Quick Pizza Dough

This is basically the same as Martha Stewart's recipe.  Just throwing it down (and up) to have it on here so I don't have to keep converting the yeast measurement, etc., preparation method.  Ok, well, it's actually not so much like Martha's, but I did look at her recipe for quantities before changing it completely.  Makes two medium/large pizzas.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs instant yeast (or 2 packets)
2 Tbs honey
1/4 Cup olive oil
2 Tsp kosher salt
4 Cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Cups warm water

Method:

In a medium glass jug or bowl, mix the honey into the warm water, then stir in the yeast.  Let rest until the yeast begins to puff up like dough in the jug.  Meanwhile measure the flour and mix in the salt.  When the yeast mixture is ready, pour oil and yeast mixture into the flour and gently mix until it forms a shaggy, sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until the texture is even and smooth (just a few times).  Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise until the dough doubles in size.  (About one hour.)

When the dough has risen, punch it down and divide in two (or more if you want to make individual pizzas.)  Knead a couple of times, then roll out or toss in the air to stretch the dough to the desired size.

Happy 40th Birthday and the Secret Family Recipe

Here it is: The Rowe family Lemon Meringue Pie.  Apparently I have to have special clearance to share the recipe...Sorry to tempt you with the flaky shortcrust filled with a soft enough, yet firm enough lemon custard filling, and topped with spongy-sweet meringue.  The photo will have to do for now.

Happy 40th Birthday to the best husband and friend...who loves this pie, and does his best to pass on the love to the next generation with every opportunity.

No-Dairy Banana Crepes

I've tried dozens of non-dairy crepe recipes.  Never, until now, have I found one that has the right texture and taste.  My husband, who has been the breakfast chef at our house since we've had more than two children, was the inventor of the secret banana-egg-almond milk emulsion trick.  It works as a perfect buttermilk substitution for waffles, so I thought I'd try it with crepes as well.  Shazam...it's genius. The banana flavor is there, but not overpowering.  P.S. I only waited about 30 minutes for the batter to settle this morning.  It took me two and a half hours to make them all (because, of course, that's what happens around here on a Saturday morning) so the texture improved towards the end.  However, I love how these first few looked like eyelet lace, or moon craters. Sometimes bubbles in the batter = art.

Ingredients:

(Makes about 2 dozen crepes)

2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
4 large or 5 small farm-fresh eggs
1 banana
4 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
Juice from one lemon
1/4 cup maple sugar or caster sugar (optional)

Method:

Put the flour, salt and sugar (if desired) into a stand mixer and stir until blended together.  In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, banana and almond milk with an immersion blender until the mixture is smooth and thick like a loose custard.  Pour the egg and milk mixture into the flour and mix on low speed with the whisk attachment for about a minute.  Continue to mix on low, adding the vanilla and lemon juice.  Mix for 20 minutes.  Cover the batter and let rest in the refrigerator for several hours. (You can also make the batter before you go to bed and let rest overnight.)  If you are in a hurry and choose to skip the resting part, the crepes will be spongy and have a dough-like texture.  They are still tasty, but not quite like a real crepe.

Heat  a skillet or crepe pan on medium-low heat.  (I like to use a 10-inch heavy bottomed stainless steel pan.) Use a very small amount of canola cooking spray for the first, then every other crepe.  When the pan is hot, pour about 1/3 of a cup of batter into the center of the pan, then quickly tilt the pan in all directions to allow the batter to spread thinly over the entire bottom of the pan. Let the first side cook until the crepe no longer looks wet and the edges begin to brown and curl away from the sides of the pan.  Flip and cook the other side for about 30 seconds or until it slides easily in the pan.  The first crepe, like any pancake or waffle, will not look pretty. So don't beat yourself up if it takes several tries before they look just right. Part of the success with crepes is getting the pan to the right temperature, so play with the temperature until they start coming out golden brown.

Fill with fruit, maple syrup, Nutella, powdered sugar, or your favorite filling. Serve warm.

The Last Ginger Snap

I could not have posed a better photo if I'd tried.  I was trying to take a picture of my own fingers holding the last remaining ginger snap, in a "I'm holding on to a faded memory" sort of way...and just as the shutter snapped, my almost-two-year-old reached up to snatch the cookie away from me. (Yes, this is the same one who likes to steal pie crust.)  But it's poetic, really, that my overly-sentimental thought about history being "lost in the cobwebs so easily dusted away", would be overtaken by my little one physically grabbing my metaphor. Ok, little one, I pass the baton. You may have this little bite of family history.  I'll hold my sentimental proclamations about the passing of time, getting older, loved ones gone, the last cookie, etc. etc.  For now we will just eat a really good ginger cookie together, appreciating your great-grandmother who let me make them with her one summer, despite being out of season, just because it was my favorite, when I was not much bigger than you.

Grandma Avalon's Ginger Snaps

Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbs) of butter
1/4 C. blackstrap molasses
1 C. Sugar
1 large farm-fresh egg

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Extra sugar for rolling

Method:
Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.  In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, egg and molasses.  Add the dry ingredients and combine well.  Cover and refrigerate for several hours.  With a scoop or spoon, portion the dough and form into 1-inch balls.  Roll in sugar and place on baking sheet, making sure to leave space between them, as they flatten out.

Bake at 350 degrees until firm (about 15-20 minutes for crunchy cookies, less time for softer cookies.)  Carefully transfer to a cooling rack.  Store in an airtight container once completely cooled.

Five-Farm Fritters

I had never tasted a rutabaga (or swede, as it's known in some places) until about a month ago. But as it usually happens, the power of suggestion won when a person in front of me at the farmer's market asked how to cook rutabaga.  My ears perked up as Letty described how easy it is to grate the rutabaga, mix it with sliced onion, flour, egg, salt, pepper, and fry it in a pan like potato latkes.  When it was my turn I bought two bunches of rutabaga and a dozen eggs.  They were, of course, a hit.  Each week I find myself making a larger batch in order to appease my hungry veggie-lover family.

These tasty fried treats are similar to potato latkes, only without the starchiness of potatoes. Rutabaga are in the brassicaceae family, which basically means they are cousins to mustard and cabbages. The greens and roots are edible, and the flavors are all similar to turnips, kohlrabi, broccoli, collards and cabbage...all of which are in the same family of plants.

This time of year brassica's are the highlight of farmer produce... which got me thinking as I made my way around the market.  What else could I put in these fritters?  I've played with the recipe several times over the last month, and this is the most recent version, using an assortment of goodies from last week's market.

Ingredients:
3 medium rutabaga, plus greens
1 fennel bulb
1 kohlrabi (purple or green), plus greens
1 yellow onion
1/3 cup Sonrisa Farm stone ground whole wheat flour (can substitute quinoa flour to make this recipe gluten-free)
2 tsp kosher or sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 Local farm eggs
3 Tbs canola or olive oil, plus extra for frying
Garnish with Hoe Hop jalapeno pepper jelly.

Method:
Remove the greens from the rutabaga and kohlrabi, wash and set aside. Peel the kohlrabi and grate with a mandolin slicer, food processor or cheese grater.  Leave the skin on the rutabaga and grate.  Thinly slice the yellow onion and fennel.

Chop the leaves of the rutabaga and kohlrabi, removing the stems first if you don't want the coarse texture.

Place the vegetables in a large bowl, then add the remaining ingredients. Mix until combined evenly.  Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a heavy skillet on medium to medium-high heat.  With a fork, scoop dollops of the mixture into the skillet, flattening somewhat with the fork or a metal spatula.  Let brown, then turn and cook the other side until browned.

Let rest on an absorbent cloth or paper towel to blot excess oil before serving.  Try with jalapeno pepper jelly or one of your favorites.