Peach and Berry Cobbler

Ages ago when I posted my last two recipes, chicken chili and cauliflower gratin, I mentioned ordering a brand new mini tripod for my digital camera that would enable me to take glowing, jump off the blog pictures to rival National Geographic. That little tripod did come in the mail and I opened it, attached it to my camera and adjusted its flexible little legs so the picture would turn out straight, stood back proudly looking at my creation and.......realized that I had no idea what to do next. The whole point, which I obviously skipped over in my excitement, was to use the tripod so that I could set the camera for a longer exposure. Of course I promptly lost the camera manual as soon as I got the thing for Christmas (I mean, who do you take me for anyway?) so I had no idea how to do that. Ok, long story short, I'm still a noobie at photography, but well...hey. This is a cooking blog. And I made peach and berry cobbler, so life is good (or was, because we just ran out of leftovers).

Cobbler.......its is one of those things that can be as sophisticated as you want it to be. On the one hand, there's that gooey apple stuff that got spooned onto your tray with an ice cream scooper in elementary school. Mixed in with the equally interesting turkey cubes and washed down with a bag (remember those??) of strawberry milk, it didn't seem half bad at the time. But hopefully our tastes have evolved since the 4th grade and we have come to expect a little more pizazz from our cobblers. I certainly do (says the cobbler snob, omg). A little spiced rum mixed into the fruit before cooking really does deepen the flavors, and who could say no to homemade whipped cream drizzled with a balsamic reduction? But while I was trying to be serious and make all of that........this happened:

I blame it all on Zita! That girl came over to help cook and seriously, nothing good happens while she's around. I put it in writing and I'm not taking it back. One minute I was walking into the kitchen with recipe in hand, next I was peer-pressured into showing her my bear-shaped cookie cutter. When she went for the chocolate chips, I just gave in....

 Kings of Leon was playing on Pandora, at one point I think she started rapping Kid Cudi lyrics, and it was just madness.....sheer madness. DO NOT try this at home or someone WILL get hurt. See?

Actually, he was probably the yummiest of them all. The cobbler bubbled over a little while it was baking, dripping onto our left-over dough creations below, so good. And as for the real-deal, the point of this post, that peach and berry cobbler? We spooned out piping hot portions into our grown-up glass bowls, topped them with liberal amounts of homemade whipped cream and drizzled teaspoons full of aged balsamic reduction all around. With mugs of hot tea, we reflected upon the destruction around us and decided that the peach and berry cobbler was pretty delish (yes, delish, because we're classy like that).

Peach and Berry Cobbler
Adapted from Michael Chiarello
Serves about 6

Ingredients:

•   Dough:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, frozen
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tbsp brown sugar (light or dark)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
•  Fruit Mixture:
  
• 6 large ripe peaches
• 1 1/2 cup berries (blackberries, boysenberries, or raspberries)
• 3 oz spiced rum
• 3 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
• 5 tbsp white sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
•  Toppings:
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Dough:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Combine flour, salt, 3 tbsp brown sugar, and baking powder in large mixing bowl.
3. Chop frozen butter into 1/4 inch cubes and work into flour mixture with your hands or a pastry cutter until mixture forms large pea sized lumps. Don't worry if the mixture looks dry with small lumps of butter scattered in it - you want this!
4. Slowly pour in heavy cream and mix with your hands until just combined.
5. Mold the dough into a ball put the bowl in the fridge while you prepare the fruit mixture....

Fruit:

1. Cut peaches into 1/4 inch slices and put into large bowl
2. Toss peach slices gently to coat with tapioca, sugar and salt
3. Layer peaches in a medium sized baking dish that is at least 2 inches deep, leaving a lot of room for all the juices that will come out of the fruit during cooking
4. Arrange berries on top of the peach slices, then pour rum equally over the fruit before setting aside.....

Dough again:

1. Take dough out of the fridge and knead gently on a lightly floured board until holds together.
2. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thickness between two large sheets of wax paper. If you don't have wax paper, you can just roll it onto a well floured board, making sure to put flour on the top of the dough and your rolling pin to ensure that they won't stick
3. Cut the dough into whatever shapes you want, we won't judge
4. Arrange on top of the peaches and berries.....

Finale:

1. Brush pastry with a little melted butter or spray with cooking oil, just to ensure a nice browned top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp brown sugar and bake at 350 degrees F until fruit is bubbling and pastry is golden brown, about 35 minutes
2. Whipped cream: beat heavy cream with an electric mixer on high (do not try this by hand!) Gradually add white sugar and continue beating until holds soft peaks. Add vanilla and mix to combine. Chill, covered, in fridge until ready to serve
3. Balsamic reduction (actually really, really good): simmer balsamic over medium-high heat in a small saucepan until it has reduced by half. This will only take about 5 minutes and you will notice that the vinegar has turned into a thick sauce. Remove immediately from heat and pour into a small dish. Drizzle lightly over cobbler for a slightly savory taste that goes well with the peaches.

Chicken Chili & Cauliflower Gratin

First up to bat has to be the chicken chili. Unpretentious, pure soul-food chili. It's so good to have a few recipes like this one on hand that can bring you back down when life gets too complicated. Chili, sauerkraut and German sausage, quiche, scalloped potatoes... those are just a few of the hand-me-down family recipes that I love to make. Common themes between all of those foods? Gooey, cheesy, warm from the inside out... The definition of soul food and definitely the key to my heart. What's really surprising about this chili recipe is that it's actually....healthy. I know! You usually associate soul food with sin, right? But really, no Judgement on this one (pun intended). And even better? It takes absolutely no effort on your part to make. Put everything in a slow-cooker on low and just walk away. Go to work, go to class and know that when you come home, that fantastic chili aroma will be waiting.

How to describe the magic that chili creates......imagine a crowd of competing ingredients. The chili brings everyone together under one roof and talks them into sticking around, for just a little while. Slowly, it breaks down each one's resistance and works to mix flavors with textures. Then it takes control with a last ending note of intense heat, just to remind you who's boss. What other dish can be described that way? Ok, that was probably a bad question to ask since I could probably go on and on about several of my favorite foods. Don't look, but I think I created an entire blog about them all....



Sorry, what was next again? My love affair with chili almost made me forget the cauliflower gratin.....

,,,,a dish with a very under-appreciated main character that will hopefully change your mind about using the less common produce. But even if you don't want to use cauliflower, this recipe is useful. Gratins are like galettes (see previous post about one filled with mushrooms and sauteed onions) in their versatility. Gratins use the basic idea that anything takes fantastic when baked with a rich cream sauce and topped with crunchy bread crumbs. You can serve them as a side dish or entree, with potatoes and ham, zucchini, regular broccoli or macaroni. Substitute cheese and flour for sour cream, breadcrumbs for brown sugar and granola, and you could even make a sweet gratin with fruits in season. But, personally, I went with cauliflower because I just couldn't resist these two brightly ones at the farmers' markets on Sunday.

So close to being Cal colors, right? Football season just started and, Go Bears, I even want my vegetables to show some pride.

Stop. That's about where the healthy part ends. At this point, a whole block of Gruyere and a pretty big wedge of Parmesan went missing. There was some milk thickened with butter and flour and things got a little carried away as that cauliflower turned into something sinfully delicious. Funny how the vegetables turned out to be the bad influence.

Sometimes, you just have to stop for temptation.


Chicken Chili
From Own Recipe
With Food Network guidance
Serves 12 (or lunch for a week)

Ingredients

• 1.5 - 2 pounds ground chicken
• 15 oz can kidney beans
• 15 oz can white beans
• 28 oz (2 cans) diced tomatoes
• 15 oz can chicken broth
• 1-2 individual chipotle chilies with adobo sauce
• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp, plus 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• Optional: 3/4 cup lager-style beer
• For toppings: sour cream, shredded cheddar or jack cheese, diced scallions or jalapenos, or finely chopped parsley

Directions

1. Coarsely peel and dice onion, garlic, carrots, sweet potato, celery and chipotle chilies.
2. Put into large slow-cooker (Crock Pot) or pot on the stove along with all of the other ingredients EXCEPT: 2 tsp chili powder, beer (optional) and toppings.
3. If using a slow-cooker: set on low heat and let cook for 3-6 hours. If using a regular stove pot, set on low heat and cook for 1-3 hours, making sure to stir occasionally to ensure that chili is not burning on the bottom.
4. Optional: 1/2 hour before taking chili off of the heat, pour in beer.
5. Once chili has thickened and all of the vegetables are cooked through (the longer you allow the chili to do its thing, the better it will be), take off of heat and stir in the remaining 2 tsp of chili powder to brighten up the chili. Serve with various toppings.

Cauliflower Gratin
Adapted from Ina Garten
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower
• 2 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk (full fat is better, although skim will work)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 cup grated Gruyere
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• Note: Don't go with the pre-grated Parmesan in a package. If you can't get a fresh wedge of Parmesan, substitute with mozzarella
• 1/2 cup fresh or Panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Cut cauliflower into 1'' diameter florets. Place in a pot of boiling water and cook for 5-6 minutes until al dente tender. If you are using colorful cauliflower like I did, add a splash of vinegar and some salt to the boiling water in order to limit the amount of color that the cauliflower lose during the cooking process. Drain cooked cauliflower and set aside.
3. Grate cheeses and set aside.
4. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add flour and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, heat milk in the microwave. Add hot milk to the butter-flour mixture and raise temperature to medium-low. Whisk occasionally as milk comes to a boil. Once boiling, whisk constantly for 1 additional minute while the mixture thickens.
5. Take mixture off of the heat and stir in salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and Parmesan.
6. Pour 1/3 of sauce on bottom of an 8x11 baking dish. Arrange cauliflower on top and pour the rest of the sauce evenly on top of the cauliflower. Sprinkle remaining Gruyere and breadcrumbs over the gratin. Spray breadcrumbs with cooking oil, or drizzle with 1 tbsp additional melted butter, in order to ensure that top will be nicely browned in oven.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling in the pan. Serve hot with a salad, bread, as a side dish or entree.

Note: I just ordered the cutest mini camera tripod from Amazon. I'm told that using it with a longer exposure will make my photos infinitely more professional looking. We'll see when it comes in the mail!

Farmers' Markets

I was so excited when my friend Zita invited me to check out a local farmers' market with her this weekend. We share the same foodie obsessions....and their consequences. Always lured into pretentious restaurants way above our means, emotionally attached to the quality of our cooking (still can't get over last week's disastrous caramel cheesecake recipe that just did NOT make sense!) and dying inside with every buttery/sugary bite of the latest craving. Who else but us would wake up at 8:30 in the morning to drive to a farmers' market across town, just to get first pick of veggies?

The first market we tried, at Jack London Square in Downtown Oakland, was disappointingly touristy. But thank goodness for my terrible sense of direction because, on the way back, I took a wrong turn after the freeway exit and we wound up passing right by another, even better looking, farmers' market (at Claremont and Cavour, next to the DMV). Definitely called for an immediate and illegal U-turn. This market was everything that had been missing at the touristy Jack London Square. It was in the parking lot of a random building, next to an adorable stream that cut through the neighboring houses and the produce looked real. Even though the samples of fruit and savory spreads were generous, we wound up eating a lunch of buckwheat crepes filled brie, pesto and tomatoes at a plastic table between the stream and the "dog parking lot" where people could drop off their pets before walking around. As usual, we ended up with far too much produce for just ourselves....and it was a fantastic way to spend a Sunday morning.

Look out! I will be posting recipes using produce from the farmers' markets very soon.

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yes, that is a picture of chocolate chip cookie dough in a bowl, with a spoon....straight. We're hardcore around this kitchen; risking salmonella and all kinds of crazy things. Ok, so you read the title and know that I'm just kidding, right?  This is EGGLESS chocolate chip cookie dough, and it's pretty much the best thing ever.

It has the same amazing ingredients as the regular stuff, but substitutes 1/4 cup milk for the eggs. You can make this recipe even more fantastic by using some applesauce instead of butter, Splenda, and non fat milk. Could eat this cookie dough all day long......just look at it!

Eggless Chocolate Cooking Dough
Adapted from Mrs. Fields

Ingredients


1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 cup milk
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/8 cups of flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 oz chocolate chips


Directions:

1. Cream together sugars and softened butter with an electric mixer
2. Mix in milk and vanilla extract, then slowly add flour and salt.
3. When smooth, fold in chocolate chips.
4. To store, roll into a log and wrap in plastic. This way, if you actually want to bake the cookies (don't know why you would ever), you can just cut off a few slices and pop directly onto a sheet. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown!

Mushroom and Onion Galette

Love, love, LOVE three day weekends! Almost as much as I love this mushroom and onion galette? I'm only partly kidding. I made this yesterday and when I look in the fridge today, there's only one slice left. Definitely not the slice in that picture above.

Why are galettes so good? To me, it's because you can fill them with almost anything, savory or sweet, and expect a fantastic result. This time, I decided to go with one of my favorite combination's: sautéed mushrooms and onion with herbs, Greek yogurt and, to add a touch of sweetness, the rest of an acorn squash I had left over. When thinking of other ideas, just go with whatever would make a good pastry. Some possibilities are zucchini and ricotta, sliced peaches tossed with lemon juice, potato with fresh corn and blue cheese, or even mac n cheese for a very American version of this French classic (not saying that I wouldn't kill for gooey cheese wrapped in flaky dough).  If you stumble across an amazing combination, I would love to hear about it!

I recommend slicing your ingredients thinly and pre-cooking vegetables. This will ensure that everything cooks evenly and completely in the oven. It is also important for getting rid of the high water content in many vegetables that would lead to soggy pastry. As for the pastry....it is a little finicky to make. Getting that perfect flaky crust is all about meticulously keeping your ingredients cold. Do this by popping things in and out of the freezer as you go. You should also use frozen sticks of butter, chopped up into 1/4 or smaller cubes before lightly mixed into the dry ingredients. For the wet ingredients, use ice water (I melt a few ice cubes quickly in the microwave) with yogurt and lemon juice straight from the refrigerator. Believe me, once you slice into the crust and hear a wonderful crunching sound while flaky pieces fall away onto the cutting board...it will all have been worth it.

This pastry may be a runner-up on beauty, but it has a rustic and flavorful charm that will win you over in seconds. I love, love.....

You know the rest <3

Mushroom and Onion Galette
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup ice water

For the filling:

• Half of one acorn squash
• 1 large onion
• 8 oz mushrooms (any variety, I used white)
• 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
• 1 tsp dried dill

Directions

To make the pastry:

1. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Put bowl in the freezer while you chop frozen butter into 1/4 or smaller cubes.
2. Take bowl out of freezer and make a well in the middle of the flour. Place butter into that well and use a pastry blender (or a fork) to cut the butter into the flour. The result will look lumpy and not really like dough. Put bowl back into the freezer.
3. In a second bowl, whisk together sour cream/Greek yogurt, water and lemon juice. Take bowl out of freezer and mix wet ingredients into the flour-butter mixture until all of the loose flour has been incorporated. It will still look lumpy.
4. Pat the dough into a ball, cover with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour (I recommend putting together the filling while the dough is resting).

To make the filling:

1. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add thinly sliced onions and mushrooms along with the parsley, thyme, tarragon and dill. Cook for several minutes until you can no longer see water on the bottom of the pan. Set onion, mushroom and herb mixture aside in bowl to cool.
2. Use a large, un-serrated knife to cute acorn squash into 1/2 inch cubes. In another skillet, melt 3 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add chopped acorn squash and cook until tender.
3. Stir sour cream/Greek yogurt into cooled onion, mushroom and herb mixture.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
5. Take pastry dough out of the refrigerator and place on top of a well floured cutting board. Roll the dough out into a thin circle about 12 inches in diameter. Carefully transfer the dough to a large cookie sheet sprayed with oil (Note: if you want a prettier looking galette, you can also put the dough into a tart pan with crimped edges or even a regular pie pan).
6. Pile the onion, mushroom, herb, and sour cream/Greek yogurt mixture in the middle of the dough and spread it out with a knife until about 3-4 inches away from the edge. Sprinkle the pieces of acorn squash on top.
7. Carefully slide a large, un-serrated knife under one edge of the dough and flip it over the filling. Do this with the rest of the dough. The pastry will have overlapping edges of crust and look roughly circular still.
8. Melt remaining 1 tbsp of butter and, using a brush or the back of a spoon, wash the crust of the galette.
9. Bake on the bottom rack for 10 minutes, to crisp up the bottom crust of the galette. Then move to the middle rack and bake for 15-20 more minutes until edges are golden brown.

PS:

I found these relatives of lychee, called rambutan, at the local Asian grocery store. A coworker of mine showed them to me over the summer and I think they are so cool.

Have fun cooking!