Cooking for Seven

If I were to choose my bane in baking, it would be pie crust. No matter what I do, it seems, my crusts inevitably turn out tough or crumbly, even if I use all white flour.

Grandma K. agrees with me. Pies are evil.

This recipe may of have changed my mind. Slightly. It was the first pie crust that I was sort of proud of. There was no toughness in sight, it was flaky not crumbly and had lovely flavor. I’m still mighty leery of pies, but I just might have the courage make another using this crust recipe.

Recipe notes:

• The original recipe called for a basil cream sauce, but it sounded a bit strange to me so I left it out.
• Reuben, who does not like overly sweet desserts, thought this was bit tart. Perhaps another time I would increase the sweetness slightly.
• With the leftover dough and strawberries, I made little hand pies.

Strawberry Galette | adapted from Martha Stewart | makes 8-10 servings | printable page

For The Dough

For The Galette

Directions:

1. Make the dough: (I mixed the dough by hand using a pastry cutter) Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add ice water, and pulse until just combined (dough will still be crumbly). Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out a 10-inch round, and transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Make the galette: Cut strawberries lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Reserve end pieces for another use. Toss slices with 1/4 cup sugar and the cornstarch, and immediately arrange them in concentric circles on dough. Start 1 inch from edge, overlapping slices slightly. Fold edge of dough over berries. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
4. Whisk together yolk and water. Brush dough with the egg wash, and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Dot berries with butter. Bake until crust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
5. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve warm with basil cream and fried basil.

Now For the Giveaway Winner!

And the winner of Pioneer Woman’s Cooking Essentials is…

Commenter #77, Nikki Sportsman, who said: “on toast, with jam.”

That’s one of my favorites, too!

Congratulations, Nikki! I will contact you soon.

Thank you to all who entered the giveaway! Have a lovely day.

The other day, my sister called me up and asked if I’d be willing to stay with the kids while she made a trip into town. Of course I said yes - being home alone is kinda lonely sometimes, and I love my little niece and nephew to death.

While she was in town and the kids were napping, I decided to harvest some of her beautiful rhubarb and make a dessert.

Everything went together easily and it baked up as described by the recipe. When the kiddos woke up from their nap, they were very interested in my creation and desperate to give it a try.

The guys got home from work and Reuben spied the rhubarb crisp. He, too was eager to try some - perhaps before supper?

Just as we were getting ready to eat, my sister announced that she was going into labor. We quickly finished the meal and cleared away the dishes - but she need us to leave: NOW. We scooped up the kids (and the dessert) and headed home.

Judah and Ellie finally got to eat their dessert (with whipped cream, of course). We waited (somewhat) patiently for news of the arrival of the baby. Ten o-clock rolled around and no phone call. We put the kids to bed and settled down at the computer to relax a bit after a very busy day.

Just as Reuben and I were drifting off to sleep, we got the call. It’s a girl!

The next morning we packed up the kids and headed out to see the newest member of the family: Susan.

And what a doll she is.

I’ve gotta tell you, these kids are aDORable. But, like all little kids, they’re also a handful. They need help doing almost everything, from wiping their faces, to washing their hands, to getting dressed. They seem to have two modes: super energetic or sleepy. After two days of taking care of them I was exhausted.

All of this to say, I have a new appreciation for the unsung heroes of the world: mothers.

The only time you have to yourself is the few short hours when the kids are taking a nap. All other hours are spent keeping the kids fed, happy and safe. Just living becomes a chore.

But their happy faces and excited voices make it all worth while.

So to all mothers: my hat is off.

But about this rhubarb crunch.

It’s a bit different than most crisp recipes I’ve made - you press half of the topping into the pan before adding the rhubarb. Also, you boil together sugar and water and pour over the rhubarb in the pan for sweetener.

I used whole wheat flour and a natural sweetener, partly because that was all that I could find in Audra’s pantry (go sis!). Also, she didn’t have any regular rolled oats on hand, so I used quick instead. Feeling a bit lazy, I decided to melt the butter and mix into the topping ingredients instead of cutting it in. A trick my mum taught me.

Reuben thought it was a tad too sweet, even though I cut out some of the sugar. Of course, rhubarb recipes usually call for a ton of sugar to combat the sourness of the fruit (is rhubarb a fruit or a vegetable?). And we’re not very tolerant of overly sweet desserts.

Would I make this again? Definitely. It was very easy, and I think it would easily convert to other fruits, such as raspberries.

Rhubarb Crunch | adapted from Taste of Home | printable page | make 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned or quick oats
• 1 cup packed brown sugar (I used about 3/4 cup sucanat)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed (or melted)
• 4 cups diced fresh rhubarb or frozen rhubarb
• 1-1/3 cups sugar (I used 1 cup of sucanat)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• whipped cream or ice cream, for serving

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a square baking dish (I used a pie pan because that’s all I could find).

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter or mix in the melted butter. Press half of the topping into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the rhubarb on top.

3) In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Slowly mix in the cold water and heat over medium until the mixture boils; boil for 2 minutes or until thickened a bit. Pour over the rhubarb in the pan.

4) Sprinkle with remaining crumb topping. Bake in the preheated oven for about an hour (start checking at 40 minutes) or until bubbly and beginning to brown.

5) Serve warm with ice cream, lightly sweetened whipped cream or plain cream.

Hey everyone! I baked some super-delicious scones. You can check out the recipe + step-by-step photos & instructions on the Tasty Kitchen Blog. {LINK}

Stuff I love at the moment:

Recipes:

Provencal New Potatoes via Simply Recipes | Roasted Broccoli Soup via i am baker | Homemade Lemon Curd via Have Cake, Will Travel | Lemon Crepes via Cook Me Tender | Chocolate Jam Sandwich Cookies via Desserts for Breakfast | Banana Cake with Butterscotch via White on Rice Couple | Thai Tea Ice Cream via Amandeleine

Products:

Cake Plate | Edwyn Collins Mugg | Le Café Mug | Porcelain Lip Bowl | Bone China Spoons | Rosewood Serving Knife | Linen Apron | Monochrome Cup Set | Bowls | Bowls | And More Bowls | Be Happy Tea Towel | Rustic Honey Pot |

What are you lovin’ today?

Super-sweet cakes are definitely not my cup of tea. Ever since I was a little girl I have disliked overly sugary desserts. Often times I would refuse birthday cake and opt for plain ice cream. Of course these days I’m a little more polite. I’ll eat my share of sickly-sweet treats; but give me a perfectly sweetened dessert and I’m much happier.

The frosting is another hang-up. Gobs of powdered sugar + only a tiny bit of butter = disgusting, in my book. To balance out the sweetness, frosting needs a good measure of fat, whether it be in the form of butter, cream cheese, cream or peanut butter.

Here I give you (what I consider to be) one of the best types of cakes: Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. The actual cake doesn’t taste like sugar fluff; it has flavor and a bit of spice and it’s nice and moist. The cream cheese in the frosting makes it pleasantly tangy and the maple syrup and vanilla give it a lovely flavor.

What do you think? Do you prefer your desserts with less sugar, or do you have a major sweet tooth?

Notes:

In keeping with my lower sugar preference, I cut out some of the sugar both in the cake and the frosting. If you have more of a sweet tooth than I do, you can go ahead and put in the full amount of sugar.

Of course I had to use half whole-wheat flour.

The original recipe called for nuts, but since Reuben prefers his desserts without them, I only put them on top.

Because I have always wanted to try it, I halved the recipe and baked the cakes in two 6-inch pans. I have provided the full-sized recipe below, but if you want to make a cute cake, just cut everything in half and bake in smaller pans.

Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting | Printable Page | Makes 10-12 servings

Adapted from The Joy of Baking and Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 3/4 pound raw carrots (preferably organic), peeled and finely grated (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (preferably ww pastry flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled, or any other flavorless oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 1 cup organic confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

For the Cake:

1) Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

3) Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat the eggs until frothy, about a minute. Slowly add the sugar & beat until thick and light colored, about 3-4 minutes. Add the oil in a slow steady stream. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. Fold in the grated carrots.

4) Equally divide the batter between the two prepared pans (I weighed the batter for precise measurement). Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

5) Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool, in the pan on a wire rack, for about 5-10 minutes. Turn the cakes out of the pans onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

1) Beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy.

2) Sift the powdered sugar over the cream cheese/butter mixture and mix until well combined. Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

So I saw lots of people raving about how awesome no-knead bread is. Super easy and delicious.

“Yeah, right,” I thought. “You have to knead bread for ages to get a good crumb.” Boy, was I wrong.

Faced with having to knead bread by hand (horrors!) since we can’t afford a stand mixer just yet, I decided to give no-knead bread a try. After all, Hannah had made it and loved it. It had to be okay.

It’s more than okay. WAY more than okay. The crust is crunchy and the inside is soft, light and flavorful. And it takes about 5 minutes to mix up. In all honesty, I would make bread much less often if it weren’t for this recipe. Downside? Well, there’s no more excuse for buying store-bought bread when you can make it so easily.

Think you can’t possibly tackle making bread at home? Give this recipe a try. You’ll be so happy you did.

Notes:

Not only is this bread so quick & easy to throw together (you literally just dump all the ingredients in a bowl & mix it a bit with a big spoon), but it’s also very versatile. I have made this with sour milk in place of water and whole wheat flour in place of some of the white with awesome results.

If you must, you can skip the steaming step. The last couple of times I made this bread I forgot that part with no ill effects. But I highly recommend steaming for the best crust.

I really like shaping the dough into a boule, but you can also shape it into logs or braids.

No Knead French Bread | Printable Page | Makes 2 large loaves

From Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day via Honey & Jam

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
• 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1) Place the water, yeast and salt in a very large mixing bowl. Dump in the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until everything is nice and moist. And you’re done mixing!

2) Cover the bowl loosely and let sit until it has risen and deflated a little. Now your dough is ready to be baked or stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.

3) To bake the bread: (If the dough is coming from the refrigerator, let it come to room temp before continuing) Wet your hands with water to prevent your hands from sticking and grab a piece of dough (I usually make half a recipe and use all the dough for one loaf, but you can make smaller loaves if you wish). Form it into a boule by pulling the sides of the dough towards the underside of the dough ball and rotating the dough until you get a roundish shape with a smooth surface. You can also shape the dough into logs or braids.

4) Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper (recommended) or a cornmeal-dusted cutting board. Let the dough rest and rise for about 40 minutes.

5) About 20 minutes before you’re ready to bake the bread, put a cast iron skillet or pizza stone on the center rack of the oven and place a roasting pan (I use a 13×9-inch pan) on the bottom rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450° F.

6) Dust some flour over the top of your risen loaf and cut a few slashes into the top about 1/4-inch deep. Transfer dough onto the skillet or pizza stone, quickly pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler pan and shut the oven door to keep the steam inside. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is nice and brown. Cool completely before cutting. You may manage to wait that long…I never have.