EASY HOMEMADE PLAIN CROISSANTS AND PAIN AU CHOCOLAT CROISSANTS

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Croissants and pain au chocolat
Croissants
View of the flaky interior of a croissant
Up close look at pain au chocolat

Well, once again I stepped out of my comfort zone and made THE BEST croissants I have ever tasted. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the croissants were still warm when I bit into my first one. (And yes, I had two. OK, three. But in my defense, they were small croissants, by plan, I might add.) So, thanks to Bincy at merryboosters.com, I no longer have any reason to pay excruciating prices for my all-time favorite accompaniment to bacon and eggs. And the best part – the darn things were easy to prepare. Really!

First of all, you don’t need a mixer to make the dough. And no kneading required. But granted, it did take most of the day to prepare these delicacies because there is a lot of time the dough is busy rising. But so what?! I had nothing else planned yesterday. And during the time I wasn’t actively involved in the process, I dusted the house and cleaned the bathrooms, posted a recipe, and did research for another recipe I plan to present in the future. So, basically, no time wasted.

But patience required, I will certainly admit to that! Mainly because I could hardly wait to chomp into the final product. And of course, terribly concerned that the final product would not meet my expectations. Because little old me, unschooled baker that I am, actually trying my hand at building croissants and pain au chocolat (for Mr. C.)! How extraordinarily presumptuous of me! But still game enough to at least give it a try. And not only making croissants but pain au chocolat as well. (Frankly I don’t see what all the fuss is about when it comes to pain au chocolat. But Mr. C. is a devoted fan. And when it comes right down to it, I like making him happy.) So, 4 pain au chocolat were made along with 12 regular croissants. And since you are concerned with the disparity in my 12 to his 4, forget it! He loves regular croissants too.

And another thing we both really love, is that all 12 of the croissants and 4 pain au chocolat I made cost less than 2 croissants from our local French bakery. Because really, the only expensive ingredients are the European butter (which I buy at Grocery Outlet for $1.99 for 8-ounces), and the really good dark chocolate (about a third of a 3.5 oz. dark chocolate bar from Libeert (Belgian Chocolate Creators). (Probably about a dollars-worth of chocolate.) The rest of the ingredients, not appreciable.      

So, for those of you who have been afraid of making homemade croissants – let it go! These are so easy to build. And so delicious. Yes, they take time. But boy are they worth the effort.

As always, have fun in your kitchen. Try new recipes because you may never know what amazing new discoveries you might make. And please don’t wait until you’re 77 (like me) to make homemade croissants and pain au chocolat. All I can think right now, is, why in the world did I wait so long? And should I make some more tomorrow, or wait a couple of days?

So, thank you again Bincy for this fabulous recipe. And for helping me keep my reputation as a “well-rounded” cook. (Define well-rounded any way you like!)

Peace and love to all.  

1 c. + 1 tsp. slightly warm whole milk, divided

1 tsp. active dry yeast  

¼ c. granulated sugar

2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

¼ tsp. fine grained sea salt

¾ c. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (European butter* is best for this recipe or any other laminated** pastry for that matter)

1 tsp. vegetable oil (for coating the dough)

1 egg

semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (if making pain au chocolat)

Whisk 1 cup of the warm milk, yeast, and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.

Add the salt and flour, and mix by hand until you have a smooth, evenly hydrated dough. Pour the veggie oil on the dough, and using your hands and a stiff rubber spatula, form the dough into a ball thoroughly coated with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough sit and rise for 1½ to 2 hours or until the dough doubles in size. (Mine took 2 hours.)

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, place it on a lightly floured surface and flatten it into a rectangle. Then roll it into a long log (like you were preparing cinnamon rolls) and divide the dough into 12 equal sized pieces.

Using a rolling pin, shape each piece of dough into a circle approximately 6½ to 7-inches in diameter. Spread the first dough circle liberally with butter, then place on a piece of plastic wrap, butter side up.

Then flatten the next piece of dough and slather with butter and stack, butter side up, directly on top of the first piece. Continue until all the dough circles have been buttered until the last piece. Place dough circle number 12 unbuttered on the top of the pile. Wrap securely with as much plastic wrap as it takes, and place in your freezer for about 35-40 minutes. (The time spent in the freezer will allow the butter to harden a bit, but still be pliable enough to roll the dough into a rectangle, 12×16-inches.)

Place the rectangle with one of the longer sides furthest away from you. Using a pizza cutter*** or knife, cut the long sides into 4 top-to-bottom rectangles, then the short sides into thirds, right to left. This will give you 12 (4×4-inch) equal size squares.  

For Regular Croissants:

Cut each square into two triangles. With your hands, shape the triangle into a long pie shaped piece of dough. Cut a small incision into the triangle in the middle of the larger end. (This small incision helps keep the center of the croissant from becoming too thick.) Then starting at the larger end, gently force the cut apart while you roll the dough towards the thin pointed end, making sure you are rolling the croissant tightly, but without squeezing the dough. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet pointed ends down and about 2-inches apart.

Whisk the egg with the remaining 1 teaspoon milk and brush on each croissant. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours or until they puff up a little. (And yes, the plastic wrap will stick a bit to the croissants.) Then, gently but liberally brush each croissant again with a bit of the egg wash being careful not to deflate the dough.

Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375-degress and bake for another 7-8 minutes or until the croissants are a deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 210-degrees. Don’t under-bake the croissants.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature. Re-heat in a 350-degree oven for a few minutes.

For Pain Au Chocolate Croissants:

Do not cut the 4-inch squares. Place about 3 teaspoons of the chopped chocolate about half an inch up from one of the sides. Fold the dough up over the chocolate and continue rolling until you have created a cylindrical shape. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, seam side down about 2-inches apart.

Whisk the egg with the remaining 1 teaspoon milk and brush on each croissant. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours or until they puff up a little. Then gently brush each croissant again with the egg wash being careful not to deflate the dough.  

Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375-degress and bake for another 7-8 minutes or until the pain au chocolat croissants are a deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 210-degrees. Don’t under-bake.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature. Re-heat in a 350-degree oven for a few minutes.

*European-style butter: Excerptfrom an article on thekitchen.com. site “Overall, European-style butters are favored for their rich taste — a direct result of the higher butterfat content. More butterfat also means a softer texture, faster melt, and often, a saturated yellow hue. With less water, European-style butters are often the preferred butter for baking — especially when the flavor of butter is just as important as its function.”

And according to our good friend Keith, who spent many years as a professional baker (and I paraphrase) – “The best butter for the home baker making croissants, or any pastries, is slow-churned European style butter that contains at least 82% butterfat. This type of butter contains less air and water which makes it more pliable and resistant to being absorbed in dough during lamination**.”

**Lamination: Lamination is the process of folding and rolling butter into dough over and over again, or in the case of this recipe, spreading soft butter over layers of thin dough, to create super-thin layers. These layers, which alternate between butter and dough, are what give croissants their signature honeycomb interior structure and their fabulously flaky texture.

***Pizza cutter: My dear friend Vicki explained to me why she preferred using a pizza cutter rather than a knife when cutting dough. Cutting dough with a pizza cutter makes a nice, thin cut. And unlike using a knife, a pizza cutter doesn’t flatten the dough next to the cut. Plus, it doesn’t stretch the dough as it’s being cut. Thanks Vicki for sharing your experience with all of us.   

 

BAKED SHRIMP WONTON CUPS WITH SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

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I have this tendency (a holdover from earlier years spent carefully watching my bank account balance), to see a leftover ingredient in my refrigerator and build a new dish around that ingredient. So, after making Baked Crab Rangoon with Sweet and Sour Sauce (recipe on site) a couple days before and having both leftover wonton wrappers and Sweet and Sour Sauce, I decided to try my hand at shrimp wonton cups. And boy am I glad I did!

I started with a recipe for wonton cups I found on the anerdcooks.com site. Then of course, I played with the recipe because I simply can’t help myself. But the result was terrific, so as in many cases, asking for forgiveness is so much easier than asking for permission. But Lauren, I do apologize for the changes I made to your perfectly fine recipe without your permission.

Anyway, the result was much better than expected. And even though there are still unused wonton wrappers in my refrigerator, I have reduced their number by 24. Of course, I have also used a half pound of large shrimp, 4 ounces of cream cheese, a bit of sour cream, and some grated mozzarella in the process. But I already had them in stock, so no visit to the grocery store was required to prepare this treat. (I still have left over Sweet and Sour Sauce too. But I have decided to let it go. There is a line over which even I refuse to cross!)

So, if you too love shrimp wonton cups with a truly delicious sauce, then I recommend these easy to prepare recipes. Perfect as an appetizer or accompaniment to other Chinese dishes.

As always, keep smiling. And keep your family and friends smiling too by preparing great food and serving it in beautiful serving dishes and on lovely dinnerware.

I don’t know about you, but food served on nice plates always seems more appealing. So, don’t save your good dishes for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Use them whenever you get the urge. Sure, a piece could get broken. It happens. But while the pieces are still around, they should be made to earn their keep, not tucked away for your inheritors to dispose of. Because realistically, your kids tastes and yours, when it comes to fine china that is, are probably quite different. So, enjoy them while you can. (That goes for the kids too!)

Peace and love to all.

2 tsp. unsalted butter

½ lb. lg. raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, and tails removed

freshly ground black pepper (just a bit)

24 square wonton wrappers

4 oz. (½ lg. pkg.) cream cheese, room temp.

2 T. sour cream

1 garlic clove, finely minced

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 green onions, finely chopped

½ c. grated mozzarella cheese  

Heat the butter in a small frying pan. Cut the large shrimp into very small pieces. Add the shrimp, lightly sprinkled with black pepper to the frying pan and cook just until done. Remove from heat and set aside. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Lightly spray mini-muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray. Carefully press wonton wrappers into wells of pan. Lightly spray the wonton wrappers in the pan. Bake 7-8 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown. Remove pan from oven.

Meanwhile, stir the cream cheese, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce together in a mixing bowl until well blended. Stir in the cooked shrimp, green onions, and mozzarella cheese; mix well. Using a #100 (2 teaspoons) ice cream scoop, plop the shrimp mixture into each wonton cup.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until wontons are golden brown and the filling is starting to bubble. 

Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Great dunked in Sweet and Sour Sauce.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

¼ c. lightly packed brown sugar

¼ tsp. kosher salt

2 T. ketchup

1 T. soy sauce

3 T. plain rice vinegar (not seasoned rice vinegar)

½ c. water

2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

Combine the sugar, salt, ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a near boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Give the cornstarch a stir and then add it to the pan. Continue cooking, stirring, for about 15 seconds, or until the sauce comes to full boil and thickens.

Remove from the heat. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be made ahead.

      

BAKED CRAB RANGOON WITH SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

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The last time I ordered crab Rangoon in a restaurant I was terribly disappointed. (And yes Rangoon should be capitalized because it is from the city Yangon, also called Rangoon, the former capital of Burma, which is now Myanmar.) Anyway, the crab used in the making of the Rangoon at this otherwise fine Chinese cuisine dining establishment, was very sparingly used, to say the least. In fact, if there was any crab in the mix, I would be very surprised. If anything, there might have been a bit of surimi (fake crab) in the filling. And that not only scares me; it makes me madder than a wet hen! I hate fake crab! And everything about it! For interesting facts about imitation crab, skip to the bottom of this post. But back to this recipe.

The other day when I got a hankering for Chinese food, I decided to pull out my old recipe and build me some crab Rangoon with what I consider to contain the requisite amount of crab. And since I abhor deep fat frying anything, even something as delightful as crab Rangoon, my old standby recipe for baking the Rangoon seemed perfect for the occasion.

And there was much rejoicing at table that evening. Not only was the Rangoon terrific; the sauce was over the top delicious. And nary a spattering of hot fat to be seen on either me or the immediate vicinity around the stove!

So, the next time you are looking for just the perfect appetizer, please give this baked Rangoon recipe a try. And don’t even think about serving the Rangoon without the Sweet and Sour Sauce. Not only is this sauce perfect with Rangoon, it’s equally great with the next recipe I am going to post – Shrimp Wonton Cups with Sweet and Sour Sauce. Plus, this sauce is terrific with my recipes for Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork), Easy Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers, baked eggrolls (still working on the recipe), or as a glaze for grilled chicken or seafood. Plus both the recipe for the Rangoon and the sauce are very easy to prepare.

So, as always, have fun in your kitchen. We all must eat to stay alive. And eating can be such a pleasure. As cooks we can make this happen.

And believe me, I know there are times when even the thought of cooking one more meal is overwhelming. But cooking is a lot like exercising. Once you get started, the effort initiates a biological cascade of events that results in the release of endorphins — those chemicals that make you happy! So, stay happy. Keep cooking!

Peace and love to all.

8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.

1 clove garlic, very finely minced

1 green onion, finely diced

¼ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp. sugar

pinch white pepper

8 oz. crabmeat (canned real crab is fine for this recipe)

¼ tsp. kosher salt, if needed

square wonton wrappers

Mix the cream cheese, garlic, green onion, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and pepper together. Taste the crab meat. If it isn’t terribly salty, add the ¼ teaspoon salt to the cream cheese mixture. Then gently stir in the crab.

Grease 12-16 muffin cups with cooking spray. Gently place 1 won ton wrapper in each cup. Fill evenly with crabmeat mixture.

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges of wonton wrappers are golden brown and the filling is heated through.

Serve warm with Sweet and Sour Sauce.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

¼ c. lightly packed brown sugar

¼ tsp. kosher salt

2 T. ketchup

1 T. soy sauce

3 T. plain rice vinegar (not seasoned rice vinegar)

½ c. water

2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

Combine the sugar, salt, ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a near boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Give the cornstarch a stir and then add it to the pan. Continue cooking, stirring, for about 15 seconds, or until the sauce comes to full boil and thickens.

Remove from the heat. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be made ahead.

Imitation Crab (From webmd.com)

“Imitation crab is made with surimi, a paste made out of finely shredded or pulverized fish. After the fish is minced, it is heated and pressed into shapes that resemble meat from a crab leg. The resulting imitation crab looks similar to the original crab in its coloring and texture.

Binding agents, like egg white, starch, vegetable oil, or sugar, are added to the surimi paste to make the meat stick together. Occasionally, monosodium glutamate (MSG) is added to the surimi. Orange or red coloring is the key ingredient added to make the mixture resemble shellfish meat. For the preservation of the product, the makers vacuum seal and pasteurize the imitation crab meat.  

Real crab has significantly higher nutrient levels than imitation crab. For example, imitation crab derives most of its calories from added carbs. The calories in an Alaskan king crab are derived from proteins, not from carbs. If you’re on a keto or low-carb diet and are trying to cut your carb intake, real crab would be the better choice.

Real crab provides a higher amount of vitamins and minerals. It’s a good source of vitamin B12, selenium, and zinc. When making surimi, these nutrients are lost during washing and processing when the fish meat is exposed to heat. Real crab also has a higher amount of omega-3 fatty acids than its mock substitute. Some packages of imitation crab may have added omega-3, but this isn’t always the case.

Imitation crab contains several processed ingredients. The largest component of the imitation crab product is surimi. It contributes 35% to 50% of the product’s weight. The other 50% to 65% that makes up imitation crab contains:

– Starches like wheat, potato, or tapioca starch make the surimi firm and freezable. 

– Salt (sodium chloride) adds flavor and helps turn the minced meat into a sturdy gel. Sometimes, potassium chloride is used.

– Vegetable oil enhances texture, shelf life, and white coloring.

– Sugar and sorbitol add some sweetness and help imitation crab to freeze and thaw with ease.

– Egg whites or soy are often added for a boost of protein and to improve texture, color, and glossiness.

– Water takes up the biggest percentage of all the extra ingredients. It helps create the right texture.” 

   

GROUND BEEF PATTIES WITH MUSHROOM RED WINE SAUCE

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OK, as most of you are well-aware, I am a comfort food lover. Any dish that comes with a sauce or gravy immediately catches my attention. So, consequently, I often order a fancied-up ground beef pattie over a regular steak in a restaurant if given the choice. There’s just something that smacks of good home style cooking anytime a simple ingredient like ground beef is presented on the menu at a fine dining establishment. It means, someone in the kitchen thinks the way I do. So, an immediate bond is created regardless of the fact that in 99% of the cases, I won’t even be able to see the kitchen. Much less, who is doing the cooking. But that doesn’t matter. I instinctively know that he or she and I could be compadres. And that we are on the same wavelength when it comes to knowing that a doctored bit of good, fairly lean ground beef can be ever so much more flavorful than even a very well grilled hunk of beef.

And for those of us home cooks looking to save a bit of money and still produce a dinner that others will enjoy, there just isn’t anything easier to build or more delicious than a ground beef pattie smothered in a bit of sauce. And for the potato lovers in your family, a side of mashed potatoes should have your whole family bouncing up and down on their dining room chairs in anticipation. OK, maybe only coming to the table without their cell phones. But at least not hiding in their closets or threatening to leave home! Or worse yet – ordering in pizza!

So, next time you are in a hurry, or you and your kitchen are not on speaking terms, or you are just too burned out to even order take out, give this dish a try. It’s easy, it’s forgiving, and it tastes like you went to a great deal of trouble. But be advised. The sauce is very rich. So, if you have small children, you might want to offer them ketchup instead of the sauce. However, if your spouse asks for ketchup, please do me the honor of providing him or her with the driving instructions to the nearest McDonald’s!

Peace and love to all.

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 T. + ¼ c. finely chopped onion, divided

2 tsp. Montreal Seasoning

3 T. unsalted butter, divided

¼ c. finely chopped onion

8-10 button mushrooms, sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

½ c. dry red wine  

1 c. water

1 tsp. beef base (I use Better Than Bouillon Beef Base)

freshly ground black pepper

1 T. all-purpose flour

Combine the ground beef, 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion, and Montreal Seasoning. Form into 2 or 3 torpedo shaped patties. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium sized frying pan. Add the patties and fry the first side until dark brown and about half cooked. Flip the patties and cook an additional couple of minutes or until desired doneness. (We like our patties with a bit of pink in the middle.)

Transfer the patties to a small plate; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Melt 1 more tablespoon of the butter in the same pan. Add the remaining quarter cup of onion and the sliced mushrooms. Gently cook until the onion is soft, and the mushrooms are beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the wine, water, beef base, and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cook uncovered, for about 8 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by about half.

While the liquid is reducing, mash the remaining tablespoon of butter with the flour to make a smooth paste. (Helps immensely if the butter is at room temperature.)

Once the wine mixture is reduced, whisk the flour paste, a teaspoonful at a time, into the simmering liquid. Cook for a few minutes or until the sauce is nicely thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning.

(And no, there is no salt in the list of ingredients. Beef base usually contains more salt than I would prefer. So, I’ve found, that it’s much easier to add salt if needed, than to get rid of too much!)

Add the beef patties back to the pan. Allow to heat through, then serve decorated with the delicious sauce. Great with mashed potatoes or our favorite – Perfect Stove Top Brown Rice. (See recipe below.)

PERFECT STOVE TOP BROWN RICE

1 c. uncooked long grain brown rice, well rinsed

2 c. water

¼ tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper (just a pinch)

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Combine the rinsed rice, water, seasoned salt, pepper, and olive oil in a pot; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes more. Fluff with a fork.

     

CREAM CHEESE DANISH WITH HOMEMADE PUFF PASTRY

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Here I go again offering another recipe some of you would never consider building. But if truth be known, I love Danishes (OK, pastry of any kind), so I keep on trying new ones. And this recipe produces what is undoubtedly the best example of a true cheese Danish that I have ever prepared. (And yes, I think about cheese Danishes way too much!) And maybe that’s why I already have three Danish recipes (Individual Jam Filled Cream Cheese Danish Pastry, Cream Cheese Danish, Dried Cranberry and Almond Braided Danish) already on this site.

When I say I consider the results of this recipe to be a true Danish, it’s because it’s made with puff pastry. Homemade puff pastry. Now don’t panic! Believe me, if I can make this easy puff pastry, you can too. All you need is some flour, butter, and a willingness to try anything once! And trust me, after you’ve made this puff pastry, you will wonder what the big deal was all about. And granted, a “real” pastry chef would probably laugh at this recipe. Chuckle all you want, is all I have to say. Because this recipe produces a pretty darn good puff pastry. Of course, I have had better in Paris, but for homemade, it’s darned acceptable. And don’t even get me started on the puff pastry that comes from the frozen section of your grocery store. Not an ounce of real butter in the whole thing. (For more on the reality of what you are really getting when you buy frozen puff pastry, read my post for Cinnamon Twists.)

So, now that I have you chomping at the bit to build your own puff pastry, let me further tempt your taste buds with the filling. It’s luscious. There’s nothing more that needs to be said. And the tiny bit of drizzle over the whole pastry – yum!

As always, treat yourself every so often to a new or lovingly remembered treat. We are only on this planet for a very short time. Religiously restricting yourself to only foods that are healthy and good for you is not going to prevent the onset of old age or prevent you from getting a debilitating disease. Of course, using moderation or not eating something that is truly harmful to you is simply being responsible. But a pastry or French fries or a cookie once in a while, simply makes life worth living.

Peace and love to all.

And thank you Sam at sugarspunrun.com for this marvelous recipe. And sorry for the couple of minor changes I made.  

Homemade Puff Pastry: (equivalent of one box of puff pastry)

2¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

1 T. granulated sugar

1 tsp. sea salt

1 c. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter   

8-9 T. ice water, or more as needed

Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Using a box grater, grate the butter into the flour mixture, briefly tossing the butter each time you’ve shredded about ½ stick so that it doesn’t clump together.

Once you’ve grated all of your butter, stir briefly until all of the butter is evenly mixed into the flour mixture. (A table knife works great for this step.)   

While stirring by hand, (do not use an electric mixer or over-mix this recipe) slowly drizzle ice water into the flour/butter mixture. Add just enough ice water so that if you pinch the dough it will hold its shape and not fall apart. (Start with 8 tablespoons.) All of the flour should be mixed into the dough, but the dough should still appear very dry and shaggy. If the mixture is still dry and crumbly and not sticking to itself when pressed after you have added 8 tablespoons, add additional water one teaspoon at a time. (My dough took 9 tablespoons.) Take care not to overwork the dough or it will be tough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and work the dough together with your palms to make dough cling together. Work (with your palm) into a 6×3” rectangle (it will almost look like a brick!). The dough will not look perfect. In fact, there should be chunks of butter showing. Cracks in the dough are fine too.  

Wrap dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Once dough has chilled, roll into an 8×12-inch rectangle.

Fold dough into thirds (like you are folding a letter), rotate 90 degrees, and then roll dough into an 8×12-inch rectangle again. (Use as little flour on your rolling surface as possible,)

Fold into thirds again and repeat this process of folding and rolling until you have done four turns of your dough.

Wrap dough with plastic wrap and return to refrigerator to chill for at least 30 more minutes before using as directed below. While the pastry is resting, prepare the filling and egg wash.

Please note: This puff pastry may be stored in the refrigerator for several days or it may be frozen (make sure to wrap it well) for several months and then thawed in the refrigerator before using.

Filling:

8 oz. (1 pkg.) cream cheese, room temp.  

½ c. granulated sugar 

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

¾ tsp. vanilla extract

Stir all the ingredients together until smooth. Set aside.

Egg Wash:

1 egg white

1 tsp. water

Whisk together. Set aside.

Build the Danishes:

Divide the puff pastry into 2 even parts (If using homemade puff pastry cut the dough widthwise. If using store-bought dough it will already be divided into two even sheets for you).

Roll first half of puff pastry into a 12×12” square (about 1/16” thick). Cut into 4 even-sized squares. (I use a pizza cutter for this step.)

Transfer squares onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Using a #30 ice cream scoop (teal handle), drop balls of filling onto the center of each square of dough. If you don’t have an ice cream scoop, dollop about two tablespoons filling into the center of each square. Spread the filling out a bit using the back of a spoon. Fold the corners over the center of the filling, leaving a space about ¼” thick in the center and between corners. Brush egg wash generously over the top of the puff pastry dough.

Place in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 18-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Pastries will puff up considerably while baking but will settle as they cool. Repeat steps with second half of puff pastry dough. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze.

Remove from oven and allow to cool before drizzling with glaze.

Vanilla Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

3-5 tsp. whole milk

Whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk together until you have reached desired thickness. Drizzle glaze generously over cooled cheese Danishes.

Chocolate Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

2 T. cocoa powder 

½ tsp. vanilla extract

3-5 tsp. whole milk

Whisk the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and enough milk together until you have reached desired thickness. Drizzle glaze generously over cooled cheese Danishes.

      

GRILLED ROSEMARY AND GARLIC MARINATED LAMB CHOPS

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I take the worst pictures of any food blog I know. For this and many other things, like my random thoughts on all kinds of non-food issues, I humbly apologize. I simply can’t help myself.

Now, I know what you all are thinking. Everyone knows that rosemary and garlic are very complimentary to the flavor of lamb. Yah, yah, yah – I get that. But, having known about this myself for years, and having prepared many a marinade for lamb using these lovely ingredients, I had never before, until the other evening, made a marinade as easy to prepare or that had afforded such delicious results.

The chops had just the right amount of background rosemary and garlic essence, which in no way masked the beautiful flavor of the meat itself. And I found that just two hours of “marinating” the chops at room temperature was the perfect amount of time.   

I guess I should mention that technically the lamb is really slathered rather than marinated. But Grilled Rosemary and Garlic “Slathered” Lamb Chops as a name for this dish didn’t really sound very appetizing. So, I acquiesced to a more normal name, but only for marketing purposes. (Like I have any sponsors to answer to or even if I did, would give a flying fig what I called a dish!) Anyway, “marinated” it became and “marinated” it will remain.

And really, the only things you need to know about this recipe, regardless of what it is called, is that the results are delicious. And like I already stated, the marinade is terribly easy to prepare, and the chops, when not over cooked, are delicious.

Now for those of you who like your meat well done, please find another recipe. I say that with only your time and money as the upper most consideration. Because, if you like well-done meat, why bother buying lamb chops in the first place. They’re expensive and if you’re going to murder the meat anyway – go buy a cheap cut of beef, cook it until it resembles the hide of the animal it came from, and drown it in A-1 sauce. Dinners on the table!

OK, I got a little carried away there, but seriously, any cut of lamb is best when on the rare side of medium-rare. And you truly are wasting your money if you cook lamb, or any other really expensive cut of meat, to death. You are much better off making a lovely pot roast with a chuck roast, for example. Money saved and the outcome for a delicious meal, much higher.

So, as always, have fun in your kitchen. Prepare meals that not only you will enjoy, but everyone at table will find pleasing. And remember, food doesn’t have to be fancy to be delicious. Some of my favorites, like meatloaf, chili, beef stew, and spaghetti and meat balls are hardly what I would consider “fancy foods”. But there is nothing I like better. And if you feel like chili in August, build a batch. There is no Emily Post to tell you that chili should only be served in the winter. There are, of course, seasonal ingredients. But to my thinking, there is no such thing as a seasonal food. Whatever sounds good to you, you are much more likely to build. And your family and friends will always come along for the ride. So, chili in summer and chop salad in winter – make it happen!

Peace and love to all.

2 cloves garlic, minced

1½ tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary 

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

4 lamb chops, thick cut

Combine the garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and olive oil in a medium sized covered container. Add the lamb chops and turn them in the marinade so that all of the surface of the meat has been introduced to the marinade. Cover and place on your counter for a couple of hours, or if marinating longer, say overnight, place in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before grilling.   

Grill the lamb chops on medium heat for 6-9 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads no more than 125-degrees. (For medium rare.)

Remove from grill, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

 

QUINOA WITH SAUTEED SHALLOT, GARLIC, DRIED MUSHROOMS, AND FRESH SPINACH

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I try, really I do, to cook healthy food. Sometimes I go a little whacko and decide the only thing worth eating right at that moment is a Vanilla Glazed Cream Cheese Danish (recipe to follow BTW). But mainly I make every effort to keep to the healthy side of the scale. But for a person who loves savory, creamy, and tasty side dishes, it’s not easy. But then, I find a recipe like this one. And it contains all three of the components I love in a good side dish.

But I must confess. This recipe is not true to the original recipe I found on the damndelicious.net site, mainly because I didn’t have any fresh mushrooms on hand. But please note: If you have fresh mushrooms at your disposal, you can always substitute them for the rehydrated dried mushrooms called for in this recipe. Just slice them and fry along with the shallot.

Speaking of the shallot, I thought adding shallot (or some kind of onion) to the mix would result in another layer of flavor. (And it did.) Along with cooking the quinoa in veggie stock instead of plain water. And then, why not throw in a couple cups of cut spinach to completely up the healthy quotient? (It’s what I do folks. I change recipes to fit my needs. And no, I can’t help myself!)

But I still want to give kudos to Chungah for the bones of this recipe and the inspiration to make it in the first place!

So, having said mostly what I wanted to say on the subject, all that’s left is to tell you that we really enjoyed this dish. It was easy to prepare, and terribly healthy. I served it with Grilled Marinated Lamb Chops (recipe to follow) and sliced tomatoes, topped with fresh basil chiffonade, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Made for a lovely meal out on our deck even though we couldn’t see across the bay because of the heavy wildfire smoke drifting down from Canada. But we were outside, the temperature was pleasant, and my dinner companion (Mr. C.) was his usual appreciative, loving, and charming self. (I am one lucky lady!)

So, as always, make every effort to eat better. Try new dishes that focus on healthy ingredients. And use substitutions that reduce fat and carbs. And of course, the dish won’t taste exactly the same. But it will undoubtedly be a healthier option. And isn’t that what you’re after in the first place.

So, give spiralized veggies a try. Cook quinoa or brown rice instead of white rice. And don’t be above sneaking veggies and healthy ingredients into dishes you know your family loves.

When my kids were young, I always had a jar of wheat germ in the refrigerator. I would sneak a small amount into everything from cookie dough to meatloaf in my quest to get this nutrient rich product into their growing bodies. And even if it made no real difference health wise, I felt good about at least trying to help them grow to be healthy adults. And to this day, I have no idea whether they knew about the wheat germ or not. But even if they didn’t know at the time, they do now!   

Peace and love to all.

¼ c. small pieces of dried mushroom

¼ c. boiling water

2 c. vegetable broth

1 c. quinoa, rinsed several times under cold water* (I used Bob’s Red mill Tri-Color Quinoa for this recipe)

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

½ tsp. dried thyme

freshly ground black pepper

2 c. loosely packed sliced spinach

2 T. grated Parmesan, opt.

In a small bowl, stir the dried mushroom pieces and boiling water together. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Stir in the rinsed quinoa and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer gently until all the water is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Fluff, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile prep the other ingredients.   

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook for about 4 minutes. Then add the garlic, thyme, and black pepper. Drain the mushrooms, then stir into the shallot mixture. Stir in the spinach.

After the quinoa has rested its prescribed 15 minutes, stir the veggie mixture into the cooked quinoa. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan.

*Quinoa Caution: Quinoa is coated with a naturally occurring toxic substance called saponin.  So always rinse quinoa before cooking. Place the quinoa in a strainer and run cold water over it until the entire soapy residue has been washed away. You can taste test a few seeds; if they still have a bitter taste, run more cold water over them.

 

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH TOASTED COCONUT (Levain Bakery knockoff, if they made this kind of cookie)

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One ingredient that rocks my socks is toasted coconut. Now I know, not everyone likes coconut, but I happen to love it. And remember, this site is really just all about me! And this recipe is absolute proof of that statement. And I figure you must like coconut too if you are even bothering to look at this recipe. But if you aren’t really interested in cookies, but are a friend just reading about our life here on Camano Island, hello, and love to all from Mr. C. and me. But if you are a devoted fan of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and toasted coconut, have I got a deal for you.

Some of you know that I have already worked up knock off cookie recipes from the Levain Bakery in New York City. Even if I haven’t ever actually tasted one of their cookies. And I got to thinking, they should offer a coconut, chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. So, being the good gal that I am, I went ahead and glommed a recipe together for them. Was that not kind of me? I thought so too.

But because I am not as gifted as the bakers in New York City, I baked the cookies too long. Oh, they’re still delicious, but they don’t have that trademark crunchy outside, gooey middle that sets Levain Bakery cookies so far apart from your regular, run of the mill cookie. But I can learn, and you can profit from my mistake. Never, ever, under any circumstances, over-bake these cookies.

Oh, you will be tempted as I was today. But I should have trusted myself. I should have pulled them out of the oven after only 8 minutes, instead of 10 minutes. Sure, they would have been lightly browned and very soft to the touch after only 8 minutes. But they would have finished baking as they cooled. And then they would have been perfect.

So, if you too happen to over-bake them a bit, you are excused. I, on the other hand, should have known better. After all, I have baked hundreds of cookies over the 65 years I have been actively and religiously playing with cookie dough. But, in my defense, these cookies, and my other Levain Bakery knock-off cookies are decidedly different. And it’s that very difference that makes them the best cookies I have ever tasted. So, I hope you too enjoy this recipe. And don’t skip the step of toasting the coconut flakes. It truly does make a difference.

As always, have fun in your kitchen. Make every day a fun day. Laugh out loud. Smile at everyone you meet. (I know. Doesn’t really show when you’re wearing a mask!) But do it anyway. You will know you are smiling, and that matters to your own well-being.

Peace and love to all.

½ c. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

½ c. brown sugar, packed

¼ c. granulated sugar

1 lg. egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

¼ c. cake flour (fluffed)

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour (fluffed)

1½ tsp. cornstarch

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. coarse sea salt

1 c. old-fashioned oats 

1 c. toasted coconut flakes (I use Bob’s Red Mill unsweetened coconut flakes)

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium low speed until smooth and completely blended, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat just until the egg and vanilla are incorporated with the butter/sugar mixture.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the cake flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and oats together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix only until combined. Add the coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Slowly mix until combined. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.  

Using an ice cream scoop (I use a #40, 1½ tablespoons, orchid handled scoop), place the balls of dough on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart. 

Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 8-11 minutes or until the cookies appear dull and light golden brown on top.  Do not over-bake. The top should look done, but the cookies should not be fully set. 

Remove from oven. Cookies will continue to finish cooking as they set and cool on the baking sheets for at least 8 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies are quite delicate after just baking, so handle them carefully. They should still be plenty gooey inside.

Store in an airtight container.

Me in our kitchen last evening trying to decide if I would prefer a before dinner martini or a Margarita. Not an easy decision. But my apron made the decision for me. And please excuse the messy pantry. And of course, Miles had to be in the photo. His house, his rules!

    

ROASTED GARLIC SOURDOUGH BOULE (uses sourdough discard and added yeast)

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I am always amazed when I bake bread. Amazed that “we” actually produced such an awesome loaf. Me, myself, and I, that is! Of course, with the help of my little yeasty-beasty sourdough starter friends. But then, why shouldn’t they help me out? I’ve been feeding them conscientiously every 7-10 days for months. We’ve become buddies, comrades, and allies in my quest for the perfect sourdough loaf. And they’ve been very patient with me. Sometimes I have used them to less advantage. Other times they have shown their true colors. And this, dear friends, is one of those times. If I do say so myself, this is one darn good loaf of bread. Period! It’s flavorful, but not over the top garlicky. It’s chewy, but not too chewy. And the crust is divine. All and all, I’d give this bread a rating of 9.8 out of 10. (Nothings perfect, after all.) But this bread is about as good as it gets. And extremely easy to build. And let me tell you true, this bread makes the best ever toast. Lightly spread with soft butter, there is just nothing better to accompany bacon and eggs.

Plus, no fancy ingredients, not even bread flour required for this loaf. Just plain old unbleached all-purpose flour. And even if you don’t have a cast iron Dutch oven or a cloche (clay baker), you can simply bake the boule on a piece of parchment paper. It will still taste delicious. The crust might not be as fabulous, but the chewy texture and the light sourdough flavor will still be present. And of course, the lovely roasted garlic.

So, I see nothing stopping you from building a loaf that will knock your friends and family’s socks off. (They don’t need them on anyway. It’s SUMMER!)

As always, be the one who brings the entire family together around the dining table. With heaps of good and healthy food and lively conversation. Because these precious days together will not last forever.

I remember how I felt some days while my kids were young. I’d ask myself will this ever end? Will I ever have any peace and quiet? Will there ever be any milk left in the refrigerator?? But those days did end, and honestly, I’d bring a few of them back if that were possible. Because they were also joyous days. Hectic, frantic, but very gratifying. And always full of love. And the best times we experienced together almost always revolved around the heart of our home – the kitchen. Good food always makes for better companionship. And as cooks, we can make that happen.

Peace and love to all.   

¾ c. sourdough starter discard   

½ c. warm water  

1½ tsp. instant dry yeast 

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1¼ tsp. kosher salt

2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour (more or less)

1 head garlic, roasted* then cloves roughly chopped

extra virgin olive oil, for greasing bowl and brushing on boule after baking

super-fine sea salt, for sprinkling over baked boule

Combine the sourdough starter discard, water, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Let stand for 5 minutes. Then add the salt and flour. Using your dough hook, knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and quite stiff, about 6 minutes.

Pour a bit of olive oil around the dough, and using your fingers and a stiff rubber spatula, form dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for an hour or until doubled. (If you gently poke a finger into the dough, an indentation should remain when you remove your finger.)

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a rough rectangle or oval about ½-inch thick. Spread the chunks of roasted garlic evenly over the dough. Roll into a log starting with a short side.

To form into a boule, gently bend one end up towards the middle. Do the same with the other end. Then turn the dough over and tug and tuck towards the bottom of the ball until you’ve formed the dough into a tight ball shape. Place the dough ball, smooth side up on a piece of parchment paper long enough to allow you to lower the dough into a Dutch oven or cloche (clay baker). Cover the dough with greased plastic wrap and let rest for 60 minutes. (It should just about double as it rises.)

Meanwhile, place your Dutch oven or clay baker (cloche), lid and all, in your oven. After the dough has been rising for about 30 minutes, pre-heat your oven to 425-degrees. When the dough has risen sufficiently, carefully remove the Dutch oven or clay baker from the hot oven. Immediately use a sharp knife or lame blade to score an X about ¼-inch deep into the surface of the bread dough. This allows the bread to expand without tearing as it bakes. (Don’t press down too hard. You don’t want to deflate the dough ball.)

Carefully remove the Dutch oven or cloche lid and place the parchment paper and loaf in the bottom of your Dutch oven or on the bottom portion of your cloche. Then cover and place in the pre-heated 425-degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for an additional 10-13 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. (Your instant read thermometer should read between 200 to 205-degrees.)

Remove from oven and carefully transfer to a cooling rack. Brush generously with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with super-fine sea salt. Let cool completely before slicing.

Please note: If you prefer a crisp, chewy crust, don’t slather with olive oil. Leave as is.

Store leftovers at room temperature wrapped in a tea towel.

*To roast a head of garlic, cut off the top of the garlic to expose the cloves. Drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil. Cover and roast at 400-degrees for 60 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven and let cool until you can easily remove the golden, soft cloves from their paper-thin wrappers.

How can Miles possibly be comfortable with his back half on the desk surface? And a very comfortable amount of kitty bed still available to accommodate the rest of his big, fuzzy body. But there he lay as I wrote this post. My little buddy. My helper. And the guy who tells me not only is it lunch time, it’s kitty treat time too!

     

SHRIMP AND ZOODLES STIR FRY

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I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I love my new spiralizer. And yes, I am kind of a gadget girl. Melon ballers and the like have a tendency to follow me out of kitchen shops regardless of whether or not I might actually have a need for said product. It’s the old “isn’t that cute” syndrome that afflicts many of us. And for which there seems to be no known cure. And now with Amazon, it’s even easier to locate those special little items you had no idea you needed so badly. But in all fairness, they are often inexpensive, and even if they serve only one purpose, they are worth the dollars just for the convenience. See, I can justify almost anything. After all, I’ve been at it for a long time. But enough about my rather light case of kitchen tool neurosis. And on to why you too should purchase a spiralizer. (If of course you don’t own one already!)

Then with your spiralizer firmly attached to a counter, you can spiralize your zucchini and carrot and prepare this fabulous recipe courtesy of Holly at the spendwithpennies.com web site. Of course, you could just chop up the zucchini and carrot, but what fun would that be? Getting out the spiralizer, and then making a slight mess on your countertop seems so much more chef-like than merely hacking and slashing the vegetables on a cutting board. Not to mention – classier. And don’t we all want to be thought of as classy cooks? Of course, we do! And speaking of classy, to really up your game, you can refer to spiralized zucchini as “courgetti” which is how spiralized zucchini is referred to in France. English – zucchini, French – courgette.

But whatever you choose to call these thin, spaghetti like strands of fresh zucchini, you are in for a treat. So much healthier than using pasta, and so very tasty. And on that happy note, I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do. It’s easy to prepare, contains simple, healthy, and everyday ingredients, and most importantly, tastes wonderful.  

So, as always, be content. It’s not always easy. Sometimes I forget that I’m not alone feeling insecure or a bit scared about the future. Most of us who have been productive individuals all our lives, find it difficult to accept that our usefulness has become limited by age and/or health issues. And it’s no fun accepting the new reality. I often find myself worried about how the aging process has limited my abilities. And then I realize there isn’t a darn thing I can do about it. And how much even my closest and most loving family and friends might hate me if I didn’t age right along with them. Which of course I am. No one escapes the aging process. Not even if we thought it would never happen to us! (That would include me.)

Then, I laugh at myself for being such a doofus. And remember how lucky I am in the grand scheme of things. And I figure, as long as I can still laugh at myself, I’m OK. After all, it’s a well-known fact that laughter is the best medicine. And the type of “medicine” that has no adverse side effects. Only beneficial properties.  

Peace, love, and contentment to all.

¼ c. water

1 tsp. chicken base (I use Better Than Bouillon Chicken base)

1 T. cornstarch

2 T. brown sugar

3 T. soy sauce

½ tsp. sesame oil

½ tsp. Sriracha, or to taste

1 (6-8 inch) zucchini, spiralized (zoodles)  

¼ tsp. kosher salt

2 T. extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, divided

½ lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed, then cut in thirds

1 carrot, spiralized

1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

2 tsp. minced fresh ginger

3 garlic cloves, minced

sesame seeds, topping, opt.

thinly sliced green onions, topping, opt.

In a small bowl, whisk the water, chicken base, cornstarch, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and Sriracha together. Set the stir fry sauce aside.

Spiralize the zucchini. (I leave the skin on.) Using scissors, cut the long strands into shorter pieces. Place in a colander in your sink, and sprinkle with the kosher salt. Give the zucchini a toss with the salt, then let it sit until you are ready to add it to the stir fry. (Salt and all.)   

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook just until done (about 2-3 minutes). Transfer to a separate bowl and set aside.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan and add the spiralized carrot and red pepper strips. Cook until softened (about 4 minutes).

Add minced ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

Add the zoodles and cook for about 2 minutes.

Add cooked shrimp and stir fry sauce to the pan. Stir well and increase heat to medium-high. Cook until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat.

Serve immediately topped with sesame seeds and green onions.