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Posts from the ‘Pies, tarts, and cakes’ Category

Jul 7

6 Comments

Pie crust: to chill or not to chill? (Also, strawberry pie!)

I’ve made a decent number of pies in my life – some better than others – but until a year or so ago, I never paid that much attention to the crust or the technique behind it. See, I’m not so picky about pie crust. It’s a flaky, light and crispy crust: “It’s so flaky and crispy! I love it!” It’s a chewier, doughier, denser crust: “It’s so chewy and dense! I love it!” I’ve generally made whatever crust recipe comes along with the pie recipe I want to make, and while I’ve sometimes cursed the dough for not rolling out easily or for completely falling apart when confronted with baked filling, I’ve left it up to fate.

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Jun 28

Buttermilk anything cake

Sometimes I go a bit overboard with fruit. Summer comes and suddenly there are peaches and apricots and cherries and everything all over the place, and I just can’t help myself. I buy boatloads, and then we end up needing to eat eight pieces a day just to make it through.

Buttermilk_cake

Buttermilk_cake_peaches

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May 18

Citrus galette with blood oranges, kumquats, and mint

Citrus_galette

A few months back, I fell in love with this. To be honest I was much more excited by the dramatic look of it than what it actually was, but I knew I had to have it on my table.  Flaky, buttery crust filled with dramatic, deep red blood orange slices. Fantastic.

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Mar 27

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Vegan chocolate cake with fluffy “buttercream” frosting and a surprise

Like a huge number of 20-something foodies around the country, I used to be vegetarian. For 10 years, which is a pretty sizable period of time. Now, don’t let that lead you to believe I actually ate as a vegetarian should – there were far more microwaved Morningstar Farms vegetarian chicken nuggets in my high school diet than I’d ever like to admit – but all those meat-free years definitely changed my perspective on what makes up a meal and what ingredients are necessary for a given recipe or dish. I still try to minimize my meat consumption and am often far more attracted to the vegetarian options on a menu (though I have to say – it feels liberating to be able to walk into a restaurant and pick almost anything on the menu, after spending 10 years choosing between two or maybe three options at most places). Read more

Nov 7

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Football season is the best

I’ve been traveling like a nomad lately and haven’t really had time to do much of anything, much less cook … but this is just a quick note to say that Smitten Kitchen’s Red Velvet Cake recipe is by far the best I’ve had. And I mean the best either homemade or store-bought. I sometimes find red velvet cake a little heavy, a little chalky, a little flavorless … but this is moist, light, and flavorful. The buttermilk and the baking soda/vinegar combo are key to this recipe (I almost forgot the latter, but the batter took on a very different and complex taste after adding it at the end), and these ingredients go a long way to make a really interesting and absolutely delicious cake. Read more

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