Day 108.5 - Homemade Pop-Tarts...Get your Kid on

I must say that I have never been a big fan of Pop-Tarts. I find the pastry bland and crumbly-dry and the filling way too sweet and gritty. I will also admit to keeping them stocked in my pantry, calling them "breakfast" when I'm swearing yelling at my 15 year old to get out of bed and get to school on time. To ease  my guilty conscience, I tell myself that Pop-Tarts are the equivalent of toast and jam...errrr...okay, yeah, I know that's a stretch, especially those s'mores "flavored" ones he seems to favor.  But you know, sometimes a mother's gotta do...you know the rest.

So, imagine my delight when I found a recipe for homemade Pop-Tarts in, yes, you guessed it, Joanne Chang's beautiful baking book, Flour. By now some of you may be sick of hearing me heap mounds of sugary praise on her book, but honestly, it's by far the best pastry and baking cookbook I have or will ever own - evah, as we Bostonian's like to say.

Suffice it say, once you try one these homemade Pop-Tarts, you'll never go back. Imagine delicious, fresh fruit jam (pick your favorite flavor), folded inside the flakiest, most buttery pastry imaginable, then topped with a vanilla-y glaze and sprinkles (optional). You will be the envy of your co-workers and your kids and their friends will think you are the coolest parent in the world once you bake up a batch of these. The dough can be made in advance, and the assembly and baking process is relatively quick and easy. If you're really pressed for time, you can use pre-made pastry dough (in the freezer section at most grocery stores), which will be good, but not as decadent as the recipe below. Either way, you will be a pop rock star (get it?), and when you have teenagers in the house, you take the props where you can get 'em.

Homemade Pop-Tarts (From Joanne Chang's, Flour cookbook)

1 recipe Pate Brisse (recipe below)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup raspberry jam (or whatever you like)

Simple Vanilla Glaze

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2-3 Tbsp. water
Rainbow sprinkles for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and divide it in half. Press each half into a rectangle. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each half into a 14-by-11 inch rectangle.  Using a paring knife, lightly score on rectangle into eight 3 1/2-by-5 1/2-inch rectangles (about the size of an index card).

Brush the top surface of the entire scored rectangle with the egg. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the jam in a mound in the center of each scored rectangle. Lay the second large dough rectangle directly on top of the first. Using fingertips, carefully press down all around each jam mound, so the pastry sheets adhere to each other.

Using a pizza cutter, knife of fluted roller, and following the scored lines, cut the layer dough into 8 rectangles. Place the rectangles, well spaced, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the tops of pastries are evenly golden brown. Let cool for about 30 minutes.

To make the glaze:  While the pastries are cooling, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough of the water to make a smooth, pourable glaze.

When the pastries have cooled for 30 minutes, brush the tops evenly with the glaze, then sprinkle them with rainbow sprinkles. Let stand 10-15 minutes to set before serving.

Pate Brisee

1 3/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
2 egg yolks
3 Tbsp. cold milk

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour sugar and salt for 10-15 seconds. Scatter the butter over the top. Mix on low speed for 1-1 1/2 minutes, or just until the flour is no longer bright white and hold together when you clump it and lumps of butter the size of pecans are visible throughout.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and mil until blended. Add to the flour mixture all at once. mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until the dough just barely come together. It will look really shaggy and more like a mess than dough.

Dump the dough out onto an unfloured work surface, then gather it together into a tight mound. Using your palm and staring on one side of the mound, smear the dough bit by bit, starting at the top and of the mound and then sliding your palm down the side and along the work surface, until most of the butter chunks are smeared into the dough and the dough comes together. Do this once or twice on each part of the dough, moving through the mound until the whole thing has been smeared into a cohesive dough with streaks of butter.

Gather up the dough, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and press down to flatten into a disk about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using.

Day 108! Mauritania - Coconut Pepper Steak - Up Next, Mauritius

Do you ever have days where you set out to do something that should take a couple of hours and 4 hours later, you're still trying to get it done? Making tonight's Mauritanian meal of Coconut Pepper Steak took me forever to prep, execute and deliver. It wasn't all that complicated, I just think my organizational skills completely imploded after a long week. Here's hoping that my personal failings won't be reflected in what turned out to be a really good and interesting North African meal.

Many of the recipes I found called for camel, but as resourceful as I like to think I am, camel was not to be found in these parts. I'm not truly sure how often beef is eaten in Mauritania, but the recipes I found called for beef combined with hot peppers, green peppers and coconut, so if any of my readers know differently, I'd love to hear about it!

Located in North Africa, Mauritania, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Western Sahara, Algeria, Mali and Senegal. The country gained independence from France in 1960, and then following a military coup that overthrew the civilian government in 2008, has since been run by General Aziz. The official language in Mauritania is Arabic, and more than 20% of the population lives on less than $1.25 per day.

The climate in this beautiful country is rugged and unforgiving, yet the primary source of income for many is raising livestock such as dromedaries, which are used for transportation, meat and milk. Dates, lamb, spiced fish and vegetables, meat, couscous, rice, stews, olives and Arabic spices are all popular in this country. Because Mauritania is an Islamic Republic, alcohol is forbidden to nationals, but some restaurants do serve it in limited amounts. Goat, camel milk and tea are the most frequently consumed beverages.

Coconut Pepper Steak (Adapted from Celtnet)

1 1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut into thin strips
1 coconut (water reserved) with flesh cut into strips the same size as beef
4 green bell peppers, cut into strips the same size as the beef
1 hot chili pepper, finely sliced
peanut or canola oil for frying
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 drops Tabasco
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 beef bouillons
4 Tbsp. cornflour

Add the oil to a large frying pan and add the salt, black pepper, garlic and Tabasco. Fry the peppers and chili in this seasoned oil for 2 minutes, then add the steak and fry for another 2 minutes before adding the coconut strips and frying for another 2 minutes.

Mix the coconut water with enough water to make 1 3/4 cups, and bring to a boil. Add the soy sauce and beef bouillon then mix the cornflour with 1/4 cup water for a paste. Add this to the coconut water mixture and stir to incorporate. Continue stirring the mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens.

Final Assessment: Surprisingly tasty and good. I wish I could have sliced the coconut even more thinly, but the dudes in residence liked the crunch of the fruit combined with the spicy meat and sauce. 6 thumbs up from my in-house food critics.

Place the meat mixture on a bed of rice and spoon the sauce over the top before serving.

Day 107! Marshall Islands, Siu Pao (Pork Buns) - Up Next, Mauritania

Tonight's Marshallese cooking adventure is dedicated to Wendy McKenzie and her students at Oxbow High School in Vermont. Several months ago, Wendy contacted me via my favorite niece, Evie (okay, she's my only niece, but I love her more than chocolate or rum or sleeping late shoes - and that's a lot), to ask if she could use this blog in her Foods Around the World class. Not only was I flattered, but excited that a whole group of kids would be learning about the world around them through something as meaningful and universally important as food. I'm pretty sure they'll remember much more about each country they visit than I ever did in my snooze-fest geography classes back in the dark ages. So, a big shout to everyone in the beautiful Green Mountain State - hope you enjoy the warmth and flavors of the Marshall Islands!

The Republic of the Marshall Islands is a Micronesian nation of 20 atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the international date line and just north of the equator. Once occupied by Germans, Spanish, British, Japanese and most recently Americans, the Marshall Islands gained independence from the U.S. in 1979.

Little is known about the Micronesians who first settled the islands traveling by canoe with only traditional stick charts to navigate the complex tides. Using the midribs of coconut fronds which were then tied together to represent prevailing ocean surface wave crests, as well as chart directions, early settlers criss crossed the islands and eventually found home.

Cuisine in the Marshall Islands is influenced by Chinese, Korean, Indian and Western traditions. Fish, lobster and squid are eaten most often, along with a wide range of tropical fruits such as passion fruit, paw paw, pineapples, mango and bananas. Coconut, white sugar and vanilla are also plentiful.  Interestingly, due to over population on the islands, much of the country's food is now imported, leading a high obesity rate as processed food has gained favor over more expensive fresh food. Numerous nutrition programs are currently being implemented to help combat this alarming trend.

Siu Pao -Pork Buns - (Recipe adapted from Mrs. Wencheslao of Yap and Toto, Guam)

Dough

5 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
6 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
3 packets dry yeast, dissolved in 1 cup warm water

Filling

1/2 -1 medium onion, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, peeled and cubed
2 lbs. pork, cubed small (you can use beef, chicken or shrimp if you prefer)
3 tsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. black pepper
salt or extra soy sauce to taste
3 hard-boiled eggs, cut into eighths
A little flour to thicken sauce if needed

In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine all the ingredients and knead for 10 minutes until smooth. Gather into a ball, coat with a little oil and let rise in a bowl covered with a clean towel for an hour.

Slice the eggs. Saute the garlic, onion and carrot. Add pork, stir, and simmer covered for 15 minutes. (Don't let the pork get dried out - add a little water if needed). Add soy sauce, sugar, and pepper. Thicken sauce with a little sprinkling of flour at the end.

After the dough has risen, break off  4 pieces at a time, about the size of a golf ball. Roll each piece into a ball, then pat it gently using the palm of your hand to form a circle. On a lightly floured board, roll each piece out with a rolling pin to about 3-4-inch pancakes. Put filling and a piece of egg in the center of the pancake. Stretch the edges around the filling and seal them together so they look like little purses. Place on a square of waxed paper, seam side down. Spray a steamer with a little cooking spray to avoid sticking. Steam in a steamer (a bamboo steamer works well) for 14-20 minutes.

* to save time, you can use frozen dough instead. You can also use frozen carrots or peas in place of fresh carrots.

Final Assessment: These were awesome. The dough was sweet, and the filling had a nice sweet/savory flavor to it that made these rolls tasty as could be. Dipped in a little light soy sauce, they were dinner and disappeared as fast as I could steam them. This is the type of thing that you get better at as you go along, since technique is important...but have fun, and don't worry if they don't look perfect the fist batch out!

106.5 - Last Minute Hearts of Love

As so often happens when I can't sleep, that switch in my brain gets stuck in the ON position and ideas and images begin swirling through my head at warp speed. Experience has taught me that it's just not worth the fight to try to make myself fall asleep, and besides, I do some of my best thinking when the world and my house is dreamily quiet. So, last night, at about midnight, I got up to make these for my family, since we'd already devoured all the chocolate covered strawberries I'd made over the weekend. And, as grown as my boys (that includes my sweet husband), like to think they are, they love candy treats as much now as when they were toddlers.

Scrounging around my pantry, I dug out a few old candy molds (available at any craft store), took a couple of bars of chocolate off the shelf, and presto - Last Minute Hearts of Love for the awesome dudes in my house...who loves you, babies?

Last Minute Hearts of Love

Candy molds of any shape
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
4 oz white chocolate
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate

In a microwave safe dish, place chocolate in microwave at medium power (50%) for 1-1 1/2 minutes. Remove and stir. If not melted, return to microwave and repeat heating step, stirring ever 30 seconds, as scorching can occur. When small lumps remain, remove and continue to stir to complete melting.

Using a small zip-lock bag (snack size works well), fill with melted chocolate and snip a small end of the tip of the bag and carefully fill each mold to the top. Lift mold and gently tap it on the counter to release any air bubble. Refrigerate until set then unmold.

At this point, you can leave the hearts undecorated, or use a little more melted chocolate to pipe designs on the hearts.




Candy molds of any shape
4 oz 

Helen Roberts & the Kikkoman Test Kitchen

Chef Helen Roberts is the manager of culinary development and public relations at Kikkoman. She works on consumer recipes using the whole range of Kikkoman products from soy sauce to panko bread crumbs to soy milk and beyond. She used to work in product development and was hired because of her amazing ability to taste subtle differences in 16 different soy sauces! At the time she was hired, she had never even tried Japanese food.


I recently got to visit Helen and her test kitchen in downtown San Francisco. What a treat! Helen is friendly, enthusiastic and has a great sense of humor, and so it was no surprise to see that her recently renovated test kitchen in San Francisco is cheerful and lively as can be. The kitchen has a big island, two stoves and a large refrigerator. It also has a big flat screen television with cooking shows on all the time and the radio set to "old school." By the way, is there anything better than cooking with Prince playing in the background?


I had a great time cooking with Helen, whipping up some recipes for Valentine's Day. She was working on a version of a recipe she swears convinced her husband to propose to her. She fills puff pastry shells with a cajun spiced cream sauce (made with soy milk) and shrimp sauteed in butter. Helen made us a snack to nibble on while we cooked and shared tips with me such as use a splash of soy sauce in the water when you blanch vegetables instead of salt.

I made one of Helen's recipes for crab stuffed mushrooms which came out beautifully which is a testament to her skills, because I was so distracted chatting that I did not follow the directions as well as I should have.


The other recipe I made was from 1984, and it was not created by Helen. It shows how much tastes change. The original recipe for Artichokes with Zesty Blue Cheese Dip called for only one tablespoon of blue cheese! Needless to say, it needed a little more. Ok, a lot more. I've adapted it here if you'd like to try it. Helen's office mates liked it a lot. I think it's a great choice for Valentine's Day, after all, it has plenty of heart.

Note: since this recipe calls for boiling rather than steaming, and I found the artichokes I used cooked very quickly. If you prefer, you can cook the artichokes any way you like.

Artichokes with Zesty Blue Cheese Dip(adapted from the Kikkoman Kitchen)
4 servings

Ingredients

4 medium (about 8 oz. each) artichokes 

Water
1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mushrooms 

2 Tablespoons minced green onions
6 Tablespoons crumbled blue cheese 

2 teaspoons Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce 

Grated peel and juice of 1/2 fresh lemon

Instructions

To prepare artichokes, slice 1 inch off tops; discard. Cut off stems even with base; remove small outer leaves. Trim off sharp leaf tips (about 1/2 inch) with kitchen shears or paring knife or scissors. Rinse artichokes under cold water. (To prevent darkening, rub lemon half on cut edges of artichokes.) Arrange artichokes upright in saucepan. Add water to depth of 2 inches. Bring water to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 20 minutes, or until leaves pull out easily.

Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise, mushrooms, green onions, blue cheese, less sodium soy sauce, lemon juice and peel.

Drain artichokes; cool enough to handle. To serve, spoon the blue cheese mixture into a bowl, and serve with the artichokes.

Enjoy!

Day 106! Malta - Warm Vegetable Salad with Fennel and Lemon Dressing - Up Next, Marshall Islands

Okay, so I was all ready to put this post up, when I realized that I'd taken 50 some-odd pictures without the data card in the camera. Hence, this very abbreviated step-by-step process for which I apologize. You see, I'm a little tired and a tad hung over from eating, drinking, dancing and partying into the wee hours of the morning with our wonderful group of friends last night (shout out to Lisa, Jim, Adrienne and Jim). I can't party like a rock star anymore, but I can try, and it didn't matter one bit that we were the only people in the club over 20 (ummm...way over). That I was able to get this simple, yet lovely Mediterranean dish from Malta made at all is a minor miracle...So, despite the limited number of photo's, sometimes you just have to go with what you've got!

Located in southern Europe, the country of Malta is an archipelago situated centrally in the Mediterranean sea. To the south is Sicily and to the east, Tunisia.  Malta is one of the world's smallest countries and also one of the most densely populated. Throughout history, Malta has been a strategic point for the Phonesians, Greeks, Normans, Sicilians, French, and the British, who ruled the country until 1964 when it gained independence.

The country's fertile soil and warm climate make for a huge variety of seasonally fresh fruits and vegetables, which are typically used in salads or as fillings for pastry such as pastizzi. Cuisine can be described as rustic, with it's traditions influenced by the indigenous people as well as the Sicilians. Cheese, fish, pasta, rice, stewed and stuffed dishes, rustic bread as well as desserts that often use dates and almonds are but a sampling of the spectacular Mediterranean food of Malta.

Fennel and Lemon Maltese Dressing (Adapted from Lemonsprig)

1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup parsley leaves, chopped

1/4 cup mint, chopped

1-2 lemons

1 cup olive oil

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large mortar and pestle, crush fennel and coriander seeds. Add garlic and pound to paste. Add chopped herbs and zest of 1 lemon and mash together. Juice both lemons and stir into olive oil. Add herbs and season to taste. Store in a jar and let sit for about 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.

Warm Maltese Vegetable Salad

1 head cauliflower

1/2 bag frozen peas

1/2 bag frozen fava or lima beans

1 zucchini

3-4 oz. feta or sheep's milk feta, to taste

1 recipe Maltese dressing

Break up cauliflower into flowerettes and place in steamer. Steam for about 7 minutes, or until just tender.

Half the zucchini lengthwise, then thinly slice into semi-circles and steam for 4 minutes, or until just barely tender.

In a large bowl, add steamed cauliflower, peas, Lima beans and zucchini.

Add enough dressing to taste, top with feta and serve warm along side thick slices of crusty bread, which can be dipped into dressing for an extra treat.

Passage to an Equator
Original Painting
Christopher Rice

Final Assessment: This is a wonderfully easy, healthy and satisfying salad eaten alone or along with a pasta dish. This dressing can be used for any other vegetables or even as a marinade for chicken or fish. One taste and you'll feel as though you've been transported to the Mediterranean.


Check out my friend Christopher's art! He's also the mastermind behind Enjoy Life with Breakfast and Enjoy Life with Chocolate!

Day 105.5 - Amaretto Infused Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Strawberries are the angels of the earth, innocent and sweet with leafy green wings reaching heavenward.
~Jasmine Heilfer

Original Painting
Chris Harford

Valentine's Day does not have to be about having a spouse, lover or partner -- despite what the Hallmark hype hopes you buy into.  No, rather it can, and should be a special day in the bitter month of February when you get to enjoy beautiful chocolate covered strawberries for what they are: exquisitely decadent, elegant and sexy. Simply put, whether you're eating them alone or with someone special, dipped in glossy dark chocolate, and savored with a lovely glass of champagne, wine (or sparkling cider if you're so inclined), these strawberries are sure to make you feel sweet and heavenly, which you are. 

To add an extra twist to traditional chocolate dipped strawberries, about half of these juicy darlings were infused with Amaretto. Using a syringe, I injected a little of the liquor into the berries prior to dipping them into dark, semi-sweet and white chocolate. The result is a happy party in your mouth, without compromising the natural tartness of the fruit. Strawberry fields forever.

Glass dish by Tim Commerford

The key to making these dipped strawberries is to start with ripe, clean berries that have been lightly rinsed and gently patted dry (do NOT drown them in water as they'll quickly become saturated and mushy). To ensure that  the chocolate coating adheres to the fruit, have everything in place before you start and  work quickly as chocolate tends to harden up pretty fast.

When cooking with chocolate, it's absolutely imperative that your bowls and spoons be spotless and clear of moisture, otherwise you'll end up with a mess. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, watch your chocolate as it melts, being very careful not to overheat it.  I used small ramekins with 2 ounces of chocolate in each, which was just right for about 24 strawberries.

Amaretto Infused Chocolate Covered Strawberries

About 24 strawberries, stems and leaves attached
2 ounces dark chocolate
2 ounces milk chocolate
2 ounces white chocolate
extra dark and white chocolate for drizzling
Amaretto

Gently rinse and pat dry strawberries. Place on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels.
Draw a little Amaretto into a syringe. (You can get one at a pharmacy)
Gently insert the plastic tip of the syringe into the underside of the strawberry, slowly depressing the stopper to inject the Amaretto. Watch carefully - you will see the strawberry puff up as the liquor fills it. Pat dry any excess Amaretto and place on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels.
Using a microwave safe container, and working with one dish at a time, place chocolate in microwave at medium power for 1- 1 1/2 minutes.
Remove and stir. If not melted, return to microwave and repeat heating step, stirring every 30 seconds, as scorching can occur. When small lumps remain, remove and continue to stir to complete melting.
Carefully hold a strawberry by the stem and dip/swirl the berry in the chocolate.
Place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
Repeat until all strawberries have been dipped.
Place cookie sheet in refrigerator until chocolate is set.
Serve with whatever your heart desires.