Pear Galette

I purchased a bag of pears from Costco and wanted to used them in a dessert. I read about "galettes" on craft blogs and wanted to try making one too. I found two recipes that I liked but only made one. I'll try the 2nd one later and then decide which one I like better.

#1 - Pear Galette, from website Food & Wine
#2 - Maple-glazed Pear Galette, from the blog Fueled by Plants

Recipe #1

Ingredients

1. 1 cup all-purpose flour
2. 1 tablespoon sugar
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
4. 7 tablespoons unsalted butter--5 tablespoons cut into small pieces and chilled, 2 tablespoons melted
5. 1 egg
6. 1 teaspoon milk
7. 2 tablespoons apricot preserves, strained
8. 2 large Bosc pears
9. 1/2 teaspoon very hot water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a medium bowl, toss the flour with 1 teaspoon of the sugar and the salt. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
2. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the milk. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the beaten egg over the flour mixture and stir. Working quickly, gather the dough into a smooth mass, squeezing it gently. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat it into a 5-inch disk. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate until firm but not hard, about 30 minutes.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 9 1/2 -inch round, turning it clockwise an inch or two each time you roll to maintain an even shape. Transfer the dough to a heavy flat baking sheet. Fold up 1/4 inch of the edge of the dough to form a neat rim. Using a knife, score the rim in a decorative pattern. Brush the rim with a little of the remaining beaten egg. Brush 1 tablespoon of the apricot preserves over the bottom of the dough and refrigerate while you prepare the pears.
4. Peel, quarter and core the pears. Slice each quarter lengthwise into 5 thin wedges. Arrange all but 6 of the pear wedges on the dough in a spoke pattern, overlapping them slightly. Cut the remaining pear wedges and arrange them in the center of the tart to form a decorative rose. Brush the pear slices with the melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar.
5. Bake the galette in the middle of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pears are tender and the pastry is crisp and golden. Carefully slide the galette onto a rack to cool slightly.
6. Stir the hot water into the remaining 1 tablespoon of apricot preserves and brush on the pears. Serve the galette at room temperature.

ChocoFlan

I saw Rick Bayless make chocoflan on his cooking show last night and am so glad I found the recipe online! I think I'll need to buy the cake pan/mold but that's not a problem because I think it might just get used often!

Impossible Cake (AKA chocoflan)

Serves 12 generously

Recipe from Season 6 of Mexico--One Plate at a Time

Revised October, 2009

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Ingredients

For the mold:

A little softened butter and some flour

1 cup store-bought or homemade cajeta (goat milk caramel)

For the cake:

5 ounces (10 tablespoons) butter, slightly softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons espresso powder dissolved in 1 1/2 tablespoons hot water

Or 3 tablespoons espresso

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup cake flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (I like the more commonly available - not Dutch process - cocoa best here)

9 ounces buttermilk

For the flan:

1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

4 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably Mexican vanilla

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Directions

1. Prepare the mold. Turn on the oven to 350 degrees and position the rack in the middle. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch round cake pan (you need one that's 3 inches deep), sprinkle with flour, tip the pan, tapping on the side of the counter several times, to evenly distribute the flour over the bottom and sides, then shake out the excess. Microwave the cajeta for 30 seconds to soften it, then pour over the bottom of the pan, tilting the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Set a kettle of water over medium-low heat. Set out a deep pan that's larger than your cake pan (a roasting pan works well) that can serve as a water bath during baking.

2. Make the cake. With an electric mixer (use the flat beater, if yours has a choice), beat the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light in color and texture. Scrape the bowl. Beat in the egg and espresso. Sift together the all-purpose and cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa. Beat in about 1/2 of the flour mixture, at medium-low speed, followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat. Scrape the bowl, then raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute.

3. Make the flan. In a blender, combine the two milks, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend until smooth.

4. Layer and bake. Scrape the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and spread level. Slowly, pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. (I find it easiest to pour the mixture into a small ladle, letting it run over onto the batter.) Pull out the oven rack, set the cake into the large pan, then set both pans on the rack. Pour hot water around the cake to a depth of 1 inch. Carefully slide the pans into the oven, and bake about 45 to 50 minutes, until the surface of the cake is firm to the touch, except for the very center . Remove from the water bath and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

5. Serve. Carefully run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the cake/flan to free the edges. Invert a rimmed serving platter over the cake pan, grasp the two tightly together, then flip the two over. Gently jiggle the pan back and forth several times to insure that the cake/flan has dropped, then remove the pan. Scrape any remaining cajeta from the mold onto the cake.

Homemade Muesli

I haven't made this recipe yet but found it online and I think the kids will like it. It seems pretty similar to the homemade granola recipes I make.

Scandinavian Muesli
Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

2 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking (not instant) rolled oats
2/3 cup rye flakes or wheat flakes (see Note)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped almonds (1 3/4 ounces)
2 tablespoons flaked coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon
1/4 cup flaxseeds, ground (optional; see Tip)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Spread oats and rye (or wheat) flakes on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Stir in almonds and coconut; bake until the oats are fragrant, about 8 minutes. Turn off the oven. Stir raisins into the muesli.
2. Microwave honey for 10 seconds in a glass measuring cup. Stir in vanilla and cinnamon; drizzle over the muesli and stir to coat. Return the muesli to the turned-off warm oven and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Stir in flaxseeds, if using.

Makes 8 servings, about 1/2 cup each.

Per serving:196 calories; 5 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 34 g carbohydrate; 6 g protein; 5 g fiber; 6 mg sodium; 209 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Fiber (18% daily value).

Ingredient Note: Rye or wheat flakes are simply rye or wheat kernels that have been steamed and rolled, oatmeal-style. Look for them in natural-foods stores.

Tip: Grind flaxseeds in a clean coffee grinder or dry blender just before using.

Broccoli Salad

My kids really like steamed broccoli with cheese sauce! It's easy to make but I would rather not have to make cheese sauce every time I make/serve broccoli so I searched the Internets for a "new" broccoli recipe and found this one over at the Food Network website. We all loved it and now I have at least 2 (!) broccoli recipes!
*I added sunflower seeds to the recipe for a little more flavor and crunch.

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients

• 1 head broccoli
• 6 to 8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup raisins, optional
• 8 ounces sharp Cheddar, cut into very small chunks
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Trim off the large leaves from the broccoli stem. Remove the tough stalk at the end and wash broccoli head thoroughly. Cut the head into flowerets and the stem into bite-size pieces. Place in a large bowl. Add the crumbled bacon, onion, raisins if using, and cheese. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Add to broccoli mixture and toss gently.

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

I've never cooked a whole chicken in a slow cooker before but I need to today because I won't be able to cook dinner at the usual time. I'm expecting it will be cooked within 4-6 hours and so I hope starting it at noon will be plenty of cooking time.

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

1 whole chicken
1 onion
spices

1-Chop the onion in long slices and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2-Rinse the chicken and removed the giblets package.
3-Place chicken in slow cooker and cover with the seasoning/spices of your choice, including the cavity. I used pre-mixed seasonings that I have from a spice shop--"Team Sweet Mama's BBQ Chicken Rub" that is made with sea salt, garlic, brown sugar, onion, paprika, mustard, cayenne, and savory.
4-Cover the slow cooker and cook on high.

I think I'll be serving this with broccoli and/or cauliflower and brown rice, quinoa or cheesy pasta shells.

soft pretzels

I came across this soft pretzel recipe at the Bake it Pretty blog. I haven't tried it, yet, but it looks like it can be a fool-proof recipe--well, fool-proof since I'm feeling pretty good about making bread these days. I think I'll let the girls help me make this one--some salty, some sweet!

Soft Pretzels

1-1/2 Cups warm water
1 Package active dry yeast
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Table salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 Cup Warm Water
2 tbs. baking soda
1 tbs. kosher or sea salt

1.) In large bowl combine 1-1/2 cups of warm water, yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Let stand till foamy (about 5 minutes.) Then add 1 tsp table salt and 2 cups of flour. Beat well with a wooden spoon. Gradually stir in 1 and 1/2 cups of flour to make a soft dough.

2.) Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. (About 6 minutes.) Knead in just enough of the remaining 1/2 cup of flour to keep dough from sticking. (If you have a kitchenaid mixer, use the dough attachment instead.)

3.) Shape dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover brown with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (80 to 85 deg) until double in volume. About 30 minutes.

4.) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 deg. Grease two cookie sheets, or use silpat mats, or parchment paper. Punch down dough and cut into 12 equal pieces. (More or less, depending on how large you want your pretzels to be!) Roll each piece into a rope about 24 inches long. Shape into looped pretzel shape. (Or hearts or spirals….whatever.)

5.) In a small bowl, whisk remaining 1/2 cup of warm water and baking soda until the soda has dissolved.

6.) Dip pretzels in baking soda mixture then place 1-2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle with kosher salt (or if you are Max, cinnamon+sugar!). Bake until lightly browned, 16 to 18 minutes, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks for even browning. Serve pretzels warm or transfer to wire rack to cool (and have your pink, strawberry milk ready!)

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate - a copycat recipe

Here's a "gourmet" drink recipe. Just like they serve at those expensive coffee shops. I found this copycat recipe for Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate at Blisstree.com.

I made the hot chocolate following the recipe and it was very rich and yummy too! It is not necessary to use as much chocolate and you can always use skim or 2% milk and still get a good cup of hot chocolate. Also, I made my own caramel syrup using a recipe found in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine, October 2009 issue.

Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Copycat Recipe

• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt (the best you can afford)
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar crystals
• 1/4 cup whipped cream
• 2 tablespoons caramel syrup, divided (recipe at the bottom of that page)

Bring the milk, sugar, and cream to a simmer. Keep it just under a boil and stir in the chocolate until melted completely.

Add one tablespoon of the caramel syrup to a warm mug and swish it to coat the inside of the mug.

Carefully pour in the chocolate. Top with whipped cream, add a drizzle of caramel, a sprinkle of the salt and a dusting of the turbinado crystals.

Enjoy the fact that while Starbucks *may* stop making this delicacy you never have to!