Ingredient 29 - Pears

Summer is coming to a close here in D.C, we have had a week of sunny days with highs the mid 70's.  I celebrated this fantastic weather by opening my windows and wearing my favorite summer outfits and sandals.  I have a tendency to overestimate the temperature so I often wear my warm weather clothes too long into fall.  I can't even begin to count the number of times that I regret not grabbing a sweater on my way out the door.     

I am not ready for full blown fall weather yet, but I am ready for some fall foods.  Salads with beets and walnuts, apple anything, and cinnamon brown sugar oatmeal, I will consume with gusto.  To help usher in the new season I made a pear galette.  A galette is a free form pie, pastry crust filled with fruit and baked on a baking sheet.

I selected pears as this week's ingredient because enjoying slices on salads constitutes the extent of my pear consumption.  The pear is an old world fruit, native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa.  Pears have been consumed since prehistoric times.  Today, China is the largest cultivator of pears, accounting for three-quarters of world production.  Within the United States, Washington state leads, growing half of the domestic supply.

When selecting pears look for fruit that is firm but not hard.  Squeeze near the stem when testing firmness.  Many pears do not have uniform color so look for skin that is free of blemishes and soft spots.  Store ripe pears in the fridge and under ripe pears in a paper bag.

I made my galette in two stages last Sunday afternoon.  The dough was prepared before heading out to run errands, it took roughly 15 minutes.         

This was my first time making pastry dough from scratch.  I have been told for years that pastry dough can be fickle and difficult to work so I did a little research before getting to work.  The most important takeaway from my readings, don't overwork the dough.  It shouldn't be perfectly uniform, small unmixed chunks of butter are desirable.  They lead to a flaky crust.   

Sweet Galette Dough
Adapted from David Lebovitz's article in Fine Cooking
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter (4oz) - do not soften
1/3 cup cold water



To avoid overworking the dough, I began by combining the flour, salt, and sugar in mixing bowl.  I next took the butter out of the refrigerator and cut it into small chunks.



You can mix the butter and flour mixture together with a food processor, electric mixer, or pastry blender.  The goal is to evenly distribute the butter while simultaneously not over mixing, easier said than done if you ask me.  My best advice, use the less is more philosophy.
            
I mixed my dough in the food processor, there is a special blade just for working dough.  I pulsed the ingredients for 30 seconds or so before scraping the sides and giving the contents a few more pulses.  My dough resembled loose sand at this point.



The last step in dough preparation, adding the cold water.  I added the water in all at once, just like the recipe instructed, and pulsed the dough for 10 to 15 seconds until it started to come together.

    
At this point, I gathered the dough into a ball / disk, wrapped it in saran wrap, and placed it in the refrigerator to set.  The dough must set for at least one hour before it can be rolled and baked. 



When I returned from my errands I got to work preparing and baking my galette.   

Pear Galette Filling
3 to 4 ripe pears - I used Bartlett Pears.
1/3 cup walnut pieces
4 oz package goat cheese
2 tbp honey
Sugar



I began by taking by dough out of the fridge, placing the oven rack in the middle position, and pre-heating the oven to 400 degrees.  While the oven was heating, I peeled, cored and sliced the pears.  Next, I mixed the goat cheese and honey together in a small bowl. 

With the filling prepared, I took a few calming deep breaths and prepared to roll out the dough.  I generously dusted both my countertop and rolling pin with flour before unwrapping the dough and dusting it with a touch of flour.  Dusting with flour keeps the dough from sticking to the counter and rolling pin.

When rolling out dough, roll from the center out and apply light pressure.  Roll the dough a few times, rotate the dough a quarter turn, and roll a few more times. Continue this pattern until you have reached the desired thickness or you can’t easily turn the dough.  If you can’t turn the dough, vary the direction of your rolls to simulate turning.  If this is your first time rolling any kind of dough I would watch a few instructional videos on YouTube.  

  

        

The galette dough should have a diameter of 15 inches when properly rolled out, mine came in an inch or 2 under.  I didn't want to risk rolling my dough too thin and making a colossal mess. 

When rolled out, place the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or dusted with flour.  Spread the goat cheese mixture on the dough, keeping a  border of roughly 2 inches.  Sprinkle the walnuts on the goat cheese mixture and top with a layer of pear slices.

 

Fold the edges of the dough up on to the pear slices, slip a few extra pear slices under the crust or in any bare spots at this time.  Gently brush the dough with a bit of water or melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.  The galette is done when the crust has turned a light golden brown.  Let the galette cool at least 30 minutes before serving.



Overall, I was pretty happy with how the galette turned out.  The crust was soft and somewhat flakey and the pears, goat cheese, and walnuts complemented each other nicely.  This is a great dessert for anyone who likes fruit and cheese plates or more savory flavors.  

I think the desert could have been improved with a touch more sugar on the crust and something to make the pears a little less dry.  I am glad I took the plunge and made my own pastry dough.  Now that I have, I look forward to gaining more expertise in this arena.    

Ingredient 28 – Tomatillos

First off let me express my apologies for the lateness of this post.  Dave and I moved to new digs last weekend and the packing, moving, and unpacking has monopolized my life for the last few weeks.  I would like to say that things are now back to normal, but they aren’t.  We are heading back to the Midwest for a wedding and family visits next weekend.  However, after said trip I am expecting to fall into my normal cooking and posting routine.

Now on to tomatillos, the main ingredient in salsa verde.  I made the batch pictured below about a week before before I moved.  The preparation was pretty simple and the end result was ridiculously delicious.  To be fair, I love Southwestern, Latin American, and Mexican food more than the average bear, so my opinion is a bit biased.

Tomatillos, Physalis philadelphica, are nightshades native to Mexico.  When ripe, they range in color from green or greenish purple to yellow and red.  Tomatillos come into season in late summer or early fall.  When selecting, look for tomatillos that are firm but not rock hard.  The husk surrounding the fruit can be broken but should be more or less still on the fruit.  You can store tomatillos at room temperature for a few days or in a loosely tied plastic bag in the fridge for up to two weeks.        

Salsa Verde
Adapted from Simply Recipes
1 and 1/2 pounds tomatillos
1/2 a white onion
1 3/4 oz package of cilantro
2 jalapeño peppers
1 lime
1 tsp sugar



Begin by lining your broiler pan with aluminum foil and setting the broiler to high.  While the broiler is warming, remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse off the sticky coating on the fruit.  The sticky coating comes from the tomatillos high pectin content.

   
Next, slice the fruit in half and place it cut side down on the lined broiler sheet.  Broil for approximately 6 minutes.  While the tomatillos are roasting, deseed and roughly chop the jalapenos and roughly chop the onion.

 

When you remove the tomatillos from the broiler, the skin should be slightly blackened.



While the tomatillos are cooling, rinse the cilantro and remove the stems.  Place the cilantro, pepper, onion, sugar, and tomatillos in a food processor or blender.  Juice the lime into the food processor or blender.  You can use a strainer if you want to ensure that none of the flesh ends up in the mix, but this isn’t necessary.



Cover and pulse for a minute or two.  The salsa is ready to go when all the the ingredients are finely chopped and well mixed.  Plate and serve with crispy tortilla chips.  I prefer Xochitl or Tostitos Cantina Style.

As I noted previously, this salsa was fantastic.  I could have eaten it with a spoon.  It was so fresh and full of flavor, but not way too spicy.  If you prefer more heat, consider throwing in another pepper.  This is a great take along for any party or bbq.    

Benziger Family Winery

By Julia

When Katie asked me to write a piece about wine for her blog I immediately thought about Benziger Family Winery. Katie and her husband joined me on a tasting tour around California wine country last summer and this was our unanimous favorite winery. Benziger is a small production Sonoma wine-maker that has been at the forefront of eco friendly wine making. All of their estate vineyards are certified biodynamic and their non-estate wines are produced from grapes grown in either certified organic or sustainable vineyards.



I was unfamiliar with the distinctions between biodynamic, organic, and sustainable wines until I saw a television program about it a couple of years ago. Sustainable farming is the most basic of these and emphasizes environmentally responsible growing practices which include consideration of soil fertility, pollution of water and soil, soil erosion, the use of pesticides, and, of course, the quality of the grapes. Wines produced from sustainable vines may or may not be organic. Organic wines are produced from vines that have been farmed without the use systemic fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers. Biodynamic farming is the highest level of holistic viticulture. The concept of biodynamics focuses on transforming the land and the vines into a self-nourishing and self-regulating system to grow grapes. The Benziger estate utilizes “good” insects as a natural insecticide to fight the insects that eat the grapes, sheep in place of herbicides, and cows to produce organic fertilizers.

Now onto the fun stuff, the wine! Whether you care about eco friendly vine growing or not, if you are an appreciator of good wine then you are bound to enjoy what Benziger produces. They offer a range of wines, both red and white, that can fit most budgets and even their lower end wines are more than satisfactory for any occasion. Being a small production winery, their estate wines are unfortunately sold only through Benziger. Fortunately for those of us not lucky enough to live in Sonoma, they have a wine club through which you can access their amazing catalogue of wines. I have chosen a few of my favorites in varying price ranges.

1. Tribute (certified biodynamic, $80): This is a predominantly cabernet red blend. Tribute ranks at the top of my list of spectacular reds that I have been lucky enough to sample in my life. This is a monster red without being harsh or overwhelming with tannins (the element of grape skins and stems which give wine its dry texture and flavor). If you like really big, complex, sophisticated reds then you will love this one.



2. Signaterra “West Rows” Chardonnay (certified organic, $32): I am not a drinker of chardonnay. I find them to mostly be too sweet and buttery and generally unpleasant, so I like to think it says something that this is the only bottle of chardonnay I came back with from California wine country. It is light and fruity without being too sweet or dense.



3. Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon (certified sustainable, $20): Benziger makes this cab as well as a certified sustainable merlot ($18) which are more affordable and very easily accessible. I can even pick them up at my local wine shop in the middle of nowhere and I have seen them at every Whole Foods I have been to. While neither is as impressive as some of their more pricey wines, they are both great examples of what a basic cabernet or merlot should be. These are my go-to wines when I feel like something a bit nicer than I would normally drink but don’t want to blow a huge amount of money on a single bottle.



Benziger was also featured on James May and Oz Clarke’s BBC program Oz and James’s Big Wine Adventure. It is a highly entertaining and delightfully British show that I HIGHLY recommend to anybody interested in learning more about wine while laughing at two hilarious, middle-aged English blokes.

You can find the Benziger episode on YouTube, as well as the full first and second seasons of the program.
If you are interested in learning more about Benziger and biodynamic farming or signing up for their wine club, I recommend visiting their website at www.benziger.com.

Ingredient 27 - Heirloom Tomatoes

If you have been to a farmer’s market in the last week or so you probably noticed that every vendor has heirloom tomatoes. I bought some last week, figuring it was time to learn what makes heirloom tomatoes different from the typical grocery store tomato.  Heirloom tomatoes are tomatoes whose seeds are passed from grower to grower; they are not hybrids. There are roughly one hundred varieties of heirloom tomatoes, each differing in shape, size, and color.  Grown for their flavor, heirloom tomatoes have a shorter shelf life than their commercially grown counterparts.  Heirlooms are in season from the middle of summer through early fall.

When selecting heirloom tomatoes, look for plump fruit lacking bruises and decay.  Heirloom tomatoes are susceptible to cracking, but cracks are fine so long as they have healed, no exposed flesh.

Tortellini with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Whole Foods
Serves 2-3
1 package tortellini -  I used pork, prosciutto, and parmesan. 
2 pounds heirloom tomatoes
1 .75 oz package fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 tbp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Graded parmesan cheese for garnish



Begin by cooking the tortellini according to the directions on the package. While the water is coming to a boil, dice the garlic and roughly chop the basil. Next core and chop the heirloom tomatoes. To core, slice the tomato into halves or quarters and cut out the meat that sits directly below the stem. In my tomatoes, the core was fibrous and not very juicy.



Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (medium heat) and add the garlic, cooking until lightly browned. Add the tomatoes and a dash of salt and pepper, cook for 2 to 3 minutes.  Turn off the heat and add the basil and cooked tortellini to the pan.  Gently stir contents until pasta and tomatoes are mixed.  Plate and garnish with parmesan cheese. 



I really liked the simplicity of this dish.  It came together in less than 30 minutes and tasted wonderfully fresh.  I think this is an excellent and easy upgrade to my standby meal of frozen pasta and jarred sauce.
  
With one successful heirloom tomato dish under my belt I am eyeing more complicated recipes.  At the top of my list, Joy the Baker’s Heirloom Tomato Tart, it looks amazing.

Ingredient 26 - Cherries

I love eating sweet cherries and am sad that they only show up in the stores in the heart of summer.  When in season, I buy a big bag every week and take some for lunch everyday.  I do this until I can't stand to look at another cherry.

However, last week I decided it was time to actually make a dish that featured cherries.  I considered making a pie but that felt too cliché.  So I made a hearty salad that is great for lunch or dinner, or both.

Kale and Chicken Brown Rice Salad with Cherries
Adapted from Saveur
Serves 4 to 6
Dressing:
1 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
½ tbp sugar
1 clove garlic
A pinch of salt and black pepper, less than 1/2 a teaspoon

1 cup cooked brown rice
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
8 oz can artichoke hearts
2 cups kale
½ cup slivered almonds
2 cups cherries, pitted and halved

Start by cooking up the brown rice, follow the directions on the package.  1/2 cup of uncooked rice yielded roughly 1 and 1/4 cups of cooked rice.  While the rice is cooking, pound and cook the chicken breasts.  Saveur did not provide an advice for seasoning the chicken so I sprinkled on some Cookies Seasoning before cooking the breasts in butter and olive oil (medium-high heat).  For those not from Iowa, Cookies seasoning is a mix of salt, black pepper, and chili powder.



The breasts should take between 10 to 15 minutes to cook.  Once cooked, set the chicken aside to cool and start preparing the cherries.  I used this salad as an excuse to buy a cherry pitter.  You can use a paring knife to cut and pit the cherries if you don't want to buy another kitchen tool.  Be warned, pitter or not, your hands will get covered in cherry juice. 



Next, wash and dry the kale.  Remove the stems and cut the remaining leaves into thin strips. Drain and rinse the canned artichokes and cut them into quarters.  When the chicken has cooled, cut it into bite sized pieces. 



To make the dressing, place the basil, garlic, olive oil, sugar, salt, pepper, and lemon juice into a food processor or blender.  Pulse or blend until fully combined and season with salt and pepper.



Assemble the salad in a large bowl.  Toss the rice, chicken, and kale in the dressing.  Gently stir in the cherries, artichokes, and almonds.  Plate and enjoy, this salad needs no accompaniments, it is perfect on its own.