Plum Rhubarb Custard Pie

You know once I saw this I couldn't pass it up, right? That's how I feel about rhubarb these days. The store here in California has SO MUCH relatively cheap big red rhubarb I feel like I HAVE TO buy it, because sometimes you can go a whole summer and never get good rhubarb. So we have been a-feasting on rhubarb (I made a straight rhubarb pie last week) and I am loving it. The plums are a plenty too, so why not put the two together? I have this in the oven baking and my husband in the bed sleeping all in the same Cubby room together and life is good.

From Confessions of a Cardamom Addict: http://cardamomaddict.blogspot.com/2011/06/plum-rhubarb-custard-pie.html

Ingredients:

For the crust

2.5 C. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

2/3 C. very cold (frozen, preferably) butter

1/3 C. very cold (frozen, preferably) lard

4-6 T. ice water

For the fruit

2 C. rhubarb, chopped into 1cm pieces

3-4 firm purple/black plums, chopped into 1cm pieces

1/2 C. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

For the custard

1 1/4 C. table cream (18% cream) or milk (I used half-and-half)

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1/2 C. sugar

1 T. cornmeal

Directions:

For the crust

1. Mix together the flour, salt and sugar. Grate in the butter and lard and then rub into the flour mixture.

2. Sprinkle in enough water so the dough comes together. Form a ball and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

For the fruit mixture

1. Mix all the fruit ingredients together into a saucepan. Over a medium flame, bring to a bubble, stirring occasionally, and let cook for about 10 minutes or until the rhubarb softens and the juices are thick. Take off the heat and let cool.

For the custard:

1. Add the cardamom to the cream or milk. Scald the cream, take it off the heat and let cool.

2. Beat the eggs into the sugar. Keep on beating as you dribble in the slightly cooled cream.

3. Remove about a quarter cup of the mixture and mix in the cornflour to make a slurry.

4. Rinse out and dry the saucepan in which you scalded the cream. Return the cream mixture (the one without the cornmeal) to the pan. Over a low flame, stir the custard for a few minutes. Add the slurry and keep on stirring until thick and the custard coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and let cool.

To assemble

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Roll out the pastry to fit a 10" x 2" tin. Blind bake for 20 minutes.

2. Spoon in the fruit mixture and then pour the custard over top. Level as best as you can and bake for 30 minutes. The pie is done when the custard is just set.

3. Remove from the oven and let cool thoroughly before slicing. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if you wish.

Notes: You can use pluots or apriums instead of plums, and omit the cardamom or substitute vanilla powder instead if you like.

Post-Edit: This was good, but you definitely have to let it set up overnight before it will be anything but runny! I think next time I make it I will omit the cardamom (it's good but the Robber didn't favor it), spice it more traditionally, and 1.5 or double the custard while appropriately reducing the fruit while cutting the custard into the fruit slightly. Sadly the rhubarb is already gone so the re-make will have to wait until next year.

Chana Masala 1

I put a 1 here because this is a dish I definitely want to learn how to make well, but I'm not sure this is the recipe I'm going to keep and use for life. It got better with time, but the Robber thought it smelled like marijuana on the first day (probably the fried cumin powder, oh the silliness of trying to make substitutions in cooking food you know nothing about.) I thought it was just fine but needed some more tomato. In the end of course it all got eaten with plenty of happiness with our leftover naan, but in the future I might try another recipe or tweak this one or just make this one with all the proper ingredients.

From Manjula's Kitchen: http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2007/01/28/chola-chana-masala/

Ingredients:

1 15 oz can of chickpeas (kable chana, Garbanzo beans)

3 T. oil

Pinch of asafetida (Hing) -- didn't have any of this

1 tsp. cumin seeds -- used ground cumin, hmmm

1 T. gram flour (Besan) -- replaced with cornmeal

1 large tomato

1 tsp. ginger paste -- used chopped fresh ginger

1 tsp. chopped green chilies -- omitted

2 tsp. coriander powder

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. red chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. garam masala

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro (Green coriander)

Thinly sliced tomatoes for garnish

Directions:

1. Drain the water out of the can of chickpeas and wash the chickpeas well.

2. Blend the tomatoes, green chilies and ginger to make a puree.

3. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed crack right away oil is ready.

4. Add the asafetida and cumin seeds.

5. After the cumin seeds crack, add the gram flour and stir-fry for a minute.

6. Add the tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder and cook for about 4 minutes on medium heat.

7. The mixture will start leaving the oil and will reduce to about half in quantity. Add the chickpeas and a half cup of water and let it cook for 7 to 8 minutes on medium heat, covered. Press the chickpeas with a spatula so they soften. Note: add more water as needed to keep the gravy consistency to your liking, and let it cook for few more minutes on low heat.

8. Add the garam masala and cilantro. Let it cook for another minute.

9. Garnish with thin tomato slices and serve.

Note: We added about 2 T. brown sugar to this the first day to make it a little sweeter which made it better tasting to our poor American palettes.

Sri Lankan Mango Almond Curry

A few months ago on a date in Santa Cruz the Robber and I just about died and went to heaven eating mango almond curry at this Sri Lankan place. In fact, if you google "mango almond curry" it will link you there because it is so good. I resolved that, if at all possible, the Robber and I would make it for ourselves. At home.

But alas, finding a recipe, so hard. I finally came across this one for mango curry, without the plaintain or almonds that the restaurant used, and adapted it trying to make what we had at Malabar. We made it last night and had it over coconut rice. It was close... but not quite there. Maybe not having the curry leaves or the pandan leaf made a big difference? Even without these more exotic spices, however, the dish was delicious and we will definitely be making it again.

Adapted from: http://www.cookingandme.com/2009/05/sri-lankan-mango-curry-recipe.html

Ingredients:

1 raw mango

1 plantain

1 C. blanched whole almonds

1/2 onion, chopped fine

2 tsp. crushed garlic

1 tsp. crushed ginger

(or use 2 tsp ginger garlic paste)

1 tsp. mustard seeds

2 T. vinegar

4-5 curry leaves

1 pandan leaf cut/torn into bits

a 1" cinnamon stick

1 15 oz. can thick coconut milk

1 15 oz. can light coconut milk

1 T. oil

Directions:

1. Peel mango and cut into long, thin pieces. Do likewise to the plantain.

2. Grind mustard seeds and vinegar together to form a paste.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add the onion, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and cinnamon. Saute until onion turns golden - about 5-7 mins.

4. Add the mango, plantain, almonds light coconut milk, pandan leaf bits and the mustard seed mixture and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat and simmer until mango and plantain is cooked and tender. Add the thick coconut milk and simmer for another 10 mins. Add salt. Serve over rice.

Oven-Baked Naan

After eating at Pakwan on Saturday night the Robber decided it would basically make his life more than complete if he could both live with me AND make naan at home. So I googled around a bit and found this recipe for homemade naan that looked doable. Last night the Robber and I made a double batch and give it a rousing two thumbs up. It was pretty much one of the happiest days of the Robber's life. The dough is really -- like pizza dough and you make it pretty much the same way. The Robber and I both agreed that while it was delicious it tasted very American. Maybe it's the flour we use? Next time we make it we are going to try and put some fresh rosemary in the dough and see how it turns out.

From: http://foodformyfamily.com/recipes/how-to-make-naan-in-the-oven

Ingredients: (makes 4-5 naan)

3/4 C. warm water (110° F)

1 tsp. active dry yeast

2 C. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. sea salt (I used kosher salt)

1/4 tsp. baking powder

2 T. canola or olive oil

2 1/2 T. plain Greek-style yogurt

Extra flour for rolling

2 T. clarified butter

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar into the water. Sprinkle yeast over the top. Allow to sit for 10 minutes until frothy.

2. When frothy, add in salt, baking powder, and flour 1/2 - 1 C at a time alternating with adding oil and yogurt. (Making a double recipe, I added 1 cup flour with salt and baking powder, then the 2nd cup of flour, then the oil, then the 3rd cup of flour, then the yogurt, then the 4th cup of flour).

3. Turn out of bowl on to a floured surface. Knead until the dough is smooth. Place the dough back in the bowl with a little oil, cover and let rise in a warm place for 3 to 4 hours (if it is really warm it won't take this long.)

4. Once the dough has risen, preheat oven to 500° F with a baking stone in the oven.

5. Flip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until easy to handle. Break into 4-5 equal-sized balls. Dip each ball into a small amount of flour. Roll into an oval shape approximately 1/4″ thick.

6. Once the oven and stone are preheated, dip hands in water and wet each piece of dough slightly before placing it on the stone. (I brushed one side lightly with oil, as otherwise the naan stuck to the stone.)

7. Bake at 500° F for 4-5 minutes until top is golden brown and bubbly. Remove from the stone and brush with clarified butter. Serve.

Notes: The thinner you roll it, the crispier the naan will be. Maybe also adding the water makes it more crispy, as the naan I made brushed just once with oil were softer which made the Robber happy.

Ratatouille

In search of a healthy meal and missing my Moosewood Cookbook (which is in some storage box), I went online looking for a ratatouille recipe and found the roasted version from the Moosewood Simple Suppers Cookbook on another blog. I stole an idea from my Moosewood book's "Pepper and Onion Shortcake" recipe and served the ratatouille on cornbread sliced in half, like an open faced sandwich. It was delicious! The cornbread is a cheap and delicious way to make the ratatouille go for longer (it is tasty, but the vegetables are expensive if you want to eat enough to get filled up) and the Robber and I agreed that it added and did not take away from the vegetables even if the French are flopping over in their graves at the idea. We topped it all off with grated Romano cheese and it was a wholesome, warm Sunday meal.

The website I got this from is a little pretentious... but... I'll take it:

http://www.thedcladies.com/2010/03/ratatouille-from-moosewood.html

Ingredients:

1 zucchini (I used 3 green, 2 yellow)

3 onions (I used two)

1 eggplant

2 tomatoes

2 bell peppers

6 garlic cloves

1/3 C. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

1 C. packed fresh basil leaves

Grated Romano, Pecorino Romano, or Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Chop all plants except basil into 1" chunks. Toss the chopped ingredients with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. (Note, you will probably have to use two bowls to do this.)

2. Pre-heat oven to 450F. Spread vegetables out over two large cookie sheets. It is smart to put foil on the cookie sheets first as it makes cleaning the pans much easier.

3. Roast the vegetables at 450F for 15 minutes, then turn them and roast for an additional 25-30 minutes, stirring/turning occasionally until vegetables are soft.

4. While roasting, chop the basil leaves finely. Remove vegetables from oven and transfer to bowl. Stir in basil leaves.

5. Serve over cornbread and sprinkle Romano cheese on top as desired.

Notes: Peeling the eggplant is optional.

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes

I made these for dessert on R-DAY for our guests and even the Robber, not usually a fan of chocolate and berries together, deemed these a hit. Thanks again, Annie! I love that it is a way of fancying up something as easy and simple as shortcake and making it seem decadent.

From Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan by way of Annie: http://annies-eats.net/2011/08/12/chocolate-strawberry-shortcakes/

Ingredients:

For the shortcakes:

1 1/3 C. whole milk (I used 2%)

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 1/3 C. all-purpose flour

2/3 C. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 T. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ C. sugar, plus more for sprinkling

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used semisweet)

1½ sticks (12 T.) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small piece

For the strawberries:

1½ lbs. strawberries, hulled and sliced or quartered

3-4 T. sugar

Squeeze of lemon juice

For the whipped cream:

1 C. heavy cream

2-3 T. confectioners’ sugar

Dash vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the milk, vanilla and egg. Whisk to blend. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ½ cup of sugar. Stir to combine. Add in the butter and toss to coat the butter in the dry ingredients. Working quickly with a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the pieces of butter are no larger than small peas. Mix in the chopped chocolate and toss to combine.

3. Pour the milk mixture over the dry ingredients and stir gently until a sticky dough forms. Very gently knead the dough just until most of the dry ingredients are incorporated. Be careful not to overwork the dough.

4. Scoop the dough in about 1/3 cup mounds onto the baking sheets, leaving a few inches in between. Gently pat the mounds to about 1-inch thickness. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the shortcakes are puff and give just slightly when lightly pressed, about 15-18 minutes total. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

5. To make the strawberries, combine the berries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Toss well to coat the berries with the sugar and let macerate at least 30-60 minutes. If desired, mash lightly with a fork.

6. Just before serving, make the whipped cream. Place the chilled cream and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip on high speed until medium-stiff peaks form, being careful not to overbeat. Blend in the vanilla.

7. To serve, split each shortcake horizontally. Top the bottom half of each shortcake with a dollop of whipped cream, spoon some of the berry mixture over the top, and replace the top half of the shortcake. Serve immediately.

Navajo Tacos

I made these for the Robber to celebrate our new family holiday, August 17: R-DAY!!! The first day that we were together in our marriage-- living more together than apart. The day we have chosen to celebrate each year how good God has been to us in allowing us to find each other, and finally, to be together.

And for this we eat Navajo tacos.

I had never made Navajo tacos before. It's not like you need a recipe really, but just one for the bread. I chose this one randomly off the internet and made a 1.5 recipes worth (as we had guests, LRH and DRH on their last night in town, how lucky were we!). The bread probably wouldn't be the best thing alone, but everyone chowed down on it and it made a nice vehicle for the toppings. I fried it not too thick and it was just the right softness/crispiness. It is easy and relatively fast to make, so I will probably use this again even if I felt it lacked something as a bread by itself.

From Recipes of a Cheapskate: http://recipesofacheapskate.blogspot.com/2009/08/navajo-tacos.html

Ingredients:

2 C. all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 C. milk

Vegetable oil for frying

Toppings:
Re-fried beans
Grated cheese
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomato
Avocado
Green onion
Sour cream
Anything else delicious!

Directions:

1. Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the milk and mix until the dough comes together. Add flour if needed.

2. Knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth, then let it rest for 5 minutes.

3. Heat about 1/2 inch to 1 inch oil in a large skillet. Break off pieces of the dough and either roll out flat, or use your hands. Make a thinner spot in the middle.

4. Fry until brown on each side. Let drain on paper towels. Top with taco toppings. Makes about 5-6. (The 1.5'd recipe made about 5 large fry breads and 2 smaller ones.)

Double Chocolate Pecan Pie

The Robber and R and I made this and ate a bit rather quickly out of the oven, but as the pie lasted for a few days and slowly carmelized it just got better and better producing this amazing chocolate carmel at the edges. I think the Robber would prefer just a plain pecan pie over this pie but I think that is because he only ate it warm. I like the idea of this pie because it provides an opportunity to make a chocolate pie that isn't as over the top as the chocolate cream pies I've had. Definitely a pie I would make again, though given my pie repertoire and the Robber's strong preference for coconut cream, it might be a while. (Unless I can sneak this in at Thanksgiving.)

From Williams Sonoma by way of Annie:

http://annies-eats.net/2009/11/23/double-chocolate-pecan-pie/

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1¼ C. all-purpose flour

1 T. sugar

¼ tsp. salt

8 T. cold, unsalted butter, cut into medium cubes (about 16 pieces)

3 T. ice cold water

For the filling:

3 T. unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

¾ C. packed dark brown sugar

½ tsp. salt

2 large eggs

½ C. corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 C. pecans, toasted and chopped into small pieces (or not)

3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. To make the crust, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly to combine. Add the cubes of butter to the bowl and mix on low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal and the largest chunks of butter are not much larger than peas. Add the water to the bowl and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together.

2. Form the dough into a disc, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until chilled.

3. On a lightly-floured work surface, roll the pie dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer the round to a 9-inch pie plate by rolling the dough around the rolling pin and unrolling it over the pie pan. Trim the edges as necessary and create a fluted pattern using a finger to make the indentations. Freeze the dough-lined pie plate until firm and very cold, about 30 minutes.

4. Adjust an oven rack to lower middle position and heat the oven to 375° F. Remove the dough-lined plate from the freezer, press a sheet of foil inside the pie shell and fill with ceramic baking beads. Bake about 30 minutes, until the dough looks dry and light in color. Carefully remove the foil and weights. Continue baking the crust 5-6 minutes more, until light golden brown.

5. While the pie crust is baking, make the filling. Melt the butter in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Remove the bowl from the double boiler but maintain the simmering water. Stir in the sugar and salt with a wooden spoon until the butter is absorbed.

6. Beat in the eggs, corn syrup and vanilla. Return the bowl to the double boiler and heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is shiny and hot to the touch, about 130° F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat and stir in the pecans.

7. As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, lower the oven temperature to 275° F. Pour the filling into the pie shell. Scatter the chopped chocolate pieces over the filling and press into the filling with the back of a spoon.

8. Bake on the middle rack of the oven about 50-60 minutes, until the pie looks set but slightly soft, like gelatin, when gently pressed with the back of a spoon. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 4 hours.

Blueberry Compote

I made this and ate it with Greek yogurt and toasted nuts and it was satisfying just like that. Not anything fancy, and I'm sure I didn't follow directions exactly-- I think because the blueberries took longer to burst than the recipe indicated, and I probably added some cloves in for fun.

From Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Blueberry-Compote-101038

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C. blueberries, fresh or frozen

1/3 C. sugar

1/3 C. water

Directions:

1. Combine 1 1/2 cups blueberries, sugar and 1/3 cup water in heavy small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until berries burst, stirring often, about 10 minutes.

2. Add remaining 1 cup berries. Cook until compote coats spoon, stirring often, about 8 minutes.

(Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.) Serve warm.