TWD: Scallop & Pesto Purses (sans the scallops & pesto..)

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan

Scallop and Pesto Purses were chosen for this weeks recipe.

My husband loves scallops, I have been wanting to make these for him for the longest time. I had nominated this recipe several times in the past, and it was finally chosen!

Unfortunately, the scallop version would not fit into my schedule. Every time I was ready to make these, he was either at class, a meeting, or out of town.  So as not to be any later in posting this recipe (again, out of town..), I changed the filling to something more of my liking (scallops - meh) - since it would only be me eating them.

I filled my purses with goat cheese, onion confit, and dried figs - the same ingredients I used to top this pizza - which I loved, and thought it would make a great filling for these cute little purses.

Today, phyllo was not my friend. You need to work quickly with phyllo so it does not dry out and tear. Well, mine was tearing the minute I unrolled it from the package; frustrating to say the least. I was supposed to get six squares from the sheets of phyllo. A good portion had torn, so I was only able to get four squares per sheet. This was not a big deal, being it was only me that would be enjoying these little tidbits.

Make sure your phyllo is well buttered or oiled, it makes for easier handling. The recipe instructs you to to tie the bundles with buttered string to hold the tops closed. I skipped this - the oiled phyllo held together quite well on its own.

I began wondering why my phyllo was tearing so easy when I unrolled it. I had just purchased it two weeks ago, and the package had not been opened yet (kept in the freezer till the day before). I had never thought to check for an expiration date. It reads, best used by May 2, 2014. Today is the 9th.  Hmmm.. maybe that was the problem?

I'll find out, for I have another recipe I will be making this month that calls for phyllo (which I was hoping to use up the rest from this box). You can be sure I will be checking the date before I purchase my next box.

If my next try with phyllo turns out well, I'll revisit this recipe using the original ingredients called for in the recipe. They were fun to make, frustrations aside, and are impressive looking.

To see other takes on this recipe, as well as the original version, check out my fellow bakers' links over on the Tuesdays with Dorie site.

TWD: Savory Brioche Pockets

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan 
Contributing Baker: Nancy Silverton 

I was excited to make these, for all the components sounded delicious. Goat cheese is my all-time favorite, and I love caramelized onions; and who doesn't like mashed potatoes!

This was my first experience with making brioche. It really is a wonderful dough to work with. You do however need a heavy-duty mixer to make this type of dough. I have read that this dough has pushed the limits of some mixers - may even have sent one to mixer heaven.

This same dough recipe was used for making the sticky buns made by the group last year at this time; the one recipe I passed on. I still have half the brioche dough in the freezer - maybe I'll attempt them after all.

Unfortunately these were just OK. Not anything like I had inticipated. The flavor quotient needs to be anted up a bit. I'm thinking roasted or grilled asparagus would have been more flavorful and the potatoes were rather bland as well. I wish I had gone with my initial idea of replacing the chives with a mixture of sage and thyme. The spuds also were very dry, to which I added a half cup of non-fat yogurt. I was surprised the recipe does not call for adding salt and pepper to the onion mixture; I did, and it made a big difference in taste - however, it did not help the overall product in the end.

I loved the look of these - they do make for a beautiful presentation. With some flavor enhancement and made smaller, they would make a great appetizer for a party.

Success meter (1-3): 1.5

The sponge. This consists of whole milk (I used half and half - I forgot to buy milk), yeast, egg, and flour. Mix together and sprinkle more flour on top and let rest for 30 to 40 minutes, at which time the flour cracks - the indication that your yeast is alive and well and ready to proceed.

Add to the sponge - sugar, salt, eggs, and flour. This gets mixed for fifteen minutes till the dough comes together and you hear a distinctive slapping sound (I barely heard it) from the dough hitting the side of the bowl. You now have a beautiful soft ball of dough.

Next step is to add the butter which needs to be similar in consistency of the dough. Smear your butter on a cool surface with a pastry cutter or bash it with a rolling pin. Do not handle the butter with your hands or mix it too much. You want it to remain cool - not warm or greasy.  This you add to the dough and mix. Your beautiful ball of dough breaks apart at this time. Do not fret! The dough miraculously comes back together into another soft and supple ball.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl to rise for two to two and a half hours, until doubled in bulk.

After the first rise, deflate the dough by running your hand underneath the perimeter and giving it a little fluff with your hand. Cover and chill overnight.

Prepare your filling by sautéing your onions, boiling your potatoes, and asparagus. I highly recommend roasting or grilling the asparagus for more flavor.

On the advice of another baker, I cut my circles in two different sizes to save time of having to stretch the second circle larger after cutting to accommodate the mound of filling.

 If only they tasted as good as they looked.

As you can see, only the tips of the asparagus are used here. To use up those tipless spears, grill them and use them in Grilled Asparagus and Portabella Mushroom Salad. (Portabella/Portobello. Tomato/Tomahto. Depending who you talk to or read, it's one or the other. Me, I prefer the spelling with o's.) A photo of this salad appears below.

 Oh so very pretty; too bad they don't hold their shape after baking. 

Once all your pockets are formed, give them an egg wash and let rise for twenty minutes.

 The sage leaves I purchased were enormous in size! I folded them in half and gave them a little trim.

After the twenty minute rise, they should be slightly puffy and spongy. Give them a second coating of egg wash and top with poppy seeds and sage leaves.

 Bake until beautifully golden brown.

 Here we have a beautiful (though bland) brioche pocket served alongside the delicious salad mentioned above.

Carrie at Loaves and Stitches is our host for the week, you can find the recipe on her blog. And don't forget to check out the results and other variations of this recipe from all the talented bakers we have in the group. You can find their links on the Tuesdays with Dorie website under the link titled LYL: Savory Brioche Pockets. 

I would like to share a couple of tips with you.:

To keep the dough cool while rolling out and not having to move the dough back and forth from the fridge from it becoming too soft and warm while handling, I placed an ice pack under my marble board. Works like a charm.

I also placed an ice pack between two cookie sheets while forming the pockets. This may have hampered the second rise a bit; I did not feel they rose all that much more, however, it seems no harm was done.

A fabulous tip I learned from my friend Christine, use the butter wrapper to grease your cookie sheets (or bowl in this case). Usually there is just enough butter left on the wrapper if you have let the butter set out to come to room temperature.

Book Ninety-Eight: Celebrate!

by Sheila Lukins

Everywhere you turn, there seems to be some new version of a "chip". There is the old faithful potato chip, sweet potato chips, kale chips, banana chips, and this one (so I believed), the tomato chip.

I would not go as far as to call these chips. The only resemblance is maybe their shape and size - but I'm sure the term is used lightly, as with kale chips - at least they are crisp. 

I would have never thought to try and make a "chip" from tomatoes due to their high water content - and I was right. The book does states that these do not get crispy like a chip, but they have a "snap" and a chewy texture.

Out of the five tomatoes, only four slices could be considered chewy and with a "snap", and looked to be disintegrated; to be fair, they were the ones with the best flavor.

I do love anything roasted, and when these tomato "chips" were placed on a rosemary cracker, spread with some delicious goat cheese (as suggested in the book), they were pretty darn tasty.

So forget about the crisp, crackly, crunchy texture of a true chip, and enjoy these for what they are: simply roasted tomatoes.

Success meter (1-3): 2 (I rated this a two based on the "chip" factor - otherwise they did have great flavor and makes for a wonderful appetizer.)

 amazon

The tomato slices drizzled with olive oil and dusted with sugar and pepper. Next time, I'll omit the sugar and sprinkle them with salt.

 This is one of the best "disintegrated" tomato slices..

I was able to scrape the disintegrated tomatoes off the pan, and I have to say they had the best flavor. Think - sun-dried tomatoes.

Butternut Squash Lasagne with Goat Cheese, Sage, and Breadcrumbs

Recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine

I love any food that has to do with butternut squash - and sage. They go together like peanut butter and jelly, ice cream and apple pie, chips and salsa, Bonnie and Clyde, you get the point. It's a marriage made in heaven.

I have been having so much fun making and enjoying homemade pasta. It is made of just a few ingredients - three to be exact (for this recipe anyway) and really is very easy to make if you have a pasta machine. I use the pasta attachment for the KitchenAid Mixer; something I purchased probably ten or more years ago for using with modeling chocolate - though never used - until recently.

Not only does fresh pasta cook up quicker than dried, but it has such a soft texture and practically melts in your mouth. Like homemade bread, everyone should try it at least once, even if you don't have a pasta machine - it can be made by hand. A bit more labor intensive - rolling the dough out & cutting your specific shape with a knife - it's worth it.

This was good, and as my husband said, even better the next day; though the recipe I have for squash enchiladas is my favorite by far and probably a bit healthier. You can try both recipes and decide for yourself.

Success meter (1-3): 3

Brilliant idea to use a tablecloth! Thanks Fine Cooking. I normally would have all my kitchen towels spread out all over the counter.

You cook the sage with the butter till fragrant. The recipe says to toss the sage after cooking. Are they crazy?!! Have you ever eaten a fried sage leaf? So good. I crumbled the leaves and added them to the filling. If I were making raviolis I would place whole fried leaves on top for garnish just before serving.

I made my own breadcrumbs with whole wheat bread and baked them a bit too long (forgot about them!) They were a lot darker than the picture in the magazine, but I actually like the look it gives to the lasagne.

Funny all the cheese did not melt. It did the next day when the leftovers were warmed in the microwave.

You can find the recipe for the lasagne here.