Baking 101

Sweet Jesus, is it actually possible? Could it be true? Is this week really over? Oh, how I've longed, how I've pined for this day!!! Dramatic? Sure. Hyperbolic? Maybe a little. But generally accurate? Absolutely. I know I fibbed a little about being busy last post, but trust me when I say this week it's been pure fact.

You see, friends, this week was my last, I repeat LAST, week of restaurant block. What a miracle of biblical proportion! From day one the thought of restaurant block had me shaking in my steel-toed kitchen boots. I was so nervous. Plated desserts weren't what I was looking forward to and I was certain I'd, for lack of a better word, suck. And then there was the final. Four plated desserts (each with a minimum of five components) in twelve minutes. AAAHH! The twelve minute plate-up time wasn't even the scary part. We were given a total of twelve hours (spread over three days) for all of our production. And four desserts with five items each (more like seven or eight for people like me who get sick thrills from living on the edge and have pastry ambition running through our veins) in twelve hours is intimidating. Not to mention each dessert has to be completely different and repeating flavors is a no-go. Plus we had menus and portfolios due on the same day and a portfolio for restaurant block is ridiculously extensive/tedious/annoying/the-reason-i-spent-fifteen-dollars-at-kinkos/i-hate-it.

The idea of working in a restaurant has just never appealed to me. I don't want to quinelle ice cream and sorbet all night, or sauce plates for hours on end. Sit me in front of a cake stand and give me some fondant and I'm a much happier camper. But I was lucky. I had an awesome chef instructor named Michelle Antonishek who was encouraging and patient and so so talented (after all, she was the executive pastry chef at NYC's famous Gramercy Tavern). She made the class I was dreading into something fun and, as it turns out, I'm good at it! It's still not something I wanna do for the rest of my life, but now I know I can and I'm walking away with some pretty valuable skills in my back pocket. You can look at my plates here! I'm such a proud papa. Or mama. But I prefer alliteration over gender accuracy. :)

ANYWHOOOOO, after all this hip, modern, plated dessert madness the only thing I really want right now is some good, down home, simple oven love. Mayhaps in the form of a cookie? As in...an oatmeal-pecan cookie? Yeaaaaah. I'm a cookie girl at heart, it's true. The smell of them wafting through the house, the growing warmth of the kitchen as the oven heats up, the tongue-burning satisfaction of chowing down as soon as they hit the cooling rack, it all just screams home to me and I miss home today. Plus, cookies are a pastry basic. Baking 101, if you will. One of those things that everyone should know how to make and make well. It's just a good life skill. I know I've held tight to the sentiment that if there was no picture then there would be no post but gimme a break, people. The craving hit and I started typing. I've made them so many times that I wasn't concerned with the possibility of a crash-and-burn scenario. You'll just have to trust me on this one. They r0xb0x.

I found this recipe in my mom's little recipe collection about two years ago and it turned out that it came from a not-so-nice lady who I'm definitely not-so-fond-of. I guess when you make cookies like these it's easy to accumulate friends even if you're sort of a bitch. Sorry...As mom would say, truth hurts. Back to the cookies! They're amazing. Thin and crispy and sweet and oh I can almost taste them right now! Please make these cookies. And then make another batch to share with your friends and family. They're that good. So that's the why, here's the how:

Ingredients

• 1 cup Shortening (I know lots of people shy away from it, but it really does have it's place in the kitchen so give it a break)
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
  
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract (Just a word to the wise, Mexican Vanilla trumps everything else, and whenever a recipe calls for a tsp, I usually make it two)
• 2 Eggs, well beaten
• 1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour, packed down (which is usually a baking no-no but this time we're making an exception)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 3 cups Old Fashioned Oats (the regular stuff, not the quick-cooking kind)
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup (depending on your tastes) chopped pecan

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350

Step 1
Thoroughly cream your shortening and and both sugars together until it forms a smooth paste.

Step 2
Combine your eggs and vanilla and slowly add to shortening/sugar mixture, beating well after each addition.

Step 3
Using a metal sieve, sift together your flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture in three stages, mixing after each until just combined.

Step 4
Fold in oats and pecans.

Step 5
Now here comes the only difficult part in this recipe. You have to somehow manage to get the dough from the bowl onto the baking sheet WITHOUT EATING IT ALL! I know, it's tricky. But I have faith in you. And if you happen to lose a few spoon-fulls in the process, well so be it. I don't think there's a soul out there who could fault you for it. Just place the rest on an ungreased sheet pan in rounded tablespoons and bake for 10 minutes in your 350 oven.

Depending on your personal preference you can take them out a minute early for chewier cookies or leave them in a minute longer for crispy ones. I'm a chewy gal, myself.

And that's it! They're amazing. So soothing. I love them. And I love you. Thanks for hanging out and reading. I'm sorry about not having a picture for you, but I'm hoping you'll like the cookies enough to forgive me. Have a beautiful Saturday and an even better Sunday and I'll be back sometime next week!

XOXO,
Mindy

The Queen of Hearts...

She Made Some Tarts
All on a Summer's Day

Well, I'm not a queen but I do love hearts and I did make some tarts and it is DEFINITELY still summer out there. Okay, I can tell what you're all thinking so let's just get this out of the way, shall we? I know. I've been m.i.a. for quite some time now and for that I apologize. BUT! Friends, in my defense I've been crazybusy. Like f0realz. I did miss you, though, and you were never far from my overworked mind. Now, I realize that busy is somewhat of a lame excuse but what if I told you that my busy-ness involved compiling new and fabulous recipes to share with all of my most ardent fans and avid readers? Would that help? Would you be more willing to forgive me? What? You don't believe me? You think I'm just lazy? That I've spent the last few weeks sleeping in and enjoying the slow pace of the unemployed life? Fine. Maybe I haven't been suuuper busy. And okay, so maybe I have reeeaaaally enjoyed not working and going to school at the same time. Sue me. Or not, since I have no funds with which to hire a good lawyer. Or any lawyer. Moving on. The honest truth is I just haven't felt inspired to write. Fortunately for you, I have felt inspired to bake! I've said it before and I'll say it again: Baking is my love language. It's how I care for people. And let's face it, nothing says lovin' like somethin' from the oven. Right? Right. And I've had lots of people to love on lately. Translation: I have lots of yummy recipes to share with you over the next few days.

I know I left you hanging last time with the promise of eclairs and cream puffs but, while I did make eclairs (it was my friend Jeff's one last going-away wish), I did not have the opportunity to get pics and I just don't like posting recipes without a good solid image to go along side. Sooooo, it seems as though I'll just have to redo them sometime soon. How sad. I have to make eclairs again. I tell you, it's a rough life I lead. Fear not, until then I have a bevy of recipes to blog about and I promise not to disappear on you for extended periods of time anymore. Since the last post I left you with was about a cake (oh, how I love that cake) I want to take us in a different direction this time. Our destination? The delicious land of tarts.

Now there are several things I love about tarts. First and foremost, they're just adorable. Whether they're piled high with sassy golden-brown spikes of meringue or topped with neat little rows of berries or drizzled with delicious dark chocolate sauce, tarts are just precious. Secondly, tart shells are always my first choice when it comes to crusts. Pie dough has this awful tendency to get soggy when sitting beneath most any filling, especially those with a custard base. But tart shells! Oh tart shells offer the best in texture AND flavor! They're sweet and crunchy and so easy to make that you'll never go back to pie dough again (but don't tell your friends because they'll think you slaved away in a hot kitchen all day long just for them and be uber impressed and tell everyone they know how awesome you are...you can thank me later). The tart I'm sharing with you today is one I made for a friend's housewarming recently and trust me when I say it was delish.

Now, without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to my dear friend, the chocolate-hazelnut meringue tart! We met about two months ago as I was reading through a cookbook by Rebecca Rather, aka The Pastry Queen (and let me tell you, when it comes to delicious baked goods Ms. Rather is definitely culinary royalty). It was love at first sight. Well technically there were no actual pictures of our tart friend, but just reading the description and ingredients conjured up strong enough emotions that I felt like I'd known her for years. My gut was right. She's fabulous. From her crunchy hazelnut and Frangelico tart shell to the deep dark chocolate ganache that sits inside to my personal favorite, the yummy mound of meringue that is her crowning glory, she is one lovely lady. So let's get started, shall we?

First let's preheat the oven to 350, then we'll gather all our ingredients.

For the crust you'll need:
1/3 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter @ room temp.
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp (or if you're like me, 3 or 4) Frangelico
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup all purpose flour

For the ganache you'll need:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
7 ounces semi or bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
2 tsp Frangelico

For the meringue you'll need:
4 large egg whites @ room temp.
3/4 cup sugar

Go ahead and grab the following tools so you'll be ready to go:
1 tart pan, buttered (or sprayed with God's gift to pastry lovers, Baker's Joy non-stick-flouring spray)
Hand mixer, or if you're one of the lucky ones a stand mixer w/ both paddle and whip attachment
Rubber spatula
Whisk
Heat proof glass or metal bowl for meringue

Step 1

Ready? Okay. First let's get our tart dough going. Take all those hazelnuts and spread them out on a baking sheet and slide them into the oven for about five to seven minutes. When you can smell them you know they're done. Mmmm. I love the smell of hazelnuts getting all roasty-toasty in the oven. Yum. Right after they come out gather them all up in a clean kitchen towel and rub them around to remove the skins. Now grab a big knife and chop 'em up nice and fine.

Step 2

Using either your hand mixer or your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Now mix in the Frangelico and salt. Add your flour in three additions, mixing on low speed until just incorporated. Toss in your chopped hazelnuts and finish mixing on low just until it's all combined. Gather up your dough into a nice little ball, wrap her in plastic wrap, and toss her in the fridge for about half an hour. I repeat, let her rest in the fridge for at least thirty minutes. Otherwise bad things will happen and I won't take responsibility for them. It's all on you, friend.

Step 3

Hokay. Now that you're dough is nice and chilled (it is, right?) go ahead and grab it from the fridge. Press it in to your buttered/sprayed tart pan in an even layer, making sure that the dough goes all the way up to the edge. Bake it off in your 350 oven for about 12 to 15 minutes until it turns a pretty golden brown. Don't worry if the bottom looks wrinkly, that's expected and we cover it up with ganache so nobody will see it.

Step 4

Time for ganache. Combine your cream, butter, salt, and vanilla in a sauce pan and bring it to a gentle boil. Place your chopped chocolate in a big bowl, pour the hot cream mixture on top, and let it hang out and get acquainted for about three to five minutes. Now whisk it until it's smooth and velvety and beautiful. Fill your tart shell with the ganache, almost all the way up to the top but not quite. Refrigerate at least thirty minutes or until the ganache is set (or if you're pressed for time or impatient like me, set it in the freezer to cut the chilling time in half).

Step 5

There are few things in life I love more than a good meringue. Place a sauce pan with about two cups of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Now turn the heat down until your water is just lightly simmering. Put your whites and sugar in a heat-proof bowl and set it over the pot of simmering water, whisking constantly until all the sugar has melted and it's heated through (rub a little between your fingers to make sure all the sugar grains have dissolved). Remove from the heat and, using hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip on low speed for about five minutes and then on high speed for an additional five minutes until the meringue is stiff and shiny.

Step 6

Now go ahead and preheat your broiler. Pile your meringue on top of your tart making sure to take it all the way out to the edges covering all the ganache and sealing it tight. Using either your fingers or the back of a spoon pull and tease the meringue into crazy fun spikes. Stick the tart in the oven and broil for about one minute until the spikes get a nice golden brown on them but make sure you watch it because it can go from golden brown to burnt in a matter of seconds! Pull your tart out and my friend, there you have it. You're done!

Isn't she adorable? Don't you just wanna show her off and gobble her up all at the same time? And hey. If chocolate isn't your scene you can just as easily substitute the ganache for a delicious lemon curd or vanilla custard and get results that are just as satisfying. Now, I'm not going to make any specific dessert promises for next blog because I tend to be fickle and wishy-washy and what I bake depends on what I'm feeling, but I can promise you that I'll be back soon. I won't disappear on you for so long any more. You have my word. Okay, hope you have a fabulous tuesday. Maybe go eat a strawberry cupcake for me? They're delicious and I want one. In the words of one LJPe, "Peace out, girl scout!"

XOXO,
Mindy