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Getting Ready for Holiday Baking

Halloween kicks off the holiday baking season, so whip out your favorite recipes or start testing new ones. Every year, we have favorite recipes for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and we also make sure we try new ones. Whether we find new baking recipes in our local newspaper, in our recipe clippings, or in current magazines, we also consult some of our favorite cook books. Here's a couple of our standards for baking reference during the holidays.

King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion | Baking Illustrated

September 30, 2004 in Cookbooks, Holidays | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looking for a Wine Tasting Event in Your Area?

We found a great wine website with a comprehensive list of wine tasting events in regions all over the world. Calling themselves "The Largest Wine & Spirits Calendar in the World", you'll be sure to find a local wine event in your area at LocalWineEvents.com. They even have a wine event email notification that will alert you to upcoming events in your requested regions. Happy tasting!

September 23, 2004 in All Things Wine, Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gourmet Magazine's New Modern Cookbook: The Gourmet Cookbook

Edited by Ruth Reichl, The Gourmet Cookbook, weighs in at over five pounds and 1200 recipes from the past 60 years of Gourmet Magazine. Updated for the modern cook, and contemporary kitchens and lifestyles, you'll find classic recipes, great advice and tips straight from Gourmet's test kitchens. Read reviews from Time Magazine and the Boston Herald.

Available thru Amazon | Jessica's Biscuit

Related Items: Interview with Ruth Reichl from Gourmet Magazine

September 22, 2004 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide, Cookbooks | Permalink | Comments (1)

Find Recipes Using Google

I recently heard of using Google to find recipes just by entering the ingredients you have on hand, and I found this great online tool. Just enter the ingredients you might have, and this Google tool will find you all the recipes online using those ingredients. Great way to find a way to use what's left in your refrigerator, and maybe saving you a trip to the store.

September 19, 2004 in Cooking | Permalink | Comments (1)

Caterer Serena Bass's First Book: Serena, Food & Stories

New York caterer to the stars, Serena Bass, has written her first book , Serena, Food & Stories: Feeding Friends Every Hour of the Day. Filled with stories, tips, anecdotes, and over 100 recipes, you may be inspired to throw your best dinner party ever.

Available thru Amazon

September 18, 2004 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide, Cookbooks | Permalink | Comments (0)

Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Everyone has their favorite pumpkin pie recipe, right? Well, count on Cook's Illustrated to test all the different ways to make pumpkin pie to come up with their own best version.

Note--since publishing this post, Cook's Illustrated has changed access to its page, so here's a copy of the recipe below.

Author: Stephen Schmidt

Pumpkin Pie

For the best of both worlds — pumpkin pie with smooth, delicious filling and a crisp crust — precook both before baking.

Challenge:
A pumpkin pie is no more than a variation on custard pie, and it presents the baker with the same challenge -- making the crust crisp while developing a filling that is firm but still tender. After baking countless pumpkin pies, we found it necessary to take a threefold approach.

Solution:
First, we began baking our crusts almost completely before filling them; that way we knew they started out crisp. Next, we made sure that both shell and filling were hot when we assembled the pie, so the custard could begin to firm up almost immediately rather than soaking into the pastry. Finally, we baked the pie quickly, in the bottom of the oven, where the bottom of the crust is exposed to the most intense heat. But baking at high heat has its perils -- when overbaked, custard will curdle, becoming grainy and watery. No matter what the heat level, however, curdling can be averted if the pie is taken out of the oven immediately once the center thickens to the point where it no longer sloshes but instead wiggles like gelatin when the pan is gently shaken. Residual heat will finish the cooking outside the oven. Furthermore, as with many older recipes, this recipe calls for heavy cream as well as milk and a goodly quantity of sugar. These ingredients not only improve the flavor, but they also protect the texture, since both fat and sugar serve to block the curdling reaction.

For Good Measure
Fresh pumpkin is so difficult to use that few modern cooks go down this road. Canned pumpkin is surprisingly good, and, given a little special treatment, it can be as tasty as fresh. One problem with canned pumpkin is its fibrous nature, which is easily corrected by pureeing it in a food processor. You can freshen the taste of canned pumpkin by cooking it with the sugar and spices before combining it with the custard ingredients. As the pumpkin simmers, you can actually smell the unwelcome canned odor give way to the sweet scent of fresh squash.

THE BEST PUMPKIN PIE

Serves 8

If you do not have a food processor, the pumpkin may be put through a food mill or forced through a fine sieve with the back of a wooden spoon. Alternatively, you can cook the pumpkin, sugar, and spices together before pureeing, then whir the mixture in a blender, adding enough of the cream called for in the recipe to permit the pumpkin to flow easily over the blades. In either case, heat the pumpkin with the (remaining) cream and milk, as indicated, then slowly whisk the mixture into the beaten eggs.

Flaky pastry can be successfully produced using any all-purpose flour, but a low-protein brand (such as Gold Medal) produces a more tender crust. Doughs made with low-protein flours are also easier to handle, and, perhaps most important, they are less likely to buckle and shrink out of shape during baking. If you wish to blend the fat and flour with your fingertips or with a pastry tool instead of using a machine, decrease the butter to six tablespoons and add two tablespoons of chilled vegetable shortening. The pie may be served slightly warm, chilled, or — my preference — at room temperature.

Flaky Pastry Shell

    * 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, measured by dip-and-sweep
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1/2 teaspoon sugar
    * 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pats
    * 3–3 1/2 tablespoons ice water

Spicy Pumpkin Filling

    * 2 cups (16 ounces) plain pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
    * 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
    * 2 teaspoons ground ginger
    * 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    * 1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
    * 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 2/3 cup heavy cream
    * 2/3 cup milk
    * 4 large eggs

Brandied Whipped Cream

    * 1 1/3 cups heavy cream, cold
    * 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
    * 1 tablespoon brandy

1. For pastry shell, mix flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter over dry ingredients; process until mixture resembles cornmeal, 7 to 12 seconds. Turn mixture into a medium-sized bowl.

2. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of water over flour mixture. With blade side of a rubber spatula, cut mixture into little balls. Then press down on mixture with broad side of spatula so balls stick together in large clumps. If dough resists gathering, sprinkle remaining water over dry, crumbly patches and press a few more times. Form dough into a ball with your hands; wrap in plastic, then flatten into a 4-inch disk. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Can be refrigerated for 2 days or, if sealed airtight in a plastic bag, frozen for up to 6 months.)

3. Generously sprinkle a 2-foot square work area with flour. Remove dough from wrapping and place disk in center; dust top with flour. (If it has been chilled for more than 1 hour, let dough stand until it gives slightly when pressed, 5 to 10 minutes.) Roll dough in all directions, from center to edges, rotating a quarter turn and strewing flour underneath as necessary after each stroke. Flip disk over when it is 9 inches in diameter and continue to roll (but don’t rotate) in all directions, until it is 13 to 14 inches in diameter and just under 1/8-inch thick.

4. Fold dough in quarters and place the corner in the center of a Pyrex pie pan measuring 9- to 9 1/2-inches across top. Carefully unfold dough to cover pan completely, with excess dough draped over pan lip. With one hand, pick up edges of dough; use index finger of other hand to press dough around pan bottom. Use your fingertips to press dough against pan walls. Trim dough overhanging the pan to an even 1/2-inch all around.

5. Tuck overhanging dough back under itself so folded edge is flush with edge of pan lip. Press double layer of dough with your fingers to seal, then bend up at a 90-degree angle and flute by pressing thumb and index finger about 1/2-inch apart against outside edge of dough, then using index finger (or knuckle) of other hand to poke a dent through the space. Repeat procedure all the way around.

6. Refrigerate for 20 minutes (or freeze for 5 minutes) to firm dough shell. Using a table fork, prick bottom and sides — including where they meet — at 1/2-inch intervals. Flatten a 12-inch square of aluminum foil inside shell, pressing it flush against corners, sides, and over rim. Prick foil bottom in about a dozen places with a fork. Chill shell for at least 30 minutes (preferably an hour or more), to allow dough to relax.

7. Adjust an oven rack to lowest position, and heat oven to 400 degrees. (Start preparing filling when you put shell into oven.) Bake 15 minutes, pressing down on foil with mitt-protected hands to flatten any puffs. Remove foil and bake shell for 8 to 10 minutes longer, or until interior just begins to color.

8. For filling, process first 7 ingredients in a food processor fitted with steel blade for 1 minute. Transfer pumpkin mixture to a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring it to a sputtering simmer over medium-high heat. Cook pumpkin, stirring constantly, until thick and shiny, about 5 minutes. As soon as pie shell comes out of oven, whisk heavy cream and milk into pumpkin and bring to a bare simmer. Process eggs in food processor until whites and yolks are mixed, about 5 seconds. With motor running, slowly pour about half of hot pumpkin mixture through feed tube. Stop machine and scrape in remaining pumpkin. Process 30 seconds longer.

9. Immediately pour warm filling into hot pie shell. (Ladle any excess filling into pie after it has baked for 5 minutes or so — by this time filling will have settled.) Bake until filling is puffed, dry-looking, and lightly cracked around edges, and center wiggles like gelatin when pie is gently shaken, about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour.

10. For whipped cream, beat cream at medium speed to soft peaks; gradually add confectioners’ sugar then brandy. Beat to stiff peaks. Accompany each wedge of pie with a dollop of whipped cream.

Related:  Silicone Bakeware Popularity Surges

September 15, 2004 in Cooking, Halloween, Thanksgiving | Permalink | Comments (1)

2004 American Wine Awards by Food & Wine

Food and Wine Magazine presents its 8th annual American Wine Awards. Did your favorite California wines make their list? Food and Wine names the Best Wines under and over $20 plus Best Wine Importer, Best New Wine Shop, Most Promising New Vineyard, and Winemaker of the Year.

Read their full article online.

September 15, 2004 in All Things Wine | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nespresso Leads Other Single Cup Coffee Makers Into Market

Take a look around your local kitchen shop, and you'll start to find a growing number of choices for single cup coffee makers. First introduced 15 years ago, Nespresso machines have found their fans with prepackaged capsules of ground coffee. Now, new competitors are joining the fray after seeing Nespresso enjoy success with its one cup coffee maker.

This summer, Braun introduced Tassimo, Sara Lee brought its Senseo machine from Europe, and Proctor & Gamble started selling its HomeCafe machines. All these machines use prepackaged pods specifically designed for its machine to make one perfect cup of coffee--Nespresso and Tassimo using metal capsules, and Senseo and HomeCafe paper filter coffee pods.

Available thru Amazon Nespresso | Senseo

September 14, 2004 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide, Kitchen Gadgets | Permalink | Comments (0)

Heirloom Tomato Tasting at Windrose Farms, September 19

Daily Olive is planning to travel to Windrose Farm's Heirloom Tasting Fair in Paso Robles, California on September 19th. Windrose features over 60 heirloom tomato varieties, and we're looking forward to tasting more than our share. It'll also be great be a great opportunity to see their farm. Recently, we had a great heirloom tomato salad at Campanile who happens to purchase their tomatoes from Windrose.

Windrose Farms was also featured in the August issue of Food & Wine Magazine.

September 5, 2004 in Food & Wine Country Travel, Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (2)