Cute Overload AND a Pie it Forward Sweepstakes!

If you've wondered what's been happening in pastry land, you are in for a treat. Be prepared for an overload of cute and scroll to the end of this post for information on how to win a super duper prize that includes a King Arthur Flour gift basket AND a private pie making class via Skype with me!  We'll play with pastry AND there may be a guest appearance by a few feathered sweeties.

While no flour, sugar or butter went into the making of these fuzz balls, they are still full of love.

My foster ducks and geese have been in fine hormonal fetal this spring and they will soon be returning to their farm.  In preparation for their departure, I have realized that they've become an integral part of the landscape.  They keep the lawn trimmed and fertilized.  They warn the neighborhood of possible danger.  They eat slugs and weeds.  And they provide entertainment, albeit sometimes of the horrific variety.  But by and large, they are lovely creatures.  I'm also hoping that since I was their birth coach, wielding a tweezer to help extract them from their insanely tough shells (hen's eggs are soft butter compared to the rock hard water fowl iteration and assisting in their hatch is common place), they'll look to me as their adoptive Mother Goose.  I certainly hope so because I've already fallen head over heels in love with all 13 of my ducklings and 7 of my goslings.

The process is magical.  After 28+ days of incubation, I heard the first "internal pip," that moment when the first hatchling breaks through the internal membrane and lets loose an audible "cheep!" from inside the shell.  The next stage is the external pip, the first crack in the egg.  The hatching process can take up to 24-48 hours.  The nano-second you hear an adorable peep emanate from the confines of an egg, it takes every bit of restraint not to crack open the thing and extract the fluff ball within.  However, the process is lengthy for a reason.  The external yolk sac that feeds the hatchling must be absorbed before the bird can fully emerge.  Premature removal can be deadly.  So I waited and I helped when it was appropriate.

First gosling peaking through!

Pippy, the first hatchling.

Simon, hatchling number 2.

Tank, hatchling number 3 and the first Toulouse gosling to emerge.

Pippy and Simon recovering from a long 2 days of hatching.

Once rested, Pippy and Simon became the official Freegrace welcoming crew, greeting each new member of the flock with kisses and enthusiasm.  That the new comers were exhausted and in a state of shock from their extreme change of circumstances from nestling in a warm shell to breathing oxygen for the first time in their little lives, was obvious to the welcome committee and they nestled with the vulnerable newbies to keep them cozy and nibbled at any remaining membrane stuck to the fuzz.  Tank was their first patient.

Pippy and Simon keep Tank warm.

Sandwiching the newbie.

13 ducklings and 7 goslings all in a pile.

The moment a duckling or gosling emerges into the world, they can swim. But I waited a few days before taking them out for their first paddle and grass time.  I also kept them from the adults.  Unless the grown ups hatched the babies themselves, they won't recognize them as their own and might kill them.  It's a duck eat duck world out there and I'm just trying to keep it a little civil.

Babies in a box.  Transport to their first outdoor adventure.

When the elements became too much, the babies took refuge under me.  I'm all verklempt.

Taking pictures of taking pictures.

Now you know what's been happening here in pastry land, we've been welcoming new babies and future egg producers into our family.  And to celebrate, I'm so excited to announce a fantastic Pie it Forward sweepstakes.  Follow the link for all the information!!!

Duckling mamas and papas.

Gosling mamas and papas.

Knotty Crumble

Knotweed is an invasive thug of a creeping rhizome.  It grows up to 5 feet tall and spreads its tendrils beneath our garden soil in an unrelenting onslaught, having gone so far as to slither its way in between the tightly fitted stones of our 200 year old well that's kept a tight water seal until it met the sprouting menace.  There are strict laws governing the use and transport of knotweed in the UK, its ability to jump ship and burrow into neighboring gardens is legendary. The evil bugger is gleefully infesting these United States from Central Park to our very own Freegrace Tavern and can grow inches in a day. And while eradicating this pestilence is nigh impossible, one way of controlling it is to eat the tender shoots as they pop their ruby heads from the ground.  The taste is lovely, part lemon part herbaceous lightness.  Think of fresh, none invasive goodies like rhubarb for a taste comparison, although the plant is actually not a member of the rhubarb family but is a cousin of buckwheat.  By infusing this cake with vanilla, the herbaceousness becomes lush and elegant.  The semolina gives a satisfying crunch and heartiness while the cranberry is a pop of sweet and tart.  

Japanese knotweed is at its tastiest when it's just begun to sprout and is still flexible at a stage where it's called "wild rhubarb" (in Vermont, early to mid May), otherwise the stalks become woody as they grow taller.  And by snipping the early stalks before they go to flower and spread their seed you do the landscape, and your belly, a huge service.  

Growing strong.

Leaves stripped.

Knotty Crumble

(Makes about 30 small muffins)

FOR THE CRUMBLE

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

4 ounces unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

pinch salt

PROCEDURE FOR CRUMBLE

•In a mixing bowl, stir together all ingredients until the mixture comes together in small clumps, use your hands if you need to.

FOR THE CAKE BATTER

1 cup semolina flour

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter

5 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (I use Nielsen-Massey)

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups Japanese knotweed, diced (about 5 foot-long stalks)

1/2 cup dried cranberries (can substitute dried currants)

PROCEDURE FOR THE CAKE BATTER

•Preheat oven to 350º.

•Strip the leaves from the stalks and dice the stalks in 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces.

•In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy.

•Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition, until well combined.  Add the vanilla bean paste.

•In a large bowl, whisk together the semolina flour, all purpose flour, salt and baking powder.

•With the mixer running on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture and then add 1/2 of the buttermilk.  Continue alternating between the flour and buttermilk mixture until completely combined.

•Fold in the dried cranberries and diced knotweed.

•Divide evenly among muffin cups, filling just a little more than half way.

•Spinkle the tops of each muffing with about 1 tablespoon of crumble.

•Bake for 1/2 hour or until the cake gently springs back when gently poked.

Wild Spring Tart

While we wait impatiently for our gardens to bear fruit, nature offers her bounty early.  Ostrich ferns, in the fleeting moments before they unfurl, are snipped and harvested.  That poncy poetic imagery leads me to wonder what those poor ostrich ferns might look like if we Vermonters weren't such greedy foragers and let those beauties survive our snippers.  But they're tasty, so I guess we'll never know.

And ramps are often the byproduct of a morel search that's come up goose eggs.  No morels in sight near that sandy hill near a stream?  Keep looking for ramps. Bottom line, just walk out of that forest with something free and tasty to nosh.

fiddleheads, ramps and goat cheese.  Hello, almost free lunch!

Fiddleheads.

Speaking of goose eggs, the geese are laying.  They lay a few months out of the year.  But don't try to grab an egg while the ladies are on the nest.  They hiss and bite.  It hurts.  If you don't have water fowl ranging your back pasture, three hens eggs will do just fine.

Line the tart pan with puff pastry and layer with fortified goat cheese.

Add sauteed ramps.

BACON!

INGREDIENTS

10 ounces puff pastry (recipe from Pie it Forward!)

6 ramps

10 fiddle heads

4 ounces goat cheese (I use Vermont Creamery's)

1 teaspoon anchovy paste

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

3 strips thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 goose egg

PROCEDURE

•Preheat oven to 375º

•Roll the puff into a 10" x 10" square.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Transfer to a 9" x 9" square tart pan and dock.  Freeze for 10 minutes.

•While the puff is freezing, stir together the goat cheese, rosemary, lemon zest and anchovy paste.

•Crisp the bacon in a large pan until crispy.  Transfer the bacon to a paper towel.  Keep the bacon fat in the pan.

•Chop the bulbs and ramp leaves.  Saute the ramp bulbs in the bacon fat until soft and then add the leaves and saute until barely wilted (literally a second or two).  Transfer the ramps to a bowl and allow to cool completely.

•Spread the goat cheese mixture in an even layer over the puff pastry.  Layer with the sauteed ramps and sprinkle on the bacon.

•While the tart is baking, fill a small saucepan with water and 1 tablespoon of salt.  Bring to a boil.  Add the fiddleheads and cook for 10 minutes, covered.  Transfer the fiddleheads to a paper towel with a slotted spoon to drain.

•Bake the tart for 25 to 30 minutes until the edges of the pastry are golden brown.  The pastry may puff in the middle but will fall again once out of the oven.

•In a very small skillet sprayed with non--stick cooking spray (I use a 6" skillet), fry the egg over medium low heat until the yolk is barely set.

•Transfer the egg to the middle of the tart and arrange the fiddleheads over the tart.  Serve warm.

Pie It Forward Hijinks on The Revolution

Including a very "revolutionary" way to spell my name!

Choco Crossies with an American Twist

We'd travel to Germany with an extra suitcase crammed with peanut butter, Tollhouse chocolate chips and Spam (I know.  Don't ask).

We returned to the States with a suitcase brimming with Niederegger marzipan, Haribo gummi bears, Maoam and Choco Crossies.  And Nürnberger Bratwurst but those were smuggled illegally and went into carry-on in a special compartment.  Have I said too much?  What's the statute of limitations on pork product smuggling?  Why is it perfectly legal to bring Spam into Germany but a misdemeanor to transport tasty little sausages into the U.S.?

Meat products and potential arrest aside, our childhood was a time before the internet, before reality programming and before international culinary access.  Can you remember a time when gummi bears weren't available in America?  Probably not.  But I can.  It was a dark age.

But there's something I still can't get access to without special assistance.  Choco Crossies.  If you know them, you love them.  If you don't and discover what's in them, you'll be supremely unimpressed (chocolate, cornflakes and almonds) but remember you haven't had one yet so reserve your judgement.  

I was reminiscing about inaccessible food products yesterday and imagined a world where those products might mingle in culinary harmony for all to enjoy (kind of like my own genetic make-up minus the harmony and full public access).  I said to myself, "Self, what if Choco Crossies met peanut butter?"  

And I made it so.  It was love at first sight.  

I began with a batch of shortbread dough that I gently pressed to evenly cover a half sheetpan lined with parchment paper.  I baked until the shortbread turned golden at the edges and then while still warm, I cut it into small 2" squares.

Once the shortbread cooled, I spaced them out and placed a tablespoon sized dollop of smooth peanut butter on the middle of each square.

I toasted 1 1/2 cups of almond slices and allowed to cool completely and then tossed with 4 cups of regular old cornflakes.

I carefully smooshed a tiny handful of the cornflake mixture atop the peanut butter and mounded it a bit.

I combined a pound of bittersweet chocolate with 1/4 cup of cream and 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter over a bain marie until melted and then spooned over the shortbread squares.  Once the chocolate cooled a bit, I sprinkled with kosher salt.

Now if you want just plain old Choko Crossies, you'd leave out the shortbread and peanut butter and simply stir the cornflakes and almond slices into the chocolate until covered.  You then grab small handfuls of the mixture and arrange the clumps on a piece of parchment and allow to cool completely.  

Grilled Cheese mit a Twist

In honor of National Grilled Cheese Day, I poured a beer in honor of my mother.  I toasted her, "Prost, Mutti!" and proceeded to mac down on a gloriously gooey and crisp sandwich.

I can get down with any kind of grilled cheese.  American on doughy white, Vermont sharp cheddar on whole wheat, Raclette on sourdough.  You grill it, I'll eat it.

But give me some Camembert and Preiselbeeren (lingonberries to those State side) and it's a mother and child reunion.  It's sense memory and profound joy.  I'm transported to the afternoon mom and I spent a lunch in Munich at a biergarten, sharing a huge slab of bauernbrot laced with chunks of fried Camembert and dollops of lingonberry preserves.  She let me taste her beer.

Today I baked a loaf of King Arthur Flour's Classic White Bread in a pullman loaf.  I sawed off hearty slices and spread one with a ruby red layer of lingonberry preserves and nestled creamy local Camembert on the other.  I melted a few tablespoons of butter in a skillet and fried that sucker until cheese oozed from the bread and crackled in the pan.  I poured the beer and shared this luxurious treat with my Raymo in honor of Helga and a wonderful afternoon we shared.  So Prost and Happy Grilled Cheese Day!  

For the Classic White Bread recipe, click here.  If you are going to bake this in a pullman loaf, bake with the lid on for 20 minutes, take from the oven and then bake for another 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and until the bread sounds hollow when you knock on it.  

Pie It Forward is Here!

Fleur de Sel!

I've been a bit absent but it's been all due to very happy stuff.  Pie It Forward is now officially released.  The past week and the weeks to come are filled with sharing pie love!  In case you missed it, here are my appearances on The Today Show where we made my Chocolate Fleur de Sel Caramel Tart and Fox and Friends where we made The Velvet Elvis.


Coming up:  making pie crust on ABC's the Revolution, date and time TBA!