Tuesday, June 21, 2011

I threw my dog a birthday party...

Happy birthday, Clif!


In honor of my dog's second birthday, we had a barbeque down at Locust Beach. Hamburgers and sausage to roast over our roaring fire, plus shrimp cocktails, delicious stuffed tomatoes, and watermelon to munch on. I made rhubarb crisp and an orange-chocolate bundt cake, and my friend brought a mixture of the two: rhubarb cake. Aha! Clif's friends were invited too!


It was an eventful day. The tide was out literally a mile, and we ran to the water's edge and back twice. Clif chased a kite-surfer, back and forth and back and forth across the bay. So funny! Aaaand the sun gave me a sunburn so bad my skin was purple. We played in the mud, had a laugh, and threw sticks endlessly for the woofs. Needless to say, Clif was exhausted.


Thursday, June 9, 2011

Homemade Savory Pop-tarts


When I was a lot younger, a wee lass you might say, I used to go crazy for pop-tarts, despite the tasteless crust and iffy looking icing and too-sweet filling. My mother seldom bought them, so it was a special treat. Now pop-tarts are special in a different way, fitting in the category of "mystery foods" along with Twinkies, bologna, and Captain Crunch. When was the last time you tried one of those things? Are they as good as you remember them?

Now, I'm older, wiser, craftier; I make my own delicious pop-tarts! By which I mean, I make them for my family because I am a vegetarian and these babies are savory. All you do is make a pastry dough, roll it out, cut it into rectangles or your favorite shape, and fill it with whatever your heart desires.

Poptarts

Pastry
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pats
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk

1 large egg, to brush on pastry before filling

Make the dough: Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the butter until the mixture holds together when you squeeze it, with pecan-sized lumps of butter still visible. Mix the egg and milk, and add it to the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive.

Divide the dough in half; each half will weigh about 10 ounces (about 280g). Shape each half into a rough 3" x 5" rectangle, smoothing the edges. Roll out immediately; or wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Prepare the filling: Start with some sort of sauce, be it barbecue, marinara, pesto, or you name it. You'll need some cheese, some meat, and veggies like spinach, peppers, tomatoes, etc. Mine tend to get huge! I can't stop filling it. Most often, ham and cheese with pineapples and marinara sauce are requested, but bacon does not go amiss inside of these things, nor do the sweet stuff!

Assemble the tarts: If the dough has been chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes. Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8" thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9" x 12". Laying a 9" x 13" pan atop the dough will give you an idea if you’ve rolled it large enough. Trim off the edges; place the scraps on a baking sheet, and set them aside, along with the 9" x 12" rectangle of dough.

Roll the second piece of dough just as you did the first. Press the edge of a ruler into the dough you’ve just rolled, to gently score it in thirds lengthwise and widthwise; you’ll see nine 3" x 4" rectangles.

Beat the egg, and brush it over the entire surface of the dough. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each marked rectangle. Place the second sheet of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around each pocket of jam, sealing the dough well on all sides. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle. Cut the dough evenly in between the filling mounds to make nine tarts. Press the cut edges with your fingers to seal, then press with a fork, to seal again.

Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart multiple times; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will become billowy pillows rather than flat toaster pastries. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Bake for 20 minutes until they’re a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan.

Variation:
Cinnamon filling: 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons flour

S'more Poptarts: marshmallows or marshmallow fluff and chocolate chips

Inspired by one of my childhood favorite flavors, this one doesn't always turn out the prettiest because the marshmallow oozes out the sides, but my boyfriend is still a fan and says they taste good. Worth a try!

Jam filling: 3/4 cup jam
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

To make the filling, mix the jam with the cornstarch/water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool. Use to fill the pastry tarts. Make a quick icing to drizzle on top to make it a real treat by mixing a spot of milk with powdered sugar.