Loree’s Recipe Blog

Easter Bread and Papoose Rolls

By Loree on March 24, 2013 6:51 PM | No Comments

Easter isn't complete without a beautiful loaf of Easter Bread. Our recipe is easily adapted to also make Easter Egg Papoose
( individual rolls for your guests) .
A few suggestions to help you make your bread. Begin by dying your UNCOOKED eggs and letting them dry completely-they will cook as the bread bakes. ( You can also make either recipe without dying the eggs.
If you are making the Easter Bread, start by braiding from the center up and then down- you will end up with a more even braid. You can bake the breads on either a greased baking sheet or one lined with parchment.
This recipe yields one round loaf or 6 individual papoose.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
5 whole eggs, dyed if desired
2 tablespoons butter, melted
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Directions

In a large bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and yeast; stir well. Combine milk and butter in a small microwave safe container; heat until milk is warm and butter is softened but not melted- 45-60 seconds.
Gradually add the milk and butter to the flour mixture; beating on low speed. Add two eggs and 1/2 cup flour; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, beat at medium high for 5 minutes.If you don't have a stand mixer, combine as above and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough .
For an Easter Bread , divide the dough into three rounds. Cover and let the rounds rest 10 minutes. Roll each round into a long roll about 36 inches long and 1 1/2 inches thick. Using the three long pieces of dough, form a loose braid. Place on a baking sheet and shape into a ring leaving spaces for the five colored eggs. Seal the ends of the ring together and use your fingers to slide the eggs between the braids of dough. Cover loosely with a damp towel. Place loaf in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Brush risen loaf with egg wash..
Preheat oven to 350.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden.
For 6 Papoose loaves-divide the risen dough into 6 equal pieces. Let rest 10 minutes. Roll each piece into 12" ropes. Place a rope on the prepared pan and form into a U shape placing the egg in the curve. Twist the remaining dough around the egg to secure. Repeat with remaining five ropes. Cover the papoose with a damp cloth and let rise 20-25 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350. Brush papoose with egg wash and bake 20-25 minutes until golden and done.

Coconut Macaroons

By Loree on February 23, 2013 10:16 AM | No Comments

These light and yummy macaroons are gluten free since they are made with rice flour. I find you can't eat just one!
You can find the flour at most grocery stores or natural
foods store.
2 Cups flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 Cup sugar
3 Tbsp white rice flour
3 egg whites at room temperature( should measure 1/2C)
1 Tbsp almond extract*

Preheat oven to 325.
Place parchment on a baking sheet.
In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment,beat egg whites to medium stiff peaks.
In another bowl toss the coconut, sugar, rice flour and extract.
Fold in 1/3 of the egg white mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites and mix until combined.
Using an ice cream scoop, pack with mixture and turn onto baking tray ( try not to have straggling strands of coconut or they will burn).
Depending on the size of your ice cream scoop you should yield 24 large or 48-60 small. Macaroons.
Bake 25 minutes for large and 20-22 minutes for small. Watch your cookies- oven temperatures vary.
If you want to glaze with a chocolate drizzle.
Combine 1/4Cup bittersweet chocolate with 2 Tbsp half and half.Microwave on medium high until chocolate is melted. Using a fork drizzle the macaroons with chocolate mix. (Hint- the higher you hold your fork above the cookies, the finer the drizzle.)
* for a differnt taste to your macaroons substitute 1 Tbsp orange extract for the almond- either flavor is a winner.

Popcorn Three Different Ways!

By Loree on February 18, 2013 6:27 PM | No Comments

Getting ready for another Oscar Weekend brought to mind that popcorn and movies are a perfect paring.Even though I never buy popcorn at the movies, I do enjoy making it at home. I've played with microwave popcorn and stove top popcorn.

Air Popped Popcorn

Rather than purchasing microwave packets, I've learned that you can take traditional popcorn kernels (I use 1/2 Cup), place them into a brown bag ,fold the top twice and microwave( 2-2 /12 minutes) it just like the commercial packages.It's the healthiest snack around and the easiest. You may need to adjust your timing based on the power of your microwave.
For a dressed up version may I suggest one of the following:

Best Ever Caramel Corn*

8 quarts ( 32 cups) popped popcorn (2 Cups of unpopped)                  1 Tsp. Salt
2 Cups Brown Sugar                                                                              1 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup light Corn Syrup                                                                        1/2 Tsp.Baking Soda

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
In a medium saucepan combine brown sugar, corn syrup,salt and butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add baking soda. Toss popped popcorn in a bowl and coat with caramel. Place in a large baking roasting pan. Bake for 1 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and dump on wax paper or parchment separating into pieces as it cools. Store cooled popcorn in an airtight container.

*I am not a big peanut fan,but if you are feel free to add 2 cups of dry roasted peanuts to the caramel mixture before baking. I think the recipe stands on its own without the nuts.

Super Simple Kettle Corn
a recipe from Chow.com

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil 1/4 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup popcorn kernels 1 Tsp.coarse salt (kosher works fine)

Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot with a tight fitting lid. When the oil starts to shimmer add the kernels, cover and shake the pot to evenly distribute the corn. Once the kernels start popping, gently shake the pot until the popping stop 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat and immediately add sugar and salt. Toss to combine and serve.

Lemon Cream Tarts-for Your Valentine

By Loree on January 24, 2013 8:35 PM | No Comments

January sees me off to the West Coast to visit with my son and daughter in law who live in San Francisco. A trip to the city is incomplete without a stop at my favorite bakery Tartine.located in the Mission district. The lines form early for this wonderful shop and the pasties are all works of art. Fortunately for my customers, Tartine published a cookbook two years ago and the Lemon Cream Tart has become a standard offering at Loree's Catering. For beginners, let me assure you this is not a difficult recipe- just a few steps for both the crust and the filling . If you are pie crust handicapped, this sweet tart dough should put you at ease. The dough is easy to work with and any leftover scraps can be rolled into great sugar cookies or frozen to be used at a later date.
The filling is my favorite-a smooth lemon taste without any zest in the recipe. Because it is made without any cream you can actually freeze this filling and use it as needed. The addition of the butter at the end of the recipes ,unlike adding it at the beginning for lemon curd, creates the wonderful creamy texture that I truly prefer. The assembled tart hold well overnight so if you want to minimize the stress of your Valentine dinner,prepare it on the 13th and set it out as the finishing touch to your meal. As you can see from the photo above, you can top the tarts with a dollop of whipped cream or an arrangement of fresh fruit-either way the taste of the lemon cream is sublime. One note- to make this recipe you do need an immersion blender or a stand up blender, a candy thermometer to control the temperature while cooking the filling, tart pans with removable bottoms and a bowl that will snugly fit on top of a saucepan to create your own double boiler.

Sweet Tart Dough
1 Cup plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
1 Cup sugar snugly
3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attached, cream the butter sugar and salt.Add one egg and combine. Add remaining egg. Add flour all at once and mix on low speed only until combined.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and divide it into 4 balls the same size. ( I have a scale and I take the time to weigh the dough but you can do it by eye and still get consistent results) Flatten each ball into a disc and wrapeach disc in saran. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

For individual tarts, remove one ball from refrigerator and on a lightly floured board roll out the dough to 1/8" thick. Cut 3 individual circles 1 1/2 inches wider than your tart pans and gently lift each circle into your form. Gently push the dough into the corners and up the sides.being careful not to stretch the dough as you work, You will have dough left over on the top of each tart. Take your rolling pin and gently run the rolling pin across the top of the tart shell for a smooth and professional look to the top of your shell.
(If you are making a large tart follow the instructions above noting that each ball will make 1 9" tart. You need to roll the ball into an 11" circle for the 9" pan. )

Place the tart shells on a cookie sheet and with the tings of a fork, poke holes in the bottom of the crust. Refrigerate the crusts for 15-30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325.
Bake small tart shells 5-7 minutes -rotate the pans and bake 4-5 minutes more.For large shells bake 7-10 minutes-rotate the pans and bake 4-5 minutes more. Note oven temperatures may vary- the shells should be golden in color and look dry but not brown.
Let cool until cream is ready for filling.

Lemon Cream-this recipe make enough to fill two large or twelve small tarts.

½ Cup(s) plus 2 tbsp lemon juice (5 oz)
3 Large eggs
1 Large egg yolk
¾ Cup(s) sugar (6 oz)
1 Cup(s) cold unsalted butter( 8 oz) (two sticks)
1. Pour one inch of water into a 2 quart saucepan and bring to a simmer. Combine lemon juice, eggs, egg yolk and sugar in a stainless bowl and set over simmering water. Whisk the ingredients together and cook until mixture becomes very thick and registers 180 on a candy thermometer- this will take at least 10-12 minutes . ( my mixture usually only reaches 175)
2. Meanwhile cut butter in 1 tbsp pieces. When the cream is ready remove from heat. If you have an immersion blender leave the mixture in the bowl and add butter 1 tbsp at a time blending after each addition until incorporated. The cream will be pale yellow and quite thick. You can use the cream immediately as a filling for a sweet tart or refrigerate until ready to use (up to 5 days), or freeze up to one month.
3. If you don't have an immersion blender, place egg- lemon mix in a stand up blender and add butter one piece at a time as above. When all the butter is incorporated you are ready to fill your tart shells.

Strawberry Santa

By Loree on December 7, 2012 7:46 PM | No Comments

Guess who's coming to dinner? Or in our case, our weekend cocktail parties and open houses! This strawberry Santa is sitting on a "snow" cupcake and ready to be the star of the evening.

Brie Blossom

By Loree on December 6, 2012 9:24 PM | No Comments

One of my favorite taste medleys is the creaminess of brie next to the crispness of apples. Even though most people think a brie wrapped in phyllo or puff pastry is a great holiday appetizer, I think it takes the richness of the cheese too far. For a few years I played around with how best to pare the apple and the brie together and finally came up with a brie blossom. With only four ingredients and a sharp paring knife, you can create this great cheese presentation.
Although this is a simple presentation, details do count. Select apples that have a bright red skin- the contrast works best against the white of the brie. You need a 1 1/2" cookie cutter or a saucer with a 1 1/2" ridge. And you need a sharp knife- first to cut the apples and then to cut the cheese. I use a commercially available product called Natureseal- it is a powdered all natural product of citric acid to keep the apples from turning brown. You can get a similar result by slicing apples and soaking them in a water mixture with 2 Tbsp of Lemon juice. Let them sit for 5 minutes and the towel dry.

Brie Blossom

1 medium brie
2 Whole apples
1 tsp(s). nature seal ( or 2 Tbsp lemon juice)
3 Cup(s) cold water
Strawberries or grapes for center (optional)

1. Unwrap brie and place on cutting board. With a 1 1/2" round cookie cutter, score a circle in the center of the brie.With a sharp knife, cut the center out.Cut the small inside circle into 6-8 wedges. Set aside. Cut the remaining outer circle of the brie into thin wedges no more than 1/8" thick at the outside edge.
2. Cut two apples in quarters and remove the core and seeds. Slice the apples into very thin wedges( the thinner the better).
3. Combine the nature seal ( or lemon juice) and water in a small bowl. Drop the apples in the water and soak for 5 minutes. Remove the slices and dry on paper towel.
4. Place the outer ring of the brie on a platter and gently pull it apart leaving space for the apple slices. Wedge a slice of apple in between each piece of brie. As you go around the brie you will need to remove 8 cheese slices to make room for the apple. Do not discard ( or sample- my biggest challenge).
5. In the center, replace the small circle of cheese and wedge the apples in the spaces between the slices. Add the extra wedges to the center and arrange to look like a flower. Tuck any extra apple slices in the center to form a center with height. Garnish with a strawberry or small cluster of grapes (optional).

Servings/Yield- 1 Brie Blossom

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As easy as Pie — Apple that is!

By Loree on October 16, 2012 7:16 PM | No Comments

For all the years I was growing up my Mom was a stellar apple pie baker. She never made just one pie- always two- one for dinner and the second one for breakfast the next day. As to her secret, she claimed it was all in the apples . Macintosh were too soft, Granny Smith were too firm, but Cortland were JUST RIGHT. As such, I have always waited until Cortland's appear in the market before baking my own pies for the season.
This year, for the first time I picked up a 1/2 bushel of Honey Crisp Apples at an orchard in New Hampshire. Although not the prettiest apples in the market, they are such great eating apples . After looking them up on line I discovered they are also considered a good baking apple. I decided to take the plunge and experiment with a pie made from the Honey Crisps. This was a true departure for me- I have been faithful to Cortland's since I started baking pies myself. And tradition is hard to break.
Well the results are in- the pie made with Honey Crisp Apples is a true winner. It is sweet, juicy and really wonderful. If you are able to find Honey Crisps in the market I highly recommend them- but remember Cortlands ( and Mitsus) also make a great pie.
Here are a couple of suggestions to help you construct the perfect pie. I used just over 3 pounds of unpeeled apples. Once the apples are peeled,sugared and ready to pile in the crust, I place them slice by slice overlapping slightly. This takes a bit more time than just "dumping" the apples into your crust but results in a pie packed with apples not hollow when you slice and serve it.
For a fluted edge on your pie, you need to leave a 1/2" border when you trim the top crust. Fold the top and bottom crust into the pie and pinch to seal the crust. For a simpler finish,trim the dough flush to the edge of the pie shell and press with the tines of a fork to seal.

Apples ready to go Apples sliced and layered Pie Crust ready to cover

Fluted Crust ready for the oven Fluted Crust with sugar on top Traditional look with forked edge
Loree's Apple Pie
3 ¼ lbs apples, Honey Crisp,Cortland or Mitsu
⅔ Cup sugar
⅓` Cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp cinnamon
½ Tbsp butter
2 crust pie
2 Cups flour
⅔ Cup shortening
¼ tsp salt
⅔ Cup water, less 2 Tbsp
1 whole egg
1 tsp water
1 Tbsp sugar, optional
1. Preheat the oven to 425. Peel core and thinly slice apples into a bowl.
2. Add sugar, corn starch* and cinnamon and toss to coat all the apples. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade, place 2 Cups flour and salt.
4. Add the shortening and pulse -10-12 times until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
Add the water all at once and blend until the dough forms a ball. Remove the dough from the processor and dump onto a lightly floured board.
5. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a ball . Roll out bottom crust to 10 1/2" circle and place in 9"deep pie plate. The crust should overlap the edge of the pie plate.
6. Arrange apples in concentric circles in the pie plate. If there is any juice in the bottom of the bowl pour it over the apples. Place the butter on the top of the apples.
7. Roll out the top crust 1 1/2" larger than the pie. Fold the crust in half and cut three slits in the center as steam vents. Carefully lift the crust onto the apples, centered and trim excess dough leaving 1/2" around the side. Turn the edges in and form a flute with your fingers, or seal the edges with the tines of a fork.
8. Place the pie on a baking sheet. Brush with a mixture of egg and water and sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes . Drop the oven temperate to 350 and con tune baking 25-30 minutes until apples are tender.

Notes:
I use cornstarch as a thickener in pies made with Honey Crisp apples but substitute same amount of flour in a pie made with Cortland or Mitsu Apples.

Quinoa Tabouleh

By Loree on July 17, 2012 11:16 AM | No Comments

This is my favorite new summer salad- just like regular tabouleh in taste but GLUTEN FREE-and a good source of protein.
Add or subtract the amount of mint to suit your taste buds.
1 Cup organic quinoa
2 Cups water
1 bunch fresh mint, diced
1 bunch fresh parsley, diced
1 bunch fresh scallions,diced
1 English cucumber,seeded and diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 fresh lemons,juiced (1/3 cup)
1/2 Cup olive oil
1 Tbsp salt

Combine quinoa and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 25 minutes until quinoa is soft and water is absorbed.
Let cool slightly and add mint, parsley,scallions, cucumber and tomatoes and toss to combine.
In a small bowl, mix lemon juice and olive oil with salt. Pour over quinoa and chill until ready to serve.

Mom’s Date ’n’ Nut Bread

By Loree on March 14, 2012 11:56 AM | No Comments

When I was growing up my Mom belonged to a benevolent women’’s group called The Circle League. They encouraged education for women and gave out scholarships to needy students. They published a cookbook as a fundraiser and this is one of my favorite recipes from that book. It is a dark, rich date ‘n nut bread- perfect to slice and “smear” with cream cheese as we will do this weekend for a tea we are catering in Southbury,CT. I make the loaves in smaller pans so they are tea sandwich size- Enjoy!

Date Nut Bread

1 Lb(s). chopped dates

4 tsp(s). baking soda

⅓ Cup(s) butter(the size of a small egg)

2 Cup(s) boiling water

2 Cup(s) sugar

2 Whole eggs well beaten

2 tsp(s). salt

2 Cup(s) flour- a bit more if batter is thin

2 tsp(s). vanilla

½ Lb(s). diced walnuts

Preheat oven to 325. Cut dates and place in a large bowl.( I do not recommend using sugared pre cut dates- they are too hard .)
Top the dates with soda and butter.Bring water to a boil and pour over the date mixture and stir well until butter is completely dissolved.
Add sugar to date mixture and blend . Add beaten eggs, salt and vanilla.
Add flour and walnuts and mix until blended.
Pour into 2 well greased and floured loaf pans . Place baking pans on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 for45-50 minutes. For a soft crust- If using smaller pans adjust the cooking time but bake at the same temperature. Let cool and remove from pans.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s Sriracha Sauce

By Loree on March 9, 2012 11:45 AM | No Comments

My thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow- this recipe comes from her cookbook- My Father’s Daughter- and it is a keeper.

Last week I had the fun of seeing the taping of THE CHEW in NYC. As though spending a day with my dear friend Kate wasn’t enough of a treat, all the stars on the show were present AND Gwyneth Paltrow was the guest chef for the show.We all received a copy of her cookbook and on the train ride home, I had the time to read it cover to cover.

So we all know about local, organic, farm fresh but in her cookbook Ms Paltrow makes a strong case for limiting the preservatives we unavoidably add on to all those good products by using commercially processed sauces.

Since sriracha sauce is appearing in more recipes, I decided to have a hand at making it from the red hot chili peppers on down ! The result is a very bright taste- HOT but not screaming and with a balance of vinegar to spice. I’m sure this sauce will keep well for 2-3 weeks but we have gone through a whole recipe this week. Hope you try it -Cautionary note wear gloves when you slice those peppers!

Sriracha Sauce

1 ½ Cups clove garlic, peeled

1 Lb(s). red jalapeno peppers, stemmed,sliced and cut into thein rings

2 ¼ Cups rice wine vinegar

¼ Cup agave nectar

2 TBSP coarse table salt

1 TBSP arrowroot

2 TBSP fish sauce

Place the garlic in a small saucepan and add cold water just to cover. Bring to a boil,immediately drain and run the garlic under cool water.
Return the garlic to the saucepan, cover with cold water and bring back to a boil.Rinse the garlic and slice the blanched garlic into thin slices.
Combine the cut red jalapeños,blanched garlic and rice vinegar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the agave and salt and stir to combine.Let the mixture stand, covered for 1 hour for the flavors to steep and cool. ( I let the mixture rest overnight to cool completely.)
Puree the mixture in a blender until smooth- some seeds will remain in tact but that's fine.
Return the mixture to a saucepan and bring back to a boil. Simmer 10-15 minutes, skimming off any foam as it rises to the top. The mixture will thicken slightly as it cooks down.
In a small bowl, dissolve the arrowroot with 1 Tbsp of lukewarm water. Whisk the arrowroot into the sauce and cook for 2 more minutes or until nicely thickened. Remove from heat let cool slightly and stir in fish sauce.