantyhose so that all the legs are open at the ends.
    Stuff all sections of pantyhose with fiberfill. Leave about 6 inches at the end of each stocking unstuffed.
  3. Pull the eight sections up and around to the center to form a pumpkin. Hold the sections together with a rubber band.
  4. Braid the excess stocking ends together to make a stem for the pumpkin. Hold the braided stem in place with another rubber band.
  5. Paint the pumpkin orange and the stem green. (As you can see, I chose not to paint the stem). Tie ribbon around stem. You can turn this pumpkin into a jack-o'-lantern by gluing on a face cut from black felt.