Blueberry Galette

Not only did we make great savory food when my family visited, but my mother-in-law introduced me to my new favorite dessert: galette!  The popular definition of a galette is an open-faced pie, though there are different types of galettes in other parts of the world.  The type of galette that I'm talking about is made with pie dough which is loosely wrapped around a fruit filling.  There are some great stone fruits that are ripe right now, especially plums, so it is a particularly good time to try it out!  During my family's stay, we made an apricot and a plum galette, which were fabulous.  I had a bunch of blueberries in the freezer that I picked off my blueberry bush earlier in the season, so making a blueberry galette seemed like a good idea.

The main reason that I wanted to share this particular recipe is because we discovered the most delicious, flaky pie crust.  We had a discussion about pie crusts, and how important it is that the vessel that carries your pie filling should be just as decadent as the filling...otherwise, what's the point in even having a crust?  This time, I think we succeeded in that endeavor.  I was amazed at the durability of the crust; it held up beautifully while baking and didn't get soggy, even after we refrigerated it.  Plus, it tasted great.

The secret to this new crust was a combination of two things: pastry flour and butter-flavored palm oil shortening.  Since I can't have dairy and I'm not a big fan of shortening, I haven't made a pie in some time.  My mother-in-law told me of a new shortening, though, that was made out of non-hydrogenated palm oil, which is supposedly good for you (I've been reading that palm and coconut oil are good, healthy fats).  We were both a little skeptical at first, but our experimentation had fantastic results.

Pastry flour is also an important component because it has less gluten than all-purpose flour, so it will be softer and more malleable.  The higher the gluten content in a flour, the more gluten protein bonds will form, and therefore make your dough tougher.  For breads, you want those bonds because they will give your bread structure.  With pastries, though, you want something that will stay soft and flaky, so less gluten is better.  All purpose flour will work in this case, but you might get a slightly tougher crust.

The only note that I have on this dough is to not over mix it in any way, even if you use pastry flour.  My crust was a little more dense than our previous tries, and I think it was because I cut the shortening into the flour until it looked like coarse cornmeal, and I think that was too far.  It's OK if there are medium-sized or uneven chunks of shortening in the flour..this will make it softer and flakier.  I recommend using a pastry cutter instead of the food processor (like I did) because it is a softer touch.  Also, there is no need to knead this dough.  Treat it like biscuit dough: very carefully!

Pastry cutter

As, I've mentioned, there are a wide variety of fruits that will make a great galette, though very runny fillings could prove difficult since this pastry is open-faced.  Or, you could turn this dessert into dinner by trying out some savory fillings.  This pie dough would make an amazing open-faced pot pie!


Pie Dough
makes enough for 1 galette

1 1/4 cup pastry flour (plus a little extra for rolling out the dough)
1/3 cup plus 1 TB butter-flavored palm oil shortening (I used Spectrum's Brand)
1/2 tsp salt
3-5 TB ice cold water (more or less to make the dough come together)
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Add flour, shortening, and salt into a medium sized bowl or food processor.  Use a pastry cutter to cut the shortening into the flour until it well mixed: the shortening pieces should be the size of peas or smaller.  Or pulse ingredients in a food processor until well mixed.  Slowly add ice-cold water to the mixture until is just comes together.  It shouldn't be too dry or too sticky.

2. Place dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper and flatten into a disk.  Wrap dough and chill for at least 30 minutes.

3. While it is chilling, prepare filling (see recipe below). Also, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper to bake the galette on.
4. After dough had properly chilled, sprinkle a thin layer of flour on your counter or cutting board.  Roll out the dough to fit your baking sheet, and about 1/4 inch thick.  Roll dough up onto your rolling pin, then lay it carefully on your baking sheet.

Rolling the dough onto the rolling pin is a fabulous trick I learned in baking class!  It is a great way to easily move dough from one place to another.

5. Add filling on top of dough, and cut any extra dough off the sides (if needed).  Slowly roll the dough over the filling in a shell-like pattern leaving the middle open-faced.  

6. Whisk your egg well, then brush a thin layer of it over your crust.  Sprinkle with extra sugar if desired.

You just need a very thin layer of egg wash, otherwise it will create gummy places where the egg is thick.

7. Bake galette for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. 

NOTE: this recipe refrigerates well, so you can enjoy it the next day!



Blueberry Filling
makes enough for 1 galette

NOTE: you can easily substitute the blueberries for other kinds of fruit.  But this does mean you will have to adjust the amount of sugar and lemon juice depending on how sweet or tart your fruit is.

3 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
3 TB brown sugar
juice of 1 lemon

1. In a medium bowl, add all ingredients and toss until berries are coated.  Let sit for about 5-10 minutes to let the sugar dissolve and fruit macerate.  This will create a delicious syrup.
2. See instructions above for baking instructions.


YUM!! :)

Korean BBQ burgers

So, I got a bike recently!  It seems silly to even mention it, but I've been delightedly riding around my neighborhood for miles.  That being said, all that exercise has made me even more hungry!  I felt the need for a big, juicy burger this weekend, and found this amazing new burger recipe that I wanted to share! 

I like this recipe in particular because the burger itself is so richly flavorful that it can stand alone as the star.  I did make the miso mayo that went with the original recipe, but I didn't feel that it needed it.  I would have been happy with just lettuce, and maybe a little tomato.  That being said, I felt that this burger was maybe a bit intense...I wouldn't have added extra salt to it because it really doesn't need any.  Actually, the original recipe didn't call for extra salt, but I added more out of habit.  So, don't make my mistake!  

Also, I decided to bake my burgers.  This technique is not as delicious as say, grilling, because you don't get that nice char flavor.  But my little grill has not been used in...years?...so I decided to go the easy route and just pop them in the oven.  This is a great way to get a tasty well-done burger without it drying out.  You can pan fry or grill these burgers, too, but they tend to fall apart easily. 

The original recipe also called for pickled onions and radishes as a garnish (see link below for recipe).  I didn't make these, but I feel like they would be a great compliment to these very rich burgers.  The tartness of onions and radishes would lighten the whole dish.  But fresh, crispy lettuce also works.  Actually, these burgers make a great addition to salads!  If you would like to go grain/carb free, just crumble the cooked burger over a crunchy green salad!


Korean BBQ Burgers
adapted from Panning the Globe blog
(Link found HERE)
makes 6 small or 4 large burgers

1 pound ground beef (I used 10% fat ground beef for a little extra richness and moisture)
1/4 cup green onions, chopped fine
1 TB soy sauce
1 TB brown sugar
1/2 TB toasted sesame oil
1 tsp garlic, minced (about 2 cloves)
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced (using dried, ground ginger would also be OK)
black pepper to taste

1. Heat oven to 400F.  Prepare a baking sheet with a layer of parchment paper on top...or heat the grill!
2. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and mix them thoroughly with your hands.

3. Form 4 to 6 patties of equal weight and place them on your baking sheet.

4. Bake burgers for 12-20 minutes depending on how rare you like them.  I baked mine for about 20 minuets, and they were well done, but still juicy.
5. Serve hot with toasted hamburger buns, lettuce, tomato OR miso mayo and pickled veggies OR crumbled on top of a salad.  

Miso Mayo
also adapted from Panning the Globe

1 TB white miso
2 TB mayo
1 TB sriracha hot sauce (or less if you don't like super spicy!)

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.  Use immediately or refrigerate for up to a week.

NOTE 1: this is completely delicious and would go great as a salad dressing, or as a sandwich spread.  I thought it was a little much for this burger in particular, but it's a good recipe to try!
NOTE 2: there are many different types of miso, and they may be in different places on the grocery shelves.  I found a dark brown miso in the Asian section of dry goods, but the white miso I needed was in the refrigerated section near the hummus and other pre-made items.  

ENJOY!

Sweet Potato Salad with Tomato and Ginger...and Fried Chicken!

So, this past week, my family came to visit!  We all (well, almost all) have birthdays in the summer, so we had a massive B-day celebration!  We made some ridiculously good food: fish tacos with sriracha mayo and sweet potato fries, and miso-tahini cabbage salad with baked sesame chicken...yum!  Some of my favorite memories are grocery shopping with all of us together in a little band.  My mother-in-law enjoys making menus as much as me, and we get to "geek out" together at the grocery.  She happened to pick up a Saveur magazine in the checkout line for us to read, which inspired me to make the recipes below.  I find the best way to fill the gap after family leaves, is to make some really great food to keep those good feelings going.  

I found the sweet potato salad in Saveur magazine.  There was a wonderful article about a "salad pot-luck" where everyone brought a different salad to share.  All of the salad recipes looked delicious, but I picked the sweet potato salad because I've always wanted to try substituting sweet potatoes for regular ones in a traditional potato salad.  This recipe, however, is far from traditional.  There is no mayo, mustard, or hard boiled eggs.  Instead, the sweet potatoes and tomatoes are soaked in a light, citrus vinaigrette with a hint of spicy ginger.  I have to admit that, at first, I wasn't sold on this salad.  It was a little sweeter and more sour than I expected.  I wasn't sure that I wanted to eat it just by itself.  But, I left it to marinate for about an hour while I made some fried chicken to go with it.  Once I came back to it and tasted it again, I realized that marinating it was really the key.  All of the components need to fuse together, otherwise the flavors seem separate from each other, almost discordant.  However, when they all sat together for a little while, the flavors really meshed into something fresh and delightful!  I decided to use the salad as a garnish or "salsa" on top of the chicken, which was delicious.  I could see this salad going on any type of meat. It is sweet and vibrantly citrus-y.  

The fried chicken recipe below is one of my favorites...well, it is actually a new favorite because I've never made it before.  But I did fry up some fish for our fish tacos, and liked the breading so much that I wanted to use it with chicken.  There are several reasons why I recommend this method:

1. I used the traditional breading technique: dip in flour, dip in egg, dip in bread crumbs, fry until golden brown.  It works every time!

2. I used Panko bread crumbs, which are far superior to any other bread crumbs.  I'm not sure how they make them, but they are perfectly crispy and cling easily to whatever ingredient you are frying.  Also, they are white out of the package, but fry up perfectly golden brown.

3. I pounded the chicken until it was thin (I also used very thin fish fillets for the tacos), which is essential because the chicken (or fish) cooks all the way through in the pan.  There is no need to finish cooking in the oven.  The chicken comes straight out of the pan hot and crispy and ready to eat!

4. I used coconut oil, which is not a necessary step (as it can be expensive), but gives the chicken/fish the most glorious subtle coconut flavor.  Coconut oil fries beautifully as it can take higher temperatures, plus it sets up as it cools (like lard or butter), so instead of getting soggy, the breading stays intact.

I recommend using this recipe and its technique for any frying project.  It works great with meat or veggies!

Sweet Potato Salad with Tomatoes and Ginger
Adapted from Saveur magazine
makes about 3-4 cups

The original recipe

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 small heirloom tomatoes, chopped (or any ripe tomato will do!)
1 handful Italian parsley, chopped
juice of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 orange
1 TB ginger, grated fine
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Optional (I did not add): 1 TB honey, maple syrup, or molasses

1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Wash sweet potatoes well.  Place in aluminum foil and bake for about 45 mins or until soft, but still slightly firm.  Let cool.  

2. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1" large chunks. In a large bowl, add sweet potato bites, chopped tomato, and parsley.  In a separate bowl, whisk together citrus juice, olive oil, and ginger. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour vinaigrette over veggies and mix well.  Let marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

3. Serve cold by itself as a side dish, or over meat or fish as a garnish.

Fried Chicken
makes about 10-12 small pieces

2 large chicken breasts
1 cup garbanzo bean flour (or regular flour)
1 egg
1-2 cup Panko bread crumbs
coconut oil (or other high heat oil, like canola) for frying
salt and pepper to taste

NOTE: this recipe is ALL about preparation!  If you set everything up properly, and clean as you go, frying the chicken will be super easy and quick!

1. Prep a baking sheet with a cooling rack on top to put the fried chicken on to drip.  Turn your oven on warm (about 170F) if you are not going to eat the chicken right away.  You can keep it warm while you prep the rest of your meal.  You can also use paper towels to catch drips...though I like to keep my trash to a minimum.
2. Ready three medium bowls.  In the first, place flour with a generous amount of salt (about 2-3 tsp) and pepper.  Mix well.  In the second, add the egg with a little water.  Whisk well.  In the third, add the Panko bread crumbs.  Set all bowl aside...preferably near where you are going to be frying so they are easily reached.

3. Prep a plate with two pieces of parchment paper on it.  You will use this to pound out the chicken.  Find a cup or other hard object that will be used to pound the chicken.  I used a small, glass jelly jar.

4. On a clean cutting board, place chicken breasts.  Cut them in 1" long strips (pictured below).

5. Place one strip on it's flat side in between parchment paper.  Pound lightly until it is about 1/2-1/4" thick.  Make sure to pound the piece of chicken evenly.  This will ensure that it cooks evenly in the pan. Repeat with all chicken pieces. (It's ok if they're funny shapes, what matters is they are completely even.)

6. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat with enough oil to cover the bottom.
7.  While your pan is heating, place chicken pieces in the flour, cover completely, then shake off the excess.  Then, dip in the egg and cover completely.  Then, dip in Panko and make sure the breading covers the chicken entirely.  

8. When oil is hot (chicken should sizzle when it is placed in the pan, but the oil should not be smoking!), add enough chicken pieces to cover the bottom of the pan...but don't crowd them!  This will ensure they all cook evenly. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Repeat with all chicken pieces adding in more oil as necessary. You can sprinkle fried chicken with a little more salt if you wish. Place finished chicken on baking sheet and transfer to oven to keep warm. 

9. Serve hot topped with sweet potato salad...or whatever you wish!  ENJOY!