A Crostata of a Different Flavor

Sunset Magazine is filled with interesting things. Recipes of all sorts may be found, and the holiday issues are some of my favorites. The Thanksgiving edition had a particularly intriguing recipe, which I made for yesterday’s family get-together. You may find the original recipe here; what makes it particularly interesting is the fact it is made with an artisan flour derived from a different wheat than is in your average flour.  It is made with

Emmer farro flour, made from whole-grain emmer wheat, gives the crostata a rustic texture and great flavor. Because it’s low in gluten, it needs to be mixed with all-purpose flour to hold the crust together

The flour is from Bluebird Grain Farms whose specialty is heirloom organic grains.  While I did not use their flour, I think I am quite likely to try it in the near future.  I’ve added a link to their site under the Farmers to Admire category.

Below is how I made the crostata.  I think that you can use this recipe as a basis for any fresh, seasonal fruit – the frangipane is a wonderful flavor!

PASTRY

  • 1 1/2 c. whole wheat white flour
  • pinch salt
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes (1 stick of butter, and 2 T more)

Use a food processor, as in the original recipe:  pulse flours and salt to mix. Add butter and whirl 3 seconds. Drizzle in 1/3 cup ice water, pulsing until mixture comes together in a shaggy ball but still has bits of butter showing. Form into a disk, wrap airtight, and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

FRANGIPANE

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 6 t. white sugar
  • 1/3 cup blanched almonds, finely ground
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 T flour
  • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. almond extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat together 6 T. of sugar with butter until light and fluffy.  Mix in almonds (I used ground almond meal from Trader Joe’s), egg, flour, extracts, until smoothly blended.  Set aside.

CRANBERRIES

  • 3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (1 12-oz. package)
  • 1/4 c. white sugar
  • 1 T. water

Mix together cranberries, sugar and water.  Set aside.

ASSEMBLING CROSTATA

Roll out dough on floured surface into a 14-inch circle.  Rotate and flip pastry as you roll it out.  Trim edges, and transfer to a round pizza pan or rectangular cookie sheet.  Line either with a sheet of parchment paper.   (I used a cookie sheet, only to find it was to big for my refrigerator, so I tilted it to fit, and had no problems with any berries escaping!)

Spread frangipane over inside of dough, leaving about a 3-inch border outside your circle of frangipane.

Place sugared cranberries over the frangipane mixture, pressing them in a bit to help keep the cranberries in place.

Fold the edges of the dough up and over the cranberries – do this gently! – and create pleats or folds as you go.  Once you do this, pinch the pleats in place a bit to seal the dough.  This will prevent leakage during baking.

Place crostata in refrigerator for about 30 minutes before baking.  While you do this, preheat the oven to 375 F with the cooking rack in the middle.  I used my oven on convection, but changed nothing as far as temperature or time.

Bake crostata for 45 minutes.  I checked mine at 35 minutes, and then continued.

Cool on parchment paper and cookie sheet, then transfer crostata and parchment paper to cookie rack to finish cooling.

Serve at room temperature, or warmed in the oven.  Great with vanilla ice cream!

A Bowl, A Brush

Yesterday a friend who is a potter came over.  I’ve only known her a short time, but she is one of those people you like the minute you meet, and like even more as time goes by.  She brought some of her work to show me.  For some reason the term “organic” is the only way I can describe her pottery – it is earthy and elegant at the same time, and seems to be perfect for the clay.  I liked what I saw.

The point of the visit was sort of show-and-tell.  You show me yours, I’ll show you mine.     She wanted to learn about sumi-e and brush work so she can apply it to her pottery.  For me, this was a much-needed diversion from the technology of photography and post-processing software.  It also motivated me to dig out a rather large supply of brushes I have from Japan, bought for resale.  And it reminded me of just how peaceful it is to ink up a stone, and take the time to do something with my hands other than pushing around a mouse, doing dishes, or whatever.

She is a lefty.  The movements I find difficult are easy for her, and vice versa.  Together, we went through a bit of paper, tried out different brushes, and have agreed to do some more of this.  She left with a stone and ink, a mosen, and a package of sulphite paper.  I got a bowl and the reminder to move away from the computer.  Maybe I will make some pottery with her at some time.

Soup of the Evening

I have had a squash or two lying around for a few days. I’ve roasted one, so tonight I decided to make soup out of the other. It is an acorn squash, which is not an easy one to peel and dice because of its ridges, but peel and dice it I did. I think next time, I will probably cook it before I turn it into soup!

Anyway, I took half a yellow onion, diced it fine, and sauteed it in olive oil and butter. Then, I took the diced, peeled acorn squash – seeds removed – and added it to the mix. I let it both onion and squash caramelize a bit. Then I added about 1 cup of sliced apple – I had one with a bruise, so I cut out the bruise – and added it to the onions and acorn squash, stirred it a bit, then added two cups of chicken broth (unsalted) and another two cups of water. Seasoning was a teaspoon of dried thyme. Then, left on its own to simmer about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, I got the blender out, as the plan is puree it all, and return it to the pot. From there . . . it may be enough with a bit of salt and pepper for the final seasoning, or I may give it a bit of a bit by adding some ginger or aleppo pepper. In the end, though, I just pureed it in the blender, added a bit of salt and pepper, a bit of extra water to thin it out, and a dollop of sour cream. Suggestion:  do this in small batches – my kitchen had soup all over the place because I just put the whole mess in the blender, forgetting that blenders are enthusiastic!

The result is a soft, creamy soup, with a delicate sweetness from the apple, and more suited to an appetizer than a “hearty” meal. With a nice salad, and a tasty roll, the result is also perfect for a light meal.

Acorn Squash Veloute

  • 2 T. each live oil and sweet butter
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 1 acorn squash
  • 1 sweet apple
  • 2 c. chicken broth, unsalted
  • 2 c. water
  • Dried thyme, salt, pepper
  • Sour cream

In a 3 to 4 quart sauce pan, place diced onion and saute in heated olive oil and butter. Peel and seed squash; chop into chunks. Add to onion when onion is pale yellow, and continue to saute, allowing onion and squash to caramelize a bit. Dice apple, add to onions and squash. Add 2 c. unsalted chicken broth. Bring to simmer. Add 1-2 tsp. dried thyme. Simmer covered until all ingredients are tender. Puree in blender in small amounts, then return to sauce pan. Thin with water if necessary, and balance seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Warm but do not boil.

Serve in bowls with a small dollop of sour cream on top, or a drizzle of thin cream.

Comment

Next time I make this, though, I will roast the squash in the oven and scoop out the seeds and flesh. Peeling it was not hard, just annoying!  The flavor may be more pronounced as a result.

Time

48 years ago today, I was in the gym, crawling around on the floor, playing kick volleyball with all the kids in my class.  It was cold and snowy outdoors in upstate New York, if I recall properly.  For some reason, the teacher, Miss Viviani, walked out and then in.  She said, “The President has been shot.”  Minutes later she did the same, and came back to announce, “The President is dead.”

The loss of President Kennedy was a terrible event, one which I believe marked a tragic downturn in American history and politics.

The world is so very different today, and so very much the same. I’m no longer a kid in elementary school. President Kennedy’s family is grown, some gone; there are grandchildren. People I know have died, had children, have grandchildren. Time continues, and our own little space – shared with billions – is just as important as national events and crises.

Cherish what you have, as it will be gone far too soon.

Vultures & Brownies

It seems like there are machines out there, waiting for blogs to post new posts!  I received oodles of spam in the past 24 hours, as comments on my previous post.  Hmm.  The vultures are circling . . .

That aside, we had friends over for dinner – homemade pork chili verde and chocolate brownies for dessert.  The chili verde is a wonderful dish for cold nights as it is filled with pork, pasillas, jalapenos, tomatillos, cilantro, onions, garlic, cumin and crushed coriander. The brownies are plain old comfort food, easy to make, and very tasty, chocolatey, and filled with pecans.

– – – Brownies! – – –

Brownies

Preheat oven to 350 F.

  • 4 squares unsweetened Baker’s chocolate
  • 1 stick butter
  • 4 eggs
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 c. sugar
  • 1 c. flour
  • 1 c. pecans, with some set aside to sprinkle on top

Bring eggs out to warm to room temperature. Melt chocolate and butter together over low heat on stove. Cool to room temperature. Beat eggs, salt, and sugar together until thick and lemony. Beat the eggs very well, to incorporate a lot of air, as this is the only leavening used in this recipe.

After eggs are properly beaten, using a spoon (not an electric mixer), stir in melted chocolate and butter until not quite completely mixed in. Add flour, continue to mix until incorporated and mixture is evenly colored. Add pecans. Pour batter into 9×13 inch pan, bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes. Bake less for gooey-er brownies.

My opinion is that a metal pan is best for this recipe. If you use a glass pan or convection oven, drop the temperature by 25 degrees.

Save some batter to lick – it’s awfully good!  But if you worry about salmonella, avoid this step in the clean-up.