Cabbage and Leek Cheese Pie

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Remember when I made Chinese food?  Well, it called for cabbage.  Instead of letting half a head of cabbage sit around in my fridge until I felt guilty and it was starting to show age spots, I decided to plan ahead and make a meal out of it before it could go bad.

Enter Cabbage and Leek Cheese Pie.

So yum!  I had to improvise, mainly because some of the ingredients were not readily available in my grocery store, and those that were, were ridiculously expensive.

Instead of making this into a pie (which now that I have made it would be delicious in a regular pie crust), I bought little philo pastry shells that were mini muffin sized.  Perfect for appetizers  not so much for a main course.  This was so good, though, and I will absolutely make it again.  

What you need:

6 thick phyllo pastry sheets

olive oil for greasing the pan and the pastry sheets

1/2 medium cabbage, finely shredded

1 medium leek (only the white part), finely sliced in rounds

2 large carrots, grated

1 small celeriac, peeled and roughly grated

1 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup greek kasseri cheese (I used provolone), grated

3 eggs, lightly beaten

salt

black pepper

What to do:

• In a large pot combine 1/2 cup of water, or more as needed, the cabbage, the leek, the carrots and the celeriac.  Season with salt and pepper and simmer in low heat for about 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are softened and their liquids are released.
• Transfer in a colander and leave until they are well dreained.  Transfer to a large bowl and add plenty of pepper, the Feta and the Kasseri cheese and the eggs.  Stir very well and leave aside to cool slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 350*.  Lightly grease the bottom and the sides of a round oven pan.
• Lay a pastry sheet on the dish, letting the edges hang over the rim and brush with oil.  Place a second sheet cross-wise over the first and brush with oil.  Then lay a third sheet which you put slanted to the previous one, making sure that no part of the pan is uncovered and again brush with oil.
• Empty the filling on top of the pastry and smooth with a spatula.  Bring the edges back over the top of the filing and then lay three more pastry sheets on top in the same way you did beore, brushing each one with some oil.
• Tuck the edges into the side of the dish and under the bottom pastry sheet, as if you were tucking in a bedsheet, so to seal the filling.
• Using a sharp knife, gently score the top pastry sheet into square (or diamond) shape pieces but without cutting right through.
• Put the pan in the middle shelf of the oven and bake for about 50-60 minutes until golden and crispy.

Making this with little pastry shells didn't use a lot of the cabbage mixture.  In fact, it only used about half.  Which was just as well, because I was able to save the rest and freeze it for a future date.  It was a big hit, which is always wonderful.

Yumm-diddly-umptios Cinnamon Rolls

General Conference Cinnamon Rolls

A lady in Orem makes these for the Apostles every conference! Start the night before because the first part needs to refrigerate overnight then in the morning you make them into the rolls & put in dish to rise for about 2 hours. Baking is mere minutes.

2 pkg dry yeast
1/4 C warm water
2/3 C instant (dry) milk
1 3/4 C hot water
3/4 C melted butter or margarine
add
1/2 C sugar
2 t salt
(let mixture cool)
5 1/2 C flour (start with 2 then add the rest)
4 well beaten eggs

Layer ingredients: (I double the recipe on this part ’cause I like goop)
1/2 C melted butter
2 T cinnamon
6 T sugar

Frosting: (or sub cream cheese frosting, but this is the general conference version)
4 C powdered sugar
1/2 C soft butter
2 t vanilla & water

Put yeast in the 1/4 C warm water. Combine instant milk, the hot water and 3/4 C melted butter. Add sugar and salt; let mixture cool. Blend in 2 C flour then add yeast and eggs. Stir in rest of flour. Dough will be soft.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Turn 1/2 out on well floured surface (coat with flour to handle). Roll out into rectangle. Spread with the layer ingredients: first butter then sugar and finally cinnamon add raisins/nuts at this point if desired. Roll up and cut slices with clean dental floss (put floss underneath then criss-cross upwards to make a clean slice without squishing). Put in baking dish/pan.
Raise 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes (watch that they don't burn).

Frost while warm.

A Perfect Dinner

Did you know I adore my husband? Well, I do. He is simply grand! Since today is a special day for him, I thought I would make him his favorite food in the world. He is a blueberry fiend! I am not exaggerating on that, he would live on blueberries alone if he could. I think he would be happy to have Violet Beauregarde's fate he loves them so much. So, to honor this big bluberry lover I call my husband, I am going to make him a fresh blueberry pie (well, I am going to use some fresh and some frozen blueberries) and surprise him with it when he gets home from work. A blueberry pie and a fresh lasagna... could life get any better? I submit that it cannot! I may even throw a lemonaid in there to, just to finish things off. It will be a very special dinner for my studious Darling!

To start off with, we will have a delectable lasagna with a side of veggies (made last night).

Miracle Lasagna

What You Need:

1 jar prego spaghetti sauce )any flavor you prefer)
6 uncooked lasagna noodles
16 oz ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

What To Do:

In a 2 qt baking dish, spread 1 cup sauce around to cover the bottom of the dish. Top the sauce with 3 uncooked noodles, ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Cover with 1 cup sauce. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Cover dish and bake at 375*F for 1 hour. After it is done baking, top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes.

*My lasagna will look a lot tastier than this... still having camera problems*

We will enjoy this dish and the veggies with a little garlic bread, and some sparkling lemonaid (or juice, whatever I can find). Then, on to the dessert!

Fresh Blueberry Pie
recipe found here

What You Need:

1 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
juice and grated zest from 1/2 medium lemon
5 cups fresh or frozen thawed blueberries, rinsed well
pastry for 2 crust pie
1 T butter, cut in small pieces

What To Do:

In a large bowl combine sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, lemon juice and grated rind, and blueberries. Roll out half of the pastry; line an 9-inch pie pan and trim edges. Pour berry mixture into pie crust and dot with small pieces of butter. Roll out remaining pastry to about 1/8 inch thick. Cover pie; trim, turn edge under and crimp. Cut a few vents in top of crust to allow steam to escape (didn’t think about it in time or I would have used one of my pie birds). Bake at 425° for 40 minutes, or until crust is nicely browned. For best slicing results, let the pie cool before slicing.

*This looks a lot better than my pie will because I don't know how to do the lattice crust.*

What a great way to end a long day of work, and to rev up the brain for all that studying that is
coming, don't you think? My sentiments exactly!

Buen Provecho!

Rhubarb Pie

Isn't it funny how you can acquier a taste for something that most people don't like? I think it has something to do with being brought up with said thing. For example, when you say Rhubarb Pie most people run for the nearest exit. When someone says rhubarb pie around my family, we immediately flock to the nearest table with the pie on it, our mouths watering, anxiously waiting for that delectable food.

I can't speak for the rest of my family, but I am a rhubarb purist. I don't like strawberry rhubarb pie because the strawberries drown out the wonderfully tart taste of the rhubarb. I have never liked a store bought rhubarb pie, either. It has to be fresh and homemade and I can (shouldn't but can) eat the whole thing by myself in one sitting.
I think everyone should try it at least once, and so, to give you the opportunity, I will give you yet another of my grandmother's recipes with my own adaptation to it. Enjoy!

What you need:
3-4 cups chopped rhubarb
1- 1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon mace
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter

What to do:
First you want to sprinkle the bottom of your pie crust with flour to help it keep from getting soggy.
Distribute evenly your rhubarb into the pie shell.
Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl until evenly combined.
Pour mixture over rhubarb coating it evenly.
Cut the tablespoon of butter up into tiny sections. Drop on top of rhubarb mixture spreading it out all over the pie.
Trim and moisten the edge of the crust with water.
Add the top crust and trim leaving about 1 inch of crust over the edge. Fold edge under creating 1/2 inch edging. Shape to your desire.
Spread a mixture of equal parts water and milk all across the top and in the crevices of the top pie crust. This helps it brown nicely.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes
Turn heat down to 325 and continue to bake for 30 minutes.
Take out, let the smell permeate your home, cool, and enjoy! Tastes delightful with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on the side.

And as always
Buen Provecho!

Best Flakey Pie Crust Ever

Yesterday Jeffrey was walking around the house pleading for pie. I didn't have any. Nor did his parents when we went there for dinner. As a result he got me to promise to make him pie today. Which is fine, because I love pie. In my family we would much rather have a pie than a cake any day.
I guess the reason we all love pies is because of my grandmother. Grandma was famous for her pies. And if she wasn't really, she should have been. Her crusts were always perfect. I have rarely tasted a better crust than hers. She always put so much love and care into each pie that was made, and you could taste it. Because of her, I can't abide store bought pies. They taste so fake, and sadly, the art of pie making is disappearing. In an effort to bring it back to a few more people than just my family, I am giving you all the very best pie crust I have ever had. Grandma's pie crust recipe.

What you need
3 cups flour
1 rounded cup crisco
1 scant tsp salt
1/2 cup ice water

What you do

Mix the flour and crisco with a pastry blender. If you don't have a pastry blender, a knife works as well, just cut the crisco into the flour.
Once your crisco and flour are combined slowly add ice water (to different parts of dough) and stir with a fork until all the dough has formed into small pea sized clumps.
Separate into 4 equal sized balls.
You are now ready to make two pies with tops, or four pies without tops. Fill with your favorite filling and cook as directed. Enjoy.
Just a note, if you are planning on doing a pudding pie you should probably bake the crust first.

And as always

Buen Provecho!

Chocolate Éclairs by Pierre Hermé

I am now a proud member of the Daring Bakers Club!  This month's challange was to make eclairs.  I have never made anything more challanging than a cake from scratch, so it was an interesting time.  I procrastinated and made it at the very last second, but... they turned out alright.  I made a few mistakes, and I learned a few things, but that just means that the next time I make them, there will certainly be changes, and it will taste a whole lot better.  So, without further ado, here is my masterpeice!

Pierre Hermé’s Chocolate Éclairs
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 20-24 Éclairs)

• Cream Puff Dough (see below for recipe), fresh and still warm

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) { I woul actually recommend to heat your oven to 425 degrees F.  I did mine at 375 and for some reason the dough would not rise... I eventually had them cooking for aobut 45 minutes, and they still hadn't completely risen}. Divide the oven into thirds by
positioning the racks in the upper and lower half of the oven. Line two baking sheets with
waxed or parchment paper.

2) Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a 2/3 (2cm) plain tip nozzle with the warm cream puff dough.
Pipe the dough onto the baking sheets in long, 4 to 41/2 inches (about 11 cm) chubby fingers.
Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) space in between each dough strip to allow them room to puff.
The dough should give you enough to pipe 20-24 éclairs.

3) Slide both the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 7 minutes. After the 7 minutes, slip the
handle of a wooden spoon into the door to keep in ajar. When the éclairs have been in the
oven for a total of 12 minutes, rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back. Continue
baking for a further 8 minutes or until the éclairs are puffed, golden and firm. The total baking
time should be approximately 20 minutes.

Notes:
1) The éclairs can be kept in a cool, dry place for several hours before filling.

Assembling the éclairs:

• Chocolate glaze (see below for recipe)
• Chocolate pastry cream (see below for recipe)

1) Slice the éclairs horizontally, using a serrated knife and a gently sawing motion. Set aside the
bottoms and place the tops on a rack over a piece of parchment paper.

2) The glaze should be barely warm to the touch (between 95 – 104 degrees F or 35 – 40
degrees C, as measured on an instant read thermometer). Spread the glaze over the tops of
the éclairs using a metal icing spatula. Allow the tops to set and in the meantime fill the
bottoms with the pastry cream.

3) Pipe or spoon the pastry cream into the bottoms of the éclairs. Make sure you fill the bottoms
with enough cream to mound above the pastry. Place the glazed tops onto the pastry cream
and wriggle gently to settle them.

Notes:
1) If you have chilled your chocolate glaze, reheat by placing it in a bowl over simmering water,
stirring it gently with a wooden spoon. Do not stir too vigorously as you do not want to create
bubbles.

2) The éclairs should be served as soon as they have been filled.

Pierre Hermé’s Cream Puff Dough
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 20-24 Éclairs)

• ½ cup (125g) whole milk
• ½ cup (125g) water
• 1 stick (4 ounces; 115g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature

1) In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to the
boil.

2) Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium
and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very
quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to. You
need to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the dough
will be very soft and smooth.

3) Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using your
handmixer or if you still have the energy, continue by hand. Add the eggs one at a time,
beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough.
You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, once again do
not worry. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again by the time you
have added the third egg. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and when lifted it
should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.

4) The dough should be still warm. It is now ready to be used for the éclairs as directed above.

Notes:
1) Once the dough is made you need to shape it immediately.

2) You can pipe the dough and the freeze it. Simply pipe the dough onto parchment-lined baking
sheets and slide the sheets into the freezer. Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer the
piped shapes into freezer bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.

Chocolate Pastry Cream 
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by PierreHermé

• 2 cups (500g) whole milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 6 tbsp (75g) sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
• 7 oz (200g) bittersweet chocolate, preferably Velrhona Guanaja, melted
• 2½ tbsp (1¼ oz: 40g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1) In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. In the meantime, combine the yolks, sugar and cornstarch together and whisk in a heavy‐bottomed saucepan.

2) Once the milk has reached a boil, temper the yolks by whisking a couple spoonfuls of the hot milk into the yolk mixture.Continue whisking and slowly pour the rest of the milk into the tempered yolk mixture.

3) Strain the mixture back into the saucepan to remove any egg that may have scrambled. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk vigorously (without stop) until the mixture returns to a boil. Keep whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 more minutes (still over medium heat).Stir in the melted chocolate { I made mine vanilla by simply omiting the chocolate and adding 11/2 tsp of vanilla} and then remove the pan from the heat.

4) Scrape the pastry cream into a small bowl and set it in an ice‐water bath to stop the cooking process. Make sure to continue stirring the mixture at this point so that it remains smooth.

5) Once the cream has reached a temperature of 140 F remove from the ice‐water bath and stir in the butter in three or four installments. Return the cream to the ice‐water bath to continue cooling, stirring occasionally, until it has completely cooled. The cream is now ready to use or store in the fridge.

[bNotes:[/b]
1) The pastry cream can be made 2‐3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

2) In order to avoid a skin forming on the pastry cream, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the cream.

3) Tempering the eggs raises the temperature of the eggs slowly so that they do not scramble. 

Chocolate Glaze 
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 1 cup or 300g)

• 1/3 cup (80g) heavy cream 
• 3½ oz (100g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 4 tsp (20 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
• 7 tbsp (110 g) Chocolate Sauce (recipe below), warm or at room temperature 

1)In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly begin to add the chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula.

2) Stirring gently, stir in the butter, piece by piece followed by the chocolate sauce. 

Notes: 
1) If the chocolate glaze is too cool (i.e. not liquid enough) you may heat it briefly in the microwave or over a double boiler. A double boiler is basically a bowl sitting over (not touching) simmering water.

2) It is best to glaze the eclairs after the glaze is made, but if you are pressed for time, you can make the glaze a couple days ahead of time, store it in the fridge and bring it up to the proper temperature (95 to 104 F) when ready to glaze. 

Chocolate Sauce
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé 
(makes 1½ cups or 525 g)


• 4½ oz (130 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 
• 1 cup (250 g) water
• ½ cup (125 g) crème fraîche, or heavy cream 
• 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar 

1) Place all the ingredients into a heavy‐bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure to stir constantly. Then reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens.

2) It may take 10‐15 minutes for the sauce to thicken, but you will know when it is done when it coats the back of your spoon

They didn't turn out the best.  I accidently added all of the chocolate sauce to the chocolate glaze, so it was very bitter.  In the end, I sprinkled some dried coconut across the tops of all the eclairs just for presentation, and I think they look a lot better than they tast... mainly because I had so many problems with them.  However, I know better now, and that was the whole point of becoming a Daring Baker in the first place, so I can honestly say "Mission Accomplished!"