Category Archives: Cook

by | October 1, 2010 · 7:42 am

Fall Craze: Apple Picking

Eating an apple off the vine is one of life’s simple pleasures. This past weekend, we took our son on his first apple picking excursion. He may not have the manual dexterity to pick an apple, but he loved exploring the look and feel of everything in the orchard.

There are a good number of places in the Milwaukee area to go apple picking, but Barthel Fruit Farm in Mequon tends to be our favorite. It is a short drive and is less “commercial” than a place like Apple Holler. Apple Holler only sells an apple picking package for $39.95, which includes all the kid activities and one bag of apples. At Barthel, you can choose between a small bag for $10 or a large bag for $17.

Some of the apple crops this year are in short demand due to freezing during blossom time. However, Barthel had an abundance of beautiful Cortland apples last weekend. Red Delicious were also available for picking, though not quite as “fruitful.” Barthel’s does harvest Honeycrisp apples, my absolute favorite, but they are only available to purchase, not to pick.

Lucky for us, Cortlands are a great baking apple. Other good baking choices include Golden Delicious, Ida Red, Jonathon and Paula Red. Apples are best stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, sprinkled with a little bit of water. They will store in the refrigerator for a few weeks to a month.

So with apples on the brain, I’ve been coming up with some fun apple concoctions. I wanted to share my Apple and Brie en Croute recipe with you!

Ingredients:

1 apple cored and chopped
2 TBSP honey
1/4 C walnuts
1 package of Brie
1 sheet puff pastry
1 egg
2 TBSP water

Allow puff pastry to thaw to room temperature (approx. 1 hr). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a square. In a small bowl, mix together apples, honey and walnuts. Scoop mixture into middle of pastry. Put Brie (including rind) on top of the mixture. Fold each corner of the puff pastry over the Brie. Carefully flip the pastry over onto a baking sheet. In a small bowl, beat egg. Add water. Lightly brush on puff pastry. Cook in oven for 25 minutes (until golden brown). Allow to sit for 30 minutes before eating. Cut into slices and serve. This recipe makes a great fall appetizer.

Here are some other great HAP apple recipes to enjoy!

Goat Cheese, Apple and Pine Nut Pizza
Apples and Almond Butter
Ultimate Chicken Salad
Caramel Apple Pie Ice Cream
Apple Tart
Apple, Raspberry, Zucchini Pie

Happy Apple Picking!

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by | September 24, 2010 · 7:39 am

Chocolate Pie

When my husband and I first started dating, we went to visit his grandparents. I was very nervous to meet them for the first time and soon found myself being pulled into the kitchen by his grandfather for some words of wisdom. I prepared myself for a long story about life and love and how to make it last. Instead, he kept it short and sweet. He looked me dead in the eye and said, “keep a guy, bake a pie.”

He truly believed that a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.  This quote is a running joke in my family, but I do think of Grandpa every time I bake a pie.

So, in honor of him, I will share with you one of my Mother-in-law’s favorite pie recipes. This chocolate pie is so smooth and rich. It is the perfect go-to recipe for chocolate lovers.

Chocolate Cream Pie

1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place sugar, flour, milk, and chopped up chocolate in 2 quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until mixture begins to bubble. Continue stirring for 2 minutes.

Now you will need to temper the eggs before you add them to the hot mixture. First, crack the eggs into a small heatproof bowl. Begin rapidly beating the eggs. While you do this, slowly add about ¼ cup of the warm mixture into the eggs. Continue beating until combined. This will prevent the eggs from scrabbling right when they hit the warm chocolate mixture.

Add the tempered eggs to the warm chocolate mixture and cook for an additional 90 seconds, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat, and stir in butter or margarine and vanilla.

Pour the filling into prebaked pie shell, and chill until set. Top with whipped topping, and a little grated chocolate.

Happy Birthday Haute Apple Pie!

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by | September 22, 2010 · 8:25 am

Haute Pie: White Chocolate Raspberry Macadamia Nut

Awhile back, Food & Wine magazine stated, that “pie is the new cupcake.” While I love cupcakes, I couldn’t be more excited about this new exuberance for pie…for obvious reasons. For Haute Pie Week, I decided to make a pie inspired after my favorite cookie – white chocolate macadamia nut.

As a little side note, this is the second pie I made. My first pie was a bit of a fail. When it lay crumbled on a plate in front of my husband, he called it “deconstructed pie.” (And he says he doesn’t pay attention when I watch Top Chef).

The graham cracker and macadamia nut crust gives that cookie texture and the addition of raspberry added tartness to the sweet mousse filling.

Ingredients

6-8 graham crackers
3/4 C macadamia nuts
1/2 stick butter
1/4 C raspberry preserves
1 cup cold 2% milk
1 package (3.3 ounces) instant white chocolate pudding mix
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

For the crust:

Crush graham crackers and macadamia nuts in food processor. Melt butter in small dish in microwave and add to graham cracker crumbs. Press crumbs into pie dish, pushing it up against the sides. Layer raspberry preserves on top of crust, gently spreading with a rubber spatula. Place pie dish in refrigerator.

For the mousse:

In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes until thick; set aside. In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cream. Heat over low heat, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat remaining cream until it begins to thicken. Gradually add sugar and extract; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in gelatin mixture. Fold in pudding mixture. Refrigerate until slightly firm, about 30 minutes.

Spread mousse on top of crust. Refrigerate for two hours.

What better way to celebrate a happy HAP birthday than with a delicious piece of haute pie.

Bon Appetite!

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by | September 20, 2010 · 9:36 am

Happy Birthday HAP & {Haute Pie Week} Strawberry, Balsamic & Black Pepper Pie

Last week was the first birthday of Haute Apple Pie and it’s hard to believe that it’s already been a year!

When we first started this little project we were worried that we wouldn’t have enough ideas to share. As it turns out, we’re just getting started. Over the past year we’ve stretched our creativity, made many new friends and recently begun turning our passion for event styling into a growing side business. A big thanks goes out to our families and friends for supporting our craft-mania, our husbands for patiently waiting while we stage and photograph our meals, and most of all, thanks to you, dear reader, for following along and chiming in.  Your comments make us giddy with happiness.

So in honor of our birthday, we thought it would only be appropriate to bring you a week of pies…”haute” pies, that is!   I’m kicking it off with a Strawberry, Balsamic & Black Pepper Pie – a classic combo of ingredients to snaz up an American favorite.
strawberry lattice pie with balsamic

Lattice Pie Crust
2C flour
1/2 C shortening
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vinegar
1C water with ice cubes
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Separately, combine vinegar and ice water. Cut the shortening in grape-sized chunks into the dry mixture using a pastry cutter. Begin adding water to the dry mixture, 1-2 Tbsp at a time as you use the pastry cutter or your hands to work the shortening into the flour. Continue adding water until all the flour is worked in and dough holds together but is not sticky (you may not use all the water). If dough gets too sticky, dust in more flour. Divide the dough into 2 balls and place each ball between 2 sheets of floured waxed or parchment paper. Roll out each ball with a rolling pin until it is flat and large enough to cover a pie dish.

Lay one crust into your pie pan, pressing into the edges. Use your fingers to flute the edges of the crust. Trim the second ball into a long rectangle. Slice it into 8 long strips and set aside.

strawberries in colander

Strawberry, Balsamic & Black Pepper Filling
2 pints strawberries, quartered or halved
1 pint strawberries, pureed
3 Tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp water
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C corn starch
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 C organic heavy whipping cream (I like Organic Valley)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Wash and trim ends off of strawberries, then slice them into quarters or halves depending on their size. Place 2/3 of the berries onto the pie crust. Using a food processor, roughly puree the remaining 1/3. Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, whisk together sugar, corn starch, salt and pepper. Whisk in puree, water and vinegar and bring to a simmer over med-low heat. Continue whisking frequently until mixture is reduced by about 1/3 and beginning to thicken. Spoon over the berries in the pie crust.

Gently place half of your dough strips in horizontally across the top of the berry mixture, spacing them evenly apart. Next, weave the remaining dough strips vertically, alternating over and under the horizontal pieces to create a lattice effect. You’ll need to lift up the horizontal pieces as you work. Pinch the edges of each strip into the fluting with your thumbs. Brush the lattice and crust edges with the beaten egg.

Bake for 55-60 minutes or until crust is golden. In a small bowl, combine cream (get the organic – it whips like a dream!), 2 tsp sugar and vanilla. Beat with a hand mixer until fluffy peaks form.

IMPORTANT: Let cool for 3-4 hours before serving.  Strawberry pie is super juicy and without proper cooling, your filling will ooze out (unfortunately, as seen below).  The pie will still taste delicious but will not be the sliced presentation masterpiece you envisioned. Fortunately, your pet probably isn’t voting on presentation and will still enjoy the crumbles at the bottom of the dish.

homemade strawberry pie recipeyellow labrador eating

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by | September 15, 2010 · 8:24 am

Pound Cake with Nutella

I love recipes that turn an ordinary treat into something surprising and new.  That is how I feel about Pound Cake with Nutella.  Pound cake alone is a sweet treat, but can be a little plain.  Add a few swirls of the delicious chocolate and hazelnut spread and you have a new take on an old classic.

Pound Cake with Nutella

1 cup butter at room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1  cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a loaf pan and set aside.

Beat butter and sugar together on high speed until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating with each egg you add.  Finally, add the vanilla and salt.

Slowly add the flour and mix on low until just combined.  Be careful not to over mix.

Warm the nutella in the microwave until slightly warm.  This allows it to pour more easily over the pound cake.

Now you are going to layer the batter and the nutella.  First pour 1/3 of the batter into your pan.  Evenly pour 1/2 of the nutella over the batter.  Cover with another 1/3 of the batter and pour remaining nutella on top.  Finally cover with remaining batter.

Lightly swirl nutella with a knife.  Be careful not to over mix.

Bake about one hour or until firm on top.  let cool for about 10 or 15 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack.

This Pound Cake is great served warm or cold.

Enjoy!

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by | September 13, 2010 · 8:27 am

Preserving & Canning 101

Canning is hot right now. Maybe it’s just that I’ve paid more attention to it after taking several canning classes this summer but regardless, I would say it’s “trending”…and for good reason.  What’s not to like about tasty jams or pickled goodies that let you enjoy summer all year round?  And while grocery stores are full of canned goods, I think there’s something smart and charming about preserving your own garden (or farmer’s market) goodies to keep or to giveaway.

“Preserving” covers canning, freezing and drying…so you don’t have to can to preserve your goods. Freezing and drying are less complicated than canning but they also limit your options. If canning is something you’re interested in, I would highly recommend finding a local class or a good book.  To whet your appetite, I conned my local instructor, Annie Wegner Lefort, into sharing her top preservation tips. As a Master Food Preserver, Annie really knows her stuff and has tons of great locally-sourced and preservable recipes on her own blog:

Annie’s Top Ten Food Preservation Tips (in no particular order):

1. Use a tested recipe and stick to it: pH levels are particularly important with hot water bath canning. Use a tested recipe to guarantee a safe, shelf-stable product.
2. Use Quality Produce: Garbage in = garbage out. Don’t use canning as a last resort to save something that’s overripe. Don’t want to lose it? Try freezing instead.
3. Preserve what you can consume in a year: Though home-canned items can be perfectly good 18 months or even two to three years after canning, they’re best in the first 12 months. When people relied on preservation instead of grocery stores, they preserved what they could reasonably eat before the next harvest.
4. Keep everything at a constant warm/hot temperature when processing: The biggest culprit of broken jars in the canner is that they were too cool going into the hot water bath. Keep your jars, food product, and water in the canner at a similar warm or hot temperature as you work.
how to make homemade jam
5. Vent properly when canning: Especially if you have a gas stovetop, be sure to open windows and vent when the cans are processing. It’s tempting to crank the A/C when canning, but if your flame happens to go out during processing (because of water splashing out of the kettle), this can eventually cause a buildup of noxious gas.
canning jam
6. Preserve the abundance of the season: When fruits and vegetables are plentiful, they should be most affordable. That’s the time to buy by the bushel. If you put in the work ahead of time you’ll have your larder stocked with local foods all winter.
7. Plan ahead for gift-giving: People love homemade gifts and almost nothing gets more oohs and aahs than the gift of preserves. They make instant host gifts or can be bundled with a favorite recipe and baked goods for a special gift basket.
8. Stock up on other ingredients: Keep an eye on store fliers for sales on vinegar, spices, sugar, etc. as well as canning supplies. Not only will you save money, but you’ll have everything you need on hand when the preserving bug hits.
9. Before you try a new recipe, think about how you’ll use it: I love to try new preserves, but if I have no immediate use for them they might sit in my pantry for years. Think about turning pickled beets into instant borscht or adding salsa to chili.
10. “Canners do it in groups”: Many hands make lighter work and this couldn’t be more true with preserving. It can be a lot of work (though well worth it), so gather some friends to pick, pare, and preserve (and sip a little wine!). Or can on your own, but consider which friends make the best salsa, pickles, etc. then swap the final products.

Canning Party

My friends, Colleen and Lizzy, and I took that last point to heart and recently held a mini canning party to make a double batch of fruit jams.  I love fruit jams because they’re great on toast, in plain yogurt, over ice cream and more. I dressed up the results with labels, pretty ribbon and rustic fabric scraps so that they’re giveaway ready.

canned jam as gifts

Next up, I planning on tackling Annie’s Bruschetta in a Jar recipe (see pg 17 of the Sept virtual issue) and some apple and pumpkin butters for fall!

More Preserving Resources:
So Easy to Preserve – we used their Blueberry Spice jam recipe
Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
US Dept of Agriculture Complete Guide to Home Canning & Preserving
Canning & Preserving with Ashley English (who also has a great blog)
Milwaukee Urban Ecology Center Preservation Courses

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by | September 8, 2010 · 10:42 am

Chicken and Veggie Fried Rice

It may date back to my days as a waitress at P.F. Changs, but I am a sucker for ordering Chinese food. There is nothing better than eating some fried rice out of that cute little carton. I decided awhile back to try some of my own fried rice and have perfected a recipe that I love and I believe is much better for you than the old take-out standby. Peanut oil seems to be the trick to get that fresh out of the carton taste and sends the sweet aroma through your house. If you don’t have or like the vegetables I’ve listed, try the ones you like. Anything goes with this dish.

*Note: Make sure to chop everything ahead of time and have it ready. This dish moves quickly and if you don’t move with it, the dish will not turn out correctly.

Ingredients

2 C long grain white rice
2 TBSP peanut oil
1 tsp ginger
1/2 C chopped scallions
1/2 C chopped bok choy
1/2 C snow peas
1/2 C chopped asparagus
1 C cooked chicken breast
2 large eggs, beaten
2 TBSP low-sodium soy sauce
2 TBSP rice vinegar
2 TBSP hoisin sauce

Cook rice according to directions. Preheat wok at high heat. Add peanut oil. Stir fry scallions and ginger for 15 seconds. Add chicken and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add veggies and stir fry for 3 minutes. Push all ingredients to the side and add egg. Scramble eggs, scraping them off the hot surface. Cook egg through and add rice. Stir all ingredients together and heat through, about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar and hoisin sauce. Mix thoroughly and remove from heat.

If you don’t have a wok, you can try a deep skillet. I often use leftover rotisserie chicken or shredded chicken from another meal. You could add uncooked chicken at the beginning and add an extra few minutes to the cooking process.

And if that doesn’t work…there is always take-out!

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by | September 7, 2010 · 8:19 am

Easy Pesto Salad

Ever since “secret ingredient: basil” a few weeks ago, I’ve been on a serious basil kick…mostly to the tune of this super easy pesto salad since it also uses up my garden tomatoes too. Now homemade pesto is not some revolutionary new dish but it’s just so tasty when the basil is fresh. Plus, it works great as a main dish with chicken or a crowd-pleasing BBQ/tailgate side dish and can easily be frozen for a little taste of summer come winter.
Pesto Ingredients
The pesto purists out there will probably scoff, but I prefer to use almonds instead of pine nuts in my pesto because of their health benefits and the fact that the leftovers can be used in more dishes.  Also, when I make this I don’t actually measure the ingredients, so take these estimations as a starting point for creating pesto to your taste.  I prefer my pesto to not be too oily but you can make it just the way you like it!

Easy Pesto Salad
2 C fresh basil
1/4 C (+) slivered almonds
1/4C (+) parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4C (+) olive oil
1/2 – 1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 pkg bocconcini (mini mozzerella balls)
1 C grape tomatoes
1 lb pasta (cavatappi or penne shape)

Wash and dry basil. In a small food processor (I use the 3 C size) add 2/3 of the basil leaves, almonds, parmesan, garlic and half of the olive oil. Pulse several times to break down items and blend well.  Add in salt and pepper and the remaining basil leaves.  Pulse again and drizzle in remaining olive oil until pesto is getting smooth and the oil consistency meets your taste.  If you accidentally add too much oil, add more basil and/or cheese and pulse again to soak it up.

How to Make Pesto

Cook pasta to al dente in boiling water. Meanwhile, slice tomatoes in half.  If you can find the itsy bitsy mozzarella balls, simply leave them as is.  If they’re slightly larger, like the ones pictured, slice them in half or quarters.

Drain noodles and rinse with cold water.  Put pasta in a bowl and mix in pesto sauce.  Add tomatoes and mozzarella.  Stir gently until pesto is coating everything well. Taste it.  If needed, sprinkle lightly with salt to bring out flavors, stirring salt in throughout. Serve warm or cold.

Pesto Salad

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by | September 1, 2010 · 8:28 am

Mexican Street Corn

Due to the abundance of inexpensive sweet corn at the grocery store, my family has been eating it constantly. Don’t get me wrong, I love corn on the cob with lots of butter and salt but lately my taste buds have been craving something a little different.  So, I decided to try a new and interesting recipe.

I once heard about Mexican Street Corn, corn on the cob brushed with mayo and sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and ground chili powder.  Rumor has it this type of corn is served by street vendors in Mexico. Although, in all of my trips there I haven’t been lucky enough to come across this treat.

Mexican Street Corn

5 ears of corn, husks removed
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Chili powder to taste
Cooking Spray, such as PAM
Tin foil

Tear off 4 individual pieces of tin foil, large enough to wrap one ear of corn. Spray one side with cooking spray, to prevent the cheese from sticking, and set aside.

Lightly brush the corn with the mayonnaise. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chili powder and wrap in the prepared foil. Grill on a medium high grill, turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until corn is tender and slightly browned.

Enjoy the last couple weeks of summer!

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by | August 27, 2010 · 8:01 am

Fresh Watermelon Margarita

Although cool fall nights are creeping on the horizon, I’m not ready to put away my white pants just yet. This fresh watermelon margarita is a great way to sip the last few weeks of summer. It is great for an evening dinner on the patio or a Labor Day BBQ.

Ingredients

2 C cubed, fresh watermelon
3/4 C. tequila
1/4 C. Triple Sec
1 Lime, juiced
1 TBSP powdered sugar
3 C ice

Add all ingredients except ice to a blender and blend until watermelon breaks down. Add ice and crush. Serve with a watermelon cube garnish.

What are you doing to soak up the remaining days of summer?

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