Well, Christmas is coming. I wish All My Readers A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
At this special moment I wish to share my favourite and delightful pastry recipe of both Italian and French cuisine. It’s a Almond Biscotti that perfect designed to be dipped into your best-loved cup of coffee.
Other Italian name of this [...]
Crust
4 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups frozen shortening (butter flavored Crisco is reportedly dairy-free)
Ice water (about 1/2 cup)
1.) Crust really is a pain in the butt. I’ve probably made a hundred pies and I still doubt myself every time. I now make crust with my food processor, but it is very easy to make a gloppy mess with it, especially when adding water.
2.) Pulse the flour and salt together in the food processor or whisk together in a large bowl if making by hand.
3.) Add half the shortening and pulse 8-10 times. Add the other half and pulse another 8-10 times. If making by hand, cut the shortening in and blend well with a pastry blender.
4.) Now comes the water part. I hate the water part. Add too little and crust is crumbly and impossible to roll out. Add too much and it is a gummy tough mess, impossible to fix. It is alway better to under-water, you can fix that.
5.) If you are new to crust-making, it is safer to dump the dough into large bowl to add water by hand, but you can do it in the food processor if you’re careful. Take the lid off the food processor and sprinkle 1/4 cup of water on the dough, mix it around the bowl with a spoon. Replace the lid, give it a few pulses and check the dough by pinching it between your fingers. If it seems crumbly add another 2-4 T of water, stir around with a spoon, give it a few pulses and see where you are at. Don’t over pulse!
6.) Divide the dough in 2 blobs, wrap in plastic wrap and shape into flat disks. Freeze until needed.
Filling the Pie
1.) Roll out half the dough and press into and up the edges of a 13 x 18 inch jelly roll pan.
2.) Peel and thinly slice 10-15 apples into the pan. I have a cool peeler-corer-slicer for this task. Add enough apples to fill the pan completely, up to the pan edge.
3.) Sprinkle cinnamon over the apples, about 1-2 teaspoons to taste.
4.) Sprinkle sugar over the apples, about 1 cup.
5.) Sprinkle some vanilla over the apples, 1-2 teaspoons.
6.) Roll out the second half of the crust, very thinly, and place over the apples. Seal the edges the best you can. Cut steam holes in the top.
7.) Put the whole pan in the freezer while oven preheats to 375.
8.) Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling bubbles in the center.
9.) Cool a bit before glazing.
Glaze
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Powdered sugar
1.) Mix enough powdered sugar into the juice to make it honey-thick.
2.) Drizzle over the crust in a rogue, non-type-A, come-what-may manner.
Dairy-free and egg-free pie crust, dairy-free egg-free apple pie, vegan apple pie, vegan pie crust
I know I could have sent a muffin with sprinkles and it would have worked out fine. But “fine” is not the way we roll around here. Sometimes the pressure of an orchard field trip with cider and doughnuts as the class treat is what I need to move from “fine” to “Mom, you’re the best!” I’ve made ‘doughnuts’ before, frying up some Meijer brand buttermilk biscuits (no butter or milk in those…really scary, eh?) and dusting them in powdered sugar. Those are tolerable when fresh, but inedible the next day, and I’ve always felt a bit sheepish about frying up a can of dough.
I think I read through 13 doughnut recipes, tried one that failed terribly (hint: never, ever, deep-fry in lard…no matter what Fanny Farmer or King Arthur say), and then I came upon this winner. These are an egg-free and dairy-free adaptation of a Paula Deen recipe. They’re soft, cakey, slightly sweet…perfect for a fall day with a glass of cider. Enjoy!
3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg replacers ( I use Ener-G)
1 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme (Dairy-Free Sour Cream)
1 cup mashed sweet potato ( I bet canned pumpkin would work, but our store had a pumpkin shortage!)
1.) Sift the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
2.) Blend the egg replacers, tofutti and sweet potato until smooth. I used an immersion blender, but a food processor or blender would be fine too.
3.) Add the sweet potato mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and blend carefully with a spoon. Don’t go crazy mixing, or they’ll be tough. The dough is really sticky.
4.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes while you set up the oil and make the icing.
5.) While the oil is heating up to 360 degrees F, roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness, adding flour to your surface and rolling pin to keep things from sticking. Cut into donut shapes. I have a cool set of plastic nesting rounds and the biggest and smallest sizes work perfectly.
6.) Fry in vegetable oil for 2 minutes on the first side, and 1-2 minutes on the second side. Soybean oil is great, canola smells fishy, and lard smells like bovine carcass. Don’t use lard, ever, ever.
7.) Let the donuts cool on paper towel before icing and sprinkling.
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3-4T apple cider
The September 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan.
Before I left for Italy, I knew that Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon would [...]
I’m feeling a bit ragged these days.
It’s not one thing in particular, it’s just a combination of things. Nothing bad, mind you, just a lot of things going on at the same time and as usual, it’s always what you love most that tends to suffer most.
So while I deal with work and home and [...]
Last week we had a team outing. Everyone was supposed to bring one edible item. I thought of picking up some cakes and cookies from store as I was quite busy. Unfortunately for me, someone else said they will bring this before I could. So I had to come up with something, that too quickly. [...]
There is no better way to start summer vacation than with a fresh strawberry rhubarb pie! I could happily go with straight rhubarb, but the little ones in the house appreciated the sweetness of the strawberries. This will be my first posting of the basic dairy-free pie crust I use all the time. The recipe is a piece of American culinary history, as it came straight out of my 1939 copy of Fannie Farmer’s Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. Depression-era cookbooks are an absolute treasure of dairy and egg-free recipes. If crust making seems too daunting, you can use Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts…something I do a bit more often than I’d like to admit.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie3 1/2 cups sliced rhubarb, 1/2 inch thick slices ( 1 1/2 pound bunch, untrimmed)16 ounce package of strawberries, hulled and halved1/2 cup brown sugar1/2 cup white sugar1/4 c. cornstarch1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon salt1.) Make the dough first, then work on the filling while the dough chills in the refrigerator…unless you’re thinking, fresh pie is good enough for today, and you’re using a Pillsbury crust. Then just start making the filling while the crust warms up on your counter.2.) Mix all the filling ingredients together and let them sit while you roll out the crust.3.) Pre-heat oven to 400.4.) Roll half the dough out and make the pie base. Dump in the filling. Roll out the other half and make the little lattice top and crimp around the edges. I do a “cheaters lattice”, where the crust isn’t interwoven. The pieces are just lined up at an angle. Dairy-free crust is very soft and breakable and any messing around causes the crust to crumble in your hands. I actually really hate the crust rolling part. I’ve made zillions of pies and it still gives me heartburn. Brush with water and sprinkle with sugar.5.) Place the pie on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. The pie will bubble over, so be prepared.6.) Bake for 20 minutes at 400, then decrease the heat to 350 and bake for another 1 hour and 20 minutes or so. If it starts to brown too quickly (and it will), place some foil over the whole pie loosely. The pie is done when it starts to bubble towards the center. If it is just bubbling at the edges, it is not done in the center, so keep baking.7.) Cool before eating, it thickens as it cools.Basic Dairy-Free Double Pie Crust3 cups flour1 cup shortening, sliced into chunks and frozen1 teaspoon salt1 T. sugarIce water (about 6-8 Tablespoons)1.) I’m lazy, and crust stresses me out. I use a food processor. If you have a pastry cutter and know how to use it, you’re probably better at pie making that I, so you can figure out how to adapt.2.) Dump the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and give it a few pulses to mix things up.3.) Dump in half of the sliced shortening. Give it 8 short pulses.4.) Dump in the rest of the shortening. Give it another 8 pulses.5.) Spoon in 6 Tablespoons of ice water, give it another 8 pulses. Test the dough by pinching a bit of it together. If it seems really crumbly or dry and looks like it might hassle you while rolling it out, add the other 2 T. of water and give a few more pulses.6.) Divide into two blobs, wrap in plastic wrap, form into a nice disk and refrigerate until you want to use it or at least an hour.Some pie crust advice that might help your pastry-induced anxieties: The dough is sticky. Your life will be better if you roll it out between two sheets of plastic wrap. If you try use a lot of flour, the dough will get dry and tough. The dough is crumbly. Just do your best when transferring to the pie pan, pinch the dough to patch up holes. The dough doesn’t taste like much (no butter!!). Keep it thin and the fruit flavor will shine through. The dough likes to burn. After the crust has baked a while and is starting to turn golden, set a piece of foil over the whole thing. Don’t crimp it or anything. Just a straight piece over top.
I just love saying the word strudel. It brings out my inner Austrian and brings back many happy memories of four precious days spent in Vienna, in December 2006.
I was so happy when Linda of make like sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks announced that they would choose Apple Strudel as the May 2009 Daring [...]
The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Pragueby Rick Rodgers.
In case you hadn’t noticed and just thought that everyone in the foodblog world suddenly decided [...]
There is a battle going on in my kitchen regarding the Strudel Theme Song. One kid says that Mary Poppins sings about it in the thunderstorm and one kid says the Larry the Cucumber sings about it when he has the blues. I’m not even going to try to sort it out. ”Stop arguing and eat your strudel” definitely goes on the list of things I’d never thought I’d say.
Apple Strudelfrom “Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafes of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague” by Rick RodgersStrudel Dough1 1/3 cups unbleached flour1/8 teaspoon salt7 Tablespoons water2 Tablespoons oil1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar1.) Combine flour and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water and oil mixture to the mixer on low speed. Once the dough forms, switch to the dough hook and knead for 5-7 minutes and a soft ball forms.2.) Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 30-90 minutes. Your life will be easier if you relax and wait 90 minutes. Make the filling while the dough rests.Apple Filling2 pounds tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch slices.1-2 Tablespoons brandy or golden rum (optional)3 Tablespoons golden raisins, (chopped if you’re trying to hide them from your kids)1/2 cup brown sugar1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1 Tablespoon flourA few pinches of salt1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs ( I used Real Lovin‘ Breadcrumbs)3 T. dairy-free margarine (I used Fleischmann’s Unsalted Margarine)1.) Mix the top set of apple ingredients together in a large bowl, then set to work on the breadcrumbs.2.) Melt the butter in a skillet and add the breadcrumbs. Cook over medium high heat for 3 minutes or so, or until the bread starts smelling toasted. Set crumbs aside.Making the Strudel1.) Preheat oven to 375.2.) Find a nice big table that you can walk around and cover it with a clean, lightweight cotton tablecloth. Sprinkle the tablecloth generously with flour.3.) Slowly and gently pull the dough into a big rectangle. When it starts getting too big to handle, set it on the tablecloth and keep stretching. If the dough starts to fight back, walk away and give it time. Through a combination of pulling and rolling with a pin, you should eventually have a tissue-paper thin dough that is about 2 feet by 3 feet. Trim the edges (they will be a bit thick).4.) Melt another 4 Tablespoons of margarine and spread it over the dough. A pastry brush was too rough on the thin dough, so I ended out covering my palms with margarine and patting the dough all over.5.) Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the dough.6.) Dump the apple filling about 4 inches from the short end of the rectangle and shape it.7.) Now the rolling begins! Start by pulling the first edge over top of the filling and then using the tablecloth, carefully roll the whole thing up! Seal the edges, brush the top with margarine and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.8.) Bake for 40 minutes, let cool for 30 minutes before cutting.Dairy-Free Caramel Sauce1 1/2 cups sugar1/3 cup water1 cup plain soy creamer1.) Heat the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan to a slow boil without stirring. Wash down any sugar crystals that form on the side of the pan with a pastry brush and water. Heat until the sugar forms a golden brown color, swirling around the pan occasionally.2.) Remove from heat and dump in the soy creamer. Watch out, it will sputter and spurt.3.) Return to heat, mixing well to dissolve all the lumps. Let it come to a full rolling boil and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Cool to room temp before serving.
