Butterscotch Pudding

An indulgence, really, but somehow when I found this recipe it caught my eye and knowing how much the Robber loves butterscotch and I love cold, creamy things, I decided to give this a try. The flavor is more carmelly than butterscotch really, and I didn't have a strainer so the texture in mine turned out less than ideal but it was easy to make and the Robber loved it, so let's call it a win. (I did not make the ganache, this is rich enough it is totally unnecessary).

From the Pizzeria Locale in Denver by way of the NYTimes Restaurant Takeaway Column:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/02/dining/butterscotch-pudding-creamy-light-and-nutty.html?ref=restauranttakeaway

Ingredients:

For the pudding:

3 C. heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 C. milk

3/4 C. plus 1 T. dark brown sugar

3/4 tsp. fine sea salt (or just regular salt)

4 large egg yolks

1 large egg

4 tsp. cornstarch

4 1/2 T. unsalted butter

For the ganache:

1/4 C. heavy whipping cream (plus additional for topping)

2.5 oz. chopped milk chocolate

Directions:

1. Make the pudding: In a small pot, bring the cream and milk to a simmer. Cover to keep warm.

2. In a medium pot, bring brown sugar, 1/3 C. water and salt to a boil. Cook while stirring occasionally until the solution is 240 degrees on a candy thermometer (5-10 minutes). The mixture should be a deep brown color and smell nutty and carmelized.

3. Immediately whisk cream mixture into brown sugar to stop the cooking. The mixture will seize. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook until smooth.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, egg and cornstarch. Pour a ladleful of hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs don't curdle. Pour egg mixture into the pot with the cream, whisking more. Cook for another 2-4 minutes until thickened (ok if the mixture simmers).

5. Strain mixture into a bowl and whisk in butter until smooth. Divide into 8 serving dishes (or one large souffle dish) and chill for at least 4 hours until custards are set. 

6. Make the ganache: In a small saucepan, heat cream until steaming. Add chocolate and stir constantly over very heat until just melted. Strain into a glass measuring cup with a spout. 

7. Pour a thin layer of the ganache over the tops of the custards. (There may be some left over.) Chill for an additional four hours and serve with whipped cream on top.

Smitten Kitchen Buttermilk Biscuits

Just when you think you can't have enough biscuit recipes, then you make another one. I wouldn't have even blogged the recipe (thinking ok, ok I have enough) except that the Robber really liked these and... ok fine, they are pretty delicious. I will make something that is not from Smitten Kitchen eventually, but my cookbooks have been packed in boxes for years now, and I haven't the time to be more creative in internet browsing. And why would I when Deb does such a good job? We ate the biscuits with barbecue chicken and corn on the cob-- a perfect end of summer meal.

Notes: Deb states you can use cake flour for a more tender biscuit, and when I made these for the Robber I used half all-purpose and half cake flour and liked the result. I used 2 tsp. of sugar. I felt they tasted a little too much of baking powder, so I would half this or omit it in the future. Makes six large biscuits.

From Smitten Kitchen:
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/03/my-favorite-buttermilk-biscuits/

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C. all-purpose flour, cake flour, or a mixture of the two
2 tsp - 1 1/2 T. sugar
1 T. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. (or less?) baking soda
9 T. chilled unsalted butter
3/4 C. buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl and using a pastry blender or form, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles a coarse meal.

3. Add buttermilk and stir until roughly moistened. Flour hands and knead the mixture in the bowl under it holds together.

4. Transfer the dough to your parchment paper-lined baking sheet and shape into a disc approximately 1/2 - 3/4" inch deep. Using a floured knife, cut the disc into six (or desired number) wedge shapes and space the wedges out evenly on the baking sheet.

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on the top.

Ruggles Pie

I made this pie for the one month birthday of my little son Ruggles. The pie, like my Ruggles, is my own invention! Home grown. I'm sure there are other cranberry-cherry-lime pies out there (are there? I don't know) but this one I made up for Ruggles. It is based off of a little "tart" I made for Bob when I was pregnant with Ruggles. I hardly ever cooked or baked when I was pregnant, I just didn't have any desire to do so. No nausea, no food aversions... just no cooking bug. But with the few pies I did make, I started to make little "tarts" out of the left over dough instead of pie crackers-- the reason being that most pies really are better on the second day, but no one wants to wait that long to eat one, but if you make a little tart you can sate the desire to eat pie without actually eating the pie itself. And on one particular day I had some cherries in the fridge and, having never baked anything with cherries before, decided to give them a whirl. I must have had limes too, and we always keep frozen cranberries around, so I threw them all together into the little tart and it turned out quite delicious! I vowed one day to try and make a whole pie that way, and Ruggles' celebration seemed to be the perfect occasion. And the pie turned out quite well! I was very pleased with the result, and may not even tinker too much with this formulation in the future. Now that it is Ruggles' pie, he will be obligated to have this as his birthday treat and nothing else for the rest of his life.

The crust I used is a "cornmeal crust" and the recipe comes from the Luscious Little Dessert Company. I don't think you have to use a cornmeal crust, other crusts would be equally delicous, but in honor of the original Ruggles pie as it was baked and consumed you can find the pie crust recipe as below:

http://vegetabletuesdays.blogspot.com/2013/10/cornmeal-pie-crust.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/dining/that-photogenic-blueberry-pie.html

But first, pictures of the pie to whet your appetite:

Ingredients (for the filling):

16 oz (approx 3 C.) fresh or frozen cranberries

16 oz (approx 3 C.) fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries (not cherry pie filling!)

2/3 C. brown sugar

1/3 C. white sugar

1/2 C. flour

1 very heaping tsp. cinnamon

1/16 tsp. ginger

Zest of 2.5 limes (2-3, whatever)

Juice of 2 limes (just however many you are zesting, 3 would be ok too)

Directions:

1. Combine all the dry ingredients and the lime zest in a mixing bowl. 

2. In a separate large bowl, stir together the cherries and the cranberries. You don't need to thaw them first or cut them up, although if you are using fresh cherries you should de-pit them which may involved halving the cherries. 

3. Pour the dry mixture over the fruit and combine thoroughly. Add in the lime juice and stir again until the berries are evenly coated with the dry mixture and the lime juice. You can either let the fruit sit for a while or use it immediately. Because the cherries/cranberries aren't that juicy, you don't need to "pre-bleed" the fruit like I will for other fruit pies to reduce the liquid content.

4. Add the filling to a large pie dish with one half of a crust in the bottom. Cover the filling with the top crust. Cut slits in the top to vent out extra steam-- this pie won't bubble much so you don't need a lot of slits or to put a pan under your pie plate in the oven. If desired, brush the top of the pie with buttermilk, milk or cream and top with raw (demerara) sugar.

5. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes and then reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 F and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or follow the instructions for your crust recipe and bake until the crust is golden brown and the fruit has softened (approx one hour).

Serve hot or cold with whipped cream or vanilla icecream, although the pie is not too strongly flavored that this is necessary. Enjoy and picture the cute, cute baby as above. Cheers, Ruggles!

Cornmeal Pie Crust

This pie crust comes from the Luscious Little Dessert Company in Yonkers, N.Y. by way of a "photogenic" blueberry pie in the New York Times. I first made it during my late-pregnancy insomnia (will blog about that, along with the blueberry pie recipe, later) and loved it-- more than the pie even which is one reason the crust is getting its own entry. The other reason is that I have subsequently used the crust as part of my "Ruggles pie." I don't think Ruggles pie is obligated to use this cornmeal crust, but in honor of the inaugural Ruggles pie, those seeking to replicate a true Ruggles pie will follow this recipe as well. There isn't much cornmeal in the crust, but what there is adds a little twist in the texture and the flavor that is truly delicious. I also find this pie dough surprisingly easy to work with, which coupled with its tastiness, makes it a keeper.

Note: I have blogged the volumes for the crust ingredients only in cups, tablespoons, etc. but for the purists out there, the weights in grams of the ingredients are available at the link below.

Available from the NYTimes here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/dining/that-photogenic-blueberry-pie.html

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour (plus extra for rolling out dough)

1/4 C. cornmeal

3 T. white sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

12 T. unsalted, chilled butter cut into small cubes

1/4 C. vegetable or butter shortening, chilled 

Ice-cold water

Directions:

1. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt together in a medium sized mixing bowl.

2. Add the butter and shortening to the flour mixture and cut in with a pastry blender or a fork until the fats are in pea-sized chunks.

3. Add ice water to the mixture 1 T. at a time by stirring the dough clockwise with a fork until the dough begins to form a ball (approx 8 T. water, but this varies. Use your best judgement). At this point, add 1/2 - 1 T. more water and using your hands shape the dough into a ball and then divide it into two discs, wrap the discs in plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for at least one hour.

4. Roll out using additional flour as needed. Bake first at 400 F for 20-25 minutes until crust just begins to brown, then decrease the oven temperate to 350 F and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or as needed for the filling of your pie.