Not just another Lemon Pound Cake!

I love lemons! Anything citrus and anything sour really.  Lemons are for far more than just keeping scurvy at bay 😉  With their high content of vitamin C, they are an extremely effective antioxidant that is known to boost the immune system and protect the body from disease and the effects of aging.  Imagine – you really can have your cake and eat it too!  I like it spritzed over fish and a slice of lemon and lime is always refreshing when added to a glass of water. Their flavour brightens so many dishes and I always zest them prior to using them for anything and throw that zest in the freezer and keep it to use in my baking.  I always give them a good scrub under water prior to zesting them.

I look for smooth skinned lemons without too many discoloured patches and that are bright yellow in colour.  I like to keep mine on the counter in my fruit bowl but if you aren’t going to use them within two weeks they are best kept in the crisper drawer (for up to six weeks).  Give them a good roll back and forth on the counter before juicing them to ensure you get the maximum amount of juice out of them.

I am completely smitten with this cake!  This pound cake is definitely for lemon lovers only!  It is one of my absolute go to recipes.  This pound cake is lighter in texture than the classic pound cake and has a lovely texture.   It is somewhat dense and so moist and lemony… great for dessert or with tea or coffee and a good book and, I may have had it for breakfast on more than several occasions.  You can put a lemon glaze on it, leave it plain or just kiss it with a dusting of confectioner’s suagr.  The best part is, it keeps well in the freezer for months (unadorned) and it actually tastes better on the second and third day.  It’s like a good gumbo, the flavours need time to meld and develop.

Oh and you see how my cake has a lovely golden crust and buttery lemon coloured body….well sometimes no matter what,  a bit of cake sticks to the tin… but you can always hide those little imperfections with a drizzle of icing or glaze or like me, go for the rustic look.   I’ll be lucky if this cake makes it to a second or third day around here!  The yummo factor is directly correlated to the time it sits around factor 😉

This would be equally delicious if you substituted the lemon for lime, orange or even grapefruit.  Bake yourself up a Lemon Lover’s Pound Cake and share it with people you love.   Let me know how it goes, I’d love to hear from you!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
• 3 cups white sugar (or less but not less than two as it will change the texture)
• 6 eggs at room temperature
• 5 tablespoons lemon juice or the juice of a big lemon
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel (or more if you really like it like me)
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract (do NOT add more of this as it will make the cake bitter)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour or cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream or plain yogurt (full fat regular Balkan Style or Greek)

ICING (optional)

• 1/4 cup sour cream (full fat or full fat yogurt)
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened (I skip the butter)
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ or icing sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons zested or grated lemon peel

For icing, in a small mixing bowl, beat the sour cream and butter until blended.  Gradually add confectioners’ sugar. If not using butter just beat the sour cream & icing.  Beat in lemon juice and peel. Drizzle over the cake. Store in the refrigerator.

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. 

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in lemon juice, peel and extract. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Beat just until combined.

Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan.  Give it a good tap or two on the counter just to make sure there aren’t any air bubbles in the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. I always turn the cake around in the oven at the halfway mark and then I check it again at the 3/4 time mark.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.  If your cake starts to crack as mine did (sometimes it’s because the oven is too hot) no worries as you will be turning it upside down anyway.  No one will ever know or care 😉

I do not have this recipe in metric but I do have a fabulous conversion link for you should you happen to want to convert this or any other recipe.

For a pretty garnish you can slice strawberries as I did and fan them out and set them on the plate beside the cake or atop the cake prior to cutting.

The final picture doesn’t show it though because they looked and smelled so good I ate them right away! lol  And yes, they were THAT big!

Hand Pies

Hand Pies

Recently having had a surplus of rhubarb, I made several different variations of rhubarb desserts; rhubarb custard pie, rhubarb crisp, rhubarb pie with crisp topping, rhubarb squares with a shortbread like crust…ANYWAY the point is….what to do with left over pie dough?  I don’t like to ever throw it out so I always make cinnamon rolls or a  homemade version of pop tarts or sometimes these little baby hand pies.

I forgot to do the egg wash on these ones hence the case of anemia but they were absolutely delish!  You can put whatever concoction inside that your little heart desires as long as it is thick.  The crust was so flaky and short, it melted in your mouth.  The filling was a mixed berry jam and I  added some nice chunks of fresh strawberry.  The bright flavour just popped in your mouth.  I sprinkled the tops with some very coarse sugar which added a little crunch and a pretty detail.

Give them a try.  They are super easy and so good.  Let us know what you like to put inside your hand pies.

Hollie’s Pastry Dough(makes two open-faced pies or one pie with a lid)

21/2 cups of flour  (350 grams all-purpose flour or 325 grams of cake/pastry flour)

1/2 pound of butter  (226.80 grams {g / butter})  (or a mixture of butter and vegetable shortening.  I’m an all butter girl myself)

1/4 cup  (60 ml)  cold water (ice or tap)

Mix the flour and butter with a pastry blender, fork or your hands.  If using your hands and they are very warm  just run them under cold water for a minute and dry well before handling the mixture.  Leave some nice chunks of butter in the mix for a flaky crust.  Add 3 tablespoons of water and mix.  Keep adding water a tablespoon at a time until the mixture forms a ball. Sometimes depending on the weather or the heat in your kitchen you may need more or less water, that is why you add it a tablespoon at a time after the initial first 3 tablespoons.  It’s much easier to add gradually then add to much water and try and fix it.

Shape into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap and put in fridge for 20 minutes.  Flour your work surface and start rolling your dough.  You can also roll it between parchment or saran for easier clean up.

dough

Once it’s all rolled out you can start cutting your dough.  If you don’t want an orange slice or half round shaped pie like mine just cut squares or rectangles.  Remember you’re going to fold them in half, so make them big enough to be able to put a teaspoon of filling in.  If you’re going to add fruit you may even want a little more room. Roll it out about 1/4″ thick.

Make a very light indentation down the middle of your shape or just eyeball it – your filling is going to go to the right of the indentation.

With your index finger or using a brush, take a small amount of water and run it along the edge of one half of your dough.  Lift the opposite side of the dough over to cover your filling and meet the other edge.  Press the edges together with your fingers or a fork to hold in the filling.  Make small vents on the top to let the steam out.

Fruit Filled Hand Pie

Brush your hand pie with an egg wash or milk to make the crust shiny and have a nice golden colour.  You can also sprinkle a coarse sugar (white or brown) on top. Bake 350F (175C) oven for approximately 12 – 15 minutes depending how hot your oven is.  I place my hand pies on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  If the filling escapes a little you won’t have to worry about scrubbing your cookie sheet if the filling decides to go “AWOL” and that is a good thing!

May 24 and more Rhubarb is calling…

Meet the Pie Boss aka my dad George.

I’m having a ‘stay-cation’ this long weekend.   So when the phone rang and the voice on the other end of the receiver asked if I felt like coming over and helping bake some rhubarb pie…I, of course, said yes.  My Dad, the retired engineer and recent widower at 78,  has taken up cooking and baking since my Mom passed away last June.

Two Chefs on a serious roll!  I measured out exactly 56 cups of rhubarb. YES, I said 56!  If 1 cup equals 8 ounces and my math is correct, that gives us a grand total of 28 pounds of rhubarb and there will be more before the summer is finished.  Good thing we love our rhubarb!

We  made 10 custard rhubarb pies, 1 large pan of rhubarb crisp, 1 tray of cinnamon rolls, which has absolutely nothing to do with rhubarb but that is our excuse for using all the extra pie dough (and making extra so we could have them).

There is a rhubarb patch in the back garden but I  hadn’t realized that the entire patch had been picked clean so even after all that baking I took 8 cups home for future rhubarb lip smacking, nirvana-like, sourlicious (yes I just made that word up, I like to do that a lot in case you hadn’t already noticed) epicureal  delights   😉  Perhaps a rhubarb compote with a pork roast or maybe just some strawberry and rhubarb freezer jam.  Whatever way it goes, I am sure I’ll be sharing with you all 😉

So I did manage to take some pictures for you but must apologize for their quality.  My camera was being very wonky yesterday and then the batteries died before I had a chance to take a picture of all the fruits of our labour!  Of course, now I can’t seem to locate the recharger.  I’m laughing in frustration because you know what it’s like.  You can so clearly see yourself putting it right there and yet, it is not ;P

So I must share with you, as an engineer my father follows all directions to the letter.  No variations are allowed. I was trying to explain just because the recipe calls for 8 tablespoons of ice water, doesn’t mean you have to use them all.  When you’ve baked for a long time you become able to tell if something is right or wrong by using your senses.  It looks too wet, it feels too dry, it doesn’t smell done yet.  I used to groan when my grandmother said this but now I understand what she meant.  The important thing with pie dough is as soon as it starts to form that ball, as soon as it starts to stick to itself, it’s pretty much ready to roll.  The less you handle it the better.  Leave some sizable lumps of fat also for a flaky crust.

Rhubarb is considered a vegetable even though more often than not sugar is added to it and it is used in baked goods.  It is stewed with sugar or used in pies and desserts, but it can also be put into savory dishes or pickled. Rhubarb can be dehydrated and infused with fruit juice.

How do you like your rhubarb?  Straight up from the garden with a side of sugar? Baked in a pie? As a compote over vanilla  icecream or in a fruit fool?  There are so many ways to enjoy this delicious summer treat and now you can get it all year round from the greenhouse.

Chopped Rhubarb

You are going to need 4 cups of 1″ chopped rhubarb for every 9″-9.5″ pie dish, plate, pan, tin or whatever you like to refer to it as. I don’t recommend using a deep dish for this.  The rhubarb just has so much water in it that it just wouldn’t set well and probably end up a wet, soggy mess and well…that would just make you sad after all your hard work ;-(

Now let’s make the crust. You can use your favourite pastry recipe or my favourite recipe, which happens to be my mom’s.

Hollie’s Pastry Dough (makes two open-faced pies or one pie with a lid)

21/2 cups of flour  (350 grams all-purpose flour or 325 grams of cake/pastry flour)

1/2 pound of butter  (226.80 grams {g / butter})  (or a mixture of butter and vegetable shortening.  I’m an all butter girl myself)

1/4 cup  (60 ml)  cold water (ice or tap)

Start with above amount of water and keep adding by the tablespoon until the flour butter mixture comes to form a ball.  This dough is very short so it may feel a little sticky but that’s okay because then you can add flour when your rolling without any worry of it becoming tough. Make a ball, cut it in half. Shape each half into a round flat disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, a Ziploc bag, any plastic bag and place in the fridge for twenty minutes.  While the dough is chilling we can put together the custard and mix it with the rhubarb.

Custard

For every four cups of rhubarb you are going to make one recipe of custard.

1 large egg

3/4 to 1 cup of white granulated sugar (I use less as I like my pie quite tart)

3 rounded tablespoons of flour (all-purpose, cake & pastry) (you could use cornstarch in a pinch)

a good pinch of cinnamon (optional) we did some with and some without

Mix together with a fork or spoon or whatever your weapon of choice is.  You are going to say hey, what’s going on? It’s too thick!  Trust me, would I lie to  you?  Just keep stirring and it will become a buttery coloured smooth custard.  Take this mixture and pour it over your rhubarb and stir it all together until every piece of rhubarb has been kissed by the custard.  Then pour this into your rolled out and prepared pie shell.  Smooth it out evenly and then proceed with your top.  You can make it whole or latticed, whatever floats your boat, it’s up to you.  If you do make the top completely covered you must make some kind of steam holes.  I personally would have prettied it up with a design but this is King George’s “Engineer Pie” so he was the designer today.

Raw pie crust

Bake at 350 F (175 degrees C) for 40-60 minutes.  I always check it at the 40 minute mark though.

Tips and Tricks

We used foil pie plates so we can freeze them.  We will freeze two first and when they are completely frozen we will stack two more on top of these and so on.  Placing the pies on a parchment lined cookie sheets helps for easy in and out of the oven and easy clean up should any juices from the pie run over.

Roll your dough between two sheets of parchment or plastic wrap.  It’s easier to work with and so much easier to clean up. You can put a dusting of flour down on the parchment if your dough is extra short or if the weather or your kitchen is very warm, then use a pastry brush and just brush off the excess flour.  Make sure your rolled dough is larger than your vessel by at least a good 2″ to ensure it’s large enough for your pie plate.

I love my rhubarb pie while it’s still warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla bean icecream or just plain and of course it’s always best shared.  Don’t be shocked when everyone tucks into their piece of pie and you hear absolutely nothing but silence…it’s because they’ve reached nirvana – well the rhubarb pie kind anyway.   How do you enjoy your rhubarb?  Let us know, we’d love to hear from you!

Dutch Baby

My Dutch Baby

I really have absolutely no idea why this is referred to as a “Dutch Baby”  (okay so now we all know), but, all I know for sure is that it is super simple to prepare, quick and delicious!  Think crossover between a pancake and a popover.   Better than waffles, better than french toast and it’s truly a no fail recipe.  No practice required but warning…it is highly addictive!

It’s good for breakfast, lunch, brunch or even supper.  You can even serve it as dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream drizzled with maple syrup or some Butterscotch Schnapps. You can add apples (as I like to do) or other fruit such as peaches ( with brandy extract).  No fruit in the pantry, no problem… a squeeze of lemon (0r not as you desire) and a sprinkling of powdered sugar and your good to go!

It’s just that easy!  Go on! Give it a try! You won’t regret it 😉

• 3 large eggs at room temperature  (run under warm water if you’re in a hurry)
• 2/3 cup whole milk at room temperature  ( I used 2% and was happy)
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (or not if you don’t have it)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter (4 Tablespoons), cut into pieces (or salted is fine if that is all you have but then omit 1/8 tsp. salt)

Orange Zest for topping (if using)

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon grated orange zest

Put cast iron skillet on middle rack of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. No greasing or prepping necessary.

Stir together sugar and orange zest in a small bowl and set aside.  (If you want you can skip/omit this step but it does add a nice flavour)

Beat eggs until pale and frothy, then add milk and continue beating until mixed, then add flour, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and continue to beat until smooth, about 1 minute more (batter will be quite thin).

Add butter to hot skillet and melt, swirling to coat. Add batter and immediately return skillet to oven. Bake until puffed and golden-brown, 18 to 25 minutes.

When it comes out of the oven it will be puffy and crispy.  Sprinkle with your choice of topping (orange sugar, confectioner’s or icing sugar or maple syrup) and dig in.

With Fruit Variation

Peel, core and thinly slice (not slices you can see through but not chunks either-say maybe a quarter of an inch in thickness) 2 large apples that will hold their shape.  I like Gala or Granny Smith. Melt butter in 10 inch frying pan (that can be transferred into oven).  Add in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Once melted, add in apples and cook on stove top until apples are softened, about five minutes. Batter is same recipe as above. Pour the batter over the apple mixture.  Place in oven.  Bake until puffed and golden-brown, 18 to 25 minutes.

Tips

You want to slice your apples thinner rather than thicker so that they will be baked when the baby is ready to come out of the oven.  You don’t want hard pieces of apple.

I always bake things in the middle or top third of my oven.  Things tend to burn on the bottom especially when in cast iron.

Don’t have a cast iron pan, don’t fret, just pour it into 2 – 9″ cake pans.

You can use a whisk to mix the batter up, an electric mixer, a fork or even the blender.  I’m lazy! I use the whisk and make it directly into a large measuring cup with a pour spout to make things easier.

Don’t freak out! It is supposed to fall when you take it out of the oven 😉

Dutch Baby

Just be warned if you make this once, it will definitely become a cherished and favourite ‘go to recipe’.  Practice accepting compliments graciously as you will be receiving them in abundance!  Do you have a  favourite  recipe that is a standard in your family?  If you give this a try, please let me know  how yours turned out.    I was going to have pasta for supper tonight but I think I’ve changed my mind 😉

Rhubarb Tart My Way

A Tart By Any Other Name

I ask you, what’s not to love about rhubarb?  It can be stewed, baked, made into jam or compote and even fruit roll ups.  I mean cobblers, crumbles, muffins, loaves, cakes, pies. Do I need to carry on here?  It is so versatile and delicious. It can even be served with pork roast (one of my favourite ways to eat it).  I can not think of a single, solitary way that I would not like to eat it with the exception of it being raw.  My friend Jan was telling me how, as a child, her mom would give her and her sisters a cup of sugar and send them out to the rhubarb patch and they would have at her (that just made my eyelids turn inside out thinking about it!). 😉

I entitled this post Rhubarb Tart My Way because really it’s a pie made in a tart pan.  Who said you must make pie in a round pie shell?  I’ve made them in a cast iron fry pan and free form on the backside of a cookie sheet.  If you really had your heart set on a traditional tart just make a sweet shortbread like crust.

I love the tartness of rhubarb, its beautiful ruby, pink, maroon and green colours and even the smell of it, especially freshly picked from my parent’s garden.  Although, I must admit I like it even better when it’s picked and waiting for me!

Rhubarb Tart with Whole Wheat Crust

I used to be dough-phobic (yes I like to make words up!).  I used to fear the dough.  We are talking full out avoid the entire process!  But then one magical day I learned the less you do to it the better it turns out.

All Butter Pie Crust Dough

2 1/2 cups (312 grams) all-purpose flour (can use 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all purpose flour)
2 tablespoons sugar (optional, I often skip this step because I forget it)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, chilled, cubed
8 tablespoons ice water

Place all but the water into the food processor and pulse it just until it’s a coarse meal in texture but chunks of butter are fine, preferred even.  Then add half the water and give it a pulse. Then keep adding one tablespoon at a time until moist clumps start to form.  Then remove and form into one big ball and cut in half, placing each half that you’ve shaped into a round disc into plastic wrap or a ziploc bag and place in fridge for about 1/2 an hour minimum and two hours maximum before rolling.  Yes you could you lard or half lard and half butter but why would you?  I’ve just always used butter and have had great successes with it.

While the pie dough is chilling in the fridge, it’s time to chop the rhubarb (into one inch pieces) and filling.

For every 2 cups of rhubarb make the following custard;

3 Tablespoons all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 egg beaten

Mix all the ingredients together.  At first it will look too dry but just keep stirring and it will become creamy and pudding like in consistency.  You want your tart to be full but not in a mound.  I use about 4 cups of rhubarb per shell but if you have a little more feel free to put it in.  Pour this mixture all over your washed and 1″ diced rhubarb and stir it all together. Pour into bottom shells.

Assembly

Roll out your bottom crust. Place into whatever vessel you are using.  I doubled my pie crust because I knew I wanted to make two tarts.  Once the crust is rolled out I fold the crust in half and pull it halfway across the pan and then just unfold it.  You can also just roll it right around your rolling pin and then roll it out over your pie plate or tart pan.  Gently push it down in and around the pan and then take the rolling pin and roll it right across the top of your pan and it will cut off all the excess dough for you.  Place your rhubarb with custard mixture into this shell.

Tart shell lined with parchment (removable bottom tart pans)

Top Crust

I like to have fun with my top crusts and make them as pretty and interesting as I can.  You can use your favourite cutters or design your own or just make a pretty lattice topping.  Just roll out the dough and cut into strips and weave them above and  under a strip you’ve already laid down.

Lattice Top Rhubarb Tart

Decorative Top Round Rhubarb Tart

We eat with our eyes first and you went to all that trouble so why not wow them!  You can then brush your top crust with beaten egg yolk, milk or cream.  You can also sprinkle coarse sugar on the top for a little extra sparkle if you like.

Changing it up

You can add strawberries or raspberries to the rhubarb if you like.  The reds are so pretty together and are an awesome flavour combo.  You could also add a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg to your rhubarb if the urge hits you.

Tips

Roll your dough between two sheets of parchment for a super easy and no stick pie crust.  Peel the paper away from the crust – not the crust from the paper.

I put my tart pans on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  It makes for an easier clean up should anything happen to bubble over and it makes it easier to go in and out of the oven.

Trick

When I’ve left the butter on the counter too long and it’s become soft I just go ahead and mix it with the flour & salt (I usually do it with a fork).  I mix it very roughly..no uniform size chunks of butter.  Chunks are good!  I then throw the entire bowl in the freezer for a good twenty minutes sometimes more and then when the butter is cold I just add the water, mix until it comes together and roll it out.  Those chunks of butter, after they are all nice and cold from the freezer,  are going to plump up into a beautiful tender and very flaky pie crust once they hit the heat of the oven.  The coldness of the pastry with the heat of the oven creates a steam which is going to give you the absolute best pie crust in the entire history of ever!

Your masterpiece will look so pretty that you will think it’s a shame to cut into it…but resistance is futile…so go ahead!  Can’t take the heavenly aroma wafting through the house any longer? Still a little too warm? Even better! Serve it up with a dollop of fresh cream or some vanilla bean ice-cream.  Sit back and prepare yourself for the applause…oh yes they will applaud!