Celebrate Pie Day with a Peachiful Pie!

A delightful long weekend at the Cape and overripe peaches brought us to yearning for a delicious sweet fresh peach pie. As with most of the Empty Nester Gourmet's recipes, this one is easy and quick ... and on your dessert table, warm and ready to top with ice cream, in less than 90 minutes.

Ingredients

3 cups overripe peaches, peeled, pitted and cut in quarters or sixths
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten slightly with fork
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup whipped butter, melted
1 pie crust/pate brisée (bottom and top for lattice)
Egg wash -- 1 egg + 1 tbsp. cold water, slightly beaten with fork
Sanding sugar -- approx. 1 tbsp.
Optional -- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Process
1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
2. Press bottom crust into pie plate, crimping edges decoratively.
3. Mix egg, sugar, flour, lemon juice and butter in a bowl until well blended. Set aside.
4. Peel, pit and slice peaches, and arrange in single layer on bottom of crust, then second layer.
5. Top with egg/sugar mixture.
6. Prepare lattice topping and layer on top of pie mixture, cutting edges and fitting snugly into crimped pie shell. (Use egg wash to seal edges.)
7. Brush top and crimped edges with egg wash, dust with sanding sugar, and cinnamon, if desired.
8. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 400F for 15 minutes, or until crust is browned. Reduce oven to 350F and bake for another 30-40 minutes, or until filling is well set. If crust browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil. Allow to cool for approx. 1 hour before eating. Top with your favorite ice cream, or whipped cream.

SOUTHWESTERN POBLANO CORNBREAD

 

For our Super Bowl celebration, we are baking an easy batch of buttermilk cornbread, spiked with corn, cheddar and a chopped jalapeno, Less than an hour from start to finish, here's how we did it:

Ingredients

2 large eggs, beaten with a fork
1-1/2 c buttermilk OR 1 c whole milk + 1/2 c sour cream
4 oz corn
1 jalapeño pepper (chopped finely)
3 oz shredded white cheddar cheese
6 T melted butter
2 T butter for pan

1 c white cornmeal
3/4 c flour
1 T sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda


Process

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Grease a 9" x 9" baking pan with butter.
3. Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl.
4. Mix all wet ingredients except for corn in smaller bowl.
5. Gently fold in corn, jalapeño and cheddar.
6. Pour into baking pan and bake for 25 minutes until golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Enjoy with your favorite chili or chicken 'n' ribs!

2-Napkin Wings for Super Bowl

Extra gooey, super spicy wings, on New Year's Eve

Super Bowl-inspired platter of sauce-laden BBQ wings, which we call "2-Napkin Wings." Put them on the table and they don't last too long -- why this photo is missing at least a dozen! Put out plenty of napkins, too -- enough to dab the sauce from cheeks, chin and fingertips.

The alchemy of these sweet yet spicy wings is simple -- use a base of your favorite BBQ sauce, but amply sprinkle garlic salt, chili powder, fresh-cracked five-pepper peppercorns and hot Hungarian paprika over them before saucing up.

Roast in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes, turn, re-season, and brush on more sauce. Repeat two more times, reducing oven to 325 for last 20 minutes.  The sauce will be the consistency of molasses and turn from ruby to a glistening mahogany reddish brown.  Pile onto a platter with a 1/2 cup of your own homemade bleu cheese dressing, and watch them disappear!

Creamy Dreamy Cream of Mushroom Soup

Creamy dreamy soup, just the thing for a really cold winter day. With props to The Barefoot Contessa, we created our own hearty brew for Saturday lunch with a few original twists and turns to add to the mushroom flavor and broth complexity. Big tip: Williams Sonoma has a line of "stock starters" in different flavors, which we've used this mushroom soup. They are superb and well worth the cost. Adding only 1 tsp. to your stock or gravy will give it a depth that you cannot get easily in any other way. https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/mushroom-caramelized-shallot-soup-starter/?pkey=s%7Cstock%20starters%7C246


Here's how we made the cream of mushroom soup:

Ingredients

For the Stock
10 oz. white mushrooms, sliced, caps removed
4 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced, caps removed
4 oz. any portabello or other mushroom, sliced, caps removed
1 tbsp. Willliams Sonoma mushroom stock starter
1/2 c. carrot, chopped
1/2 c. onion, chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme
5 cups water
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

For the soup
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
2 leeks, only light green and white parts, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
3 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c. flour
2 beef bouillon cubes
3/4 c. good quality dry white wine
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. half and half
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley

Process

For the stock

1. Sauté the onion, shallot, carrot and mushroom stems in 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. butter. Add fresh thyme, Williams Sonoma mushroom gravy starter and water, simmer and skim as it cooks, for 30 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, strain.
3. Reserve broth and solids.

For the soup

1. Sauté leeks in 3 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil, until well wilted, about 20 mins.
2. Add mushroom caps and sauté 10 minutes more.
3. Add flour. Cook for a minute or two, to cook off the flour taste. All will "come together" in a loose ball. Stir well.
4. Add wine, dried thyme, bouillon cubes, and strained stock broth.
5. If desired (we did), add in some of the solids from the broth -- carrots, mushroom stems, onions, etc.

6. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring frequently, using a wooden spoon, to pull up anything on the bottom of the pot. (Note: If more white "foam" appears, skim it gently and discard.)

7. Reduce heat and add cream, half and half, fresh parsley, stir well.
8. Chill and reheat before serving, as this process renders the soup creamier and more flavorful.

Serving suggestion: Crisp mixed greens with vinaigrette dressing, crusty Italian bread, ice cold glass of Pinot Grigio or Chablis.  Serves four generous servings.

"Thyme" for Beef Stew

This recipe was originally posted in November 2010. Here now in the dead of winter, posting it again. It's a wonderful winter stew. Note: If you don't have fresh thyme, dried thyme will do. Enjoy!

The nights are turning crisp, the heat is kicking on at 5 a.m., and the thyme in our garden has never been better. This richly-seasoned beef stew is authentically French, more of a Boeuf Bourginon, and straight from Ron's mom, our favorite French cook.

The stew's complex flavors come from the layering of deeply browned beef (the first step in creating a fond) rich red Burgundy wine, spices, sautéed mushrooms, and -- of course -- butter.  Serve over buttered egg noodles with a salad and you have a meal fit for a "roi"!

Ingredients
2 lbs. lean beef chuck cubes
1 large or 2 medium sweet onions, sliced
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
Butter and extra-virgin olive oi
Salt and pepper to taste
Slurry of 2-3 tbsp. flour + 1/4 c. hot water
1 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 lb. carrots cut into 1-1/2" slices
2 tsp. fresh thyme
1 package frozen peas or 1/2 lb. fresh peas, hulled
1/2 - 1 cup red Burgundy wine (or any good French or Italian red wine)(Remember, cook only with wine that you would drink.)

Process
In sauté pan, sauté mushrooms in 1 tbsp. butter with 1 tbsp. olive oil until deeply browned and they have given up all of their water. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In dutch oven large enough to fit entire stew, brown beef cubes in 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. butter until well-browned.  Remove beef and set aside.  Add onions and garlic, more olive oil if necessary, and sauté until wilted and soft.

Make a slurry out of 2-3 tbsp. flour and hot water. Add to onions, deglaze pot, stir well to combine, and add 1/4 c. red wine. Let simmer about 10 minutes, adding water if necessary.

Return meat to pot.  Add mushrooms, carrots, fresh thyme, another 1/4 cup red wine, salt and pepper to taste, and lower heat.

Simmer for 40 minutes to 1 hour, stirring frequently and adding wine as needed.  After one hour, add peas, simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare egg noodles and serve.

Note: You can substitute lamb for beef. Choose a tougher cut (a loin chop with bone in works really well), and add four Idaho potatoes, cut into 1-1/2" cubes, at the same time you add the carrots.  Mmmm. Your house will never smell so good!

Mother's Day Strawberry/Blueberry Muffins

What better treat for mom on Mother's Day -- or any day -- than home baked muffins with strawberries and blueberries?

They're simple and take only minutes to mix up a batch.

Here's how:

Ingredients

1 c chopped fresh strawberries
1/2 c fresh blueberries
2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c dark brown sugar
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/8 t kosher salt
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/2 c half and half

Sanding sugar to top muffins before baking


Process

Preheat oven to 375F
Fill large muffin cups with paper liners, or coat well with melted butter.

1. Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt).
2. Mix and beat gently wet ingredients (egg, half and half, oil)
3. Add berries to dry ingredients, mix gently and coat well

4. Add wet ingredients to dry, mix well.
5. Fill muffin cups

6. Top each muffin with sanding sugar (about 1/8 t)

7. Bake for 25 -30 mins @ 375F or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out dry.

Added tips:
1. You can use frozen blueberries, but be sure they are completely defrosted and drained well before mixing into batter.
2. You can use milk instead of half and half for a lighter muffin. We like half and half because it adds a creaminess to the muffin.
3. You can use light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar.
4. You can add rolled oats to batter (1/3 c) to give the muffins even more heft.

What is sanding sugar?
Sanding sugar is a fancy topping for baked goods. It's clear and sparkling, comes in many colors, and doesn't melt in the oven. It adds a wonderful sweetness to every bite of your muffins (and pies). Available in most specialty food stores, or online.

Arriba! Arriba! Cinco de Mayo! Fiesta Rolls!

Spice up your Cinco de Mayo feast with these awesome veggie treats that go from the hors d'oeuvre table to the dinner table ... They take less than 30 minutes to prepare, and just need a few hours in the 'fridge before serving. Serve with your favorite spicy salsa and guacamole. Makes four rolls, approximately 32 pieces.

Ingredients
One package of large ("burrito size") flour tortillas
Two containers (approx. 10 oz each) red pepper hummus
One green bell pepper, minced finely*
One yellow or red sweet pepper, minced finely*
One medium sweet onion, minced finely*
3 carrots, minced finely*
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced finely*

*Can be processed (separately) in food processor; drain of any water before mixing together

Process
1. After mincing/draining veggies, measure out same amount of each ingredient and mix together.

2. Spread hummus thinly on large tortilla (approximately 1-2 tbsp. per tortilla)

3. Sprinkle with vegetable mixture.

4. Roll tightly.

5. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2-3 hours.

6. Unwrap, cut on diagonal.

7. Serve with your favorite Mexican tomato salsa. Delicioso!