Baking – Come and Cook with Us

Bake Me Some (Savory) Pies

As much as I love pies, I wish I’d be baking them more often. They are easy, fast and beautiful and don’t always just mean dessert. In fact, this savory Purple Yam and Goat Cheese Pie is very easy to make, looks divine and tastes even better. And it’s great in a gluten free crust, too. Come and cook with us!

Baking pies isn’t as hard as one might think. We have written about basic pie crusts before and there are plenty of ready-to-mix options if you are experimenting with the glutenfree variety. The mix I use is Bob’s Red Mill Glutefree Pie Crust and includes a few different flours, starches as well as xanthan gum. I got it from my friend Michelle and am super pleased. The dough holds together, is just the right amount of flakey and also neutral in taste apart from the sweet flavor of baked butter. The directions for this gluten free mix – as for pie crusts in general – are straight forward and it yielded three pie crusts (you can always freeze a shell or two for later use). Key is to use cold butter, work fast and let the dough rest in the fridge before rolling it out. Trust me, getting your hands a little dirty with flour, butter and iced water feels great and how often do we get finger-deep into making our food these days. You can literally feel your accomplishment!

In fact, as my older son likes to say, pies are little more than sophisticated delivery devices for yummy fillings. And they do make every meal look a little more “put-together”. Over the years I’ve baked plenty of fruit and custard pies, but am increasingly intrigued by the savory kinds such as the Brie and Tomato Tart I shared before or this week’s Purple Yam and Goat Cheese Pie. The combination comes together beautifully and tastes great with a refreshing baby green leaf salad in a tangy dressing. Hope you give it a try. Come and cook with us!

Purple Yam and Goat Cheese Pie

Whole Lot of Whole Grains

Sure, there is a difference between cooking and baking and while I feel comfortable cooking up pretty much anything, I get a little more hesitant when it comes to baking. Not so with this amazing Seeded Whole Grain Soda Bread. I know it’s way past March 17th, but this version of a soda bread deserves to be baked more than just once a year. Come and cook with us!

Compared to the (gluten and gluten free) sourdough breads I experiment on a regular basis – and to varying success, this whole grain soda bread is really easy and quick to bake. It is packed with lots of whole grains including quinoa, millet, amaranth and oats and is inspired by a recipe I found on Bon Appetit. It’s amazingly moist and chewy and has become an instant favorite at my house. It’s great on its own, with butter and jam for breakfast, but also with scrambled eggs or hummus or smoked salmon. The options are endless.

The whole grains in the recipe are truly whole, with the exception of the oats, that are rolled. To soften their texture ahead of baking, soak the grains in buttermilk for 8-12 hours. Yes, this means that baking this bread needs a little planning on your side, but nothing too serious or time-intensive. We can absolutely do this! It bakes in squares in my favorite cast-iron pan so I usually freeze what we don’t eat on the first turn around to defrost and toast the rest on the following day or later in the week.

If you or someone in your family likes bread, give this Seeded Whole Grain Soda Bread a try and let us know what you think. Come and cook with us!

Seeded Whole Grain Soda Bread

Celebrate with a Sacher

The beauty of living in New York City is that I was often visited by friends, family and aquaintances from my home town in Italy. Mostly, we met for a coffee, dinner or some sightseeing. For some I opened the doors and welcomed them to stay, particularly if they were young women trying to find a foot hold in the Big Apple. One of them was who became my friend Bettina who came to stay for a few weeks and, among other things, also taught me how to bake. Bettina is a fantastic chef and became an extremely good baker after spending her childhood baking for the Cafe in her parent’s hotel. She baked numerous cakes and our favorite was the famous Viennese Sacher Torte. To this day, it’s what we bake for birthdays. This is how it’s done. Come and cook with us!

Don’t be overwhelmed thinking that baking a Sacher Torte is beyond your skill level. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you, as long as you follow these simple directions. Remember that everything has to be at room temperature, including butter, eggs and flour. Then, be gentle with your batter. It wants to be handled with care if you want it to turn into a light, moist and fluffy cake. Then, make double and triple sure that no egg yolk makes it into the egg white or they will not stiffen up. And lastly, believe in yourself as the cake will turn out to be delicious even if it might not look perfect.

I’m so thankful to Bettina for leaving this legacy of her stay. We celebrated my friend Dex’s birthday yesterday and what better way to surprise him than with a slice of Sacher Torte. Come and cook with us!

Sacher Torte

Beef and Barley Buns Coming Your Way

Continuing on our series of cookbook reviews, there are tons of great books out there that for one reason or another didn’t make it on to our short list. One of these is by the incomparable and highly talented Jamie Oliver, formerly known as the Naked Chef. His book “Comfort Food” is packed with hearty recipes from all ethnic backgrounds. We tried several and are going back again and again to the beef and barley buns with fresh horseradish as they continue to be an absolute hit! Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Beef and Barley Buns Coming Your Way”

Chia Seed Muffins Worth Baking

Let’s just say that there are days when I crave these muffins. They are not just plain old muffins. They are special. When we lived back in New York city, a particularly hard stretch would be rewarded with one of these Chia Seed Muffins from Le Pain Quotidien. They have that dense, flavorful chocolatey and not too sweet taste that is just right for me. After some research – and testing – I finally found what I think are the most divine muffins that there are. Come and cook with us!

I have to preface this week’s recipe with the fact that these delicious muffins are not gluten free. They use whole wheat pastry flour that has less gluten than bread or regular flour, but are still not gluten free. For a GF variety, a ready-to-use GF flour mix such as King Arthur GF Flour or Cup 4 Cup GF flour are all great alternatives that still make this muffins a total success.

Let me know what you think of these Chia Seed Muffins. Finally, I don’t have to bribe my husband to bring me a few whenever he is visiting a city that has a Le Pain Quotidien. Instead, I can bake my own. And now you can, too! Come and cook with us!

Chia Seed Muffins