The Tricks of the Treat

On this Halloween morning, it seems more than appropriate to talk about chocolate. 

 

Chocolate has been cultivated for more than 3000 years.  Ripe Cacao pods are knocked off the Cacao tree, which is small and leggy because it grows under the canapé of other trees.  The beans are then removed from each pod and piled in bins to develop flavor through fermentation.  Fully fermented beans are spread out and dried in the sun for 5-7 days to prevent mold from developing.  The dried beans are then cleaned of stones, twigs and other debris. 

 

At this stage, the cacao beans are graded and then sold to roasters (like our longtime chocolate partner, family-owned Guittard Chocolates).  They roast the beans and then remove the shells to get to the good stuff - cacao nibs.  The nibs are ground into a chocolate paste (called "chocolate liquor") and separated into two components - cocoa solids and cocoa butter. 

 

Throughout most of history cacoa was used in a beverage called xocolatl ("bitter water") - nothing like the hot cocoa we enjoy today.  Jospeh Fry & Son revolutionized chocolate in the solid form we know in 1847 when they mixed cocoa butter back into dutched chocolate and added sugar - creating a mouldable paste.  They combined cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar and milk to form the first modern milk chocolate bars.

 

At Specialty's, we use only Guittard Milk Chocolate in our Milk Chocolate Chip cookies.  We select xxtra large chips to ensure our large cookies deliver the perfect blend of soft chewy cookie and sweet creamy milk chocolate in every bite. 

 

At home, I store my milk chocolate away from cabinets that are near the oven.  Heating and cooling chocolate will draw the cocoa butter out of the chocolate and cause a grey film to develop ("blooming").  I also take care to keep chocolate safe from our pets.  Chocolate contains theobromine and phenethylamine which have been linked to positive effects on serotonin levels in the human brain. However; theobromine is vert toxic to dogs and cats and will make them sick.  Please take care in keeping candy out of reach of pets.

Enjoy your chocolate - whether it is among the treasures of tonight's trick or treating bounty or one of my family cookie recipes at Specialty's.  Let's appreciate this delicious combination of an ancient product with modern techniques.
 

Eat Well,

Dawn

An Apple (Pie) A Day...

When my kids were little we would celebrate October (National Apple Month) with stories of Johnny Appleseed, arts & crafts, apple prints on the fridge and, of course, lots and lots of apple pies.  Well, the kids are older now - story time is out and the fridge door is void of those treasured apple prints, but there are still apple pies in the oven.

While there are all kinds of cool, funky things to add to the apples in your pie, the best super “secret” ingredient I use isn’t in the apples at all…it’s in the crust.

Since a pie’s crust is baked under a juicy filling, it is critical that the crust remain dry. Start with enough fat.  It’s the fat that will make the dough flaky.  About half the fat should be butter for flavor and color, the other half should be vegetable shortening or lard (very high smoke point and, no, it doesn’t taste like bacon).  For best results freeze these fats first to give you longer to work with the dough before the fat begins to melt.

Make the crust dough first.  When adding liquid to bind the dry crust ingredients together, consider using your favorite liquor instead of water.  The alcohol doesn’t allow the protein in the flour to develop its gluten (the culprit in a tough crust).  Applejack is a great choice as it is distilled from apple cider.  

Flatten the dough into a disk and let it rest in the refrigerator to allow the flour to become fully hydrated and easier to roll out.

While the dough is resting, prepare the apples.  I mentioned previously I think golden delicious apples are the most reliable for baking - crisp without being too firm, sweet without being too sweet and tender without losing shape.  I “skip peel” them - removing big chunks of peel and any spots or bruises.  The remaining peel contains small amounts of pectin that help set up the pie and give it that classic, rustic look.

There is no need to stick to the old traditional flour to set up a pie’s filling.  I believe tapioca flour is the best ingredient to use when making most pies (substitute tapioca flour 1:1 in recipes using flour as the thickener).  Cornstarch is also a nice substitute (use only ½ the cornstarch as you would flour).

Use room temperature apples so the filling sets up without the crust burning.  The time of year or theme of the gathering determine my choice for flavorings.  I love unique pairings like apple and fennel or apple bacon. Think outside the limitations of that “apple pie spice” bottle and express your inner “Top Chef.”

Start with a HOT oven (450).  After the pie is in place and the door closed, immediately turn the heat down to 425.  This way the elements don’t come back on for a while - eliminating the burnt crust that can occur with immediate reheat.  A good 20-30 at 425 should be enough to set the proteins and quickly evaporate the moisture out of the crust.  Give the pie a turn so it will brown evenly and reduce the oven temp to 350 for the remainder of the baking. 

Lastly, (and almost impossibly in my house) allow the pie to cool completely so the filling can completely set up.  I must admit that my attempts to take pictures of my recipe results were thwarted by my family when I mistakenly turned my back for a few moments :).  Please enjoy my recipe below for a Galette – a quick and easy twist on an apple pie.

Eat Well,

Dawn

ANYTIME APPLE GALETTE

A Galette is a rustic, quick pie that my family prefers…it takes less time to bake and there is no pie plate to standin the way of eating (average life span of this Galette is about 4 minutes at my house).

Crust:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1 TBSP sugar

Mix dry ingredients together, and then add:

4 oz cold butter, grated

4 oz frozen shortening or lard, grated

Mix gently with finger tips until evenly blended.

5-6 TBSP iced applejack (pour over ice to chill first, then measure and add iced liquid)

Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour to overnight.

Filling:

In a mixing bowl:

6 large Golden Delicious Apples – “skip peeled”, cored and sliced

Squeeze juice of ½ lemon onto apples

In another mixing bowl:

1/2 cup sugar

3 TBSP tapioca flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon spice of choice…be traditional (cinnamon) or creative (Garam Masala or 5 spice) 

Mix dry ingredients together, sprinkle over apples, toss and stir to combine.

Directions:

Roll out the crust to about ¼” thick and place onto a ½ sheet pan. 

Pour filling into the middle of the pie crust. Turn up the edges of the pie crust to surround the apples and hold in the juices.  The apples should be about half covered.

Paint the crust with egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar or cinnamon-sugar. 

Bake in a preheated 425 oven for 20 minutes. 

Rotate the pan 180 degrees, reduce heat to 350 and continue to bake for 30-40 minutes.  Filling will be bubbling in the center, with a nut brown outer crust and irresistible smell.

TRY to cool it all the way before eating, but if all else fails…just make sure you have plenty milk &/or ice cream on hand.

Dawn

Vegemite In The Land Down Under

On our trip to Australia recently, I just discovered what a bad wrap Vegemite undeservedly gets.  Visiting the amazing "Land Down Under," I had the privilege to try this savory, yeasty concoction the correct way. 

Starting with some good bread we got from our friends at Brasserie Bread in Sydney,  we smeared on the yellowiest butter I’ve ever seen (butter in Australia is phenomenally rich, sweet and creamy) and then topped it with a thin layer of Vegemite.  The result was creamy, slightly salty and robust!  To make a real Vegemite sandwich, we just topped it with another piece of buttered bread.  Some Australians also add a slice of cheese - since Kraft owns Vegemite, their Kraft single seems to make a perfect partner to this savory sandwich. It’s quite good! 

So why the bad wrap?  I think many people unfamiliar with Vegemite make a mistake by treating the product like peanut butter or jam and spreading it on too thick.   To me, Vegemite tastes a little like a beef bullion and meripioux spread.   I’m going to try Vegemite in a beef stew - I think it will add depth to the flavor.

Cool Vegemite trivia for ya':

• Vegemite was invented in 1922 by Dr. Cyril P. Callister.  He developed the spread from the used brewer’s yeast being dumped by breweries.  Concentrating the extract and blending it with salt, celery and onion extracts formed the sticky black paste now known (and loved) as Vegemite (Oh yeah, I’m way ahead of you if you’re thinking an ice cold beer would pare perfectly with a Vegemite sandwich!).
• In 1939, Vegemite was officially endorsed by the British Medical Association as a vitamin B rich food.  During WWII, Vegemite was included in Australian Army rations and by the late 1940s ,Vegemite was used in 9 out of 10 Australian homes.
• Today's Vegemite is virtually unchanged from the original recipe and Kraft Foods' Port Melbourne manufacturing facility produces more than 22 million jars annually.
• Vegemite far outsells other similar spreads (like Marmite) in Australia. The billionth jar of Vegemite was produced in October 2008.

With converts like me, Kraft is well on their way to their 2^nd Billion!

Hungry for more vegemite info? Try: http://www.vegemite.com.au/

G'day!!!

-Dawn