Pecorino Crusted Apple Turnovers

Dear Creativity,

Please come back. I miss you.

I think I lost you somewhere between getting home every night at 7 PM, just wanting to shove the nearest food item (usually candy corn) in my mouth when I walk in the door and being broke as a joke after not getting paid for a month and a half.

But I think I'm ready to be friends again. I think this time I will pay more attention to you. I promise you actually.

Love,

Meghan

In the meantime, these apple turnovers rule. Got lots of time and lots of butter? Make your own puff pastry. I did! I made it while unemployed a few weeks ago and froze half. It keeps for 2 weeks in the freezer. Or just buy it at the super market. It will still be good. And easier!


PS The new Geico Maxwell radio ad makes me infinitely happy (will there be.. snacks?!). Anyone else? Oh and check out these freakin meese! Cuuuute.

Parmesean Crusted Apple Turnovers
8 turnovers
Adapted from Joy of Cooking

1 lb puff pastry
1 lb apples (usually 2 large, 3 small)
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp AP flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 c Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated

Roll the pastry dough into two 11-inch squares, about 1/8 inch thick. Place each square on a baking sheet covered in parchment (or a Silpat) and place in the refrigerator to chill while the filling is prepared.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel, core and cut the apples to a 1/4 inch dice (do this while the pastry dough chills, not ahead of time). Toss together in a medium bowl the apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice and salt. Set aside.

Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and trim 1/2 inch from all sides of each square. This will leave you with two 10-inch squares and even edges. Cut each square into four equal 5-inch squares. Turn each piece over.

Spoon some of the apple mixture, dividing it equally, into the center of each square. (I typically have some apples left because they won't all fit. I just eat these. NBD) Brush two adjacent sides of each square with some egg wash (you know, to seal the turnovers) and fold so that the sides with no egg wash meet the egg-washed sides. Use a fork to seal by making impressions around the edges.

Brush the top of each turnover with egg wash and cut 3 slits in the top of each. Arrange on baking sheets at least 1 inch apart and top each with 1/8 of the cheese.

Bake the turnovers 15 minutes at 425 degrees, until they begin to brown. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees and bake another 20 minutes.

Try to serve warm or at least in the same day. Fresh pastry is always best. If you can't eat them all in one day, you can breathe some life back into them with a toaster oven (think toaster strudel).

Oh.. and you don't work in a bakery. So don't worry
some are rectangles, octagons or shaped like ghosts.

Triple Citrus Ricotta Cookies

I discovered something new this weekend. (Aside from a who-knows-how-old dust bunny under my bed.) 

I didn't discover this thing though, really. I was introduced to it. And people have been watching it for ages now.. or since they installed the traffic cameras in Philly. So I "discovered" it, in much the same way Columbus discovered our great nation.

Philadelphia has a television channel... devoted... to... traffic cameras. Rotating camera views of different points on all major highways set to an eclectic mix of music spanning all genres and ages. No repeats (on the music, that is). And it's titled... Jams and Cams.

I know what you're thinking. What happens if you happen to witness a horrible accident? Or just any accident really? Are you supposed to do something about it? I would think so. Thus, there is a lot of responsibility that comes in watching this channel. It's not for the faint of heart.

And now you know what I did this weekend (other than to make these cookies of course). I went to the gym. I ate a delicious meal of bbq brisket out. I drank some beers to kick of Philly Beer Week. And I watched Jams and Cams. I'm so cool.

Soundtrack: I like this.

Triple Citrus Ricotta Cookies

Adapted from Giada DeLaurentis Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Yield: ~3 dozen cookies

2 1/2 c ap flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
6 tbsp of citrus juices, divided*
~ 1 tbsp zest of the mixed citrus used for juices

1/2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 c powdered sugar

*I used 2 tbsp orange juice, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp lime juice. Combined them in a bowl and then measured out 3 tbsp of the mix when needed, thus I had 1 tbsp of each in the cookies and in the glaze. You will need 1 lemon, 1 lime and 1/2 an orange for this. Also of note: I used fresh squeezed orange juice, not sure the effect that carton juice would have.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, stir flour, baking powder and salt with a whisk until combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, continuously beating the mixture. Once eggs are combined, add ricotta cheese, 3 tbsp of mixed citrus juice, and the zest. Beat just until combined.

Using a spatula, stir in the dry mix and poppy seeds. Dough will be very moist, more similar to a batter.

Spoon ~ 1 tbsp drops of dough onto lined cookie sheets. Dough will spread when baking, so make sure to leave room. (These are a flat cookie, not raised.)

Bake for 15 minutes (or until golden brown at the edges). Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheets for ~20 minutes before glazing.

While cookies are cooling, whisk together the remaining 3 tbsp of citrus juice and 1 1/2 c powdered sugar, to create a glaze. Once cookies are cooled, spoon ~1/2 tsp of glaze onto each cookie and spread to coat.

Glaze will need to cool ~2 hrs before storing.

Pumpkin Cake with Walnut Crunch Topping

Dear Diary...

... I might have made a huge mistake. Might.

I volunteered to host a dinner at my house. You know... not just any dinner. Christmas Eve dinner.

See, because here's the thing. It's exciting to me. I'm honestly, genuinely, really excited about it. I've planned about 6 desserts so far. I picked out 4 appetizers. And unfortunately due to the fact that I've only got 5 confirmed guests, I think I'm going to have to scale back a bit. 

The part that I'm not fully sure I'm excited about is the actual dinner itself. I don't have a great relationship with things that roast in the oven. I want to work on this relationship. It's an important relationship. But it's still new and fragile and I just don't think I'm ready to out that relationship to the world yet. It's closeted behind my oven door. I love Italian food and a small part of me really wants to recreate my childhood with a Feast of Seven Fishes, but the more influential part of me, the part which understands my bank account, says no. 

The thing is, I really want to put something in the oven. I want to set it and forget it, so to speak. I don't want to spend the whole night sauteing or boiling or grilling or whatever. So like.. gimme some ideas. Please?

And I'll share this cake! I found the original recipe at The Noshery and I instantly fell in love. It's yummy. It's nutty. It's crunchy and sweet. It's pumpkin and sugar and  butter and delicious spices! And share some holiday secret recipes with me pleeeeaaseeee.

Soundtrack:


  Your Floor Is Now A Tree by AIMES

Pumpkin Cake with Walnut Crunch Topping
Adapted from The Noshery

3/4 c of brown sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter, divided
3/4 c chopped walnuts
1 2/3 c ap flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs
1 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c warm (110 degrees) milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Place brown sugar in a 9 in round cake pan and spread around. In a small saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter over medium heat. Pour butter over sugar into cake pan and stir with a fork to combine until sugar is dissolved. (Reserve pan to the side for later use.) Press the walnuts into the cake pan, spreading into an even layer. Spray exposed sides of pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Sift the ap flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into a medium bowl and set aside. 

Melt the remaining stick of butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Beat the remaining stick of butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, milk and pumpkin together in a large bowl until combine, about 2-3 minutes. Add flour mixture to wet mixture, stirring with a spatula and scraping down sides until just combined.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan before inverting the cake onto a cooling wrack and cooling completely.

Peppermint Oreo Cookies

Can I say that? I don't have to call these "Chocolate Creme Sandwiches" or something? Pssht. This ain't Waaaalmarttt.

I think the chipped polish gives the picture a more peppermint=y look

Anyway, speaking of discount super stores, I got a little carried away in Target last night. I stopped in for shampoo and got totally sidetracked by Christmas decor (it's always something). I ended up with Christmas sticky notes, bells for my mini tree (it's the size of a coffee mug... and now it has giant bells on it.. it's SO cute), gift labels, tissue paper, candy canes, ribbon, etc. I'm getting really amped. And I know I'm a week early (I've never really loved Thanksgiving all that much; I know scandalous right?). But you know what, I'm an adult. And adults do what we want. Even if that's to get really excited about a holiday that's largely based upon belief in a fictional character who sneaks into your house and delivers presents in the night. And even if that means buying sticky notes shaped like bells. And gingerbread man squeaky toys for your dog, who has no concept of Christmas at all and makes the gingerbread man an amputee in .05 seconds. Whatever.

Vanilla Almond Milk = perfect dunking option

PS How cute is this!?

OMG Christmas Penguin, look out!

But after returning home and continuing to be really excited, I decided to mash up some candy canes and make these delicious peppermint oreo cookies. Because what better way to be excited about the holidays and steal a little of Thanksgiving's thunder than with peppermint candy cane confections? And who doesn't love a good oreo cookie? Exactly. So, here's a little bit of my week-too-early holiday cheer. If you can't stomach it for another week, save the recipe. It's definitely worthwhile! The whole thing is done in the bowl of a food processor. One stop shop. Minimal dishes, maximum milk dunking enjoyment. (If you haven't already heard me say this, I'll say it again: If you don't have one, GET A FOOD PROCESSOR.) The wafer part of these cookies is spot on to the original oreo; the frosting is a bit off, but I attribute that to the lard and preservatives that this homemade version leaves out. (You're better off without it.)

Soundtrack: Found this one on a friend's FB page and I sorta love it. It sounds a little generic in some parts, but most of it's really unique and fun.

TDRMC Annual Mix by Taikomochi Records

Peppermint Oreo Cookies
Adapted from Retro Desserts, Wayne Brachman, via Smitten Kitchen
Makes 15-20 sandwiches (I made mine larger, because I was in an "I want to eat 2 cookies, but tell myself I ate 1" kind of mood)


For the cookies:
1 1/4 c ap flour
1/2 c unsweeted Dutch process cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c plus 2 tbsp butter, room temp
1 egg


For the creme:
1/2 c butter, room temp
2 c powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 peppermint candy canes, smashed into bits


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.


In the bowl of a food processor, add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. Process on low until blended. Cut butter into tablespoons and add to bowl. Process on low until fully combined. Add egg and continue to process on low for 2-3 minutes, or until dough comes together and is fully moistened. You will need to scrape with a spatula at least once to ensure even distribution.


Spoon dough onto lined cookie sheets in rounded teaspoons. Flatten cookies a bit with the flat part of a spatula or palms. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through.


While cookies are baking, rinse food processor bowl and blade and dry. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a cooking rack.


To make the creme, reattach food processor bowl to base and add butter. Process for 1 minute on low, scraping the sides occasionally, until whipped. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Continue to process for another 3 minutes, or until creme is light and fluffy. With processor running on low, add candy cane bits. Run for another 30 seconds. 


Once cookies are fully cooled, use a spoon to drop about a tablespoon of creme on the underside of a cookie. Press the underside of another cookie to the creme to spread it out and create a sandwich. Repeat until all cookies are used. 


Dunk in milk and enjoy!

Whiiiirrrrrr

Ginger Spiced Brownies

Ok, after that last one I know I owe you guys something real. Because I'm just that loyal. 

Real brownies!

And because after traipsing around the mall and beyond with my mother yesterday I really needed a brownie. (read: after trying on clothes for a few hours and swearing to myself up and down that I'm going to start behaving myself, working out and eating well, I needed a brownie.) I'm sorta self motivated, too. Sue me.


But first, let's talk about how I watched The Departed last night. For the first time ever. It rules! If you haven't seen it, go watch it. Now. Yea, that's my in depth analysis of the movie. Hey, this is a FOOD BLOG after all!


You might not know this about me, but I'm totally the person in every conversation who has never seen the movie that everyone else is talking about. Trust me, if you're not this same type of person, you would definitely be balking at the list of acclaimed movies that I have never seen. I've been recently making an Adam-motivated effort to correct this, by apathetically viewing every movie he deems necessary. This may mean I'm watching an overwhelming amount of testosterone-approved cinema, but I guess I'm cool with that.


And hey, at least I've seen every Star Wars movie a few times over, or I have a feeling we just wouldn't be able to continue such an ill-founded relationship any longer.

PS. best picture ever? Yes.

Ok maybe this tops the Audrey/Ewok picture.

And one more thing before we get down the meat (or sugar and butter) of this post.


I'd like to take a moment to reflect upon the loss of life ten years ago today on 9/11/2001. Our generation will never forget the tragedy and the overwhelming sadness of the people of our nation. The memorial is breathtaking; the scene is unnerving. CNN.com offers some brilliant and emotionally charged photos: here. As we carry on with our lives, we will always remember the innocent victims and those who gave up their lives as heroes.


Now then, these brownies are the real deal. They're chocolate. They're buttery. They're sugary. And unlike this experiment, they aren't a natural laxative. They're a cake-like brownie, infused with the tang of ginger and cinnamon. Just the right chocolate-y snack to get you in the mood for autumn. Ahh, autumn. 


One note though: I ground my cinnamon fresh. I did this because the only cinnamon I had in my pantry was from Stop 'N Shop, which means I bought it in Poughkeepsie, NY and I haven't lived there in about 6 years. Now I'm no expert and I don't know exactly how long cinnamon can be used for, but that scared me. So I threw it out and ground a stick. I mention this only because if you are using already ground cinnamon you might need a little more, since I'm assuming fresh ground is more potent. (I also just want to expose my spice disorganization to the world.)


Soundtrack: New album from The Rapture: In the Grace of Your Love. And! Check out the review over at DPC: here.
  The Rapture - In The Grace of Your Love by modularpeople


Ginger Spiced Brownies
Adapted from Joy of Cooking


1/2 c (1 stick) butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 c AP flour
1/2 tsp baking powder4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tbsp fresh ground ginger
1/2 tsp fresh ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350.


In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring until thoroughly combined. Set aside to cool. (I stick it in the fridge to bring it back to room temp. It's important that you allow this mixture to cool, though.)


In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and cinnamon, until thoroughly combined. Set aside.


In a large bowl, beat eggs and salt on high with an electric mixer until the eggs are light in color and have a foamy texture. Gradually beat in sugar and vanilla. Continue beating the mixture until it is thick. Beat in the ground ginger.


Switch to a spatula and stir in the COOLED chocolate and butter mixture in as few strokes as possible. Add the flour mixture and stir, using as few strokes as possible to combine.


Pour batter into a greased 9x11 pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cut once cooled and sprinkle with a light dusting of cinnamon.

Dis how we do!

Leave some for licking of course!

Storage

Summer Berry Bread Pudding

Confession: I love bread pudding. Obsessed with bread pudding. I never make it, (why??) but honestly a good bread pudding is one of my favorite desserts. If you think about it, it's a little gross; stale bread, covered in sugar and milk, baked in the oven. But it's so good and if it's wrong I don't want to be right.

Yum.

This bread pudding is a little different. It's never baked; it's refrigerated and served cold. It's light and refreshing and perfect for summer. I originally saw the recipe here, on Melissa Clark's blog. I love her philosophy on food and her recipes are to drool over. My pudding didn't quite turn out as beautiful as hers, but nevertheless it was delicious. And that's really mostly what matters right?

I've been waiting for an excuse to make this for weeks. Then the cosmos aligned. My oven is broken (I know, it's devastating...). I went to a bbq. And it was perfect.


Melissa writes in her post that this dessert "greatly benefits from something rich on the side" and I whole-heartedly agree. She serves her pudding with Creme Anglaise, but I saw this as an opportunity to let whipped cream shine. Let me explain. You know how whipped cream is usually a garnish? Or something you squirt into your mouth while your standing with the refrigerator open? But it's never NECESSARY! I've never eaten something before, taken a step back and thought, "You know what this NEEDS? A dollop of whipped cream." But!! But!! This dessert can depend on whipped cream like whipped cream usually depends on ice cream. And it feels good (for the whipped cream, of course).


So, here is the recipe and some pictures from my attempt. It's a very easy dessert and definitely worthwhile. You can use any mix of berries that you'd like. I used currants, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries.


Soundtrack:



fabriclive 36 mixed by james murphy and pat mahoney by julienbritnic

Summer Berry Bread Pudding
By Melissa Clark via melissaclark.net

5 c. mixed berries (ex. currants, strawberries (sliced), blackberries & blueberries)
1/3 c. water

1/2 c. sugar
1 to 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
10 to 15 slices soft whole wheat sandwich bread, crusts removed

In a medium saucepan, combine berries, water, and sugar. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. The berries will just begin to break down to the beginnings of a syrup. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. The mixture should be sweet, yet tart. You can adjust this to taste. 

In an 8-in loaf pan, drizzle a bit of the liquid to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Cover this layer of liquid with a layer of bread by cutting the pieces of bread so that they fit together to cover the bottom of the pan completely. Spoon 1/3 of the fruit and liquid over this layer of bread. Repeat, layer by layer, until all of the fruit has been used. The top layer should be fruit. Allow the pudding to cool completely on the counter.

Cover the pan with a layer of plastic wrap and set a something on top to weigh everything down (I used The Other Boleyn Girl, by Phillipa Gregory). Refrigerate overnight.

To serve, cut into slices and garnish with fresh whipped cream (see below).

Fresh Whipped Cream

1 c heavy cream

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. With an electric whisk attachment or electronic mixer, beat on high until cream becomes stiff.

Merry berry

Simmaaa

Ogres are like onions. They have lots of layers.

Berry-licious (Kerry, I thought you'd like that one)

Purple. My favorite.

Q: What do we do with all of these crusts?

A: Croutons!!

Look at that whipped cream. Star!

Slime Time Cake (Dark Chocolate Cake with Avocado "Buttercream")

This is true: I have been dreaming about making this cake since a trip to Capogiro 5 days ago brought the combination of avocado and dark chocolate gelato flavors into my life. I actually woke up this morning and starting making it instead of breakfast. I just frosted the cake about 15 minutes ago. Everyone in my apartment has already eaten a piece. We are all now obsessed with avocado frosting. Adam just saw the bowl from the frosting in the sink and yelled at me for not letting him lick it, oops. Then I ran immediately to my computer so I could share this with everyone (I get really excited about cake... well, food in general). This is a lie: I definitely couldn't eat another piece.

Ooo... Goo!

Remember slime? Ya know, that green goop that was dumped on contestants of every old-school Nickelodeon game show ever?  It probably saw it's height of popularity with the game show Slime Time Live, but it was definitely a long running gag that was synonymous with the TV channel for most of my childhood. I'm sure I'm not alone in that I always wanted to be "slimed" watching this as a kid. I've still never actually met anyone who was slimed on Nickelodeon, which I think it weird considering how long this whole thing went on for. Seriously, if you've ever been slimed on Nick, hit me up. Let's be friends. I need to check that off my bucket list.


In any event, this frosting reminds me of slime. And I like it.


Avocado frosting? I know, it sounds weird. But here's the thing. It totally makes sense! Hear me out. Avocado has a very high fat content, but it's healthy (monounsaturated, but don't ask me what that means) fat that is good for your heart. Most frosting is made by combining a solid fat and powdered sugar. See? See? And you better believe this will be the healthiest frosting you have ever eaten! Relax, I'm not suggesting that this frosting is GOOD for you. Just pointing out that if you're gonna stuff yourself full of fatty, sugary goodness, it might as well be something other than Crisco.


I promise it doesn't taste like a guacamole covered chocolate cake. AT ALL. Not even a little bit. It tastes sweet and vanilla-like, with just enough of a hint of avocado taste to balance the chocolate cake fantastically!


Soundtrack: Primus (Prep for the Tower Theatre show.. in October)


Dark Chocolate Cake with Avocado "Buttercream"


Dark Chocolate Cake (Recipe from AllRecipes.Com)


2 c. boiling water

• 1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c. butter, softened
• 2 1/4 c. sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350 and grease 3-9' cake pans.
• 
  
• In a medium bowl, pour boiling water over the cocoa power and whisk together until dissolved. Set aside; this will need to cool completely before use (I let it cool a little, then stuck it in the fridge).
• 
  
• Sift the flour into another medium bowl, then whisk in baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set this aside.
• 
  
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs. Beat in the vanilla.
• 
  

Using a spoon, stir in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Then, 1/3 of the cocoa (completely cooled). Scrape down the sides and continue in this pattern until the cake batter is thoroughly combined. Pour the batter evenly into the three pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.


Allow to cool completely before frosting!


Avocado Buttercream (From Alton Brown, made with 1 small tweak)
Makes 2 c. (You might want to double this or make 1 1/2 batches. I did wish for more!)


2 med avocados
2 tsp lemon juice
1 lb powdered sugar, may use more depending on consistency
1 tsp vanilla extract


Peel and pit the avocados. Place the meat of the avocado in a large bowl. Try to avoid the brown bits because the color will be important. Add lemon juice and beat with a mixer until the avocado lightens in color, about 2-3 minutes.


Begin to add the powdered sugar, a little at a time. Beat until each addition of sugar is combined. Based on the consistency and your tastes, you may need more (I needed a bite more). Once the sugar is blended, beat in the vanilla.


This frosting needs to be kept in the refrigerator, but thanks to the lemon, it will not turn brown!

3 bowls! 1 cake!

I like how I can see myself sifting!

Filling up those bowls...

Batter up!

Flesh!!!!

Juicy..

Cue the slime horn...