Never say never....

It's been six months since I last posted, and what a six months it has been. I never, EVER, thought this would happen, but I moved back to Texas. I left my home state on Labor Day weekend 2002, and a few days before Memorial Day weekend 2017, I crossed the Red River and back into Texas. And, I don't think I could be more surprised, and pleased with this turn of events.

But, how did I come to this decision?  When I think about it, a lot of it had to do with my vacation last September, visiting my dear friends and family in Houston, Tyler, and exploring the Texas Hill Country. For the last several years, I've been thinking about what my next career step would be, but also about what I might do in retirement. I had this half-formed idea in the back of my head of having a piece of property somewhere with a large house that would serve as a bed and breakfast. My kitchen would be set up for cooking classes and supper club style dinners. I would have a huge vegetable garden, fruit trees, chickens, and maybe bees for honey. The one thing I couldn't visualize was where...until that trip to the Hill Country, exploring the amazing wine region it has become in the last 15 years. And, I couldn't get the idea out of my head.

Going into that winter and spring back in Pennsylvania, I continued working very hard, teaching classes, managing my cooking school program. But, I wasn't enjoying myself anymore. I was working so many hours, constantly exhausted, and incredibly frustrated with my work situation. I began to daydream about the bed and breakfast, I even started doing research on what it takes to open and run one. I signed up for a Texas Hill Country real estate email newsletter, fantasizing over new property listings every week. And then one day, I had an epiphany--as long as I was living in Pennsylvania, all I would likely ever have of this dream was an inbox of realtor emails.

So, I embraced the idea that nothing in my life was going to change until I decided to change it. The biggest obstacle was my condo--as much as I loved it and enjoyed living in it, my mortgage payment kept me tied to my job at Sur La Table, and therefore to Pennsylvania. So, in early March, I decided to put my condo on the market, and when it sold, I was going to quit and move back to Texas, regardless of whether I had a job. My amazing parents were so supportive, they agreed to let me land with them in Tyler until I sorted something out.

Right around the same time, I started to apply for jobs in Texas--as excited as I was about the bed and breakfast idea, I knew it would take time for that to come to fruition. Making the move back to Texas with a job would give me stability and security until that dream came to reality. Not surprisingly, I wasn't hearing back from the applications, many employers won't consider an out-of-state applicant. And, even though I had made the decision to make the move, even though I had the support of my friends and family, I was still hesitant to pull the trigger. I finally sat down at my desk that day in early March and started to write an email to my real estate agent. I remember sitting there, my finger literally hovering over the "send" key, debating if I should press it, knowing that doing so would blow up my life, when the phone rang. It was a call for an interview for a job in Plano, Texas, running the cooking school at the Central Market grocery store there. I took that as a sign, and immediately hit "send".

The next few months were so intense and crazy. As I prepared my condo for sale, I had a series of phone interviews for the job, many of which were scheduled in and around contractor appointments. The condo went up for sale the weekend before Easter and sold to the first people who come to see it, three days after it was listed. It was another two weeks before I gave my notice at Sur La Table--I wanted to make sure all of the inspections and contingencies were cleared on the sale, just in case the buyers backed out. I gave my notice to Sur La Table, and two weeks later, May 8, 2017, was my last day--seven years and seven days after the store in King of Prussia opened. There's something kind of poetic in that, I think. 

While I had given my notice at Sur La Table, I didn't yet have another job. I was still going through the interview process with Central Market. For those of you outside Texas, Central Market is like Whole Foods and the best European bakeries and specialty foods markets had a baby. I remember visiting the one in Houston before I moved to Washington, DC. A simply incredible food store, and they also have a cooking school and teach classes. The job for which I was being considered was the manager of their cooking school in the store in Plano, just northeast of Dallas. The last step in the interview process was an in-person interview and cooking demonstration. So in the middle of my last two weeks at Sur La Table, Central Market flew me to Dallas for the day.

By the time I got to Dallas, I had already had at least a half-dozen interviews with different folks at Central Market. I think I had more interviews to get this one job than all of my previous jobs combined. And for this last interview, they weren't giving me a lot of details. I knew it was a cooking demonstration, and I assumed I needed to prepare a menu, but they never asked me what ingredients or equipment I was going to need. I knew I was going to have about 45 minutes for the demo, so I started putting together a menu, testing and practicing recipes. A few days before I flew down, they told me that they would give me a recipe when I arrived. So much for all of my prep work. But in the end, it all worked out, and I was offered the job on May 5--three days before my last day at Sur La Table.

The rest of May was a whirlwind of packing and moving. The moving truck picked up my things on May 22, and my cat, Lulu, and I hit the road the next day. I moved into my apartment in Plano on June 3, and my first day at Central Market was June 5. I've spent the last ten weeks in training, including weeks of travel to Houston and San Antonio to visit other Central Market cooking schools. Things are finally starting to settle down a bit, giving me the chance to take a breath. And a chance to write another blog post!

When planning the recipes for my demonstration, I knew I wanted to attempt more than one dish, and I wanted there to be a theme of some kind to the menu. I also wanted the menu to utilize ingredients that were far enough out of the ordinary that I could also provide a good educational component to the presentation--in other words, I wanted to have plenty of fun facts to talk about. I settled on paella as the main dish, with Spanish cuisine as the overall theme. Paella rice, saffron, pimenton, chorizo, even the type of pan used to cook the dish--lots of great information to share during the demo. Since paella takes about 20 minutes to cook, I also wanted to have another dish or two to demo and serve while the paella was cooking, preferably an appetizer course and possibly a dessert. For the appetizer, I thought about gazpacho, but was unsure about what tomatoes would be in season in Dallas. But, I remembered a soup I'd eaten years ago that was made with garlic and almonds and garnished with grapes. So, a little research and I found it--ajo blanco, also referred to as white gazpacho. I never finished sorting out the dessert--by that time, I was told that Central Market would provide the recipes. But, here is a little taste of what could have been. Enjoy!

White Gazpacho

Traditional Ajo Blanco is made with just almonds, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and water, in fact ajo blanco literally translates to "white garlic". When researching this recipe, I found many variations that included cucumbers, grapes, granny smith apples, chicken stock, onions, you name it. The version I had tasted all those years before had grapes and cucumber in it, so I used that memory as my guide when putting together this recipe. 

Serves 4 to 6

4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 cup boiling water
4 thick slices of country bread, crusts removed and cubed
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
¾ cup green, seedless grapes
1 cup marcona almonds
1 cup cool water
1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
3 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

sliced grapes, chopped chives, extra virgin olive oil to garnish

Place the garlic in a bowl and pour the boiling water over; allow to cool to room temperature. Add the bread to the same bowl and let it sit for about 20 minutes to fully absorb the garlic water mixture. Transfer the soaked bread and garlic to a blender and add the cucumber, grapes, almonds, the additional 1 cup of cool water, salt and vinegar. Process in the blender until smooth. With the blender running, pour in the oil and blend until fully incorporated. Taste and adjust the flavor with additional salt and vinegar, and thin as needed with additional water. Chill the soup in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight.

To serve, divide into chilled bowls and garnish with sliced grapes, chopped chives, and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil.

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Paella has become known as a rather elaborate rice dish that can include shrimp, mussels, lobsters, and other exotic seafood. In reality, paella's origins are in peasant food. The traditional paella pan is thin and lightweight for easy of transport out into the fields. The field workers would build a fire, place the pan in the coals, add the ingredients, and then go back to their work while the rice cooked. The rice and spices would typically be brought from home, but any proteins would come from the fields where they were working. For example, a very traditional paella would be made with rabbit and snails. Lobster and shrimp most assuredly came to the dish after the more affluent members of society discovered paella. In this recipe, I bypass the seafood entirely, but it is very good with sauteed shrimp added just at the end of cooking.

Serves 2

½ tsp     saffron threads

2 Tbsp   hot water

2 Tbsp   olive oil, divided

3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces

3 ounces Spanish chorizo sausage, cut into ¼ inch thick slices

1 white or yellow onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon pimenton

1 cup  paella rice

¾ cup green beans, chopped

2 cups low sodium chicken stock

Kosher salt and pepper

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped finely

Place the saffron threads and water in a small bowl and let infuse for a few minutes.

Place a small paella pan or ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the chorizo to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chorizo is browned and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chorizo to a plate. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the remaining olive oil and the chicken to the skillet. Cook, turning the pieces they begin to brown, until browned on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to the same plate as the chorizo.  Add the onions and bell pepper to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and paprika and continue to cook until the onions are soft, but not brown, about 3 minutes. 

Add the rice and beans and stir until coated in oil.  Return the chicken and chorizo and any accumulated juices to the pan.  Stir in the stock, saffron and its soaking liquid.  Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat to low and let simmer, uncovered and without stirring, for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.  Adjust the seasoning as necessary.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Kolache-coo....

One of the things I didn't really appreciate about Texas until I moved away was the food. I mean, I knew that the Tex-Mex was second-to-none, and growing up on the Gulf Coast has forever spoiled me for fresh shrimp and other seafood. But, sometimes you don't really appreciate how special or unique something is when you have access to it every day. My vacation in Texas this past fall really brought that home for me, and that trip has been a source of culinary inspiration for yet another post.

The central region of Texas, roughly encompassing the area from San Antonio to just north and west of Austin, was settled back in the early and mid 1800's by immigrants from Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia. Their influence is felt in the names of the towns (New Braunfels and Fredericksburg, for example) and also in the cuisine. German and Czech bakeries are found all through this region, and there is one traditional Czech pastry that has become a staple in the state: the kolache.

Kolaches are made from a tender, buttery yeast dough, and can either be baked with sweet fruit and cream cheese toppings, or filled with savory meats and cheeses. There is some debate whether the savory versions can truly be called kolaches since the original Czech version was only made with sweet fillings. But, I think of it like Tex-Mex food--it's not truly Mexican, it's the hybrid that evolved in Texas. So, maybe kolaches are really Tex-Czech?

I've spent quite a few weeks working on this recipe, I wanted to get the dough right. I started with my mom's recipe for yeast rolls--the dough in the kolaches reminded me a lot of my mom's yummy rolls. But, it wasn't quite right. Kolache dough was more buttery and richer, almost approaching a French brioche. So, I kept tinkering with it, adding more butter, enriching the dough with an extra egg yolk, using all milk instead of water. This version, I think, hits it just right.

Kolache Pastry Dough

Makes about 16 fruit-filled kolaches, meat-filled kolaches, or dinner rolls

1 packet active dry yeast
1 cup whole milk, warm
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for brushing
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
4 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt

Mix the yeast and warm milk together in a small bowl. Allow the yeast to fully hydrate in the milk for about 10 minutes. You should begin to see bubbles forming on the top of the milk.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, egg and yolk until well blended. Mix in the milk and yeast mixture.

Mix together the flour and salt and place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the wet ingredients to the mixer bowl and turn the machine on low speed. Mix until dough comes together into a smooth ball and is springy to the touch, about 5 to 7 minutes. 

Transfer the dough from the mixer bowl to a large, buttered stainless steel or glass bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. 

Remove the plastic wrap and punch down the dough. Cover the bowl again with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise a second time, for about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 °F.

To make fruit-filled kolaches:

Divide the dough into 16 pieces, and roll each piece into a round ball. Evenly space the round balls onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Using the back of a spoon, make a circular indentation in the center of each ball. 

Fill each indentation with a spoonful of fruit jam or preserves, cream cheese filling (recipe follows), or a combination of the two. Brush the kolaches with melted butter and bake until golden brown, about 14 to 16 minutes.

For the kolaches in the picture above, I used Red Plum Jam (8/27/16) and Chardonnay Vanilla Bean Apple Butter (10/23/15). For the kolaches that used the cream cheese filling, I topped half of them with Brandied Cherries (6/26/15), and the other half with Peach and Vanilla Bean Jam (9/9/15). The recipes for all of these fruit preserves are from this blog, and the dates in parenthesis are the posting dates where you can find them.

Cream Cheese Filling

8 ounces cream cheese
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Place all of the ingredients into a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until smooth.

To make meat-filled kolaches:

Divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll each piece into a round ball. Stretch the dough ball into a flat oval, using your thumbs to make an indentation along the length of the oval. Place a cooked and cooled breakfast sausage or cooked and crumbled bacon into the indentation and top with cheddar cheese. Fold the edges of the dough to enclose the filling, pinching along the seam to seal. 

Place the filled kolaches onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, seam side down. Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes.

To make dinner rolls:

Divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll each piece into a round ball. Brush the cups of a muffin tin with melted butter and place a dough ball into each prepared muffin cup. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 15 minutes. Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes.

I'm on a roll...

I've been feeling nostalgic lately. I spent a few weeks in Texas back in September, taking a much needed vacation. One of the best parts of being back in my home state was getting to eat some of my favorite foods. I had amazing Tex Mex and margaritas. I ate kolaches for breakfast on more than one morning. I even rediscovered and fell back in love with Texas-style barbecue. (A bad experience with food poisoning and barbecue sausage back in high school took a LONG time to get over.) There was one favorite food that I didn't get to eat while I was back home, though, and that was pizza rolls.

Pizza rolls? Texas and pizza rolls?

I know, it sounds odd, but there was a pizza place near where I worked in Houston that I ate at much more frequently than I should probably admit--Double Dave's. I never once ordered pizza, the dish to order was pizza rolls. They had two kinds--pepperoni rolls and veggie rolls. Pizza dough layered with pepperoni or veggies and cheese, then rolled up like an egg roll and baked. You ate them with your choice of tomato sauce or ranch dressing (yes, ranch dressing) to dip.

I'm not alone in my love of DD's pizza rolls. Two of my best friends from college were equally smitten, and a few years after graduation, they moved from Houston to St. Louis. About a year after they moved, I flew up to spend the weekend with them, and I asked if there was anything I could bring. They asked for two things--good flour tortillas, and DD's pepperoni rolls. So, I bought a couple dozen rolls, wrapped them in plastic wrap, froze them, then packed them in my carry-on bag with the tortillas. Guess what we ate for dinner after they picked me up from the airport?

So, the weather has been really cold these last few days, and I'm craving comfort food. That combined with the Texas nostalgia, so I decided to try and recreate the pizza rolls. They didn't come out exactly like Double Dave's, but I think they're still pretty good. I also had some fun with different fillings. I hope you enjoy.

 

Pepperoni Rolls

This is my attempt to duplicate the rolls at Double Daves. Not exactly what I remember from my days in Houston, but pretty good...

Makes 8 rolls

1 recipe pizza dough (recipe follows)
1 cup marinara sauce (recipe follows)
4 ounces grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup thin sliced pepperoni

Preheat the oven to 500 °F

Using a bench scraper or knife, divide the pizza dough into 8 equal sized pieces. 

With a rolling pin, roll out each of the pieces of dough into a round, flat circle about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Spoon about 1 to 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce onto each of the dough circles and spread into a thin layer. Top with cheese and pepperoni.

Lift the bottom edge of one of the dough circles and roll/fold it up towards the middle. Fold and tuck the two outer edges in, and continue rolling to close up the pizza roll.

Place the roll, seam side down, onto a sheet pan and repeat with the remaining rolls.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until well browned. Serve.


Marinara Sauce

The word marinara comes from the Italian word for sailor. The idea is that this is a sauce that sailors could easily make on a ship at sea using pantry staples. It makes a great pizza sauce, too.

Makes about 6 cups of sauce.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
28 ounce can tomato puree
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and onions and cook, stirring, until the onions are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the onions and garlic, then add the crushed tomatoes and puree. Mix in the dried herbs. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with Kosher salt and pepper.

Pizza Dough

This pizza dough is so easy to make, you'll wonder why you don't make pizza at home more often.

Makes 1 large or 2 or more small pizzas, or 8 pizza rolls

1 teaspoon instant or rapid rise yeast

3 cups all purpose or bread flour (about 14 oz), plus more for kneading

2 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling

1 cup water

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling the bowl

Combine the yeast, flour and salt in the container of a food processor. With the machine running, add 1 cup water and 2 Tbsp olive oil through the feed tube.  Let the machine run for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch.  If the dough looks dry, add another tablespoon or two or water through the feed tube and process for another 10 seconds.  If the dough is too sticky, add flour, a tablespoon at a time, and process until it is dry enough to handle.

Carefully transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead by hand a few seconds to form a smooth, round ball.  Grease the inside of a large bowl with a small amount of olive oil.  Roll the dough ball in the bowl to coat the entire surface in oil, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp cloth.  Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until the dough doubles in size, about 1 to 2 hours.  (You can let the dough rise more slowly in the refrigerator, for up to 6 to 8 hours.)

Veggie Rolls

You really can use whatever vegetables you like, but I do think it's important to cook the vegetables before rolling them up in the dough. The rolls don't bake for very long, so the vegetables won't have time to cook completely. They will also release their moisture as they cook, which will make the pizza roll filling too wet.

Makes 8 rolls

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 small fennel bulb, diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

2 tablespoons chopped chives

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

1 recipe pizza dough (recipe above)

8 slices provolone cheese

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

8 basil leaves, thinly sliced

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and continue to cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and stir. The mushrooms will act like little sponges and absorb all of the moisture out of the pan. Resist the temptation to add more oil to the pan, just keep stirring until the mushrooms start to release the liquid back into the pan. Continue to cook for about another 5 minutes to dry out the vegetables. Stir in the herbs and season to taste with Kosher salt and pepper. Transfer the vegetables to a plate to cool.

Preheat the oven to 500 °F.

Using a bench scraper or knife, divide the pizza dough into 8 equal sized pieces. 

With a rolling pin, roll out each of the pieces of dough into a round, flat circle about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Place a piece of provolone on the dough, then top with a spoonful of the vegetables. Sprinkle some of the goat cheese and basil over the top.

Lift the bottom edge of one of the dough circles and roll/fold it up towards the middle. Fold and tuck the two outer edges in, and continue rolling to close up the pizza roll.

Place the roll, seam side down, onto a sheet pan and repeat with the remaining rolls.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until well browned. Serve.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Rolls

This roll was inspired by a butternut squash tart I had several years ago. 

Makes 8 rolls

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ½ inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt

1 recipe pizza dough (recipe above)

2 cups baby arugula

4 ounces grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 °F

Place the butternut squash in a mixing bowl, drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, the spread the squash onto a sheet pan. Bake until softened and just starting to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove to a plate to cool.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add the onions and sprinkle with a large pinch of Kosher salt. Stir the onions occasionally and cook until they have softened and caramelized, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove to a plate to cool.

Preheat the oven to 500 °F.

Using a bench scraper or knife, divide the pizza dough into 8 equal sized pieces. 

With a rolling pin, roll out each of the pieces of dough into a round, flat circle about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Arrange a layer of arugula leaves on the dough, then top with a spoonful of the onions and a spoonful of the squash. Top with some of the gruyere cheese.

Lift the bottom edge of one of the dough circles and roll/fold it up towards the middle. Fold and tuck the two outer edges in, and continue rolling to close up the pizza roll.

Place the roll, seam side down, onto a sheet pan and repeat with the remaining rolls.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until well browned. Serve.

Apple of my eye...balls....

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is to go apple picking. I usually go to a pick-your-own farm in Chester County, about a 45 minute drive from my apartment. That's one of the things that's so great about living in this part of the country, it doesn't take hours of travel to get out of the city and find yourself on a farm. I usually pick WAY too many apples, I think last year I ended up with about 80 pounds that I turned into two different kinds of apple butter and apple chutney. 

This year, between my work and travel schedules and some ill-timed bouts of rainy weather, I never managed to make it out to the orchard. Luckily, close proximity to the farms means that many of the local grocery stores also carry locally grown produce. So, instead of picking 80 pounds of apples at the orchard, I bought about 30 pounds of apples from the local Acme. I didn't want to miss the chance to make apple butter, it's become a bit of a tradition to give it as a gift to friends and family during the holidays.

I've also had this idea kicking around in the back of my head to do something with apples and brandy. Last year's brandied cherries were such a hit, and I missed the cherry season this year so wasn't able to repeat that recipe. One of the nice things about the cherries is that they look so pretty in a cocktail glass, so rather than wedges, I used a melon balling tool and balled the apples. 

Yes, I said balled.  Apple balls. Brandied apple balls. (Try to keep from giggling, I dare you.)

Well, one of the consequences of balling the apples (stop giggling) is that I had a lot of leftover scraps and bits of apples that I didn't want to waste. They were such odd shapes, they really wouldn't work for a pie, but I could cook them down into an apple sauce. I then remembered a cupcake recipe that I had developed for work a couple of years back that calls for fresh-made apple sauce. So, I made a batch to take to work for Black Friday. I still have apple sauce in the fridge...eh, maybe I'll just eat it for breakfast!

Enjoy!

Brandied Apple Balls

I used Granny Smith apples for this recipe, they have a firm texture and tend to hold their shape when cooked. (I didn't want to end up with mushy balls...sorry I just couldn't help myself...) You'll have extra syrup after filling the jars--don't throw it out. It's delicious as a cocktail mixer. Try it with vodka and gingerale. Tasty!

Makes 15 8-ounce jars

6 pounds Granny Smith apples
Juice of 2 lemons mixed in a large bowl of water
5 cups sugar
10 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
2 green cardamom pods
4 allspice berries
15 tablespoons brandy


Peel the apples and using a melon balling tool, cut balls out of the apples and transfer them to the bowl of lemon water. Save the apple scraps for another use.

In a large stainless steel pot, bring the sugar, 10 cups of water and spices to a boil. Add the apple balls and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the apples are just starting to soften and become a little translucent. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples to a bowl. Continue to simmer the syrup until it has reduced by about one third.

While the syrup is reducing, prepare your jars for canning. Remove the lids and rings from the jars. Bring a large stock pot of water to a rapid boil. Sterilize the lids and rings by lowering them into the boiling water for about 3 minutes. Transfer them to a clean towel. Repeat with the jars.

Divide the apples amongst the jars and ladle in enough syrup to leave about ½ inch of headspace. Spoon 1 tablespoon of brandy into the top of each jar, then cover the jar with a lid and a screw top ring. Tighten the ring to just finger tight.

When the stock pot of water has returned to a boil, lower the jars into the pot, standing them upright and in a single layer across the bottom of the pot. Make sure the jars are completely submerged under the water. Cover the pot and when the water in the pot returns to a boil, set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the jars from the pot and set on a clean towel. Repeat the process with the remaining jars, being sure to let the water come back to the boil each time.

Let the jars sit undisturbed until they are room temperature. You should hear a noticeable "plinking" sound as the jars cool and pull the center of the lids down. After they have cooled, gently press on the center of each of the lids to be sure they have fully depressed. Any jars with lids that have not pulled down tight have not properly sealed. Place those jars in the refrigerator and enjoy them first. 

Apple Cider Cupcakes with Cider Cream Cheese Frosting

Back in my early days with Sur La Table at their location in Arlington, VA, I was known as the cupcake queen. I served as the primary pastry instructor at that location, and one of my favorite classes to teach was cupcakes. Cupcakes are just a happy dessert, and unlike a lot of baked goods, not intimidating to the novice cook. I used to create seasonal menus, one for spring, summer, fall, winter, and holiday. I had customers who I would see 5 times a year, each time I changed the menu. This recipe was one of my most popular, and found its way into a lot of menus beyond the fall cupcake class.

Makes 24 - 28 cupcakes

For the cake:

1 pound Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, diced

¼ cup apple cider

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoons Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon brandy 

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

4 large eggs

For the icing:

2 cups apple cider

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup unsalted butter

1 ½ cups sifted confectioners' sugar

crispy apple chips for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with 24 paper liners.  (You may need additional liners depending on how full you fill the cupcake cups with batter).

Combine apples and cider in a small saucepan. Cover; simmer over medium-low heat until apples are tender, about 20 minutes. Mash with a fork until you have a smooth-ish sauce. (I like to keep it a bit chunky.)

Place the flour, baking powder, spices and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter until well creamed, light and fluffy. Mix in the brandy, vanilla and eggs until blended. Mix in half of the flour mixture and 1 ¼ cups of the apple sauce, then the remaining flour mixture (save any remaining sauce for another use). Divide the batter among the cupcake cups.

Bake the cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 17 to 20 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then remove the cakes to a rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, place the cider in a small saucepan and boil until it is reduced to about a thick syrup and let it cool. 

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together the cream cheese and butter until well combined.  Add about half the confectioners' sugar and mix to incorporate, then add in the second half and continue to mix until smooth. Add the reduced cider and mix until the icing is smooth. (If the syrup has become too cool, it may not easily come out of the pan. Just warm it slightly to loosen.)

Spread each cupcake with some of the icing.  Garnish with crispy apple chips.

Someone was stealing my tomatoes....

There's probably nothing better than a fresh, ripened on the vine, home-grown tomato. Tomatoes have become one of those vegetables that we expect to be able to buy in the supermarkets all year round, but tomatoes are a summer vegetable. So, it's the first of November, why am I writing about tomatoes when we are clearly well out of the summer? I have a tomato thief.

Tomatoes are fairly temperature sensitive. If it gets too hot, in the upper 80's, for too many days in a row, the blossoms will drop off. If it doesn't cool down enough at night, below about 70 degrees, then the blossoms will drop off. When I lived in Houston, the timing of planting was critical because of how hot it gets there in the summer. Generally, you wanted to put your plants in the ground by March 1st to ensure that you were well past the chance of frost and that there were enough days for the growing season before the night time temperatures consistently stayed above 70 degrees. This meant that tomatoes were harvested in May and early June. When I moved north, all of those planting schedules shifted. Tomato plants go in the ground in mid to late May, and we harvest here in the Philly area in August, September, and even October.

This year, I got my tomato plants in the ground a bit later than I normally do, over Memorial Day weekend. My first tomatoes were just beginning to ripen in mid-August. They were so good, I planned my meals around whether I would have ripe tomatoes out of the garden that day. For those few weeks, I was in tomato heaven.  Then, I went out of town...

I spent the first 2 weeks of September on vacation. I haven't had a proper vacation since I moved to Philadelphia in 2010. I traveled to Texas and spent time with friends and family. I was in the Texas Hill Country, my hometown of Houston, and with my parents in Tyler. I drank amazing wine (trust me, the Texas Hill Country is putting out some fantastic wines, makes me think of California before the 1976 Paris wine tasting), ate some great food (Tex Mex, barbecue, and Whataburger--if you're from Texas you'll understand why I missed Whataburger), and had a lovely, lovely time. 

Before I left town, I made one last check of the tomato garden and saw that several of the tomatoes would probably ripen during my trip. When I got home, I checked the garden, and not surprisingly, all of the tomatoes that I expected to ripen were gone from the plants. Being away for so long, I sort of hoped that one of my neighbors might have picked the tomatoes so they didn't just rot on the vine. So, in that moment, I really didn't mind to much. I noticed that there were a couple of tomatoes that were just starting to ripen, so I left them on the plants and went about my day. Two days later, I went to check on them, and they were gone. I never got another ripe tomato off my plants. As soon as I would see one starting to ripen, if I left it on the plant even one more day, I would come out and find it gone.

By now it was getting on into October, and the weather was definitely starting to cool off. My plants were covered in green tomatoes, but there just wasn't going to be enough days left in the season to allow them to ripen before we would inevitably get our first frost . And, even if that wasn't an issue, with my tomato thief, chances were slim I'd get to enjoy any of them anyway. So, I picked all of the tomatoes, regardless of size, maturity or ripeness, dug up the plants and got the garden plot ready for winter.

But, what to do with so many pounds of green tomatoes? Why, create recipes for a blog post, of course! I hope you enjoy!

Green Tomato Bisque

Serves 4

Tomato soup is a classic, but I wondered how it would taste if you swapped out the traditional ripe tomatoes for green. The green tomato flavor is very bright, almost a bit citrusy. I wanted to boost the green flavor and color, so I added in spinach to the soup base. I also added the herbs in at the very end of cooking, as I was pureeing the soup in the blender, to help keep the green color. It also kept the herbal flavor very fresh which nicely enhanced the flavor of the soup.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small bell pepper, seeded and diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

8 cups chopped green tomatoes

5 ounces baby spinach

4 cups chicken stock, low or no sodium

½  cup Italian parsley leaves

½  cup fresh basil leaves

1 cup cream

juice of ½ a lemon

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

to garnish: sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped chives and fleur de sel

Melt the butter in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes, spinach and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender, adding the parsley and basil to the blender as you process the soup. Place the pureed soup in a large saucepan set over low heat. Stir in the cream, lemon juice, and season generously with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle into soup bowls and garnish with sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped chives, and sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Pickled Green Tomatoes

Makes 8 8-ounce jars

What can I say, I've been having fun canning these last few years. Unlike fully ripened tomatoes, green tomatoes have a much firmer texture that I thought would hold up well to pickling and canning. These are great paired with a sharp cheddar cheese.

3 cups apple cider vinegar

3 cups granulated sugar

2 tablespoons Kosher salt

½ teaspoon whole cumin seed

1 teaspoon whole coriander seed

½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick

8 cups diced green tomatoes

2 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

Place the vinegar, sugar, salt and spices in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add the tomatoes, shallots and garlic, and return the mixture to a boil. Remove from the heat while you prepare your canning jars.

Bring a large stock pot of water to the boil. Remove the screw rings and lids from the canning jars. Place the jars into the boiling water in batches and submerge for 30 seconds. Remove the jars and place them upside down on a clean dish towel. Place the screw rings and lids into the boiling water and submerge for 30 seconds. Remove and place them on a clean dish towel.

Carefully ladle the pickles and their liquid into the prepared jars. Be sure to wipe away in drips from the mouth of the jar, and top each with a lid and screw ring. Tighten the ring down until it just feels tight, then tighten it just a bit more. But don't crank down too hard!

Return the large stock pot of water to the boil. Working in batches, transfer the jars into the pot, making sure that the tops of the jars are fully submerged under the surface of the water. When the water returns to the boil, cover the pot with a lid and set the timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, carefully remove the jars from the pot and place on a dry towel to cool. After a few minutes, you should hear a noticeable "plinking" sounds as the lids contract. If any of the lids have not contracted after about 30 minutes, these jars didn't seal properly. They're still safe to eat, just put them in the refrigerator and enjoy them first.

BLFGT Sandwich  (that is Bacon, Lettuce and Fried Green Tomato, of course!)

How can I have a posting about green tomatoes and NOT have a recipe that uses fried green tomatoes? I must admit, it was hard to not just eat the fried green tomatoes right off the plate, but I did manage to save enough of them to make one sandwich.

2 large green tomatoes, cut into ½  inch thick slices

½ cup all purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Kosher salt and black pepper

olive oil for frying

To assemble the sandwich: toasted whole grain bread, crispy cooked bacon, arugula, and mayonnaise

Place the flour, eggs, and panko in three shallow dishes. Season the sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper. Dip the tomatoes first in the flour, then the beaten egg, and then the panko, being sure that the tomatoes are well coated in each dish before moving on to the next. Place the breaded tomatoes on a plate.

Pour enough olive oil into a large skillet to reach a depth of 1/4 inch. Heat over medium heat until hot--I like to test the temperature by dropping a few panko breadcrumbs into the oil to see if the sizzle. If they do, you're ready to go. Carefully place the tomato slices in the skillet and fry until golden brown on the bottom. Flip them over and continue to fry until golden brown on their second side. Transfer the fried tomatoes to a wire rack set over a sheet pan and sprinkle with additional salt and pepper.

To assemble the sandwich, spread the whole grain toast with a layer of mayonnaise. Add a layer of arugula, then a layer of bacon. Top with two or three slices of the fried green tomatoes, then a second piece of toast.