Recipe Notes: Lemon-Olive Oil Tart

29 August 2019

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, March 2019; also available online.

I enjoy lemony desserts like lemon posset and lemon meringue pie. Thus I was happy to see a new recipe for a lemon tart in Cook's Illustrated. It was made even more inviting by the simplicity of the recipe and the use of a surprising ingredient. Inspired in part by olive oil cake, the recipe replaced butter with olive oil in both the crust and the filling. How would this work?  

First, the crust, which, though it is made with flour, is as easy to make as a crumb crust. The dry ingredients—AP flour, sugar, and salt—were whisked together. Extra-virgin olive oil and water was whisked into the dry ingredients: voila, the crust was done. It was crumbled into a tart pan and pressed by hand into a smooth crust. This was baked in a 350° oven for about 30 minutes. The filling was made while the crust baked. Sugar, flour, and salt were whisked together in a sauce pan. Eggs and egg yolks were whisked into the dry ingredients followed by lemon zest and lemon juice. The filling was cooked slowly to a temperature of 160° which took a little longer than the 8 minute estimate in the recipe. Off heat, olive oil was whisked into the filling. The warm filling was poured into the warm crust and then baked until just set, about 8 minutes. Total time was 100 minutes but this could have been shortened by not doing mise en place for the filling until the crust was in the oven.

This was a good dessert and worth making again. The crust was crispy and, perhaps not surprisingly, its texture was similar to that of a crumb crust. The filling was tart and fresh, almost too tart but the slight sweetness of the crust was a good complement. Though the crust was no longer crispy after a few days in the refrigerator, the filling was less tart; it was still very good eating.

Recipe Notes: Spanish-style Meatballs in Almond Sauce

26 August 2019

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, March 2019; also available online.

I didn't know tabout Spanish-style meatballs, not that I had ever thought about it. Italian meatballs and Swedish meatballs I have heard about, but not Spanish. These meatballs, albóndigas, are often served as a tapas offering but they can also be served as a main dish with dinner. I was intrigued by the recipe and so gave them a try. 

The first step was to prepare a picada which provides the sauce for the meatballs. Almonds and white bread were finely ground in a food processor then transferred to a nonstick skillet. Olive oil was added and the mixture cooked until golden brown. The picada was finished by adding minced fresh parsley and garlic. The meatballs are made from ground pork rather than ground beef. Bread was finely ground in the food processor. Egg, garlic, water, parsley, salt, and pepper are added and processed until smooth. Ground pork was added to this panade and pulsed until combined. A #60 portioning scoop (about 1 tablespoon) was used to form the meatballs. I made 38 though the recipe says I should get about 24, so I guess my meatballs are a little on the small size for this recipe. Extra-virgin olive oil was heated in a nonstick skillet and finely chopped onion was cooked until softened. Paprika was added and cooked until fragrant, followed by chicken broth and white wine which were brought to a simmer. Saffron was stirred into the mixture and the meatballs were added. These were cooked in the simmering liquid, turning the meatballs once, until they reached an internal temperature of 160°. The picada was stirred in and cooked for a few minutes until thickened. Off heat, red wine vinegar was stirred in to finish the dish. Total time was 90 minutes.

I wish I had a better palate and more training so I could better identify the flavors in this dish. This is the first time I have ever cooked with expensive saffron. Whatever it was, the meatballs and sauce were wonderful. The meatballs were tender and the sauce had a wonderful aromatic flavor. The flavors were more subtle than those in Italian and Swedish meatballs but that is not to say this dish is inferior in any way. We had these meatballs for three meals, served with either rice or mashed potatoes, and they only got better after sitting in the refrigerator for a few days. This is a dish worth making again.

Recipe Notes: Pizza Al Taglio with Arugula and Fresh Mozzarella

18 August 2019

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, March 2019.

I have not made many pizzas from scratch. After reading the article in the recent Cook's Illustrated I knew that I wanted to make this one. It is unlike pizza as we think of it. It's distinguishing feature is a an airy, chewy crust that is crisp on both top and bottom, burnished with a thin layer of sauce. Rather than round it is baked on a sheet pan and then cut up to be eaten. Al taglio translates to "when cut" in English.

The dough was made a day ahead of time. The long, cold fermentation built both structure and flavor. Bread flour and yeast were whisked together. Water and extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) were stirred into the dry ingredients and the shaggy dough was left to sit for 10 minutes. Salt was then stirred into the dough and it rested for another 20 minutes. The kneading method consisted of folding the dough onto itself in the bowl, then turning the bowl and repeating six times. The dough rested and the folding/turning process was repeated followed by another rest. It was then placed in an oiled baking pan, covered, and put into the refrigerator for 25 hours. The preparation process took about 80 minutes.

The next day sauce was made by combining canned tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, anchovy paste (the recipe specified fillets, I guesstimated a substitution of paste), dried oregano, table salt, and red pepper flakes in a blender. The dough was removed from the refrigerator, drizzled with EVOO, and inverted onto a rimmed baking sheet. After stretching the dough to the edges of the baking sheet it was covered and left to rise. A small amount of the sauce, just ½ cup, was distributed over the dough then covered with a thin layer of EVOO. The pizza (with no toppings!) was baked in a 450° oven for about 20 minutes. It was cut into squares and topped with arugula that had been dressed with EVOO, some fresh mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Total time to prepare the pizza on day 2 was 110 minutes.

I need to make pizza more often because this was great! The star was the crust which was crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, with a pleasing complex flavor. The sauce provided some subtle background notes and this was all complemented by the fresh greens and creamy cheeses. As leftovers it was still good as the toppings were added fresh. However, and this was no surprise, it did not have the great crusty texture of the fresh pizza. The biggest criticism I have is that it makes too much for just the two of us. This leads to having leftovers which lack the impact of the freshly baked pizza. The recipe includes two other suggestions for toppings that would be fun to try. Diane wanted the cheese to be melted and at least one of these variations has that.

Recipe Notes: Chewy Sugar Cookies

25 July 2019

Recipe from The Perfect Cookie, America's Test Kitchen, 2017, page 36; also available online. 

The Perfect Cookie has two recipes for sugar cookies that I have already made and enjoyed: Brown Sugar Cookies, and Chocolate Sugar Cookies. It seemed time to try third sugar cookie recipe for Chewy Sugar Cookies. This would seem to be a recipe for plain ole sugar cookies, as opposed to the two others that feature a flavor in addition to sugar and vanilla. 

These cookies have one ingredient that you don't usually see in cookies, cream cheese, and the dough was mixed by hand. First, the dry ingredients (AP flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) were whisked together and set aside. Sugar and the cream cheese were put into a bowl then whisked with melted butter. (The cream cheese had been cut into pieces, which was a challenge because it is so soft.) In turn, the additional wet ingredients were whisked into the mixture: vegetable oil, egg, milk, and vanilla. The dry ingredients were folded into the wet forming a wet dough. Using a #30 portioning scoop, the balls of dough (about 2 tablespoons each) were made, rolled in sugar, and placed on a backing sheet. They were flattened into 3-inch disks using a metal measuring cup that was sprayed with cooking oil. The cookies were sprinkled with sugar and baked in a 350° oven until the edges just started to brown. Total time to make about 2 dozen cookies was just over one hour.

These are good cookies with a nice taste enhanced by the bit of tang that comes from the cream cheese. When fresh they seemed almost too chewy, as if they were under baked. Perhaps they were, the episode of the TV show where they demonstrated this recipe discussed how critical the baking time could be. As leftovers, stored in the freezer, they were good, too. They were still crispy with a chewy interior and didn't seem like under baked cookies to me. I didn't like them as well as the other two varieties of sugar cookie which were more interesting to me than these which are a little plain.