Discontinued? No Problem {Recipe: Bakery Style Honey-Glazed Bran Muffins}

Our local donut shop used to make the best honey bran muffins, but discontinued making them. They were one of my favorites, so I decided to figure out how to make them at home. They are not exactly like the muffins from the donut shop, but they are really good and will satisfy any cravings for them!

Bakery Style Honey-Glazed Bran Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour or unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup oat bran or wheat bran

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon molasses

Honey Glaze:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

6 tablespoons slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Coat the wells of a large (6 well) muffin tin with non-stick baking spray; set aside. In a medium size bowl, whisk together flour, bran, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside. In another medium size bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, oil, honey, and molasses. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until well combined, but be careful not to over mix. 

In a small mixing bowl, stir together the ingredients for the honey glaze, except for the almonds. Distribute the glaze between the muffin wells. Sprinkle a tablespoon of slivered almonds on top of the glaze. Divide the muffin batter on top of the glaze and almonds. 

Place the prepared muffin on baking sheet to catch any glaze that may cook over.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Once the muffins are removed from the oven, loosen around each muffin with a knife (be careful of any baked over glaze, it is HOT!). Place a parchment lined baking sheet or cooling rack* on top of the muffins and careful flip over. The should come right out. If not, tapping the bottom of the muffin tin should help. Remove the muffin tin and if there are any remaining glaze or almonds, scoop them out and put on top of the muffins.  

*The parchment is for easier clean-up. The honey glaze becomes caramelized in the oven and can be hard to remove.

Makes 6 large muffins. 

Note: This recipe would work with a standard 12-well muffin tin, but reduce the baking time to 15-20 minutes. 

Enjoy

Dessert of the Summer {Recipe: Mini Pavlovas for Two}

This is such an easy dessert to make, but looks impressive. It's perfect for summer when fresh in season berries are available, and it doesn't require too hot of an oven. This dessert will be on repeat this summer!

Mini Pavlovas for Two

For meringue:

2 egg whites, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon corn starch

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 white vinegar

Preheat oven to 225ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and cream of tartar in a small mixing bowl; set aside. In a small prep bowl, mix together vanilla and vinegar; set aside.   In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, place the egg whites. Beat the egg white on high until frothy, about 30 seconds. Lower the mixer speed to medium and slowly add the sugar mixture. Increase the mixer speed to high and continue to beat until firm, satiny peaks form; about 10 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and add vanilla mixture. Mix until just combined, about 10 seconds. Using a spoon, divide the meringue into 2 portions onto the prepared baking sheet. Use the back of the spoon to smooth the meringue and create a shallow indentation in the center for filling. Bake for 1 hour. Without opening the oven door, turn the oven off and let the meringues cool in the oven for about 1 hour. 

For whipping cream:

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Place whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. On medium speed, whip until firm and soft peaks form. Be careful not to over mix. 

To assemble pavlovas:

Fill the meringues with about a teaspoon of lemon curd, store-bought or homemade (I like this one: https://www.norinesnest.com/easy-microwave-lemon-curd/), divide the whipped cream between the two meringues, and top with fresh berries.

Enjoy!

Simple Pastries at Home {Recipe: Easy Bostock}

 

Bostock is a French pastry similar to an almond croissant, but made with day-old brioche. Although it can be made with day-old croissants as well.

This recipe is very easy. It can be served for breakfast, brunch or tea and is a nice change from French toast. 

Easy Bostock

Preheat oven to 350ºF

4 thick sliced day-old brioche*, challah, or 2 large day-old croissants sliced in            half. (If not using day-old, bread can be lightly toasted in the oven or toaster.)

1/4 cup vanilla simple syrup

4 tablespoons of your favorite jam

Almond Cream

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Powdered sugar

*I used Trader Joe's Brioche (not an ad, just a fan).

For Vanilla Simple Syrup:

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Pour water and sugar into a small saucepan. Heat over medium low, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add vanilla; let cool. 

For Almond Cream:

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1cup almond flour or meal

1 egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon flour

sliced almonds

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spit croissants in half and place on a parchment lined baking sheet; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and salt. Add almond flour and mix well. Mix in egg and vanilla. Add flour and mix until well combined. 

To assemble Bostock:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush each side of the bread* with vanilla simple syrup; place on prepared baking sheet. Spread a tablespoon of jam on each slice to about a 1/2 inch from the edge of the bread. Cover the jam with about 3 tablespoons of Almond Cream per slice. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the Almond Cream. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate pan, and bake for 10 more minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

*If using croissants, treat each 1/2 as a slice of bread. 

Bon appéti!

Fresh Twist on an Old Favorite {Recipes: Cookie Butter Granola and Cinnamon Apple Yogurt Parfait}

Usually I use cooked apples for making apple yogurt parfait (see http://motheralwaystoldme.blogspot.com/2024/02/better-late-than-never-recipes-graham.html), but this time I decided to try it with raw apples. Using Cookie Butter Granola sounded it would make for a good combo and it is!

Cookie Butter Granola

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (make sure to use gluten free, if needed)
1/2 cup ground flax seed

1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup cookie butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat liner; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the rolled oats and ground flax seed. Set aside

3. In a small sauce pan, heat the cookie butter, honey and water over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Once the mixture is smooth, remove from heat and add vanilla and cinnamon until well incorporated.

4. Pour the cookie butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir until the oat mixture is evenly coated. 

5. Spread the mixture onto the lined baking sheet in an even layer. 

6. Bake at 300°F for 35-45 minutes. After baking for 15 minutes, using a spatula, flip large pieces of the granola over (this promotes getting nice big chunks of granola). Then repeat after 10 minutes. Check the granola again after 10 minutes. If it is starting to get too browned, pull it from the oven. If not, give it another stir and bake it for another 5-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on it too it doesn't over bake. 

7. The granola may be a little soft coming out of the oven. Let it cool completely, uncovered, for at least an hour on the baking sheet. It should crisp up and become crunchy.

 

For Cinnamon Apple Yogurt Parfait:

Chop up 1/2 honeycrisp apple or your favorite apple and place in a small serving container. In a small bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon brown sugar, about 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; add to apple and stir. A splash of maple syrup can be added as well. On top of the apples, add a small container of vanilla yogurt (I like Siggi's because it is not very sweet). Top with Cookie Butter Granola and a Biscoff cookie (optional).
 

Enjoy!

An Oldie but a Goodie {Recipe: Elegant Toffee}

This is a recipe I have been making since the 1980's. I don't recall the where I found the recipe, but it is a family favorite! 

Elegant Toffee

1 cup whole natural almonds

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 12 oz pkg. real milk chocolate pieces

1/2 lb. walnuts (2 generous cups) finely ground

 

1. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Arrange almonds in a single layer over an area measuring 12 x 7 inches; set aside.

2. Combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan.  Cook over high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon till butter is melted.  Continue cooking and stirring for 5 to 7 minutes or until the candy is the color of unblanched almonds.  Immediately  pour candy without, scraping the pan, over the almonds, covering all nuts.  Let candy cool completely.

3. Meanwhile, melt milk chocolate pieces in the top part of a double boiler, over hot (not boiling) water or melt the chocolate in a heavy saucepan over a low heat. (Chocolate can also be melted in the microwave oven in a microwave safe bowl, uncovered, on 100% power (high) for 1 to 2 minutes or till chocolate is soft enough to stir smooth.)

4. Break the toffee into large pieces.  Transfer the top part of the double boiler containing the chocolate (or whichever container used for melting chocolate) to the work surface.  Place ground walnuts in a large bowl near the chocolate.

5. Using a fork, dip each piece of toffee into the melted chocolate, spreading chocolate over the toffee in a thin, even layer. Scrape off excess chocolate with another fork.

Using two forks, coat each piece of chocolate covered toffee very lightly with the ground walnuts.  Place on foil or waxed paper to set.  

6. Once chocolate is set, break toffee into serving size pieces. Store in tightly covered container in the refrigerator.  

Makes 2 lbs. or 25 pieces.

Enjoy!

Bakery Taste at Home {Recipes: Easy Almond Croissants and Easy Hazelnut Pains au Chocolat}

Until recently, I have stayed away from almond croissants because I don't care for the taste of almond extract, which most almond croissants have. While visiting a friend, she served almond croissants from one of her local bakeries that did not taste of almond extract, and they were delicious.  Anyway, I wanted to replicate the croissants my friend served at home, so here is what I came up with.

Easy Almond Croissants

4 day old flaky butter croissants 

For Almond Cream:

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1cup almond flour or meal

1 egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon flour

sliced almonds

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spit croissants in half and place on a parchment lined baking sheet; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and salt. Add almond flour and mix well. Mix in egg and vanilla. Add flour and mix until well combined. Spread 2 tablespoons Almond Cream onto the bottom half of each of the croissants. Replace tops of croissants and spread one tablespoon Almond Cream on top of each filled croissant. Sprinkle each one with sliced almond. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until almonds are golden brown. Place croissants on a cooling rack to cool for a few minutes, then dust with powdered sugar. Almond Croissants are best the day they are baked, but will last a day or two stored at room temperature.

Makes 4 

For Easy Hazelnut Pains au Chocolat:

Follow instructions for Easy Almond Croissants, but substitute hazelnut flour or meal* for almond and day old pains au chocolat for the croissants. 

*Hazelnut flour or meal is harder to find than almond. To make your own, place raw hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350º for until fragrant, about 10-15 minutes. Immediately wrap the hazelnuts in a kitchen towel, let them steam for a minute, then rub vigorously to remove the papery skin. Place toasted hazelnuts into a food processor and process until a flour or fine meal texture is achieved. Be careful not to over process.

Enjoy!

Too Good Not to Share {Recipe: Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken Smash Burgers}

 

This was a spur-of-the-moment dinner with ingredients we had on hand, but they were so good we had to share! The only problem was we didn't have any tomatoes, which would be excellent on these.

Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken Smash Burgers

1 pound ground chicken

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons green onions, chopped

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients until well combined. Divide mixture into 6 even meatballs, place on grill pan or large fry pan, and, using a spatula, flatten into patties. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Serve on homemade burger buns (http://motheralwaystoldme.blogspot.com/2016/04/if-you-give-kid-recipe.html) or store- bought with these suggested toppings: ranch dressing, lettuce, tomato, and bacon. An extra slice of cheddar can be added to the top of the burger patty for extra cheesiness.

Enjoy!

Sweet Start to the Day! {Recipe: Valentine Chocolate Waffles}

These are a fun start to Valentine's Day or a great way to end it with dessert!

Valentine Chocolate Waffles

2 cups flour 

1/3 cup red cocoa powder* or regular cocoa powder

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil 

1-3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add melted butter and stir until smooth (a few small lumps are okay). Cook in heart shaped or favorite regular waffle iron according to waffle iron manufacturer instructions. Serve with Nutella, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, ice cream, and/or fresh berries. Waffles can also be dusted with powdered sugar. 

*Note: I used Guittard Red Cocoa Powder that can be found at Cost Plus World Market.

My daughter put this together,
 I think her summer working at a ice cream,
waffle and crepe place shows! 

Happy Valentine's!

Take a Hike! {Recipe: Pain d'Epices (French Spice Bread)}

This recipe is adapted from a recipe I screen shot, but didn't capture the source. It is very similar to a honey bread my father-in-law used to make, so I wanted to record it here. My husband loves it and is sure to request it often. Apparently my father-in-law used to make it for when they would go hiking. It is a sturdy bread that would work well for this. 

Pain d'Epices (French Spice Bread)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. 

In a small saucepan,  over low heat, warm:

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup milk

Remove from heat and set aside. Once cool, whisk in:

1 egg

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

Add honey/milk mixture to dry ingredients, stir together until well combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Note: to make this recipe vegan, use 1 tablespoon ground flax seed stirred in 3 tablespoons water (let set 5 minutes before using) and any vegan milk substitutes (oat, soy, almond, etc). 

Enjoy!

To Smash or Not to Smash {Recipe: Smashed Chocolate Chip Cookies}

To smash cookies is an idea I came across on the King Arthur Flour website while looking up another recipe; I was intrigued by this idea and wanted to try it. I believe the King Arthur recipe is for oatmeal cookies, but suggest to try this technique with other recipes, so I thought I would try my mother's go to cookie recipe. It is fun to do and does add a very nice texture to the cookies. Doing this also makes for easy stacking of the cookies. It would be great to do for cookies being packaged. 

Brown Sugar Cookies

This was my mother's go to recipe for chocolate chip cookies. 

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter
3 eggs 
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips for chocolate chip cookies

Fleur de Sel, optional*

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone mat. 

2. Sift flour, baking soda and cream of tartar in a medium size mixing bowl; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition; add vanilla and salt. Stir in the flour mixture until well combined, but careful not to over beat or mix. Stir in chocolate chips, if using. 

3. Scoop cookie dough, using a 2"cookie scoop, onto the prepared baking sheet.  Sprinkle with a little fleur de sel, if using. Bake in a moderate (350°F), oven for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges. Using a spatula, press down on each cookie while hot out of the oven. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, move cookies to cooling rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe yields 14 cookies

*Note: cookies shown do not have fleur de sel on them, but everyone in the family agrees that it would have been a nice addition. 

Have fun!

Back to Basics {Recipe: Basic Muffins}

These muffins are one of the first things I learned to bake on my own as a kid. I still recall my mom cautioning me not to over mix the batter or else I will have tough muffins.  The recipe based on a Betty Crocker recipe from the 1970s. This recipe can be fun to experiment with by using add-ins such as blueberries, chocolate chips, raisins, nuts and/or other dried fruits. In addition, they can be topped with sugar, crumb topping, or glaze. 

Basic Muffin Recipe

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line muffin tin with baking cups or grease the wells; set aside.

In a medium size mixing bowl, sift or whisk together:

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together:

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil 

1 cup milk

Make a well in the dry ingredients, then pour wet ingredients into the well and stir together until just combined.  Distribute batter equally into the wells of the prepared muffin tin. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted to the center one of the muffins comes out clean. 

Makes 10-12 muffins, I get 10 muffins when using an ice cream scoop to to fill the wells.

Enjoy!

 

Dinner in a Hurry {Recipe: Sheet Pan Vegetable Lasagne With White Sauce}

This type of lasagne is so easy and perfect if your craving lasagne, but don't have time to make a layered lasagne. The original idea comes from Giada De Laurentiis and can be easily found by googling. Her recipe uses traditional lasagne ingredients, this one uses my go to vegetarian white pasta sauce for a vegetable white lasagne version. 

Sheet Pan Vegetable Lasagne With White Sauce

8 lasagne pasta sheets

4 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup milk

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon Italian Herb Mix (recipe can be found here: Italian Herb Mix) or store bought Italian seasoning mix

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus a tablespoon for the top

2 cups frozen broccoli 

Generous handful of fresh spinach

2-4 fresh basil leaves, depending on size, cut into strips (chiffonade) and divided

About 8 grape tomatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 15"x 10-3/4" sheet pan with olive oil; set aside. Prepare lasagne noodles according to package instructions, separate cooked noodles and set aside. In a large sauté pan, melt butter or butter with olive oil over medium heat. Once butter is melted, whisk in flour and cook for one minute while stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in vegetable broth and milk. Add garlic, Italian Herb Mix, salt, and pepper and continue cooking until sauce thickens. Stir in one cup mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese until cheese is melted. Add broccoli, spinach, and 1/2 of the fresh basil strips and stir just until well combined; remove from heat. Using kitchen sheers, cut lasagne noodles into roughly 2 inch pieces, directly into sauce; stir until noodles are well coated with sauce. Turn mixture into prepared sheet pan, top with remaining mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and grape tomato halves. Addition Italian Herb Mix can be sprinkled on top if desired. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until nicely browned on top. Sprinkle with remaining basil strips before serving.

Makes 3-4 servings

Enjoy

The Last Ice Cream Recipe {Recipe: Grandpa Dolph's Strawberry Ice Cream)

It's strawberry season, so it's the perfect time to share this final ice cream recipe I have from my father-in-law. There are only 3 things I have seen him make: ice cream, sourdough pancakes, and sourdough waffles. I do believe making ice cream was his favorite out of the 3. In particular, he very proud of his chocolate ice cream recipe, found here:
https://motheralwaystoldme.blogspot.com/2017/06/never-tell-chemist-he-or-she-cant-cook.html

It is a very good ice cream!

Grandpa Dolph's Strawberry Ice Cream

As with his other ice cream recipes, this recipe is half of the original. He had an electric ice cream makers that used rock salt and ice and made about 4 quarts of ice cream. 

1 cups whole milk

2 cups (one quart) crushed strawberries

1-1/2 cups sugar (original recipe calls for 2 cups), divided

1 tablespoon flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 eggs, well beaten

2 cups heavy cream

In medium size mixing bowl, mix together well beaten egg, 1 cup sugar, flour, and salt; set aside. In a medium size sauce pan, scald milk to almost boiling (best to use a thermometer and heat to about 200ºF). Slowly stir in milk to egg mixture. Cook mixture in a double boiler* over medium heat and stirring constantly until mixture thickens, but do not boil. Remove from heat, strain, and cool in fridge until well chilled, about an hour. While ice cream base is cooling, mix together crushed strawberries with remaining 1/2 cup sugar; set aside in fridge until needed. After ice cream mixture has chilled, whip the heavy cream until stiff, then fold in ice cream mixture until well blended. Freeze ice cream mixture according to your ice cream maker's instructions**, adding strawberries when mixture partially frozen. 

Makes about 3 pints of ice cream. 

*I don't have a double boiler, so I use a metal mixing bowl set on top of a medium sauce pan filled with about 2 inches of water. You want to make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. 

**I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker that makes 2 pints. It worked to process the 3rd pint after the first 2. The ice cream bowl was still cold enough to freeze the ice cream. 

Enjoy!

'Tis the Season {Recipe: Sourdough Strawberry Scones}

Strawberry season is here! If you live in California, strawberry season is in full swing. I just picked up some Driscoll organic strawberries (not an ad, just a fan) from Watsonville, CA and they are fantastic right now. Strawberries are available year around, but I believe the strawberries taste better when purchased while they are in season. Be sure to check labels! The organic strawberries right next to the Driscoll ones were grown in Mexico. While these strawberries are fine, and I have purchased them before, it's nice to have more locally grown strawberries.

Sourdough Strawberry Scones

Adding sourdough discard gives the scones a nice flavor and texture. It doesn't add a very sour flavor, the baking soda mellows the sourdough's a bit. 

2-1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 (1 stick) tablespoons cold butter, cubed

1 egg, plus another egg, beaten, for brushing on top of the scones before baking. 

1/2 cup milk, plus 2-3 tablespoons

1/2 cup sourdough discard

1 cup chopped strawberries (about 5-6 large strawberries)

Sparkling decorating sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon baking mat. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium size mixing bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 1/2 cup milk. Pour egg mixture into the flour mixture and add sourdough starter and mix with a fork until just combined; fold in strawberries. If dough is too dry, add a little more milk a teaspoon at a time . Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 10 turns. Flatten dough into a 3/4 inch thick disc and, using a large round biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut as many possible from the disc; reform dough, handling as little as possible, and repeat cuts. Alternatively, flatten dough into 3/4 inch thick disc and cut into 8 wedges. Place cut dough onto prepared baking sheet, about 2 apart, then brush the tops with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sparkling sugar if using.  Bake 10-12 minutes. or until golden brown. 

Makes 10-12 round scones or 8 wedge shaped scones.

Lemon curd is an excellent accompaniment to these scones. I like this quick and easy microwave recipe from here: https://buttermilkbysam.com/mason-jar-microwave-lemon-curd/

Enjoy!

My Roots Are Showing Again! {Recipe: Fresh Strawberry Pie}

 

Anyone who hangs around this blog for any length of time will soon realize that strawberries are a favorite. I believe it's from my Oregon roots and it's been passed down to another generation, my kids love strawberries too! This recipe doesn't contain gelatin, so it is perfect for my vegetarian daughter. 

Fresh Strawberry Pie

1-9" pie crust, blind baked (I used the Sourdough Pie Crust found here: https://motheralwaystoldme.blogspot.com/2024/04/its-texture-thing-recipe-sourdough-   pie.html )

1-1/2 quarts fresh strawberries

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup water 

3 tablespoons corn starch

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Use about 2/3 of the whole strawberries to cover the bottom of the pie crust. Take the remaining strawberries (there should be 12-14 strawberries) and chop them up. In a medium size sauce pan, add chopped strawberries and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water; slowly add to the boiling strawberry sugar mixture. Reduce heat and continue to simmer until thickened, stirring constantly. Once thickened, stir in lemon juice and remove from. Pour mixture over strawberries in the pie crust and refrigerate until well chilled and set, about 3 hours. 

Serve on its own or with whipped cream. 

Makes 8 servings

Note: This pie looks the best the day it is made. It still tastes good after a couple of days, but the filling gets a bit cloudy.

Enjoy!

It's a Texture Thing {Recipe: Sourdough Pie Crust}

This sourdough pie crust has a lovely texture. The sourdough discard makes for a light, flaky, and a bit crispy crust. Initially I thought using discard might be a little too sour, but turns out to have a nice mellow flavor. It works well with sweet or savory pies. 

Sourdough Pie Crust

The key to making a flaky pie crust is making sure everything stays cold and being careful to not over work the dough. 

1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cold

2 teaspoons sugar

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup sourdough discard, cold

Ice cold water

In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt; set aside. Cut butter into small cube and add to flour mixture. Using fingers, pinch and press together butter into flour mixture until  butter is well distributed with pea to chickpea size pieces of butter throughout. Using a fork, stir in sourdough discard until just combined. The dough is ready when it forms a shaggy dough and will comes together and hold. If the dough crumbly and won't hold together, it is too dry. Add ice cold water a teaspoon at a time until a shaggy dough is formed. Form the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. 

Recipe yields a single 9" pie crust, double recipe if a double crust is needed. 

Directions for blind baking a single pie crust:

Roll out dough to a 1/8" thickness; place in a 9" pie pan.  Trim around dough around the pie pan to about a 1" to 1-1/2" over hang*, fold under along the rim and crimp. Add pie weights (I have a pie weight purchased from William Sonoma, but lining the crust with a round of parchment and fill with dry rice or dried beans to 2/3 full will work as well), then chill for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 375ºF about 10 minutes before pulling pie crust from the fridge. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven, lift out pie weights, and prick the bottom with a fork. Return to oven and bake an additional 10-20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. 

*Note: save the left over dough for other uses, like individual single pot pies. I had enough crust left to cover 2 pot pies made in ramekins.

Something to Be Proud Of {Recipe: Grandpa Dolph's Vanilla Ice Cream}

My father-in-law prided himself on his ice cream making ability. This is the 3rd ice cream recipe I have tried of his, the first two are his Coffee Ice Cream and Chocolate Ice Cream; both are in previous posts. He does have something to be proud of, every one we have tried has been delicious!  

Grandpa Dolph's Vanilla Ice Cream

This recipe is half of the original. Grandpa Dolph must have had a very large ice cream maker!

3 cups whole milk

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 eggs, well beaten

2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla

In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together well beaten egg, sugar, flour, and salt; set aside. In a medium size sauce pan, scald milk to almost boiling (best to use a thermometer and heat to about 200ºF), then slowly whisk into egg mixture (be sure to start very slowly to prevent cooking the egg). Cook mixture in a double boiler* over medium heat and stirring constantly until mixture thickens, but do not boil. Remove from heat, strain, and cool in fridge until well chilled, about an hour. Once mixture has chilled stir in the vanilla. Whip the heavy cream until stiff, then fold in ice cream mixture until well blended. Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions.** 

Makes about 3 pints of ice cream. 

*I don't have a double boiler, so I use a metal mixing bowl set on top of a medium sauce pan filled with about 2 inches of water. You want to make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. 

**I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker that makes 2 pints. It worked to process the 3rd pint after the first 2. 

Enjoy!