Swiss Chard Tart

Since I've made this tart four times in the last week, I feel like I need to share it with you all. I've made it so many times not just because it has a whole wheat crust, or because it's another way to get veggies on the table, or because it's a vegetarian entrée, or to use my new tart pan, but because it tastes so good! This tart is full of unexpected flavors and textures that bring something unique to any meal.

This recipe is based on Chocolate and Zucchini's Swiss Chard Pie, but I swapped out the pizza crust for the pâte brisée in the C&Z cookbook, which I made with whole wheat flour, and I used cottage cheese instead of costlier ricotta.

First, you make the pastry 30 minutes to one day ahead of time (it can be frozen for up to three days).

Pâte brisée
1 1/3 C King Arthur white whole wheat flour (white flour if desired)
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz chilled unsalted butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Ice cold water

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt, and then cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until the butter and flour together make a coarse texture (this may also be done in a food processor). Stir in the egg, and then mix in the water one teaspoon at a time until the pastry starts to come together and you can form a ball. Make it into a flattened ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator 10 minutes before you plan to use it. After the 10 minutes, roll it out into a circle the size of your 10-inch tart pan (with removable bottom, if possible) on a floured pastry cloth. Lay the dough over your tart pan and press it lightly around the bottom edge. Use your hands to even the edges of the dough with the pan, removing any extra dough and smoothing out the edges. Now your dough is ready for the filling.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees while you prepare the filling.

Chard filling
1 bunch Swiss chard
1 clove garlic, minced
1 handful raisins
1 handful pine nuts, toasted
1/2 C cottage cheese or ricotta cheese

Make a cup of tea and soak the raisins in the tea.

Prepare the Swiss chard by washing the leaves and stems. Separate the leaves from the stems and chop the stems to bite-size pieces. Gradually heat the clove of garlic in 1 tsp of olive oil in a saucepan, and then add the chard stems and cook them for a few minutes. Once they start to get translucent, add the chard leaves torn up into bite-sized pieces and cook for a few more minutes until wilted. Drain the cooked chard in a colander and then squeeze out excess moisture by placing cooked chard in a clean dish towel or doubled paper towel, twisting the towel around the chard, and squeezing out as must moisture as possible (if you skip this step, the tart will be watery).

Mix the drained chard with raisins, pine nuts, and cottage cheese/ricotta. Pour the mixture into the tart crust and spread evenly. Add more cheese if you'd like the tart to be more full.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes and let cool before serving.

Whole Wheat Pita Pockets

During my time in Israel I got hooked on the fresh, soft pita we had every day (with PBJ, or tuna salad, or lunchmeats, or pickles...), and the experience really made it difficult to go back to packaged pitas here in the States. So, upon my return I asked one of my bread expert friends for a pita recipe, and you see the result here! This was the third time I made them, and they finally came out with satisfactory pockets:

They may be a little funny looking on the outside, but they are soft and very stuffable. Next time you make lemon garlic hummus (or buy it, fine), try whipping up a batch of this dough. It's not hard, really! You mix it up, let it sit overnight or even more, and then shape it and bake it. The shaping takes a little longer than you expect, so take that into account. But do not be intimidated by the length of this post!

The one part I find difficult (which impeded the development of my pockets a bit) is getting the pitas onto the hot pan; I kind of end up throwing each pat of dough into the oven, praying that it does not fold over on itself when it lands. Until I get a cool tool like the Super Peel or even a simpler wooden version of a peel, or until I decide to use a piece of parchment for every pita to transfer it into the oven, I'll probably just continue throwing the pitas in the oven one at a time.

For me, the funnest part of this is that the pockets just form of their own accord - well, really, they form because the oven or pan is so hot that steam forms quickly on the inside of the bread and puffs it up all together - but it looks like magic when you don't know what's causing it. Bread is so fascinating!

So flour your hands and throw this dough together from the ingredients you know you already have; why not have fresh pitas ready for your holiday leftovers? (hm, pita with shredded turkey thigh, a little stuffing and gravy, lined with cranberry sauce, maybe some pesto...remember that idea...)

Whole Wheat Pita Pockets
From The Bread Bible

Minimum rising time: 1 hour
Oven temperature: 475 degrees or higher
Baking time: 3 minutes per pita
Makes: 12 four-inch pitas or 8 six-inch pitas

3 C and a scant 1/4 C White Whole Wheat Flour (King Arthur brand)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp instant yeast
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 C water at room temperature

Mix dough at least 1.5 hours before shaping, or up to 3 days ahead (dough will keep in the refrigerator).

If you have a stand mixer/Kitchen Aid: Place all ingredients in mixer bowl and mix on low speed with paddle attachment (speed #2 for Kitchen Aid) for about 20 seconds until flour is moistened. Change to the dough hook attachment and knead for 10 minutes at a medium speed (#4). The dough should clean the bowl and be soft and a little bit sticky to the touch. Scrape down the sides and bottom at least once during the process (turn the mixer off first!) in order to ensure that the flour on the bottom of the bowl gets incorporated. Add a little flour or water to adjust the stickiness.

If you are mixing the dough by hand: Combine all the ingredients except for the scant 1/4 cup of flour. With a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until the flour is moistened. Knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together. Sprinkle a little of the reserved flour on the counter and pour the dough out onto it. Knead for 5 minutes, adding as little of the remaining flour as possible to prevent sticking. Use a dough scraper to scrape and gather the dough together as you knead it. It will be very sticky. Cover the dough with the inverted bowl and let it rest for 5 to 20 minutes so that it will become less sticky. Knead the dough for another 5-10 minutes until it is soft and smooth and just a little sticky to the touch. Add a little flour or water if necessary.

After either mixing and kneading the dough by mixer or by hand, let the dough rise in a large greased bowl. Press the dough into the bowl and spray or oil the top of it. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap. With a piece of tape, mark the side of the bowl at the height to which the dough should rise, about double the original height of the dough. Refrigerate the dough overnight or up to three days, checking every hour for the first 4 hours and pressing down if it starts to rise (I often forget to check and it turns out fine).

When you're ready to shape the dough, preheat the oven to 475 or 500 degrees one hour before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lowest level with a baking sheet, baking stone, or cast iron skillet on it to heat with the oven.

On a lightly floured surface, cut the dough into 8 (for bigger) or 12 (for smaller) pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the rest covered with a damp cloth. On a lightly floured counter, with lightly floured hands, shape each piece into a ball and then flatten it into a disk. Cover the dough with oiled plastic and allow it to rest for 20 minutes at room temperature. Roll each disk into a circle a little under 1/4 inch thick. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes before baking.

To bake the pita, quickly place 1 piece of dough directly on the baking surface and bake for 3 minutes. The pita should be completely puffed but not beginning to brown. The dough will not puff well if it is not moist enough. See how the pita puffs, then, if necessary, spray and knead each remaining piece with water until the dough is soft and moist; allow to rest again and reroll as before (but even if they don't puff they taste great). Proceed with the remaining dough, baking 3 or 4 pieces at a time if using a baking stone or sheet. Using a pancake turner, transfer the pita breads to a clean towel, to stay soft and warm. Allow the oven to reheat for 5 minutes between batches. The pitas can be reheated for about 30 seconds in a hot oven before serving.

To cook the pitas on the stovetop, preheat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly grease the surface and cook the pitas one at a time. Cook for about 20 seconds, then turn the dough and continue cooking for 1 minute or until big bubbles appear. Turn the dough again and cook until the dough balloons. If the dough begins to brown, lower the heat. The entire cooking process for each pita should be about 3 minutes.

Both oven-baking and stovetop cooking are easy, so take your pick!

Whole Grain Beer Bread

I've continued to make beer bread on almost a weekly basis, so this past week I decided to try it with some whole grains in place of the flour, and it worked famously! It has also turned out very well with all whole wheat flour. Here's an even healthier upgrade for this super-easy bread:

In place of the 3 C of flour, use 2 1/3 C whole wheat flour, 1/3 C wheat bran, and 1/3 C ground flax seed. Replace the bran or flax seed with other grains at will; I tried out oats.

It may be a bit more crumbly this way, but it's still moist and hearty. I may even try upping the ratio of whole grains to flour, so we'll see how high I can go before the integrity of the bread is compromised...

On another note, I also tried this with a different kind of beer - Bud Light - and could taste the different tenor of the beer in the bread, but it still tasted great.

I'll start posting on soups soon to welcome in the fall weather, so you can keep this bread in mind to accompany some comforting soup.

Recent Schemes: Spills, Thrills, and Laughs

This past week my scheming was focused on a Thai-themed office party; I have to share this experience, as it ended up being rather farcical in its execution - and I would love for you to laugh with me and learn from my mistakes!

The main entrees were catered, so I focused on providing the last touches: Thai iced tea with the meal, kiwi sorbet with mint chiffonnade and ginger snaps for the dessert.

The spills of the day started after everything was heated and in place on schedule.  I had made Thai iced tea to be tested by my fellow hosts; they gave it a thumbs up, but one minute later I went to clean up the kitchen area and closed a cupboard door that spilled one of the host's tea glasses nearly on top of my head.  To my relief, the guests had not arrived yet, so we mopped up that mess without an audience - but down one glass of tea and a bit of my pride.

The luncheon got to a start without other major hitches; food disappeared from plates, tea was enjoyed (although called "Boba" by some), and dessert time approached.

I pulled the kiwi sorbet from the freezer to find it already slightly melted, but proceeded to scoop it into the chilled plastic martini glasses and garnish it with the mint chiffonnade.  The garnish covered the fact that the sorbet could not hold the shape of a scoop, and I resolved to serve the dessert with confidence so that the guests would not know that it should be otherwise.  

I walked out of the kitchen with a tray of the glasses, initially met by oohs and ahs from the guests, followed by sudden gasps as the lovely martini glasses attempted to launch themselves off the tray.  The majority settled back into place, but at least four had scattered their innards on the tray and floor: a plop of kiwi sludge here, berries and mint leaves chiffonnading over there.  I wondered why the glasses waited until that moment to take action, since I had made it safely from the kitchen already, but it has become clear to me that the plastic ware that day was campaigning to humble my food-serving ego.

In any case, the remaining desserts were served; I do believe that the ginger snaps were a success, but I avoided watching the consumption of the melted sorbet.  So, here are the recipes, with my now-experienced recommendations:

Thai Iced Tea (derived from Emeril's Food Network recipe)

6 black tea bags (Awake from Tazo Tea works)*

3/4 C sugar

6 T heavy cream

6 T sweetened condensed milk

Bring 6 C water to a boil in a kettle.  Hang the tea bags in a tea pot or glass container (I used Pyrex liquid measuring cups).  Pour the water over the tea bags and let steep until strong.  If desired, loose leaf tea may be used to make 6 C tea; in this case, tea will need to be strained once steeping is complete.  Add sugar to the hot tea and stir to dissolve (this is a lot of sugar, so you'll need to keep stirring until you can no longer see sugar in the bottom of the container). Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

At the time of serving, fill 6 tall glasses with crushed or cubed ice and pour tea evenly in the glasses.  Add 1 T cream and 1 T condensed milk to each glass.  Serve with iced-tea spoons or straws (as I did in this less-formal lunch) so that guests can stir the mixture themselves.

Beware of oddly placed glasses and enjoy one of your own!

Kiwi Sorbet (from previously mentioned Paris in a Basket)

1 C water

1 1/2 C (325 g) sugar

2 C (500 g) pureed kiwis (about 8 whole).** 

1 lemon

Chiffonnade of mint leaves and fresh berries, for garnish

No ice cream maker required

In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil.  Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.

Peel the kiwis and puree in a food processor or pass through a food mill.  Add the juice of one lemon.  Pass through a sieve to remove the seeds (a few made it through the sieve into mine, but I left them to show what fruit this was made of).

Stir the kiwi puree into the sugar-and-water syrup.  Mix until homogeneous.  Pour into a stainless-steel bowl.  Cool to room temperature, and place in the freezer.  Leave a metal fork in the bowl.  It is essential that this mixture be in a metal bowl as the process continues, as the metal bowl will become much colder in the freezer than other materials would; my sorbet was already melting when I served it because I had removed it from the metal bowl to put it into an air-tight plastic container - an unnecessary and detrimental move.  I emphasize: both make and store the sorbet in a stainless-steel bowl.

Stir after 1 hour to break down the first frozen crystals.  Repeat every 1 to 2 hours, until the sorbet is firm.  Depending on your freezer, this can take between 4 and 5 hours.  Do not forget to give it a vigorous stir at regular intervals - otherwise it will freeze up into a solid block.  If you do stir it regularly, you will see the mixture grow thicker after each interval as the ice crystals harden and get redistributed by your stirring.  This is quite satisfying if you're spending an afternoon or evening at home and can return to the mixture every hour.

To serve, keep it in the metal bowl in the freezer until the last minute, and chill the serving dishes if possible as well.  I had the sorbet in a plastic container, in an insufficient freezer, served in plastic cups, so it was destined to melt early.  Form oblong scoops by using two spoons, dipping them into hot water between scoops.  Put 2 or 3 on each dish and sprinkle with mint chiffonnade (I used mint leaves, blueberries, and sliced strawberries).

When properly frozen, this sorbet is delightfully refreshing (as my earlier tastes revealed).  Avoid unbalanced serving glasses and try to eat it on a sunny day in comfortable chairs overlooking a lake/river/ocean.

Whole Wheat Gingersnaps 

These very closely followed the Chez Panisse Gingersnaps recipe on Chocolate and Zucchini.

I will just point out a few observations/adaptations I made:

• I only had unsalted butter, so I added 2 tsp of salt.  I did feel that the salt was a nice complement to the spices.
• It calls for 2 small or 1 1/2 large eggs; since most of us do not buy small eggs, I would encourage you to actually use the 1 1/2 large egg measurement; it worked for me to crack one egg into a bowl and then split the yolk in half (at least what looked like 1/2 to me) and dish about half of the white and half of the yolk into the batter, along with the other whole egg.  These cookies turned out great, so I would not mess with the liquid/dry ratio!
• I substituted whole wheat flour for approximately 3/4 of the flour called for and it worked quite well, as whole wheat flour often does with molasses-flavored cookies.  I wouldn't be surprised if these cookies would turn out quite well with all whole wheat flour (I prefer King Arthur's White Whole Wheat flour).
• I used a slightly smaller loaf pan than referenced in the recipe, which simply changed the shape of the cookies.  Do press it into the pan as evenly as possible, as my slices ended up somewhat uneven as a result of the frozen shape of the dough.  I left it in the freezer overnight, and in retrospect would have liked to return the dough to the freezer between baking batches to keep it from softening too much and changing the shape of the cookies - unless you're going for a randomness of form.  Slice the cookies almost as thinly as possible in order to get light and crisp snaps.  I also divided each slice of dough in half so as to get small square snaps rather than long rectangular ones.
• Good luck not eating all the unbaked dough!
• At least these can be cleaned up easily if spilled

*Some websites cite a special mixture of tea leaves for Thai tea that includes star anise; you may look in stores for "Thai" tea, but I had difficulty finding it at several stores without sugar and cream already added.  The orange color of Thai iced tea in restaurants comes from food coloring, which you may add a few drops of if so desired at the point of adding the sugar.

**The kiwis can be replaced by any firm fruit, such as strawberries, peeled peaches, bananas, or apricots.