Strawberry Cake

This easy summery recipe is adapted from the Smitten Kitchen

• 6 TB room temp butter, plus extra for pie plate
• 1 C. spelt flour
• 1/2 C. all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 3/4 C. sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 TB. orange zest
• 1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
• 2 TB demerara sugar crystals

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Butter a 9- or 10-inch springform or cake pan.

Whisk flour or flours, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla and zest until just combined. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.

Pour into prepared pie plate. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.

Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a rack. Cut into wedges. Serve with lightly whipped cream.

Vanessa's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 C. whole spelt flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 C. unsalted European butter

2 C. coconut sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 lg. organic eggs

1 1/2 C. 71% chocolate, chopped into chunks

Maldon Salt

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixer, cream butter and sugar about 2 min. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well. Sift and combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and blend on low until combined. Add the chocolate chunks and mix. Shape cookies with a #24 scoop. Drop onto a cookie sheet lined with a silpat. Freeze for 20 minutes and then remove and sprinkle with salt.  Bake 7-8 min. for chewy cookies, 9-10 for crispy. Cool completely before removing.

Burnt Marshmallow Shake!

Ingredients:

1 Bag Marshmallows 

1 C. Chocolate Milk

4-6 C. Vanilla Bean Ice cream

Optional: Chocolate Syrup

Put a piece of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet and lightly spray. Spread the marshmallows on top and broil carefully until just toasted, gooey and maybe a little blackened. Remove sheet from oven and let cool.

Scoop the marshmallows into a blender with the ice cream and milk. Blend well and serve immediately!

Weeknight Chicken

Chicken breasts can be dry and unexciting on a weekday, but with a couple tricks you can change that! Slicing them thinly is key. Make sure they are just out of the fridge so they are nice and firm. Place your hand on top of the breast to steady it and use a large kitchen knife to make a horizontal slice through the breast. If it is not even all the way through, no worries, generally the slices will not be exactly the same size as you can't slice through the thin edges of a breast. If you have 15 minutes, dissolve a couple TB's salt in some cold water and brine the chicken. If you don't want to bother with that, you will still have a flavorful breast by marinating it in the dressing for 15-20 minutes. Whisk together 1/2 C. olive oil with the juice and zest of a large lemon or 1/4 C. rice wine vinegar if no lemons are on hand. A tiny squeeze of honey and some herbs like oregano or rosemary, and you are good to go. Use half the marinade for a short chicken bath while you heat a grill pan, and reserve the other half to drizzle on top of the salad and chicken when cooked. I like to pile a bunch of lettuce on a big platter, toss it with a small amount of dressing, then top it with the chicken breasts as they come off the grill. Shave some parmesan or pecorino on top, add some sliced bread (toasted with olive oil or not)...dinner is served.

Mimi's Potato Chip Cookies

I remember as a child getting to go to my grandparents house in Conroe. Mimi and Papa's house was on the edge of some piney woods, just on the edge of the railroad tracks, and full of wonderful surprises, like the second floor laundry chute which tumbled you out into the kitchen pantry, and drawers full of my mom's and aunts' clothes and hats. Papa came home everyday for a proper supper at noon and a short nap before returning to his law office, and I would settle in for an afternoon of hide and go seek with my cousins. Nostalgia for my grandparents prompted me to ask my mom for the recipe for Mimi's potato chip cookies, which I loved as a child. The recipes that I found on the Internet were just not the same, and it turns out the secret to a crispy salty sweet potato chip cookie is using Lay's brand thin potato chips and no eggs! These cookies are great because they get better the longer they sit too! I posted a picture on the Internet recently, and my cousins were piped in to remind me to give Jewel, Mimi's housekeeper, the credit for the cookies, as she was the one who made them... who knew!

Mimi and Jewel's Potato Chip Cookies

• 1 lb. butter
• 1 C. Sugar
• 3 C. Flour
• 1 TB. Vanilla
• 2 C. Lay's potato chips, crushed finely
• 1 C. toasted pecans, chopped finely

Preheat oven to 325. Cream together butter and sugar. Add flour until combined and add vanilla. Dump in potato chips and pecans and mix until just combined. If dough is super sticky, refrigerate dough briefly. Use a small spoon to drop rounded TB size portions onto a cookie sheet. Use a dampened fork to place one hatch mark on the cookies. Bake for 12-15 min. Sprinkle with a little granulated sugar when they come out the oven. Makes at least 4 dozen!

*Note! You can use a baby cuisinart to chop the chips and nuts up

Eat All the Cookies!

It's not too late! It's almost too late! Last chance to order before Christmas! The subject lines come in to our inbox with increasing hysteria these days. We're thinking: this isn't what we signed up for. What happened to those cozy nights we imagined, curled up with people we love, drinking too much eggnog? Here's the answer - let's all ignore the emails, stay in our jammies and bake cookies! Here are recipes from some of our favorites from last week's cookie swap - we hope you'll put on your favorite holiday music, and bake and eat to your heart's content.

Salted Toffee Cookie Bark - This recipe from Foodess is a new favorite!

Smitten Kitchen's Brownie Cookies - We love everything Smitten Kitchen & this recipe is a definite keeper!

White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies

1/2 c maraschino cherries, drained and chopped

2 1/2 c flour

1/2 c sugar

1 c cold butter

12 oz white chocolate baking squares, divided

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 drops red food coloring

2 tsp shortening

red & white sprinkles

Preheat oven to 325. Spread chopped cherries on paper towels to drain. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture in crumbly. Stir in cherries and 4 oz chopped white chocolate. Stir in almond extract and red food coloring. Knead mixture until it forms a ball. Shape dough into 3/4" balls and place a couple of inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to flatten balls into 1 - 1 1/2" rounds. Bake cookies 10-12 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely. Once cookies are cooled, melt 8 oz. white chocolate with shortening. Dip half of each cookie into chocolate. Sprinkle with red and white sprinkles and place cookies on wax paper or parchment and allow chocolate to set.

Banana Cake Cookies

for cookies:

1 c butter

1 c sugar

2 eggs

1 c mashed banana

1/2 c buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

3 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 c chopped, toasted pecans

for frosting:

4 oz butter, softened

4 oz cream cheese, softened

2 c powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla

For the cookies: Preheat oven to 350. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Stir in the banana. Add buttermilk and vanilla. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together, then fold into butter mixture. Fold in pecans. Drop by rounded tablespoon 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool and frost.

For the frosting: In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla and chill until ready to use.

Swedish Butter Cookies

2 sticks butter (room temperature)

2 cups regular or whole wheat flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

zest of one lime or lemon

pinch salt

brown sugar powder (grind brown sugar in a food processor until powdery)

Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until fluffy. Add flour, brown sugar, vanilla, lime or lemon zest and pinch of salt and continue mixing until a stiff dough forms. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Roll the dough on a floured surface to a half inch thickness, then cut out rounds or other shapes. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until very light brown. As they come out of the oven, toss the cookies in the brown sugar powder then put on a rack to cool completely. 

Spice Crescents

2 c. flour

1 Tbs cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp reshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

4 oz butter, at room temperature

1/2 c light brown sugar

1/4 c sugar

2 Tbs molasses

1 egg, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c sugar (for finishing)

1 vanilla bean (for finishing)

Preheat oven to 375. Whisk flour, spices and salt together in a bowl. Working in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar and 1/4 c. sugar until light and smooth.  Beat in molasses, then egg and vanilla. Scrape down sides of bowl then mix until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix until dough comes clean from sides of the bowl. Use a small cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop out rounded teaspoonfuls of dough.  Using the palm of your hand and the table surface, roll scoops of dough into a log.  Then transfer to parchment lined sheet tray and form the log into a crescent. Bake for 10 minutes. While cookies are baking, place 1 1/2 c. of sugar in a shallow mixing bowl.  Scrape interior of vanilla bean into sugar and mix together with your fingers until vanilla bean is fully dispersed throughout sugar. While cookies are still slightly warm, toss them into the vanilla sugar to coat and then finish cooling.

Shortbread Stars

8 oz butter

1/4 c powdered sugar

1/4 c brown sugar

1 c flour

1 c cake flour

1/4 tsp salt

sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350. Working in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars until light and smooth. Add dry ingredients all at once and mix until dough comes clean from sides of the bowl. Pour dough out onto work table. Divide into four pieces. Roll out one piece of dough until approximately 1/4 inch thick. Using a star cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place on parchment lined sheet tray. After all stars are cut out, gather dough scraps into a ball and re-roll.  Re-roll scrap dough only one time.  Chill trays until dough is firm. Sprinkle cookies with topping sugar and bake for 12 - 15 minutes until bottoms of cookies are light brown.  Let cool on wire rack.

The Butcher's Favorite Cuts for Winter Braising

He might not see it this way, but to scores of devoted customers, Jesse Griffiths is the moral compass of our local culinary scene. He founded his business on the simple principal that one could eat well--feast, even--on foods sourced solely from our own foodshed. This hardly seems groundbreaking now, but that's due in large part to Jesse's own tireless work educating and inspiring us with supper club dinners, cooking classes, guided hunting and fishing excursions, and expertly cut local, pastured meats and handmade pantry items from his Dai Due Butcher Shop line. For years, Dai Due lived a pop-up life, with dinners held on farms and butcher's cuts and brunch offered at the farmers' market. Now Dai Due has a home in the Cherrywood neighborhood, in a spiffy, new, stylish space with a crackling hearth and a gleaming butcher case. How happy this makes us--because, for years now, Jesse has fed us well, but even more than that, he has reminded us of the richness of our own community, inspiring us to notice how delicious our very own corner of the world can be.

Read on for Jesse's favorite cuts from the butcher case for cozy winter dinners and a recipe for one of our own  favorites--chicken braised in milk.

Jesse's favorite cuts for winter:

Venison neck - I like to braise with onions, beets, bay leaves and orange zest in a mix of coffee and stock.  Serve with mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes.

Pork stew - great browned, then braised in stock with green chilies, garlic and onion.  Add winter squash like acorn or butternut, and serve with rice.

Venison shanks - nice browned and braised in a tomato sauce, or cooked in a crock pot with cumin, cloves, chilies, cinnamon and lime to make barbacoa.  Shred the meat for tacos, then add hominy or chickpeas to the strained broth for a soup.

Roasting hens - great in the fall because of the vegetables we love to roast underneath them.  I love potatoes, Brussels sprouts and winter squash cut into large pieces and tossed with a little olive oil and salt, then roasted in a pan directly under the roasting hen - which we put directly on the oven rack above it - to catch all of the fat rendering from the bird.

Beef short ribs - another great braising cut.  I love them Daube-style with red wine, clove, carrot, bay and thyme, cooked in rich stock til tender.  Again, mashed potatoes.

And here's an unlikely-sounding recipe I love to cook when winter arrives. Just the thing for cold weather and cozy evenings, a ragtag bunch of ingredients comes together in the most magical way. The lemon zest transforms the milk into a creamy sauce, flavored with rich chicken drippings, peppery notes of spice, and earthy marjoram.

CHICKEN BRAISED IN MILK

3 pound chicken

salt and pepper

2 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs butter

zest of 2 lemons, removed in large strips

6 cloves garlic, slightly crushed but unpeeled

2 tsp pink peppercorns, slightly crushed

1/2 whole nutmeg

1 bunch marjoram

1 pint whole milk (local, low-temp pasteurized, non-homogenized if you can get it) 

Preheat oven to 375. Season the chicken well with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil and butter in a dutch oven over medium high heat until foaming. Brown chicken all over, then remove to a plate and set aside. Pout out all but a teaspoon or two of pan drippings. Return chicken to the pot, then scatter lemon zest, garlic cloves, peppercorns, nutmeg, and a few branches of marjoram around the bird. Carefully pour the milk around the chicken and place in the oven. Cook covered for 20 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, checking for doneness every ten minutes. Slice and pull apart the bird, and serve with milky pan sauce spooned over the top.

Beer-Steamed Mussels with Mustard, Crème Fraiche, Parmesan Croutons & Tons of Herbs

Apparently there’s a lot more to making beer than I ever knew. I suppose I never gave it all that much thought, popping open bottles and cans on hot summer days without deeper consideration. Feeling that there might be more to this beer thing, I met up recently with Josh Hare at his Austin-based Hops & Grain Craft Beer brewery for a little education. The sprawling facility, giant tanks, and gurgling tubes call to mind Willy Wonka’s factory, and indeed, everyone at Hops & Grain seems as hard-working and jolly as an Oompa Loompa—that comes from Josh’s commitment to his craft and his ability to inspire everyone involved. Josh talks me through the basic process: First, malted barley is soaked to release the native sugars in the grain. Next, this “mash” is mixed with hops for flavor. Yeast is added to facilitate fermentation; then when the proper level of fermentation is reached, it goes into a bottle or a can for final aging. Flavor variations come from toasting the grains (usually barley, but also sometimes wheat or rye) or adjusting the variety of the hops. In addition to making two standard varieties of top-quality, easy-drinking beer, Hops & Grain keeps a batch or two going in “The Greenhouse,” tanks where “all new ideas are invited, style guidelines thrown out the window and happiness abounds.” In addition to keeping the happiness flowing, Hops & Grain works on keeping the community greener by giving 1% of annual revenues to local environmental non-profits and supporting local community growers and producers: that’s a triple bottom line we can raise a glass to.

Inspired by my awakening to the nuances of beer, I came home with a six pack of Hops & Grain Pale Dog Pale Ale (full of malt character with a dry, crisp, and hoppy finish, flavors of resinous fruit and dank pine, and a noticeable but balanced bitterness), inspired to pair these flavors with food. I put a big pot of Alsatian mussels on the stove, and we brought the whole pot to the table, dipping big hunks of crusty bread in the delicious juices, and washed it all down with frosty glasses of more cold Pale Dog, doors open to the cooling evening outside, feeling quite pleased with our higher understanding of beer.

Want to see inside Hops & Grain for yourself? Sign up for  Gumbo Cooking Class and Brewery Tour with Notes from Maggie's Farm November 9!

Beer-Steamed Mussels with Mustard, Crème Fraiche, Parmesan Croutons & Tons of Herbs

½ loaf of country sourdough, cut into 1” cubes

1/3 c grated parmesan

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 small bunch parsley, coarsely chopped

1 small bunch chives, minced

6 sprigs tarragon, leaves stripped off & chopped

1 small bunch chervil, coarsely chopped

2/3 c. crème fraiche

4 Tbs. grainy mustard

3 Tbs. butter

6 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 tsp. dried thyme

5 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 small bunch green onions, white & some green part, sliced thin

1 12 oz. beer (I used Hops & Grain Pale Dog)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine bread cubes, Parmesan, and olive oil in medium bowl; sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Spread bread cubes evenly on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until bread cubes are crisp and golden around edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Mix parsley, chives, tarragon, and chervil in small bowl. Whisk crème fraîche and mustard in another small bowl to blend; set aside.

Melt butter in extra-large pot with lid over high heat. Add garlic and thyme; stir 1 minute. Add mussels, tomatoes, and green onions. Pour beer over, then add crème fraîche mixture; sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Cover tightly with lid and cook until steam appears, about 3 minutes. Add half of fresh herb mixture and stir until mussels and herbs are gently mixed. Cover tightly with lid again and cook until mussels open, 4 to 5 minutes (discard any mussels that do not open).

Using slotted spoon, divide mussels among 6 bowls. Season mussel juices lightly with salt and pepper, then pour juices over each serving. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan croutons and remaining herb mixture and serve.

Iba's Bunny Chow

My friend Iba has a big, deep voice, a wide smile, a laugh that fills a room, and a hundred stories to tell. His enthusiasm for food from all over the world is downright inspiring. He knows a lot about food history and has cooked in kitchens in Paris, New York, and now in Austin. His juice bar JuJu Juice has scores of customers who love his fresh-pressed juices and homemade nut milks, and that they're served up a generous helping of warmth and light at JuJu's window. At Cazamance, his trailer serving dishes inspired by his native Senegal and his travels near and far, he loves to create traditional dishes that are lightened up and brightened with fresh greens and handmade sauces, like this Bunny Chow, born of South African bar food. It's a dish that's far greater than the sum of its parts--exotically spiced, texturally exciting, and deeply satisfying. Read on for the recipe, and if you want to get to know Iba better (or already love him), click here to join us at my place for a class he's teaching on Friday evening!

Bunny Chow

1 pound lamb sausage

1 loaf rustic sourdough

1 cucumber, sliced thin

5 oz baby spinach, washed and spun dry

homemade ketchup (recipe below)

Sriracha sour cream (recipe below)

Homemade Ketchup:

2 T olive oil

1 small onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tomatoes, diced

1/2 poblano pepper or 1 small sweet red pepper, chopped

1 t cumin

1 t paprika

salt & pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

2-3 sprigs thyme

2 T brown sugar

1/2 c water

Sriracha Sour Cream:

1 c sour cream

2 T Sriracha (or more to taste)

1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane or finely minced

cayenne, to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and drizzle in a thin coating of olive oil. Add lamb sausages and cook, turning frequently until they begin to brown. Add a splash of water, cover the pan, and lower the heat to medium low. Cook until sausages are cooked through, then remove from heat and set aside, covered.

Meanwhile, make ketchup. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add sliced onion and garlic and saute until onion begins to soften (do not let the onion brown). Add remaining ingredients and bring to a high simmer. Cover the pot and lower the heat to maintain a low simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until tomatoes have broken down and saucy. Keep warm.

For Sriracha sour cream, whisk ingredients together in a small bowl.

To assemble bunny chow, cut sourdough crosswise into thick slices and remove some of the interior bread with your fingers to create a cavity. Fill with cooked sausage, spinach, and cucumber, then top with a big spoonful of warm ketchup and a generous dollop of Sriracha sour cream. 

Fenugreek Flatbread

If nothing else, I am clear about my priorities. After family, it's all food, books, and travel. Travel is a trade off for sure, and not always easy to juggle with school schedules and work responsibilities, but so vital. There's nothing I love more than spending the day in some far-flung locale, walking the local markets, cruising the docks to check out the sea creatures just hauled in from the deep, or buying more bread than we can eat straight from a wood-burning oven. Sometimes, it's hard to come home to the stark and antiseptic grocery stores of America. After a trip, I usually head straight for the farmers' market to reconnect to what's vibrant about our food here, and that eases the transition some. But in between trips, something in me still yearns for the exotic and the unfamiliar. Thanks to a recent invite from my friend Shefaly to walk the aisles of her favorite Indian grocery, I found all I was looking for right here in Austin. We explored fragrant spices, exotic snacks, and crates of intriguing fruits and vegetables. Best of all, she shared ideas for using them all and simple, authentic recipes for later. Intrigued? She'll take you all too next time - click here to reserve your spot on November 7th!

One of my favorite finds was fenugreek - it was available both fresh and dried. Sweet and a little nutty, with hints of maple and celery, you'll want to use it in marinades and curries all day long. I tossed some dried leaves in a recipe for flatbread and was instantly transported - no plane ticket required. 

Fenugreek Flatbread

adapted from Anjore's Tikka Masala and Roti class recipe (click here to sign up for her next one!)

2 c all purpose flour (+ extra as needed)

2 c whole wheat flour (+ extra as needed)

1/2 T salt

4 T dried fenugreek (kasoori methi)

2 c water

3 T melted ghee or coconut oil

Place the flour, salt, and fenugreek in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and blend briefly. Add water and ghee or coconut oil and begin mixing. With the mixer running, add flour as needed until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky. Continue mixing for 2-3 minutes, then turn out onto a floured board. Knead by hand until dough feels smooth, then divide into about 12 balls about the size of a small satsuma (you might get a few more or less depending on how much flour you added). Leave them on the floured board or countertop to rest, covered with a dishtowel for at least 20 minutes. When you are ready to roll them out and cook, heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat until smoking (cast iron is best). Begin rolling flatbreads - you want them about 1/8-1/4" thick. As you roll, place them on the skillet, and cook until they are slightly puffed and blistered in spots, then flip and cook the other side. Continue rolling and cooking until all are done, then brush with melted butter, sprinkle with additional fenugreek leaves and serve.

Sprouted Rye Apple Butter Muffins

It's September, and my soul cries out for a sweater. Alas, here in the land with two seasons (HOT and NOT HOT), we must celebrate fall in other ways. Look past the eggplant and the okra still going strong at the market, and autumn delights reveal themselves. Persimmons! Pears! And most exciting, apples! Yes, apples do grow in Texas, and as soon as the rosy Galas, Annas, and MacIntoshes start coming in, I look for recipes for tarts, pies, applesauce, and muffins to use them every which way I can. These Sprouted Rye Apple Butter Muffins, shared by our baker extraordinaire Barrie, are just what I was looking for. Barrie introduced me to one of her new favorite ingredients - sprouted rye flour - which imparts a hearty, earthy flavor that plays oh-so-nice with tart apples and crunchy toasted walnuts. A simple streusel tops things off with a sweet-salty crunch. I hadn't made streusel with melted butter before (previous attempts had me cutting cold butter into flour like pastry), but I loved the resulting texture - nubbly and homey, like a chunky, warm sweater! These keep great and travel well too – a keeper recipe for sure. Enjoy them with sweet cream butter or a dollop of Greek yogurt. ~Elizabeth

Sprouted Rye Apple Butter Muffins

from Barrie Cullinan

Makes 12

Streusel:

2 T butter, melted

1/2 c sugar

3/4 c sprouted rye flour

Pinch of salt

Muffins:

1 c flour

1 c sprouted rye flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 c sugar

1/4 c brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 stick butter, melted

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 c buttermilk

3/4 c apple butter

1 apple, chopped

1 c. walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Prepare streusel: 

In a small mixing bowl, combine sugar, rye flour, and a pinch of salt. Mix well to combine. Drizzle melted butter over flour mixture and stir with a fork until mixture is dry and crumbly. If necessary, use your hands to mix and squeeze to form a crumbly consistency. Set aside.

Prepare muffins:

Preheat oven to 400. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin cups (or butter generously) and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a second bowl, whisk together melted butter, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk and apple butter until thoroughly combined. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir just until combined. Fold in chopped apples and walnuts. Let mixture rest 20-30 minutes (if you don’t have 20-30 minutes, then just let batter rest for as long as possible). Fill muffin cups to the top with batter, then top each one with streusel (don’t worry of it doesn’t all stay on top of muffins). Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Jessica's Peach Pie

Here's one thing I know about learning to cook. It takes a long time. Like, a lifetime long time. Half a lifetime ago, standing on a high stool at the counter, I'm intoxicated by the scent of peaches, butter, sugar, and nutmeg, and my granny gives me pie crust scraps to roll out. Turning dough into pie crust people with burned-raisin eyes is such deep pleasure--look, I made that!

But of course, that was just the beginning. With cooking, knowing how doesn't stop the learning. In the long years since that summer afternoon in my granny's kitchen, I've made a thousand pies. I've remembered the way her hands were both light and decisive with the dough, but I've tried new recipes for dough and watched other people's hands too. And just last Saturday, I sat in on a pie class at Metier, and learned more yet again from my friend Jessica, someone who seems to know everything about baking. Put just a splash of vinegar in your dough. Overfill the rolled out crust a little so that the peach or berry juices run out and turn jammy as it bakes. Sprinkle a little flour and sugar on the bottom crust before you fill the pie to keep the bottom from getting soggy.

But the parts that can't be written into a recipe are the most important--the light but sure touch with dough, the trick to intricately weaving a lattice crust, the best way to crimp the edges, and most importantly, how to fix my little failures along the way. Jess shares not just what she knows in her head about pies, but also what she knows in her hands. And I leave, knowing a little more, ready for another half a lifetime of delicious learning. (Scroll down for the recipe.)

BASIC PIE DOUGH (yield two pies or a top & bottom crust)

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

8 oz. cold, unsalted butter (low water content, like Plugra)

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. vinegar

1/2 - 2/3 c. iced water

Directions: Cube butter (about the size of a small grape) and place into a freezer-safe bowl. Place in freezer until ready to use (at least 15 minutes).

Measure out the dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Using the pulse button, pulse in the butter in about 5 additions, pulsing about 4-5 times between each addition. Do not overmix! You want large pieces of butter in your finished product.

After the butter is added, pour in the water & vinegar in a thin stream while pulsing. After half the water is added, use a spatula to make sure the dough is evenly mixed. Add the rest of the water and test the dough by taking a small handful and squeezing it to make sure it holds together. At this point, the dough should be very crumbly. Pour out the dough onto a flat surface and mold together into a ball. Divide the dough in half, wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before using. If not using both pieces, freeze one piece in a freezer bag until you want to use it.

When you’re ready to roll out the dough, allow it to sit at room temperature until it’s pliable enough to roll. The dough will be crumbly, but it will come together as you roll it. Spray your preferred pie pan with a little non-stick spray or softened butter. Use a little flour to keep the dough from sticking to the flat surface, then roll it into about a 10” round. Using a pastry brush, dust off excess flour from both sides and roll the dough onto your rolling pin. Unroll the dough over your pie pan and use your hand to press the dough evenly into the bottom and the sides of the pan. Fold the dough hanging over the sides up under itself, then use your fingers to gently crimp it, first from the outside, then again in the inside (I will demonstrate how to do this). Put the the pie pan in a freezer for at least 30 minutes while you prepare your filling.

If you are using a top crust, roll out both pieces of dough, place the top disk of dough and the pie pan in the refrigerator until your filling is ready, finish your dough application, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes before baking. Freezing the dough will help it crust keep its shape at the beginning of the baking process. You can also refrigerate it if you don’t have freezer space, but freezing is most effective.

Alternatively, if you are using a fruit filling, you can also make hand pies or a slab pie, which are more free-form. These are prepared the same way, just without the pie pan.