My love for Bon Appétit spans twenty years, and I have the archived issues to prove it! In fact, one of the motivations behind this blog was to make use of my library of special editions by challenging myself  to recreate the cover recipes. Salivating through the May 2010 issue, I was gobsmacked when I came to the article  Pudding…British for Dessert and immediately went to FaceBook to contact my friend, and expat, Lorna to ask her if she would like to be a guest “cooker” and prepare one of the delectable desserts presented by British cookbook author and TV personality Tamasin Day-Lewis.

My appreciation for food extends beyond the obvious and immediate sensory pleasures to being intrigued by cultural associations and traditions. I’ve enjoyed documenting moms preparing Jewish latkes, Mexican tamales, and Polish pierogies. Now, courtesy of Lorna of Califlorna, we proudly present a classic British dessert:

Bakewell Tart with Raspberry Preserves

from Bon Appétit

Legend has it that the Bakewell tart was invented in the 1800s in the village of Bakewell. An inexperienced cook made a mistake when putting together a strawberry tart—and ended up with a pie crust with a layer of preserves on the bottom and a soft, cake-like filling. This version uses raspberry preserves, but strawberry would also be delicious.

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• 3 tablespoons (or more) ice water

FILLING

• 3/4 cup raspberry preserves

• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled

• 4 large egg yolks

• 3 large egg whites

• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

• Pinch of salt

• 1 cup roasted salted Marcona almonds

• Lightly sweetened whipped cream

PREPARATION

CRUST

• Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor 5 seconds. Add butter. Using on/off turns, cut in until very coarse meal forms. Add 3 tablespoons ice water. Blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Soften briefly at room temperature before rolling.

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on floured surface to 12- to 13-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Cut off all but 1/2 inch of overhang and fold in, pressing dough to come 1/4 to 1/3 inch higher than pan sides. Freeze crust until firm, about 10 minutes.

• Line crust with foil and dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust until sides are set, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Continue to bake until crust is pale golden, piercing with fork if crust bubbles, 12 to 15 minutes longer. Cool on rack 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

FILLING

• Spread raspberry preserves evenly over bottom of crust. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean halves into medium bowl. Add sugar and blend with back of fork to distribute vanilla seeds evenly. Add butter, egg yolks, egg whites, almond extract, and salt; whisk to blend. Finely grind almonds in processor; stir into filling. Pour filling into crust.

• Bake tart until browned on top and set in center, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on rack until just slightly warm, about 45 minutes.

• Push up tart pan* bottom to release tart. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

* A tart pan is not essential – Lorna used a ceramic pie baker which went from oven to table beautifully.

While the tart was baking Lorna shared another British classic with me: a Pims spritzer! I knew nothing of this refreshing cocktail that’s a fine Wimbledon tradition along with the eating of strawberries and cream, royal patronage, and strict all-white dress code for competitors. Cheerio!

I dare say, it was another fine day at the beach!

This post made the Foodbuzz.com Top 9 on June 5, 2010!!!

In my family, I’m the chief “cooker” and my daughter is the chief baker. I bake cakes or cupcakes only for birthdays and Father’s Day and, occasionally, a fruit pie or pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving. That’s it! So my daughter realized at a young age that if she wanted to satisfy her sweet tooth she was going to have to take things into her own hands! And that she did – she’s 18 years old and has been baking since middle school.

Since these cookies are packed with fiber and nutrients, there’s no guilt if you grab a few for breakfast on the go

Chloe’s Cowboy Cookies

(Shhh, their nutritious but that’s our secret.)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup wheat germ

1 1/3 cup unbleached or white whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 cups rolled oats

½ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar or Sucanat

½ cup unsweetened, organic applesauce

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

½ cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl. Mix in eggs, canola oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and blend well. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.

Spray cookie sheet with canola oil. Use a spoon to drop batter onto cookie sheet, making rows of three with 2 inches in between. Bake for 15 minutes. Makes about 60 small cookies.

Enjoy

What does beer have to do with brownies? Well let me tell you… Hands down, the most eye-opening, unique taste I experienced at the Taste of Huntington Beach this past weekend was the Sierra 30 beer from Sierra Nevada paired with a brownie! Who would have thought! A person would consider nibbling on a brownie while sipping a rich, complex Cabernet, but beer?

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale has been our beer of choice for years, so its no surprise that I sought out their booth to satisfy my palate after tasting Surf Hero Deli’s fantastic Italian Hero.

On my second visit a line was beginning to form  and the guys were talking up  Torpedo, a bold IPA with 7.2% alcohol content! We’re all nodding – yeah, yeah we’re in… it was assertive and full of flavor with hints of citrus and herb – everything they said!  No surprise that Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo placed 1st in the beer category. On to more tasting….

On my third visit, we knew each other personally by then, I was treated to an advance tasting of the Sierra 30 with a chunk of the brownies they had tucked away for the scheduled tasting debut at 3:30.  To celebrate their 30th anniversary, the brewmasters at Sierra Nevada have collaborated with the craft beer brewing pioneers in America to create four special edition brews for  Sierra 30. Fritz Maytag, owner of Anchor Steam, agreed to guest brew Pioneers Stout. Pioneers Stout is described as a rich and roasted ale, perfect for aging and worthy of your finest snifter! And it’s a perfect dessert beer! So open your heart and awaken your taste buds to a whole new eye-popping flavor bomb!

Which brings me to the brownies.  My daughter is the baker in our family and she’s been experimenting with using more wholesome ingredients, i.e. substitutes for refined sugar and including whole wheat flour, flax seed, wheat germ, etc. in place of white flour.  Her friends are asking her if she’s “gonna go all vegan on them” now that she’ll be joining the “tree-huggers” at  UC Santa Cruz – but they had no problem gobbling down these brownies

Vegan Brownies

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar*

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 cup water

¼ cup vegetable or canola oil

¾ cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in the water, oil, applesauce and vanilla; mix until well blended. Fold in the chopped nuts.

Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan with oil an spread the mixture evenly in the pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is no longer shiny. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

*We used Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Sucanat which is made from dehydrated whole cane sugar and has a distinct natural molasses flavor which is especially good in chocolate based recipes. You can substitute Stevia or the sugar substitute of your choice.

This is how the kids liked it:

For my first ever professional photo shoot I prepared two entrees: one was a Mediterranean-inspired Zucchini and Sundried Tomato Tart, the perfect dish for a spring garden party or brunch. With summer nearly here, I decided on Grilled Lamb Brochettes for the second dish. Brochettes or kabobs are a lighter alternative to grilled steak or ribs and provide a beautiful display for the bounty of fresh veggies at the farmer’s markets!

Zucchini and Sundried Tomato Tart

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of a 17.3 ounce package), thawed

1 c. Manchego cheese*, shredded

½ c. shredded 2% Mexican blend cheese

½ oil-packed sliced sun-dried tomatoes

½ c. fresh basil, thinly sliced

¼ c. green onions, thinly sliced

1 t.dried oregano

1 small zucchini, sliced into ¼” rounds

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

⅔ c. half and half

salt and pepper

Note:  You will need an 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom.

* You can use any melting cheese: romano, asiago, mozzarella, monterey jack, or cheddar.

Method:

Roll out pastry on floured surface to ⅛ inch-thick square. Trim pastry edges to form 13-inch round. Spray tart pan with oil, transfer pastry to pan. Fold overhang to form double-thick sides. Pierce with fork. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line pastry with foil and fill with beans or pie weights – you do this so the crust bakes but doesn’t bubble up. Bake pastry until sides are set – about 20 minutes. Remove foil and beans and return to oven. Bake until bottom is golden brown, about 8 minutes. If the crust bubbles up, press down with the back of a fork. Cool 5 minutes.

Reduce oven to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle the bottom with Mexican cheese. Add the sundried tomato, green onion, and basil. Top with manchego cheese, arrange the zucchini rounds on top. Whisk the eggs, half and half, salt and pepper together and pour slowly into the tart.

Serves 6.

Enjoy with fresh fruit or crispy green salad

Photo credits:  Sipper Photography

For St. Patrick’s Day I decided to stray from the usual corned beef and cabbage and bake a rustic bread straight from the Irish countryside. It has a crunchy crust and a heartiness of texture that would have fueled an Irish lad or lass through the day’s toil. Perfect with the Potato Leek soup that I’ll post tomorrow.

Irish Soda Bread

(from Food Network)

2 cups whole-wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle with a little flour.

Mix whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk. Using one hand, stir in full circles (starting in the center of the bowl working toward the outside of the bowl) until all the flour is incorporated. The dough should be soft but not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, in a matter of seconds, turn it out onto a well-floured surface. Clean dough off your hand.

Pat and roll the dough gently with floury hands, just enough to tidy it up and give it a round shape. Flip over and flatten slightly to about 2 inches. Transfer the loaf to the prepared baking sheet. Mark with a deep cross using a serrated knife and prick each of the four quadrants.

Bake the bread for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400° and continue to bake until the loaf is brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped, 30 to 35 minutes more. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let cool for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy

Check back tomorrow for a comforting Potato Leek Soup.

Pumpkin Banana Bread

Beloved banana bread with an autumn twist along with the health benefits of fiber-rich oatmeal and flax.  My 18 year old devoured this bread with peanut butter for breakfast and lunch for three days straight and her BFF declared it the “bread of the gods”.  A powerful endorsement from an age group whose four main food groups are usually sugar, salt, fat, and caffeine.  Perfect for school lunches or an afternoon snack for the younger set, too.

15-ounce can pumpkin puree

2 ripe bananas

1 t. vanilla

2 large eggs (see Notes)

2 c. unbleached flour

1 c. quick rolled oats

¾ c. flax meal

¾ c. brown sugar

1 ½ t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

¼ t. salt

1 t. pumpkin pie spice

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 standard loaf pans with cooking spray.

1.  In a food processor, combine the pumpkin puree, bananas, vanilla and eggs. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. (A blender works for this step if you don’t have a food processor. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl to add dry ingredients.)

2. Add the flour, rolled oats, flax meal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.  Process until thoroughly blended. (Use an electric mixer if you transferred the puree from a blender to a mixing bowl.)

3. Divide the batter into the two loaf pans. (This produces a smaller loaf which makes nice “kid-size” slices.)

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Let cool before removing from pan and slicing.

Note: Here are some  Egg substitutions for vegans.

Annie’s Cornbread

Growing up in the South – cornbread is King! And even though I live in fast-paced southern Cali now, it’s a favorite in my house.  Easy to make – delicious warm out of the oven, toasted, with jelly or butter or just plain with a glass of milk.

1 c. unbleached flour

1 c. cornmeal

¼ c. sugar

3 t. baking powder

1 egg lightly beaten

¼ c. canola oil

1⅓ c. lowfat milk

Preheat oven to 425〬

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Blend in the beaten egg, milk and canola oil.

Pour into a baking dish sprayed lightly with oil.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Notes:  My motto is: “It’s always better homemade” because at least you know what’s in the dish.  Cornbread in many restaurants is full of fat, sugar, and salt.  This recipe reflects changes that I’ve made over the years to make it lower in fat (lowfat milk) and healthier (canola oil vs. butter) with less sugar and I don’t add any salt – tastes great to us!  You try it and let me know, K?