Holiday Baking - bake like a pro

The finished product

 

Par-baked crust just out of the oven

To core pears, slice in half lengthwise, quarter each half, then with knife a 45 degree angle cut out the seeds/core

Pears in place

followed by custard poured on top

I have neglected this blog for way too long! I have no excuses besides I just got busy with my real job & life. I haven't stopped cooking, baking or teaching cooking classes but I did take a long break from sharing delicious recipes. Hopefully I am back! 

This Provencal Pear Tart recipe is from a cooking class I assisted my dear friend Jodi Liano, from the new San Francisco Cooking School, with a few years ago. This is a recipe that she adapted from Patricia Wells At Home in Provence. I have been making this simple, delicious tart ever since Jodi introduced me to easy baking! Bake a like a pro or at least fake being a pro with this simple crowd pleasing tart. It's perfect for any holiday table!

Provencal Pear Tart

CRUST:	FILLING:
½ c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled (1 stick)	½ cup heavy cream
½ c. sugar	1 egg
1/8  t. almond extract	½ teaspoon almond extract
pinch of salt	2 T. honey
1¼ c. plus 1 tablespoon flour	1 T. flour, sifted
2 T. finely ground almonds
	4-5 firm but ripe pears such as Bosc (I used Harry & David gifted pears I had on hand in these photos)
	Confectioner’s sugar, for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Make the crust by combining the melted butter and sugar in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the extract, salt, flour and almonds. Stir just to combine.  Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press evenly into the sides and bottom of the pan.  Bake on a sheet pan until dry, about 15-20 minutes.  Set on a rack to cool and leave the oven on.  While still warm, use a fork or the bottom of a measuring cup to press the dough down if loses its shape from baking.

While the crust is baking, whisk together the filling by combining the cream, egg, extract and honey in a medium mixing bowl.  Mix well and gently whisk in the sifted flour. 

Core the pears and cut them in very thin slices, lengthwise.  Starting from the outside edge of the crust and working to the center, arrange the pears in a spiral circle with the rounded end of the slices facing towards the outside of the pan.  If you have enough pear slices, repeat with another layer of pears on top of the bottom layer.  Pour the filling mixture over the pears and return the tart to the oven.  Bake until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown and the custard has set, about 20-30 minutes.  Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.  Dust with confectioner’s sugar and slice.

Serves 8

 

(adapted from Jodi Liano, SF Cooking School)

A black bean burger that has never been frozen

Burgers - the end result plus the pre-bake shot

The recipe for Southwest Veggie Burgers is revealed below. I made these tonight at my Health Starts Here cooking demo at Whole Foods OKC. These burgers can be made in a snap as long as you have prepared two ingredients ahead: brown rice and a sweet potato. They are hearty, earthy and a little crunchy in every sense of the word. For all of those vegans out there this recipe calls for nutritional yeast. Found in the bulk section at any Whole Foods type market, nutritional yeast adds not only a bit of a cheesy flavor but essential B vitamins that most women need more of. No salt needed, just some lettuce, avocado & dijon mustard on top!

Southwest Veggie Burger
Ingredients:
1/4 cup diced roasted red bell peppers
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 cup cooked sweet potato, cut into ½ cubes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon no-salt-added chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 green onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (found in the bulk section)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
1/4 cup diced tomato
1 cup cooked no-salt-added black beans
1 cup cooked brown rice*


Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray if so inclined.

2. Combine roasted red peppers through Tabasco in the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse to combine. Mixture should look like a cohesive batter without many lumps.

3. Transfer batter into a medium bowl. Stir in the remaining 3 ingredients to combine.

4. Form the mixture into patties using wet hands or an ice cream scoop with a release lever. Place patties on prepared baking sheet and bake, very carefully turning patties once after 20 minutes. Continue to cook until browned and slightly crisp on the outside, 30 minutes total for sliders. Longer for large burgers.

5. Serve warm on individual butter lettuce leafs topped with sliced avocado.


Makes 10 sliders (1/3 cup portions) or 4 very large burgers


Recipe technique adapted from Whole Foods Market (Jill Nevard)

Note to cook brown rice: Bring 1 cup of water or low-sodium broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add ½ cup of short grain brown rice. Stir once, reduce heat to simmer, cover with a lid and cook uninterrupted for 45 minutes. ½ cup dry rice will make 1 ½ cups cooked rice.

Healthy cooking starts now

Southwest black bean & brown rice burger

Join me this Tuesday, January 17th at Whole Foods OKC as I discuss and prepare foods from the market's Health Starts Here program. Get inspired to cook whole unprocessed foods in your own kitchen. As we all know, there's no better time than January to start rethinking what we are putting in our body.

See you at 6 pm in the indoor/outdoor eating space. Free samples of everything good for you provided. 

Note: I will post the recipe for this amazing black bean & brown rice burger after I demo it on Tuesday night.

Leftover quinoa finds its way into waffles

Cooked multi-colored quinoa

Multi-grain waffles with quinoa & blueberries

I make quinoa a lot. I use it as a base to savory dishes. Forget pasta I use quinoa. It replaces brown rice even when I make stir-frys. For lunch, I simply treat it like lettuce. I dress it with a homemade vinaigrette and toss it with whatever ingredients I like in salads. Quinoa is filling, nutritious and versatile. Like rice, it soaks up flavor. But unlike rice, it's gluten free and provides all 9 essential amino acids which makes it a complete protein. It's great for all of the vegans and vegetarians out there who need non-animal sources protein. However, I am neither and I still incorporate this superfood into my diet on a regular basis. Full of fiber, this little whole grain looks like a seed but once cooked fluffs up into a hearty, earthy tasting wonder.

I had leftover multi-colored quinoa so I decided to put it into waffles. I don't remember where I found this recipe but I think it's a keeper. These aren't your traditional waffles; they are waffles that provide a little something extra. Maybe it's flavor, cruch or wholesome goodness. To me it's all 3 and more!

Multigrain Quinoa Blueberry Waffles


3 eggs, beaten
1 2/3 cups nonfat milk or lowfat buttermilk
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup cooked multi-colored quinoa (see note)
½ cup blueberries (fresh or defrosted frozen blueberries)
Grade A or B pure maple syrup

Preparation:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine them with a fork. Gently stir in the cooked quinoa and blueberries. Don’t overmix. The batter should be on the thin side or the waffles will be too cakey. If batter is too thick, add a few tablespoons of warm water or milk to thin.

2. Coat waffle iron with cooking spray, heat up iron and cook according to your waffle iron’s instructions. Serve warm with grade A or B maple syrup.

Note: to cook quinoa, in a small saucepan bring just over ¾ cup of water to a boil. Once boiling, add ¼ cup quinoa. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until water has absorbed.

Makes 8 waffles

Recipe adapted from somewhere unknown ;)

Irresistible oatcakes

I have been eying this recipe for some time now. It a recipe for oatcakes, whatever those might be, from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day cookbook. Heidi's stunning photography and off the beaten path recipes captured my heart a long time ago when she started sharing her creations on her website 101cookbook.com. She has since published two cookbooks full of recipes that won't disappoint especially if you enjoy food that comes from the earth.

These oatcakes are a touch sweet and a little more than a touch salty. They are crunchy, oaty, slightly reminiscent of homemade oatmeal raisin cookies from my childhood and like Heidi says shaped like a hockey puck. This is not your average cupcake or muffin. You will just have to try out the recipe for yourself to see why they are so truly irresistible.

Oat Cakes
Ingredients:
• 3 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking oats)
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ¼ cup chia seeds or whole flax seeds
• ¾ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• ¾ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ cup natural cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, beaten


Preparation:


1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter/spray a standard 12-cup muffin pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking powder, salt, chia seeds and walnuts.
3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the butter, maple syrup, sugar and vanilla extract. Slowly melt together. Stir just until the butter melts and sugar has dissolved. Don’t let the mixture get too hot.
4. Pour butter mixture over the oat mixture. Stir a bit with a spatula, add the beaten eggs and stir again until everything comes together in a wet dough. Using a standard size ice cream scoop with a release lever, portion dough into the muffin cups, nearly filling them to the top.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges of each cake are deeply golden. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes before running a knife around the edges of the cakes. Tip them out of the muffin pan and onto a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm or at room temp.


Note: as they sit, stored in a sealed container, the cakes become more of a pull apart treat rather than biting into them like you would a cupcake. I free leftovers and reheat as needed.


Makes 16


Source: recipe slightly adapted from Super Natural Every Day

Nutrition per serving: 294 calories; 12 g fat; 4 g saturated fat; 40 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 7 g protein; 306 mg sodium

Attempting homemade pie for Thanksgiving? Look here for helpful hints

Photo from YumSugar

As you can tell from this photo, my pumpkin pie may not look perfect but it shows that it was made with love. Love is, by the way, the most important ingredient in baking. Your pastries, pies, breads, cookies and cakes will always turn out better if you make them with a smile on your face. As for this holiday season, if you are inspired to make your own pie(s), check out some helpful tips as you embark on this adventure into what may be uncharted territory. Click here to see a step-by-step guide to making the perfect pie crust as captured a few years back by YumSugar at my Williams-Sonoma demo.

I think it's important to note that when I make pies at home, I don't use shortening. For the purpose this demo I used Spectrum brand non-hydrogenated shortening which has zero trans fat so you can maybe feel a little bit better about consuming the flaky crust at the end of your holiday meal. Here's a simple all butter pie crust recipe that my cooking instructor & chef friend Jodi Liano recently wrote about on her outstanding Food Wednesday blog. Happy Thanksgiving!

Crust recipe:
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for surface
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Special equipment: Use a 9"–9 1/2"-diameter glass or metal pie dish. You will need pie weights or dried beans to bake the crust.
To make crust:

Pulse 1 1/4 cups flour, butter, and salt in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces remaining. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Pulse until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if mixture is dry. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, use the heel of your hand to smear each portion of dough twice in a forward motion to distribute butter. Gather all 4 dough pieces into a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill dough until firm, at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Dough can be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 13" round. Transfer to pie dish, gently pressing dough onto bottom and up sides of dish. Fold overhang under and crimp edges decoratively. Pierce bottom of crust in several places with a fork, then chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Line a large baking sheet with foil and place on a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°F. Line crust with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until crust is set, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove parchment and pie weights. Bake until crust is pale golden, about 12 minutes longer. Transfer crust to a wire rack; let cool.

Recipe from Bon Appetit, 7/11

26.2 challenge- finding inspiration beyond the workday

Photos above from Runner's World Magazine

What do these 3 people have in common? They all are professional chefs (well Gesine's a professional baker) and they all are constantly creating food which also means tasting food throughout the workday. Each one has a secret to how they make it through a hard shift with enough energy at the end of the day to train for marathons. In this month's Runner's World, they share everything from fueling & lightened recipes, to snack ideas and ingredient substitutions.

Personally I am always in search of new healthy food suggestions/trends so that I can & will continue to make wiser decisions every time I open wide. I work in a restaurant kitchen 5 days a week in addition to spending endless hours at home preparing delights for our dinner table. Sounds old fashion but I am a huge fan of a sitdown family dinner at home most nights of the week. And as I am sure I have mentioned before, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach (aka Michael's stomach). It's my motto and I am sticking with it for better or worse. Regardless of who enjoys the meals I make, standing on my feet for 9+ hours a day is grueling. Tasting food throughout the day can certainly weigh me down and the last thing my legs want to do is work harder when I am ready for a break. But if these celebrity chefs can find time to train for marathons, I have no excuse.

Read these inspiring stories below from a few chefs that find time to pound the pavement after being on their feet all day. I hope that you find inspiration in their stories (2 of which are weight loss stories) and maybe even decide to lace up your kicks more often after a long day at the office, in class or wherever you spend your time.

These Runner's World articles are from the October 2011 issue:
Nate Appleman's story
Gesine Bullock-Prado's story
Art Smith's story