Classic Cherry Pie with Butter Crust

This Cherry Pie recipe screams summer picnic (this was our dessert this 4th of July, hence the stars!). If at all possible, find a friend or two to help you pit the cherries and enjoy some wine while it bakes – it takes almost 2 hours! It’s worth the time and effort, it may be the best pie I’ve ever had. What’s your favorite pie recipe? Post in the comments!

Cherry Pie

6 cups fresh cherries (pitted)

1 cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon pure almond extract

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Egg Wash (1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss together the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and almond extracts.

Roll out the crust on a lightly floured surface and place on 9 inch pie plate. Place in filling. Dot with 2 tablespoons butter. Place in refrigerator while rolling out top crust. Roll out top crust on lightly floured surface, cut several holes with cookie cutter. Place on top of pie. Seal edges with fork or crimp. Freeze for 20 minutes. Brush with egg wash. Bake on parchment lined baking sheet for 1 hour and 45 minutes (this helps if it drips). Let cool at least 3 hours before serving.

Pate Brisee (Butter Crust)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

¼ to ½ cup ice water

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour.

*Recipe from Martha Stewart July 2011 issue.

Portobello Burgers with Spicy Jicama Pepper Slaw

Here’s an idea for Meatless Monday and an excuse to fire up the grill (it is summer!). Don’t be fooled – this is a very hearty meal and the slaw makes for great left-overs for lunch. Enjoy!

Portobello Burgers

1/2 cup nonfat mayonnaise

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

6 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

1 garlic clove, minced

2 large portobello mushrooms, stems trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 whole wheat buns, toasted

bibb lettuce

Mix mayonnaise, mustard, 2 teaspoons rosemary and garlic in small bowl. Set aside.

Brush mushrooms all over with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until tender, about 10 minutes per side. Spread mayonnaise mixture over buns. Place mushrooms and lettuce on buns and enjoy!

Adapted from Bon Appetit. 

Spicy Jicama Pepper Slaw

5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and zest                       

3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise

2 tablespoons honey

5 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 large green bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips

12 ounces jicama, peeled, cut into thin strips

Whisk first 6 ingredients, season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss bell peppers, jicama and dressing in large bowl to coat. Season slaw with salt. Cover and refrigerate until vegetables soften slightly but are still crunchy, about 1 hour.

Adapted from Bon Appetit. 

Monkey Bread

This is a special recipe for a lazy Sunday or weekend brunch with friends. While the dough does take some patience, it is worth the wait! I love to serve this with Chicken and Cheddar Souffle,  Balsamic Strawberries, and Mix-and-Match Mimosas (pomegranate juice, blood orange juice, orange juice, and champagne). 

Monkey Bread

Preheat oven to 200°F then turn it off. Butter Bundt pan with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Set aside.

Brown Sugar Coating
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Place melted butter in one bowl. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a second bowl. Set aside.

Dough
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (2 tablespoons softened, 2 tablespoons melted)
1 cup skim milk, warm
1/3 cup water, warm
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 package active yeast
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
2 teaspoons table salt

Mix together milk, water, melted butter, sugar and yeast. Place flour and salt in a standing mixer with dough hook. Slowly add liquid mixer. Knead at medium speed about 7 minutes or until dough is smooth. Turn out on floured surface and form into a bowl. Coat a large bowl with vegetable oil, place dough in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in warm oven for 60 minutes. 

Place dough on floured surface and pat into an 8-inch square. Using a bench scraper, cut dough into 64 balls. Work quickly so the dough does not stick together! Roll each ball and dip in butter then brown sugar mixture. Layer balls in Bundt pan. Cover bundt pan again with plastic wrap and place back in oven 60 minutes. 

Remove bundt pan from oven. Remove plastic wrap. Heat oven to 350°F. Bake the Monkey Bread for 30-35 minutes or until cake is a dark brown. Cool for 5 minutes, invert cake, and allow to cool slightly. Best served within the next several hours. 

*Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Cucumber Mint Cocktail

I really enjoy fresh herbs like mint, basil and lavender in drinks. Another sleek garnish is to serve in a tumbler with perfectly symmetric ice cubes – made easy with this tray I found at Sur La Table.

I think this drink is perfect for the warm weather ahead – crisp, cool & refreshing.

Cucumber Mint Cocktail

2 cucumbers

1 cup fresh mint leaves

2 teaspoons sugar

3 limes

½ cup vodka

2 tablespoons Cointreau

Cut 4 thin spears from 1 cucumber and save for garnish. Peel cucumbers, scrape out seeds with a spoon. Puree in a food processor until smooth and strain through a sieve and press the solids to extract as much juice as possible.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add mint, sugar, and lime juice. Add cucumber juice, vodka, and Cointreau. Shake well and strain into 4 glasses filled with ice. Garnish with cucumber spear.

*Adapted from Martha Stewart.

New York-Style Blackberry Crumb Cake

This is such a great recipe! Definitely let this cool a half-hour or so before serving, it's better once the cake cools and become a bit more dense. I substituted all the butter for fat free sour cream and swapped buttermilk for skim in the cake, but tried to stick to the recipe for the crumb topping. This makes a large 9x13 cake – share with friends or bring to the office!

Crumb Topping:

3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

Cake:

1 1/2 cups fat free sour cream

2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup skim milk

1 cup blackberry jam

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 9x13 baking pan.

To make the topping, mix together the flour, sugars, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Pour melted butter of mixture and mix until large crumbs form, set aside.

To make the cake, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the sour cream and sugar with a mixer for 2 minutes, add the eggs one at a time and beat until well combined. Add vanilla.

Add the sour cream mixture and skim milk to the flour and beat with a hand mixer just until completely incorporated. Pour into prepared pan. Place jam in microwave 1 – 2 minutes until loose but not running. Spread evenly on top of batter. Top batter with crumb mixture.

Place in oven and bake 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

*Adapted from Martha Stewart.

Mario Batali’s Polenta with Mushrooms, Garlic and Rosemary

There is no Cooking Channel in Santa Monica, so I can't watch Molto Mario re-runs. Trust me, I've contacted Time Warner several times, we'll see what happens. In light of this, I picked up Molto Italiano this weekend and am excited to try some new recipes. This dish was quite tasty, but be warned: it took about an hour with the back and forth waiting for the polenta to cook, cool, then broil – so make sure you have a bit of time – it’s worth the wait!

Mario Batali’s Polenta with Mushrooms, Garlic and Rosemary
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 cups water
1 cup polenta
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup parmesan + 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1-2 pounds chopped mushrooms
1 cup dry white wine
salt, pepper
parsley for garnish

Bring chicken stock and water to a boil. Gradually stir in polenta until thickened. Let cook 20 minutes. Stir in butter, parmesan, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon rosemary. Place in 8x12 baking pan and place in freezer about 10 minutes. Preheat broiler.

Heat olive oil in skillet. Add mushrooms, sauté 3 minutes. Add wine gradually, every 3 minutes for the next 10 minutes. Add garlic, remaining rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook an additional 5 – 10 minutes until mixture is reduced by half.

Meanwhile, once polenta is slightly cooled, remove from freezer. Cut with round cutter (cookie cutter or biscuit cutter works well) and place on baking sheet. Broil in oven on both side about 5 minutes each until crispy brown.

Plate polenta rounds and top with mushrooms. Top with a sprinkle of parsley and sprinkle on parmesan. Enjoy!

*Adapted from Molto Italiano.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Happy Valentine’s Day! Try this festive Red Velvet Cupcake with Coconut Cream Cheese frosting. To try to make it a bit healthier, I substituted plain yogurt for some butter and used skim milk instead of buttermilk. Give it a try, enjoy!

Cupcake
2 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup skim milk, divided
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 lb powdered sugar
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Sift flour and cocoa into mixing bowl. With an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and yogurt until smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then red food coloring and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with 2/3 cup milk in 2 additions. In a small bowl, combine milk, vinegar, and baking soda, whisk to form bubbles, stir into batter.

Bake cupcakes 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to rack and cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar; fold in coconut. Spread frosting on cupcakes top with sprinkles. Enjoy!

*Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit.