Time to clean out the kitchen drawers!

 

Ever get tired of looking at your kitchen gadgets sliding around in the drawers?

Yes...... well, I did something about it!

I have looked at what dividers were available to purchase but never found a perfect fit for all of my particular thingamabobs. So I decided to measure and build my own!! Here is the first drawer finished – only five more to go!

They are easy to make. First inventory what you have and decide how the dividers will be sized and laid out. Draw what you want on paper and label the length and height of each piece of lumber. Make sure the overall size is 1/8” smaller than the inside of your drawer. Check the height of the drawer as well or you won’t be closing that drawer once the divider gets made!

Supplies needed; compound miter saw, hammer, tiny ½” brad nails, wood glue, sandpaper, and lumber. I bought 1/4" thick x 4 feet long poplar boards at +Lowe's Home Improvement, buy the size that would work best for the height of your drawers.

Cut the lumber into pieces then glue and nail them together according to the drawing. After the glue has dried, lightly sand any rough edges and polyurethane or paint your custom drawer divider.

Remember - safety first! If you are not tool friendly have someone cut the boards for you.

 

Dreaming of Paris!

 

Some things you photograph and they always stay fresh in your mind and these pastries are top on that list!

 

This little bakery in Paris drew me in… I smelled this wonderful aroma before I even saw the store front. It wasn’t very big inside but the impact was enormous, the smell of warm yeast breads just baked grabbed your attention then the visual images of the artfully designed pastries saturated in vibrant colors made your mouth water.

 

 

 If these pastries were made in Claude Monet’s day could they have been part of his inspiration as a French Impressionist painter? I'd like to think so because they definitely inspired my creativity. 



My modest attempt at baking this Christmas could never stand up to the beautiful pastries I photographed in Paris but never the less my family enjoyed what I made for them. And I do love to bake!

 

 

 

Just had to add the Palais Royal Metro/subway entrance.

It was my favorite stop! Click here for location

Looks good enough to eat!



Peace!

Merry Christmas!

From our house to yours.

Wishing you the best for today and every day.

                                                Kathy

Raspberry Turnover made with Puff Pastry

My first try at puff pastry and to my total disbelief it was a success! This daring culinary endeavor all started back in September; I was looking to use up some left over raspberry filling from a cake I had made and I thought – turn overs! When I was a little girl my Mèmè made them at camp. Awwwe those days at the lake…. I remember eating them warm out of the oven, delish! Well I did turn it up a notch by deciding on puff pastry instead of the traditional pie crust pastry that Mèmè used. The result. Drum roll… melt in your mouth, layered, crumbly heaven! My son’s girlfriend even said they are her all-time favorite pastry I’ve made!

I was so intimidated making puff pastry but soldiered on and was amazed at how well it came together. If you are comfortable with making pie crust then you’ll have to try puff pastry.

Raspberry Turnover made with Puff Pastry

          Yield: 16       prep time: 90 minutes       cook time: 10 min

Puff Pastry Ingredients  

6 ½ - 8 oz. unsalted butter

2 cups plain flour

½ teaspoon salt

2/3 cup chilled water

Raspberry Filling Ingredients

Raspberry Filling by Henry & Henry (which I bought at a cake decorating store) Feel free to use any filling of your choice!

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Instructions: Pastry        Adapted from ‘Cooking, a commonsense guide’

 If you have never made puff pastry before, you’ll find it easier to use the lower amount of butter. Melt (1 oz. of butter) in a pan. Sift the flour and salt into an oversized bowl and make a well in the center. Add the butter and water. Blend with your fingertips, drawing in the flour. You should end up with a crumb mixture – if it seems a little dry, add extra drops of water before bringing it all together to form a dough.

Cut the dough with a pastry scraper, using a downward cutting action, then turn and repeat in the opposite direction. The dough should now come together to form a soft ball. Score a cross in the top to prevent shrinkage, wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

Soften the remaining butter by pounding it between 2 sheets of baking paper with a rolling pin. Then, still between the sheets of baking paper, roll it into a 4 inch square. The butter must be the same consistency as the dough or the pastry layers will not be even.

Put the pastry on a well-floured surface. Roll it out to form a cross, leaving the entre slightly thicker than the arms. Place the butter in the center and fold over each of the arms to make a parcel. Turn the dough so that it looks like a book with the spine to the left. Tap and roll out the dough to form a 6 x 18 inch rectangle. Square off the corners – otherwise, every time you fold, the edges will become less neat and the layers will be uneven.

Fold the dough like a letter, the top third down and the bottom third up, to form another square, brushing off any excess flour. Turn the dough 90 degrees to bring the spine side to your left and press the seam sides down with the rolling pin to seal. Re-roll and fold as before to complete two turns. Wrap the dough and chill again.

Re-roll and fold twice more, chill, then repeat to complete six turns. On a hot day, you may need to chill after each turn. The pastry should now be yellow and ready to use – if it looks a little streaky, roll and fold once more. Wrap and keep chilled until ready to make turnovers.

Instructions: Turnover    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Flour a board and lightly roll the puff pastry into a 16 by 16-inch square. Cut into 16 smaller squares (4 x 4-inch each) and keep chilled until ready to use.

Brush the edges of each square with the egg wash and neatly squeeze about one tablespoon of the raspberry mixture diagonally on half of the square. Fold the pastry diagonally over the raspberry mixture and seal by pressing the edges with a fork. Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the top with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, make 2 small slits, and bake for 20 minutes, until browned and puffed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Crown Roast of Pork for Christmas!

I saw Anne Burrell make this crown roast and will be making it for Christmas this year. I usually would not use an untried recipe for a special get together but this looked so good I was salivating over it and I felt I could smell it roasting from the TV! I will post after Christmas to let you know how it was received! One big change though; I will marinade the pork lion overnight in a salt brine and then we are going to smoke the pork loin for an hour with Hickory the day before cooking.

Update; December 25 and the crown roast was delicious!SOOO I messed up! Major blunder, I did not get a photo before we cut the roast but believe me it was a beautiful round crown roast with the ribs up just like the rockettes in a high kick!

 

The hint of pink you see is from smoking the meat.

Crown Roast of Pork                                                                    Recipe courtesy Anne Burrell

Pork:

• 4 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh rosemary, picked and finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh sage, picked and finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• One 13-rib pork loin, membrane between the rib bones slit to allow the pork to curl around and stand up
• Kosher salt
• Pear and Chestnut Stuffing, recipe follows

Pan Sauce:

• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 Spanish onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1/2 fennel bulb, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 2 bay leaves
• Kosher salt

Directions

After pork loin has marinaded overnight in a salt brine and smoked for an hour with Hickory.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
For the pork: In a small bowl, combine the garlic, rosemary, sage and crushed red pepper with 1/2 cup olive oil. Sprinkle the pork generously with salt and brush both sides with the olive oil herb paste.

Stand the pork rack up and curl it around so that the two ends meet; be sure that the thick meaty part of the pork is on the inside. Secure the roast by tying it twice around the outside of the roast with twine.

Place the pork in a large roasting pan fitted with a pizza pan tray and stuff the center of the pork with the Pear and Chestnut Stuffing. (There will be leftover stuffing. Place the leftover stuffing in a baking dish and cook for 35 minutes at 350 degrees F.)

For the pan sauce: Place the garlic and diced veggies around the pork. Add half the chicken stock, the wine and bay leaves to the pan. Sprinkle everything with salt.

Cover the pork bones with aluminum foil to prevent the bones from burning. Place the pork in the oven. Roast until the pork is starting to brown, about 30 minutes.

Turn the oven down to 325 degrees F.

Roast the pork for 2 1/2 more hours, basting the pork occasionally. Rotate the pork a couple of times during the cooking time. If the liquid level reduces, replace it with the remaining stock.

When the pork is cooked to the proper doneness - an instant-read thermometer should read 140 to 145 degrees F - remove it from the oven. Carefully transfer the pork to a serving platter and cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Let the pork rest for 20 to 25 minutes.

Bring the pan juices to a boil. Taste and re-season if needed. Blend the veggies if desired to create a smoother sauce. I also like to leave them in.

To serve: Remove the twine. Scoop out the stuffing and cut the pork in between the bones to create chops. Top with pan sauce.

Chestnut and Pear Stuffing:

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces slab bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 4 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 Spanish onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1/4 fennel bulb, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• Kosher salt
• 4 sprigs rosemary, picked and finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
• 8 ounces peeled chestnuts, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 4 Anjou pears, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 12 cups cubed crustless, stale sourdough or peasant bread
• 4 cups chicken stock, warmed

Coat a wide, straight-sided pan with olive oil and add the bacon. Bring the pan to a medium heat and let the bacon get brown and crispy.

Add the celery, onions and fennel and season with salt. Cook the veggies until they get soft and very aromatic, 8 to10 minutes. Add the rosemary and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.

Toss in the chestnuts, cranberries and pears, and stir to combine. Add the wine and let it reduce by half.

Put the bread in a large mixing bowl and add the cooked veggie mixture to the bread. Stir to combine and douse the bread with half the stock. Use your hands to combine the bread, veggies and stock. Add more stock when/if needed to really saturate the bread. Season with salt and taste it to make sure it is delicious.

Quick Garlic Cheddar Cheese Drop Biscuit

For tender, flaky biscuits cut in the shortening with two knives or a pastry blender. Knead the dough gently, but do knead it – this improves the texture of the biscuits. These biscuits are wonderful right out of the oven so if you can time them with your meal it is so worth it.

Quick Garlic Cheddar Cheese Drop Biscuit

Yield: 6 to 10     prep time: 10 minutes     cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1/3 cup shortening
1 3/4  cups flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (Sharp cheese is best)
1/8 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 cup milk
Additional grated cheddar cheese to coat tops of biscuits

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut shortening into flour, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder with pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in grated cheese and just enough milk so dough leaves side of bowl and rounds up into a ball. (Too much mild makes dough sticky, not enough makes biscuits dry.)

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead lightly 10 times. Drop dough by spoonful’s onto greased cookie sheet. (If desired, first drop dough into additional grated cheese to coat the top.) Place about one inch apart for crusty sides, touching for soft sides. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet if you’re not using parchment paper.