Christmas Stollen with Marzipan

The title of this post is a bit of a mouthful, I know. But I didn’t want you to think this was just any old stollen. First, I baked this stollen in honor of the Bon Appetit holiday bake-off and party, which I was super thrilled to be asked to participate in. Second, I think that this stollen has lots going for it. Candied fruit, tons of butter, marzipan, and a delicious almond-rum filling. Some of you may be asking, “But what is stollen, anyway??” Well, I’m here to tell you. Stollen is a German yeasted sweetbread-cake thingy that is traditionally served for Christmas. It was apparently invented in Dresden, Germany, and is said to resemble the baby Jesus in his swaddling clothes. (I’m not so sure about how much my stollen resembled the baby Jesus, but it makes me giggle a little bit.)  Sometimes stollen has a yummy rope of marzipan hidden in the center (I loooove marzipan), sometimes not. It almost always has candied citrus peel (e.g., candied orange, lemon, and citron), candied cherries, and raisins. And some form of booze – usually rum, but sometimes brandy or cognac.

Find yourself some high-quality candied and dried fruit – if you can, try not to use supermarket brands of candied fruit (unless you have access to a really, really good supermarket with really, really good candied fruit). This is not to be snobbish but because the candied and dried fruit form the flavor base of the stollen. You could make your own candied peel using this Bon Appetit recipe. You can even make your own marzipan if you’re feeling really ambitious. Also – I didn’t use my stand mixer for the dough; I mixed and kneaded everything by hand. (It doesn’t take very long to make the stollen dough by hand, just a bit more effort in kneading.) I did use a stand mixer for the frangipane filling.

My stollen is based on several recipes all mashed together. The first is from an old-ish German cookbook that I found in a yard sale (and that smells, deliciously, of 50 year old stale cigarettes) from 1969 called The Cooking of Germany. It’s a Time-Life book from their series “Foods of the World,” favorite classics of mine. The second is the Luchow’s German Cookbook, originally printed in 1952. Luchow’s was a famous New York City restaurant opened in 1882. (No, it’s not a Chinese restaurant – there are supposed to be umlauts over the “u”, but I’m too lazy to add them in. I’ve baked a lot of stollen over the last couple of days, OK? I’m tired.) Finally, I used elements of Richard Bertinet’s recipe, which can be found here.

It’s common to “age” stollen, wrapped tightly, for a couple of weeks before Christmas. I think this recipe won’t last for more than 5-6 days at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap. You can also freeze your stollen for up to 3 months, but freezing may affect the texture a bit (i.e., it will likely get a bit dry). Stale stollen can be toasted and spread with (even more) butter.

Lastly, just know that making stollen is an all-day project (or at least a half-day project) due to the various risings that the dough needs to go through.

Ingredients:
Makes 4 medium-sized stollen

For the Stollen Dough:
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried currants
1 cup mixed candied citrus peel (I used equal amounts of candied citron, orange, and lemon peel)
1/2 cup candied cherries, quartered (if your cherries are really syrup-y, rinse them in cold water first)
1/2 cup golden rum
1/4 cup lukewarm water
Two 1/4-oz. packages active dry yeast (I used Red Star brand)
1/2 cup plus a pinch of granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon peel
5 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup (one and a half sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small bits and softened
1 cup blanched slivered almonds
1 tablespoon butter, melted

For the Rum Frangipane:
1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup finely-ground almond meal or almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill brand)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons golden rum

To Assemble and Fill the Stollen:
Rum Frangipane filling (see above)
14 oz. marzipan, cut into small chunks
1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

For the Glaze and Topping:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons golden rum
Confectioners sugar

Procedure:

For the Stollen Dough:

1. At least an hour before you start baking: Combine the raisins, currants, candied citrus peels, and candied cherries in a medium bowl. Pour the rum over the fruit, tossing to coat. Soak for an hour, and up to 2 hours.
2. Pour the lukewarm water into a small bowl and sprinkle with the yeast and a pinch of sugar, stirring gently to combine. Let the mixture stand in a warm place for 5 minutes or so, or until the mixture gets frothy and doubles in volume.
3. Meanwhile, drain the fruit mixture and reserve the rum. Pat the fruit dry using paper towels. Place the fruit into a clean medium bowl and toss evenly with the 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Set aside.
4. In a heavy medium saucepan, combine the milk, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, and the salt. Heat over medium heat to lukewarm (110-115 degrees), stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and stir in the reserved rum, the vanilla extract, the almond extract, and the fresh lemon peel.
5. Add the yeast mixture to the milk mixture, stirring gently to combine.
6. Measure 5 cups of the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the yeast-milk mixture with a fork, about a cup at a time.
7. Beat the eggs with a balloon whisk until frothy. Stir them into the dough.
8. Using a wooden spoon, work in the bits of softened butter several tablespoons at a time. The dough will be very wet and buttery.
9. Spread your counter top or work board with the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Flour your hands lightly, gather the dough into a loose ball, and place on the floured board. Knead the dough for 15 minutes, flouring your hands from time to time if necessary, until the dough is smooth and elastic. (The dough will be uniform in texture, all of the butter and flour will be incorporated, and it will feel very smooth to the touch.)
10. Add the slivered almonds to the reserved fruit mixture and toss briefly to combine.
11. Flatten the dough into a rectangle shape (the actual size is not important) and press in half of the almond-fruit mixture. Fold the dough over onto itself and again press out into a rectangular shape. Press in the remaining half of the almond-fruit mixture. Knead the dough very briefly to distribute the fruit and almonds. (Don’t knead for too long or the dough will discolor.)
12. Coat a deep bowl or rising container with melted butter. Add the dough to the bowl. Brush the top of the dough with additional melted butter. Drape a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) over the bowl and let rise in a warm spot for about 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in bulk.

For the Rum Frangipane:

1. Combine butter and sugar in a stand mixer (or using an electric mixer) on medium speed until pale and fluffy.
2. Add the almond meal/flour and mix until incorporated.
3. Mix in all-purpose flour, then add eggs and rum. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and creamy.
4. Set mixture aside in a cool spot (do not refrigerate) until ready.

To Assemble and Fill the Stollen:

1. Lightly flour a work board or counter top. Cut the dough into four equal pieces. Let rest for 10 minutes.
2. With your fingertips, shape the dough into rectangles approximately 9 inches by 6 inches.
3. Spread the rum frangipane filling onto each rectangle, leaving an inch border all the way around. Sprinkle each dough rectangle with the bits of marzipan.
4. Fold the stollen: bring one long side of the dough rectangle to the center and press the edge down lightly. Then carefully fold the other side over to the center of the rectangle, overlapping the seam down the center by about an inch. (Like a letter.) Press the edges gently. Lightly flour your hands and taper the ends of each loaf sightly, pinching gently to seal the ends of the dough. Don’t worry if some of the filling seeps out a bit – just wipe off with your fingertips.
5. Brush two 11-by-17 inch sheet pans with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Gently transfer two loaves of stollen to each sheet pan, leaving at least 4 inches between the loaves. Brush the loaves with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon melted butter.
6. Set the loaves aside in a warm place for about an hour, or until almost doubled in bulk. (You do not need to cover the loaves with a towel if you buttered them in step 5, above.)

To Bake, Glaze, and Top the Stollen:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the breads, switching positions of the pans halfway through baking, 35-40 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
2. Make the glaze: Just before the stollen loaves finish baking, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the rum.
3. Take the stollen out of the oven and immediately brush with the melted butter-rum glaze, then thickly dust with sifted confectioners sugar.
4. Cool stollen completely on a wire wrack.

Muffin-Tin Cherry Pies

I wanted a pie version of the cupcake. That is to say, a portable, easy to eat in a couple of bites, cute-as-a-button version of a slice of pie. I didn’t think that little pie tins would allow easy release of said imaginary mini-pie, so I decided to use a muffin tin. Now, I’m not going to lie. Assembling these little tiny pies is a bit of an ordeal. But in the end, you will be rewarded with little, tiny pies that are absolutely perfect for a picnic. I am going to try blueberry or peach mini-pies next.

I used King Arthur Flour’s Mellow Pastry Blend, and I have to say that I’m going to find it hard to go back to using regular all-purpose flour in my pie crusts – the pastry flour made such a difference in the flakiness and tenderness of the crust, even after re-rolling the scraps several times.  A little pie-dough making tutorial is here.  Also – don’t be tempted to substitute sweet cherries for the sour cherries. While sweet cherries are delicious in pies, no doubt, there is no substitute for the tart zinginess of sour cherries. Combined with the flaky buttery-ness of the crust, you’ll be in heaven. Topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream….don’t even get me started.

Ingredients:
(Makes 12 mini-pies)

For the crust:
2 1/2 cups pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and well-chilled
6-8 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:
3 cups sour cherries, washed, stemmed, and pitted
3/4 cup raw or granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Special Equipment: Food processor, 12-cup muffin tin, 4-inch biscuit or other cutter, 3-inch biscuit or other cutter

Procedure:
For the crust:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse once or twice to blend.
2. Add the butter and pulse several times, or until the the mixture has a course, sandy texture but still has chunks of fat about the size of a pea.
3. Add 6 tablespoons of the ice water, and pulse again to combine. Pinch a bit of the dough mixture between your fingers. If it holds together, the dough is ready. If not, add additional tablespoons of ice water, one tablespoon at a time. The dough will not form a ball (you will do that later).
4. Dump the mixture on a large piece of parchment or wax paper and divide the pile roughly in half. Combine each half of the dough bits into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Roll the disks’ sides on the counter to smooth (this will keep your dough from forming cracks when you roll it out).
5. Wrap each dough disk in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray, or lightly butter each muffin cup.

For the filling:

1. Combine the pitted cherries, the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl. Stir gently to combine.

To assemble and bake:

1. After the dough has chilled in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, take one dough disk out.
2. Roll out to 12-inches in diameter (I roll my dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper to make life a little bit easier).
3. Cut out as many 4-inch circles as you can, then re-roll the scraps and cut additional circles until you have 12. If it is very hot in your kitchen, you may have to periodically refrigerate your dough to keep it from sticking. (Note: if you don’t have enough dough with the first disk to make 12 four-inch circles – it’s OK. You can use the second dough disk to finish making the rest.)
4. Fit each 4-inch dough disk into the muffin cups, gently fitting the dough into the corners of each cup. Refrigerate the muffin tin while you roll the remaining dough.
5. Take the remaining dough disk out of the refrigerator. Roll to 12-inches in diameter.
6. Cut out as many 3-inch circles as you can, then re-roll the scraps and cut out additional circles until you have 12. Refrigerate the dough disks if they become too soft to work with.
7. Remove the dough-lined muffin tin from the refrigerator. Spoon in the prepared filling (I used a size 40 ice cream scoop).
8. Top each cup with a disk of dough. As best you can, pinch together the top and the bottom dough disks. (I just sort of gently pushed them together as best I could.)
9. Cut vents in the top of the dough with a sharp knife.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the crust is golden brown.
11. Cool completely on a wire rack. Run a flexible, sharp knife around the sides of the muffin tin to release your mini-pies.

Winter Vegetable Crostata with Goat Cheese and Thyme

March is so hard. Here in Brooklyn, the weather is starting to warm up, making me think about strawberries, asparagus, ramps, garlic scapes, peas, favas – argh!  Did I mention I’m sick of winter? I’m making lemonade out of lemons here by continuing to celebrate winter’s bounty – yams and winter squash and beets and Jerusalem artichokes and onions, sprinkled with thyme, green onions, and goat cheese, and all baked into a buttery crust. Maybe I’m not ready to say goodbye to winter after all. (OK, that was a lie, I’m totally ready.)

This is one of those recipes that is infinitely adaptable. You could add (or subtract) any number of seasonal vegetables. A couple of thinly sliced and sauteed mushrooms would be nice. Chopped and lightly sauteed cabbage or kale would be good. Marjoram or oregano instead of thyme would be lovely. Roasted potatoes would be delicious. Shallots or garlic would be a tasty addition. Acorn squash instead of kabocha would be delectable. I’m running out of adjectives – but you get the idea. If you can’t get your hands on a good aged balsamic vinegar, you can reduce a cheaper balsamic in a small saucepan for a few minutes until a bit more syrupy.

Serve small wedges as an appetizer or side dish (with roast chicken maybe?), or serve larger slices as a main dish, perhaps with a nice little green salad.

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

Use the basic one-crust pie dough recipe here.
(You can add a bit of whole-wheat pastry flour to the basic recipe if you like.)

For the Filling:

1 small kabocha squash, seeded and cut into eighths or 1 small yam, cut into bit-sized chunks (or use both!)
1 medium red onion, peeled (root left intact) and cut into quarters
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
5-6 small beets, washed and long roots trimmed
Leaves from 2 thyme sprigs
1 large Jerusalem artichoke, scrubbed well and sliced very thin using a mandoline or Japanese slicer
2 green onions (white and green parts), sliced on the bias
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Aged balsamic vinegar, for serving

It's a vegetable rainbow - vegetables for the crostata

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. On a large baking sheet, toss the squash or yam (or both) and the red onion chunks with the extra virgin olive oil, a generous pinch of salt, and a few grindings of black pepper. Wrap the beets in tinfoil.
3. Roast the squash (or yams), the onions, and the beets until tender. The squash and the onions will take between 35-40 minutes (depending on how thick you’ve cut them), while the beets (depending on their size) may take up to an hour and 15 minutes or longer.
4. Remove the vegetables from the oven as soon as they are tender. Cool to room temperature.
5. Peel the squash, if using, and chop the flesh into bite-sized chunks. Separate the onions into “petals”. Peel and slice the beets.
6. Turn up the oven to 425ºF. Line a large baking sheet with a silpat or with parchment paper.
7. Roll out the dough to 13-inches in diameter. In the center of the dough disk, layer the squash, red onions, sliced beets, Jerusalem artichokes, and green onion slices, scattering thyme leaves, goat cheese chunks, and a sprinkling of kosher salt between layers of vegetables.
8. Bring the dough up over the vegetables, creating large folds as you go (it doesn’t have to be terribly exact – this is a rustic tart, after all) leaving an open space in the middle.
9. Transfer crostata to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and the goat cheese is brown in places and bubbly.
10. Grind a bit of black pepper over the crostata. Cut into wedges, and drizzle the vegetable part of the tart with the balsamic vinegar.

King Cake for Mardi Gras

One of my closest friends is from New Orleans, and last year we made King Cake together to celebrate Mardi Gras. She has since moved to Seattle, but I miss her and thought that I’d make King Cake again this year, in honor of her and of New Orleans. King Cake is basically a type of brioche, usually iced and decorated with sugar in the colors of Mardi Gras (green, purple, and gold). My friend, being a King Cake purist, refused to entertain the idea of stuffing the cake with what are apparently now-common fillings like cream cheese, and I have to say that I think she’s right – the cake is sweet, rich, and delicious enough without the addition of heavy fillings. She proclaimed our version New Orleans-y and I believed her – given the fact that I’d never had a King Cake before!

Since the 1930s, a New Orleans tradition has been to insert a baby doll trinket into the cake as a representation of the baby Jesus or, as some report, simply because one New Orleans bakery accidentally received an impossibly large shipment of tiny plastic baby dolls. Other traditional items put into the cake for good luck include pecans and beans. If you want to insert a bean, pecan, or especially a plastic baby doll, do it after the cake has baked and cooled.

This recipe is adapted from one on Fabulous Foods.

Happy Mardi Gras!

King cake before icing and sugaring commenced

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 tablespoons instant yeast
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 teaspoons (divided)
1/2 cup warm water (110ºF)
4 cups all purpose flour (plus potentially more for the dough)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons kosher salt
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup milk, warmed slightly
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons cinnamon

For the egg wash:
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk

For the icing and topping:
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3-4 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Purple, gold, and green colored sugar

Special Equipment: A stand mixer

Procedure:

For the cake:

1. Combine yeast, 2 teaspoons sugar, and warm water in a small bowl. Set bowl in a warm place until the mixture starts to bubble up and doubles in volume, about 10 minutes. (Discard mixture and start over if yeast doesn’t bubble. Sorry!)
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, lemon zest, nutmeg, and kosher salt together. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast mixture, egg yolks, remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, and warm milk. Using the dough hook, gradually add the flour mixture, then the softened butter until combined. Knead dough, adding flour a tablespoon at a time (if necessary) until the dough is smooth, shiny, elastic, and pulls away from the sides of the mixer bowl – about 10 minutes.
4. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and transfer dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
5. Butter a large baking sheet, or line the baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.
6. Punch down dough. Give it a good punch or two; it feels kind of good. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon and form into a cylinder, transfer the cylinder to the baking sheet, then twist the cylinder into a circle. Pinch the ends of the circle together to seal completely.
7. Loosely cover the dough with oiled plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft free place to rise again; about 45 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375ºF. Combine the 1 tablespoon milk and the beaten egg for the egg wash.
9. Brush sides and top of the cake with egg wash. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown on top. If it begins to over brown, cover with tinfoil.
10. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Forming the king cake ring

For the icing and topping:

1. Combine the sifted confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and water until the mixture is smooth. Add more water or lemon juice if the mixture is too thick.
2. Spread icing on the cake and immediately sprinkle the colored sugar on the cake in alternating rows.

1) It helps to have a large baking stone in your oven. We keep our stone on the bottom of the oven at all times The stone helps to regulate the temperature of the oven, even when not cooking pizza. It’s also pretty, pretty good to cook bread and pita on.

2) Preheat your oven for at least an hour. We usually preheat the oven for 2 hours (if you can stand the extreme heat in your kitchen!) to ensure a super hot oven. Our oven will reach temperatures of about 600°F or slightly higher, which I think is pretty hot for a very basic, unfancy gas oven.

3) If you want to get serious about pizza making, invest in a pizza peel.  A peel is the wooden paddle-like thing that pizza makers use to transfer the pizza to the oven. We have a comically large pizza peel that we got at a restaurant supply store, but I’ve seen smaller versions designed for the home kitchen. (Note: You only really need a pizza peel if you’re going to invest in a baking stone. The two go hand-in-hand.)

4) Let your dough rest in the refrigerator at least overnight, and for up to three days. If you must have pizza immediately, you can leave it out on the counter and let it rise for an hour or two, but the flavor of the dough really develops nicely if you let it sit for longer in the fridge. Also make sure that your dough isn’t cold when you start to form the pizzas. Take it out of the fridge at least an hour before pizza making commences. Our dough recipe is adapted from one found in Food & Wine.

5) Finally, don’t put too much topping/sauce in the center of the pizza. It tends to get a little soggy and floppy.

Homemade Pizza with Fresh Basil

The dough and sauce recipes will make 4-5 medium-sized pizzas, 10-12 inches in diameter.

Ingredients:

For the dough:
One 1/4-ounce (7 gram) package instant yeast
2 cups warm water (divided)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting the counter and peel, and potentially more to add to the dough)
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil

For the sauce:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
One 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed well with your hands
Red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Topping suggestions:
Fresh mozzarella
Fresh ricotta
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Asiago cheese
Green chilies (such as Serrano)
Prosciutto
Mushrooms
Truffle oil
Garlic or Garlic scapes (in the spring)
Fresh basil
Whatever your little heart desires

Procedure:

For the Dough:

1. Mix the yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water (about 110ºF) and the sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes, until the mixture is foamy. (If it doesn’t foam, throw it all away and start again. Sorry!)
2. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups of warm water, 4 1/2 cups flour, and salt and stir until dough forms.
3. Knead in a stand mixer (using the dough hook) for 7-8 minutes on medium-low speed, or until the dough pulls away from the bowl and doesn’t feel terribly sticky to the touch. You may need to add more flour halfway through mixing – this is a pretty forgiving dough, so don’t stress. (Essentially, you want to be able to stick your finger on the surface of the dough and not have a ton of it stick to you.) Add a tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you want.  Alternatively, knead by hand for 10 minutes (or more) on a lightly floured board.
4. Grease a large bowl with extra virgin olive oil. Be fairly generous with your greasing. Put the dough in the bowl and turn to ensure that all sides of the dough are coated in the oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap.
5. Let the dough rise for at least an hour, or preferably stick the covered bowl in the fridge overnight, or for as long as 3 days.

For the Sauce:

1. Put the garlic and olive oil in a medium pot and heat to medium-high. Cook and stir the garlic for a minute or two, or until it has turned a nice gold color (but hasn’t, under any circumstances, turned brown).
2. Add the crushed tomatoes, a generous pinch of salt, a few grindings of pepper, and a dash of red pepper flakes.
3. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn the heat down to medium low.
4. Simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the sauce is fairly thick.
5. Using a potato masher, a hand (stick) blender, or the back of a wooden spoon, mash any large chunks of tomatoes – you should have a thick, just-barely chunky mixture. Taste and correct for salt.

To Assemble and Bake the Pizzas:

1. Remove the lower rack of the oven if you are using a pizza stone. This will make it easier to get the pizza from the pizza peel to the pizza stone, if you’re using them. An hour or two before you want to make your pizza, preheat the oven (with the pizza stone in it, if you’re using) at its very highest temperature – I put it on broil.  Remove the dough from the fridge and let it come to room-ish temperature. (You don’t want it too cold when you start to form the pizzas.)
2. Punch down the dough. That’s right, show the dough who’s boss by giving it a good punch or two. This will deflate any really large air bubbles. Cut off a piece of dough about the size of a softball and roll into a loose ball shape between your palms.
3. If you’re using a pizza peel: Very lightly flour the peel. The key here is to have just enough flour on peel to facilitate the easy slide into the oven but not too much that you get flour all over your pizza stone, because it will burn. You can shape your pizza in several different ways: a) by rolling it out with a rolling pin; b) by stretching it on the pizza peel until you have a rough round-ish shape; c) with practice, you can do what professional pizza makers do and use your fists (rotating in a circular, punch-y motion) to form the dough into a round shape. Keep in mind that the dough will rise quite a bit in the oven, so you don’t want the formed raw pizza to be too thick. If you’re using a pizza peel: Shape the pizza directly on a large cookie sheet or a baking pan using your hands (shaping it with a rolling pin and then transferring it to the cookie sheet is just a huge pain: the only way this might work is if you have one of those huge dough scrapers meant to transfer pie dough).
4. Moving quickly so the dough doesn’t stick to the peel (if you’re using one), top the pizza round with your toppings of choice, leaving about an inch border all the way around so you have a crust to hold on to when you’re eating your pizza. Brush the edges with extra virgin olive oil. If you’re using a pizza peel: Give the peel a shake to see if the pizza is stuck to the bottom of the peel. If it is, add just a tiny bit more flour underneath the pizza so that it will easily release onto the pizza stone. If you’re not using a pizza peel: don’t worry about this business with the flour under your pizza.
5. If you’re using a pizza peel: quickly transfer the pizza from the peel directly to the pizza stone – it’s a flick of the wrist that does the trick. If you’ve got your pizza on a cookie sheet: stick the cookie sheet directly on top of the pizza stone, or on the lowest rack of the oven.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. What we really like is an almost burnt-y crust on the bottom (patches of black), but a golden brown crust on the top.

Everything pizza with mushrooms, basil, prosciutto, ricotta, and mozzarella

Pizza ideas:
White pizza with a kick: One clove garlic, sliced thinly. Fresh mozzarella, sliced. Fresh ricotta. Asiago cheese, grated. Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated. One Serrano chile, sliced thinly. Top formed dough with all ingredients (dollop the ricotta evenly around the pie), a pinch of salt, and a grinding of black pepper. Brush crust with extra virgin olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Mushroom and truffle oil: Tomato sauce. Fresh mozzarella, sliced. Fresh mushrooms (I like cremini), sliced. Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated. A tiny drizzle of truffle oil. Top formed dough with all ingredients, a pinch of salt, and a grinding of black pepper. Brush crust with extra virgin olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Pork & cheese: Tomato sauce. 2-3 slices prosciutto, shredded with your fingers. Fresh mozzarella, sliced. Parmegiano-Reggiano, grated. Top formed dough with all ingredients, a tiny pinch of salt (don’t forget: prosciutto is salty), and a grinding of black pepper. Brush crust with extra virgin olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Top with leaves of fresh basil (or arugula would be nice, for a tricolore).

Mmmmm....prosciutto on a pizza

If you don’t have leftover turkey, use the equivalent amount of poached chicken or good-quality store-bought rotisserie chicken. If you poach your own chicken, you can use the poaching broth as the base of your pot-pie gravy.

Serves at least 8.

Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients:

For Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Large pinch of salt (kosher)
1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter (I like cultured butter), chilled and cut into cubes
3-4 tablespoons ice water

For Filling:

2 cups cooked turkey (or chicken), cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
3 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch half-moons (about 1 cup)
5 small (or one large) potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch chunks (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup finely chopped kale (or other greens) (optional)
1/2 cup frozen peas or edamame (optional)
1 small shallot, finely chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
1/2 small onion, finely chopped (about 4 tablespoons)
1 small rib celery, finely chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped (or substitute dried thyme)
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups chicken or turkey stock or broth
1/3 cups milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Special Equipment: One 8- or 9-inch deep dish pie dish or casserole (4-5 quarts)

Procedure:

Make the Crust:

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients and add to the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse just until the mixture has a course, sandy texture. Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time, and continue pulsing. Stop adding water when the dough just comes together (you may not need to add all of the ice water).
2. Remove the dough from the food processor and pat together to form a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk shape, then roll the disk’s sides on the counter to smooth (this will keep your dough from forming cracks when you roll it out).
3. Wrap the dough disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a half an hour before rolling.

Make the Filling:

1. Put the potatoes in a small saucepan and just barely cover with cold water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Boil gently for 5-8 minutes, or until the potatoes are just starting to soften, but still have a bit of a bite. Drain well and add to pie dish.
2. Bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the carrots and cook until they have just started to soften, but still have a bite, about 5 minutes. Drain well and add to the pie dish.
3. Add the optional kale to the boiling chicken stock, and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Drain well and add to the pie dish.
4. Add the optional peas or edamame to the boiling chicken stock, and cook until just thawed, about 1 minute. Drain well and add to the pie dish.
5. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, onions, shallot, celery, and thyme. Cook and stir until the onions, shallot, and celery are softened, about 8 minutes. Do not let brown.
6. Sprinkle the flour over the butter mixture, and stir well. The mixture will form a mass. Continue stirring the mass for about 2 minutes. Do not let brown. (p.s., you just made a roux!)
7. Add the hot chicken stock, and using a whisk, whisk the mixture together until most of the lumps have disappeared, taking care to drag your whisk around the corners of the pan. Bring to a boil.
8. Continue whisking and add the milk. Cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
9. Add the chicken to the vegetable mixture in the dish, and pour the gravy over the mixture. Stir gently to combine. Let cool at least 30 minutes. (Otherwise, the dough topping will become soggy due to trapped steam.)

To Finish the Assembly:

1. Preheat the oven to 400º.
2. Roll out the dough dish to about 12 inches. Top your pie dish with the filling inside it with the disk of dough.
3. Cut the edges of the dough with a pair of kitchen scissors so you have about an inch of overhang of dough over the rim of the pie dish.
4. Tuck the edges of the dough under itself, and flute the dough. (Pinch a little bit of dough with the thumb and forefinger of one hand, then poke the forefinger of the other hand into the dough in between your other two fingers.) Or use the tines of a fork to press the dough into the edge of the pie plate.
5. Cut steam vents into the top of the pie crust with a very sharp paring knife. You can re-roll the dough scraps and make little decorative cutouts (I made little leaves) using a cookie cutter or a sharp knife. If you want to do this, brush the dough with a little water so the decorations stick to the top crust.
6. Put the pie on a cookie sheet and bake for about 55 minutes, or until the crust is a nice golden brown color. If the edges start to over-brown, cover the edges with foil and continue baking.
7. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Unhusked Ground Cherries

Husked Ground Cherries

Which takes us to the second part of the title of this recipe: “clafoutis.” Sometimes spelled “clafouti” (and that is how it’s pronounced – the “s” is silent), it is sort of like a cross between a custard and a cake, and in the case of this recipe, a soufflé. (Am I scaring you? Don’t be afraid.) Normally clafoutis are a bit denser than the recipe I’m going to give you below, which is an adaptation from the lovely Chez Panisse Café Cookbook by the lovely Alice Waters. This recipe calls for separating the eggs, beating the sugar with the eggs first, and then folding the egg whites into the finished batter. It makes the clafoutis a little bit puffier and lighter in texture. It’s nice.

You could substitute frozen cherries for the ground cherries if they’re too hard to find. I wonder if tomatillos would work in a pinch? I made the clafoutis in five 3-inch ramekins, but you could make it in a larger soufflé or baking dish if you like.

Special equipment: a small baking dish or cake pan, five 3-inch ramekins

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

For the ground cherries:
3/4 pound ground cherries, de-husked and rinsed
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Butter for greasing the baking dish or cake pan

For the clafoutis batter:
2 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy cream
Pinch of salt
Butter for greasing the ramekins

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Grease a small baking pan or cake pan large enough to hold all of the ground cherries in a single layer.
3. Combine the ground cherries, 1/3 cup sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in the greased baking pan.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the ground cherries are soft and the sugar has dissolved.
5. Drain the ground cherries, reserving any syrup remaining. Turn the oven up to 375°.
6. Lightly grease the ramekins with butter. Distribute the ground cherries evenly among the ramekins.
7. Combine the egg yolks and the 3 tablespoons sugar, and whisk together until the mixture lightens in color and looks creamy.
8. Stir in the flour, vanilla, and heavy cream and whisk until just combined.
9. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), combine the egg whites and a pinch of salt. Mix on medium-high speed until the whites reach the soft peak stage (when you lift the whisk out of the egg white mixture, the whites will form a peak that sort of droops over).
10. Add a couple tablespoons (you don’t have to measure, just estimate) of the egg whites to the batter and gently fold in to lighten; then gently but thoroughly fold in the remaining egg whites.
11. Divide the batter evenly among the ramekins.
12. Put the ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until the clafoutis have browned and puffed up. (They will deflate as they cool.)
13. Serve warm with a drizzle of the warm reserved syrup on top. A little powdered sugar would look nice, too.

Photo by Libby Batten

For Crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
Large pinch of salt (kosher)
1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter (I like cultured butter), chilled and cut into cubes
1/2 cup fresh lard (not hydrogenated lard), chilled and cut into cubes
5-6 tablespoons ice water

For Filling:
9-10 granny smith apples (or other pie apples), about 7 cups, peeled and sliced into wedges about 1/8 inch thick
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup boiled cider
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

For Topping:
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg white, lightly beaten, or water

Special Equipment: 9-inch pie plate

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Make the Crust:

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients and add to the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and the lard, and pulse just until the mixture has a course, sandy texture. Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time, and continue pulsing. Stop adding water when the dough just comes together (you may not need to add all of the ice water).
2. Remove the dough from the food processor and pat together to form a ball. Divide the dough in half and form both halves into a ball. Flatten each ball into a disk shape, then roll the disks’ sides on the counter to smooth (this will keep your dough from forming cracks when you roll it out).
3. Wrap the dough disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a half an hour.

Make the Filling:

1. Briefly heat the boiled cider until just pourable.
2. Combine the apples, nutmeg, cinnamon, cornstarch, sugar, and cider in a large bowl. Toss with your hands to completely coat the apples.

Assemble the Pie:

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the disks of dough to about 12 inches.
2. Gently transfer the dough to the pie plate (you can roll the dough over your rolling pin, then gently unroll it over the pie plate). Gently press the dough into the corners of the pie dish, taking care not to rip the dough. You don’t have to trim the excess dough just yet.
3. Fill the pie with the apples, mounding them in the center of the dish. Dot with the 1 tablespoon butter.


Photo by Libby Batten

4. Roll out the other disk of dough to about 12 inches. Gently transfer the dough to cover the apples. Trim the dough that hangs over the lip of the pie pan to about 1/2 inch (I use kitchen shears for this). Fold the dough rim underneath itself – this will seal the two layers of dough together. The dough lip should be flush with the top of the pie dish.
5. Flute the edges of the dough with your finger (point your finger at the dough, pushing down slightly, then pinch the sides of the dough around your finger) or use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges.
6. Cut slits in the dough top (this will let steam vent), brush the top of the dough with egg white or water, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake the Pie:

1. Place the pie on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 400°, then reduce the temperature to 350° and bake another 40 minutes, or until the top of the pie is golden brown, and the apples are bubbly.
2. If the crust starts to overbrown, cover with strips of tinfoil and continue to bake.