Posts Tagged ‘fruit’

Man, I didn’t even realize it until recently but I have been in a serious cooking rut this summer. I know I’ve complained about the heat and not being hungry due to work and blah blah blah on here, but it was only this past weekend that I realized I had kind of lost my excitement and joy for cooking at home. I used to get a little jolt of glee in my stomach every time I found a new recipe to try or idea that would come up. That just hasn’t been happening the past 2 months. I blame it on spending all my creative juices at work coming up with recipes on demand and focusing so much on that. The home cook in me was exhausted. Cold cereal, yogurt, take-out… it was a lot of assembling – not cooking. But last week something changed.

I was making scrambled eggs for breakfast because I had a few extra minutes before work and realized I hadn’t done it in months. I used to love actually making breakfast every day before work when I lived in Colorado, and I just stopped doing it when I moved. So all week I made breakfast. Egg sandwiches, waffles, bagels w/cream cheese and lox. No yogurt. Cooking – not assembling. It felt so good.

And suddenly, the jolt was back. The yearning to cook and bake everything I was going to eat instead of gorging at panel at work and then snacking for dinner. I wanted to save space and make dinner. Screw my kitchen being boiling and being exhausted at the end of the day. It’ll be worth it. And this dish is worth it.

When I saw this recipe my stomach did the familiar little somersault. Perfect summer tomatoes, perfect summer herbs, all nestled in a flaky pastry dough and topped with creamy goat cheese. Pure summer and dead simple to boot. I knew I would make this and love it. And I did. I hope you do too.

I have had quite the dilemma this summer.

Summer produce is quite possibly the best thing about the season. And other than just eating the fruits and veggies raw, baking is the next best thing. However, when choosing my new apartment I went for style over practicality (“It’s ooold and pretty and look at the crown moldings and who cares if there’s no AC in the kitchen?”). It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but 3 months later I’ve realized just how horrible and downright impossible it is to use your oven in a windowless room when it’s 95° outside. Woe.

But I woke Saturday morning to cloudy skies and mid-70′s temperatures, knowing I wanted to make something for my coworker Robin’s summer party that night, and jumped on the chance to bake. Since blueberries are gloriously cheap right now and simplicity is the best approach to summer fruit, I decided to make these easy and delicious crumb bars which honestly have ingredients almost any average kitchen will have (minus the fruit). Buttery and sweet crumb layers with tart and juicy blueberries in between, these will be a hit at any party or just serving yourself.

This dessert is a total cheat. It’s honestly like breakfast for dessert to me because I have Greek yogurt w/strawberries, honey, and nuts for breakfast practically every day. Yet the idea of changing the vehicle, adding more crunch, and sort of morphing it into a really refreshing and easy summer dessert seemed divine. Especially since you can crisp the wontons far in advance and then just assemble come dinnertime.

I’d serve this dessert with a nice glass of chilled rosé or really good coffee (and maybe dip an extra wonton or two in it…) paired with a summer breeze.

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Quick Friday post, quick Friday… dessert!

Cleaning out my fridge and freezer in a mad dash before I move cross-country, I have a lot of frozen pie crusts on my hands. “I mean, when you’re making one, why not make two?” was my mantra for awhile there, but now I’m thawing and baking like crazy to get rid of (but not waste) my freezer stash.

Galettes or free-form tarts are one of the most fun, easy, and versatile things to do with pie crust. The sky is the limit for filling ingredients, but since it’s spring and glorious rhubarb has arrived in force, I couldn’t resist making a bubbling, syrupy, sweet-tart treat like this.

This is a fantastic dessert for all those intimidated bakers out there because it comes together quite easily, uses only 5 ingredients, and is so delicious (and impressive!) you’ll never believe how simple it was to put together.

Small admin note: I will be moving over the next few days so it’ll be quiet around here. But don’t worry – a new post will be on its way soon enough!

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I have many food aspirations, but the highest ranking right now is to become a better baker. In reality, it should be labeled “Become a good a baker as Willa Mae,” because that is the level I aspire to.

The aforementioned Willa Mae is a lovely elderly lady my mom visits and does errands for at a local retirement home in KC, who often gifts my mother with her latest baked goods. Back in high school Willa Mae’s zucchini bread was unbeatable (still is), and now every Christmas her cookies are just beyond to die for. Perfection. All her own recipes (now that is art) and all delicious.

My mom passed this recipe along to me after declaring it “The best cookie I have ever eaten,” which is really saying something. I loved the recipe. It has all the great quirks of a seasoned and creative baker – steaming the apricots, specifying store-brand vanilla wafers, and then the best instruction of all – you have to let the cookies sit for at least 4 days to let the flavors develop.

It sounds like torture to wait (it was), but it is incredibly important you do! I tried the cookies right away and then the next day, and found them to be just okay – but I didn’t lose faith. I tried them again 4 days later and it was like magic. The texture had solidified, the almond had mellowed, and everything seemed to gel. They were divine. It was so mind-boggling how different (and better) they tasted, I couldn’t get over it! So I ate another… and another… and another…

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