greek style zucchini pancakes

not having to make a pie each week has left me searching for something to do.  who wants to clean the house or do laundry?  me neither!!!  so i jumped at the chance to participate in a community pick recipe test on food52.com.  my choice was the greek style zucchini pancakes.  zucchini is one of my favorite things from the garden and i miss it now that winter has arrived.  luckily, my herbs were still growing and i had plenty of mint, parsley and chinese leeks.  the recipe calls for chives but chinese leeks are so similar in appearance and while they have a hint of garlic in the flavor, they are a great substitution.

mint on the left, leeks in the middle and flat parsley on the right.  with the cold temperatures, these herbs are still producing and are not sending out flowers.  we also have some oregano, thyme, sage and rosemary out there too.

the directions called for grating the zucchini, placing it in a colander lined with cheesecloth and then salting it to draw out the moisture.  when i did this, i could hear a sizzling/bubbling noise and it was amazing how much liquid i was able to squeeze out.  i was skeptical that what started out as nearly 5 cups of grated zucchini would eventually end up as two cups but it did.  just look at all of that green juice!

the recipe was very simple to follow even with a typo;  the ingredient list called for baking powder but the instructions referenced baking soda.  a quick email to the author fixed that-use baking powder!  hopefully she has fixed that on the site at well.  

to save time, i used a small portions scoop-#50 to be exact.  it helped me get a consistent size and the recipe stated i would get 24 small pancakes and i got exactly that-24.  my old paella pan gets a frequent work out and it was perfect for frying these pancakes.

greek style zucchini pancakes

recipe #14816 from food.52.com, member dymnyno

Makes 12-3 inch pancakes, or 24 bite sized pancakes

2 pounds green zucchini, 2 cups aftergrating and squeezing as much moisture as possible
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons chives, minced
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh curly parsley, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest(finely zested)
4 tablespoons crumbled Greek feta
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
olive oil for frying pancakes

using the large holes on a box grater, shred the zucchini. line a colander with cheese cloth and put the zucchini in the colander. sprinkle about a tablespoon of salt and toss the zucchini. try to extract as much liquid as you can from the shredded zucchini. pick up the cheesecloth and wring as much more as you can until you feel the zucchini is pretty dry. add the herbs, pepper flakes and zest and mix.  add the flour and baking powder and eggs and mix.  pour a very thin layer of olive oil into a frying pan and heat over medium high heat. using a tablespoon, scoop a heaping spoonful into the pan and flatten the top a little.  this should make a 3 inch patty. repeat until the pan is full.  fry until a nice brown and flip and cook the other side.  for bite sized appetizers, use a teaspoon.  set aside on paper towels and finish the rest of the pancakes.

serve alone or with your favorite yogurt (Greek, of course). The sauce should be very simple, like just with some lemon zest or chives, because there are so many flavors going on in the pancakes.

almond butter hummus with kale chips

has it really been a month since the pie challenge ended?  wow-time flew!  while i have been contemplating my next project, i have allowed myself to be totally sucked into the holiday madness.  the husband and i have both been busy with work-him way more than me, such is the life of the executive banquet chef for a university.  that has left me at home alone for more than a few meals.  when i am left to cook for myself, you can be pretty sure that it will not be an elaborate meal and it will most likely be vegetarian and quite possibly vegan.  

lately, without our girls at home(both are living elsewhere right now), we have taken to purchasing more organic produce and are shifting our diet towards less meat laden meals. as i have mentioned before, i have had a few blood tests come back with higher than normal levels of cholesterol.  thankfully, the highest number so far has been less than 220 but that doesn't mean i shouldn't be concerned.  a diet change that eliminated many dairy products has helped me get that number back down below 200 and i hope to keep it there.  

my recent obsession with the cookbook, appetite for reduction has given me a new weapon for my arsenal too.  that book is chock full of great vegan recipes that even a carnivore can find satisfying-providing they eat veggies, beans and grains.  while i do not plan to make the leap to a vegan diet, i am happy to say that i can easily eat vegan meals and not feel deprived.   darry is also learning to enjoy some of these changes and he recently experimented with some organic kale chips, a tasty addition to my favorite meal for one, hummus on crusty bread.  and before you say "hummus, how boring"  keep in mind that i never do anything boring-of course i have changed it up a bit!  i am not a huge fan of tahini; it tastes a little bitter to me and the level of saturated fat is high enough to cause me to think twice before consuming it.  so a thought occurred to me, what if i used unsweetened almond butter instead?  wow!!!  what a concept and what a difference-i am sold and will probably never reach for tahini again!

almond butter hummus with kale chips

yields about 1 1/2 cups hummus

1 (15oz) can of chick peas

4 tablespoons unsweetened almond butter

2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

salt-if desired

kale chips-purchase or home made (great recipe here)

baguette slices or other bread

drain the chickpeas but reserve the juice.  place all of the remaining ingredients into the bowl of a food processor with the drained chickpeas and pulse to combine.  scrape the bowl and run until it is smooth adding the reserved liquid as needed to reach the desired consistency.

to serve, top each of the baguette slices with a tablespoon or two of the hummus and top it off with a kale chip.  enjoy!!!

and if you would like to try this out, please do and remember that the pies are no longer the focus here but the power of pies will always be with me...

that can't be a quesadilla...

 one of my coworkers is from el salvador.  every now and then, she will arrive in the cafe with a bag of sweets from her favorite bakery, la espiga.  even though it is a mexican bakery, they often have traditional little el salvadorian cakes called quesadilla.  yes, quesadilla and no, it doesn't have tortillas in it.  these cakes are popular all over el salvador and are made with cheese-usually a freshly crumbled farmers cheese, but frequently parmesan cheese.  they are wonderfully rich with a slightly cheesy aroma.  and much to my surprise, even better if they sit for a day.

on a recent visit to a new mexican bakery near my house, i spied a tray of quesadillas in the showcase and added it to my tray.  all of the mexican bakeries are self serve; you pick up a tray and a pair of tongs and make your selections from the cabinets and racks and then give it to the cashier.

not bad for less than $5 dollars.  from the left:  bolillo(i bought 2 but the other is missing...), concha, quesadilla, butter cookie(that tasted a little like coconut to me) and a cheese turnover.

 the quesadilla from la conchita panaderia y pasteleria.  they had a little bit of a sandy texture from what i am guessing is rice flour.  the cake is sweet and even though it contains parmesan cheese, i could not detect it in the flavor.

now that i am not obsessing/stressing over pies, i decided that it might be fun to try and make some of these at home.  a quick surf and off i was baking my own quesadillas.  after about 5 or 6 batches, i finally settled on a recipe that isn't too buttery but is plenty moist with a noticeable cheese aroma.

 i can have cake?  twitch likes cake...

no cake for twitch!!!

 the fine, moist crumb and slightly cheesy flavor makes these good with a cup of dark roast coffee.  a few notes;  i tested these with rice flour, equal parts of all purpose and rice flour as well as masa harina(buy the plain stuff not the tortilla/tamale mix).  every recipe i read called for either all purpose or rice flour or a combination but either will work.  one recipe i read called for cake flour but i did not try that.  i used buttermilk but it could be sour cream, mexican crema or just milk.  and if you do not want to use parmesan, try a mexican crumbling cheese, just be sure to break it into small pieces.

el salvadorian quesadillias

yields 6 muffins

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup rice flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

sesame seeds

preheat the oven to 325.  grease and flour a 6 cup muffin tin.  melt the butter and set aside to cool.  in a mixing bowl, whisk the rice flour, sugar, cheese and baking powder to combine them.  pour in the butter and the buttermilk and stir to make a paste.  whisk in the egg and combine completely.  divide the batter between the cups in the tin.  sprinkle some sesame seeds on the top and bake until a pick inserted comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.  allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes then turn them out to cool completely.  

enjoy!!!

secret ingredient pie, #52 of 52-the final pie of the challenge!

wow-the final pie.  how quickly the year went.  well, now what?  don't know yet but i will be sure to do something crazy, something inappropriate, something stupid and who knows what else but in the mean time, i've got some splaining to do...

i decided to have some fun on thanksgiving and all at the expense of my family and guests.  they were kind enough to play along-some more than others (kids-what are you gonna do with them?)  and they were served a pie and told to guess what i made it from.  it kinda looked like it could be some sort of squash pie but alas, it wasn't...only one of our guests was able to figure it out-and he nailed it!

the inspiration for this pie came from my job.  every day, or at least it seems like every day, i partially bake pie shells for use in my pie recipes.  to do this, i line each pie shell with a restaurant sized coffee filter and fill that with pinto beans.  the beans act as a weight and keep the crust from puffing up.  the running joke is that the bean pies must be popular since i bake so many...yes, those are crickets chirping-i don't find the joke very funny either; after hearing it on a nearly daily basis for 7 years, can you blame me?  so anyway, what was funny though was the day one of my latino coworkers had the realization that if she bakes those bean pies every day, they must taste good-he then proceeded to taste some of the beans.  did i mention that i reuse the beans, a lot, until they stink so bad that i replace them?  we never did talk about those beans he tasted and trust me, he never tasted another.  but anyway, i came across a recipe for navy bean pie in an old farm journal cookbook and decided to give it a try but not tell anyone what was in the filling.

a few notes, first of all, anytime i am going to fill a pie shell with a custard filling, i partially bake it to be sure that the bottom crust is baked and not gummy when the pie filling is finished baking.  the recipe calls for evaporated milk which is something i never use and i have found that half and half is a perfect substitution.  to save time, i used canned beans that were drained and rinsed and then pureed in a food processor.

white bean pie

1 (9") pie serving 8-10

adapted from farm journals navy bean pie recipe

1 (9") pie crust must be an extra deep crust or a 10" crust, partially baked

2 (15) ounce cans white beans-i used great northern beans

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 eggs

12 ounces half and half

preheat the oven to 350.  place the partially baked pie shell on a sturdy baking sheet to make placing it in the oven and removing it a little easier.  drain and rinse the beans and then place them into the bowl of a food processor.  add the brown sugar and pulse to combine and then run till smooth taking the time to scrape the bowl a few times to get every last bean pureed.  add the honey and spices and pulse to combine. add the eggs and run till smooth, scraping the machine at least once.  finally, add the half and half and combine.  pour it into the prepared pie shell and bake until it is set, 50-55 minutes.  allow it to cool and serve it as you would serve a pumpkin pie.

and there you have it, the last pie...on wards and all that to what ever comes next.   bake one and send me a photo, i will post it here.  may the power of pie see you safely through the next year...

*************

oh, by the way, do you remember when i was baking pies with my daughters?  my younger daughter, devon and i baked an apple pie together.  well, she is currently living in northern california with her grandparents while she attends school.  they were having a little pre-thanksgiving thanksgiving dinner and she baked one with her grandmother.

and here it is!  they used the same recipe that she and i used, the one straight out of my book.  looks beautiful and they enjoyed the pie!  so get in that kitchen with a kid or a grandparent or somebody else that is truly important to you and bake some sweet memories!  you will have more than fun, you will have a memory that will last much longer than that pie no matter how it turns out!!!

it's a pie, it's a cheesecake, no wait! it's both, pie #51 of 52

so it was the week before thanksgiving and all through the house...wait, wrong story...well, it was the week before thanksgiving and i got completely derailed from my plan of posting this before the holiday.  it ultimately ended up being done in time for thanksgiving but sadly, not in time for anyone to see and attempt it.  hopefully, you will forgive me and then run out and buy the ingredients to try and bake one for the next big holiday celebration.

remember last year's big thing-cherpumple cakes?  when i saw them posted all over the internet, i wanted to try one.  then i saw the recipe-frozen pies and cake mix...major disappointment! no time to play with that many scratch recipes this week.  instead i decided to bake my own version based on things my family enjoys.  there was one holiday season that after baking about a bejillion pies in the cafe, i refused to make any for our annual thanksgiving trash can turkey extravaganza.  needless to say, even though they enjoyed the pumpkin cheesecake i baked, they missed having a pie on the table.  this year i decided to combine two pies with a cheesecake and see what would happen.

word of warning, this is not a quick dessert.  to do it right, right meaning so that it doesn't fall apart, it will take you more than a day to complete, possibly 2 to 3 evenings if you have limited time to work on it.  another important note, i never use springform pans or a water bath to bake cheesecakes!!!  this recipe uses heavy gauge cake pans and if you follow the directions, the cake will work just fine.  you may even want to consider baking your cheesecakes in a cake pan all the time; it is so much easier to use than a springform pan and a water bath!

first step was to make half of a pecan pie in a 6" cake pan.  it was so cute!  after baking it, i chilled it completely so that i could take it out of the pan without destroying it.  by gently warming the bottom over very low heat on the stove, i was able to turn the cold pecan pie out in one piece.  since the crust stood a little taller than the filling and got a little dark, i carefully cut it off using a serrated knife.

 

the cheesecake filling was quickly assembled in the food processor.  the cookie crust was pressed into a 10" cake pan.  i set the pecan pie in the center of the crust and carefully ladled in the cheesecake filling.  it was baked and then completely chilled overnight before i set out to make the turtle pie topping.



the cheesecake is removed from the pan using the same method as the pecan pie.  cover a flat platter with plastic wrap and lightly spray it with pan spray.  gently warm the bottom of the cake pan, place the prepared platter upside-down over the cheesecake and invert it.  the cheesecake should slowly slide out of the pan.  then you can place your serving plate onto the bottom of the cake and invert it again.  sounds tricky but it works!

the turtle pie topping is made from a single can of sweetened condensed milk that has been baked to caramelize it.  on the left, straight out of the can and on the right, after two hours of baking. 

neatly spread the hot caramel over the cheesecake portion of the cake.  spread it out evenly.  then back into the fridge to chill it so the chocolate topping can go on.  the chocolate topping is made very quickly in the microwave and is easily applied to the pie with a piping bag.

pecan pie in a pumpkin cheesecake

1 (10") cheesecake serving about 14

pecan pie

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon liquid-i used buttermilk

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 cup pecan pieces

preheat the oven to 300.  cut the cold butter into small cubes.  place the flour, powdered sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor.  sprinkle the butter cubes over the top of the dry ingredients and pulse together until it resembles a coarse meal.  add the egg yolk and the liquid and pulse until it forms a soft dough.  using your fingers, carefully press the dough into a greased 6" cake pan.  line the crust with paper and fill with weights and bake until it is no longer glossy on the bottom and it barely shows any color, about 30 minutes.  

while the shell partially bakes, make the filling by mixing the brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a bowl.  whisk in the butter and mix until smooth.  add the eggs, one at a time and mix each one in completely.  finally, whisk in the corn syrup.  when the crust is ready, remove from the oven, turn the oven temperature up to 350 and carefully remove the weights and the paper from the pan.  place the pecans in the crust and pour in the custard filling.  return the pan to the oven and bake it until it is set all the way across, about 40 minutes.  allow the pie to cool and then chill it until it is completely cold and unmold the pie as described above.

pumpkin cheesecake

2 cups cookie crumbs

4 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 pound cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

4 eggs

1/3 cup sour cream

preheat the oven to 300.  make the crust by combining the cookie crumbs, sugar and butter.  carefully press the mixture into a greased 10" cake pan.  to mix the filling, place the cream cheese, pumpkin, brown sugar, flour and spice into the bowl of a food processor.  pulse to combine and be sure to scrape the bowl at least once.  with the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time.  scrape the bowl again and add the sour cream.  pulse it, scrape it and pulse it again.  

to assemble, place the cold pecan pie in the center of the cheesecake pan.  carefully spoon the filling around it without getting any on top of the pecan pie.  bake the cake for 45 minutes then carefully run a knife around the edge of the cake to release it from the pan and prevent cracking.  turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven with the door just slightly open for 15 minutes.  remove from the oven, the cheesecake should be slightly puffed and feel almost firm to the touch.  let it cool and then chill it overnight before proceeding with the turtle pie topping.

turtle pie topping
1 (14) ounce can sweetened condensed milk

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1/4 cup half and half
heat the oven to 350.  pour the sweetened condensed milk into a small covered casserole dish.  place the dish in a pan of water so that the water comes up to the same height as the milk.  carefully place in the oven and bake.  every 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and whisk the milk completely to ensure even caramelization.  this will take about 2 hours and during that last 30 minutes, you may have to do this a little more often to prevent scorching.  using the photos above as a guide, top the cheesecake portion (after you have taken the cake out of the pan!!!) with the caramel.  chill completely before topping it with the chocolate mixture.

break up the chocolate and place in a microwave safe bowl.  add the half and half and using 15 second intervals, heat on the lowest setting until the chocolate melts.  stir it until smooth.  place in a piping bag with a small (#4 to #6) straight tip and make the lattice top by using a quick back and forth motion.  turn the cake a 1/4 turn and repeat the action to get a chocolate lattice design.  allow the cake to chill for about 30 minutes to set the chocolate.

and now that my food coma is lifting, bake one and send me a photo-i will post it here!  bakinbabe116@aol.com

mexican chocolate tart with cinnamon toast crunch crust, pie #50 of 52

pie # 50...have to let that sink in for a minute.  i realize that it is a little late in being posted but that couldn't be avoided-i lost 3 weeks when the house was robbed and i am still trying to get back to normal, don't know if i ever will.  last two pies will be part of our trashcan thanksgiving extravaganza so look for them this week.

anyway, since the kids are both out of the house for the foreseeable future, my husband and i have been able to find the bottom shelf of the pantry closet as well as see to the back of it.  amazing what has been lurking in there.  i found two boxes of ibarra chocolate and the unopened box of cinnamon toast crunch cereal that i purchased for a visiting 6 year old-had no idea that a 6 year old wouldn't like cereal that was sweet.  no matter, it makes a fantastic crust for a no bake tart.

the chocolate is flavored with cinnamon and almonds and is rather grainy in appearance due to the sugar crystals.  ibarra is meant to be used for hot chocolate style drinks but it has long been a favorite of ours for cooking and baking.  my husband will drop a puck into a pot of chili and i have favored it blended with bittersweet chocolate to dip biscotti in, specifically my blue corn pecan biscotti.  

to make the crust, i crushed the cereal after i measured it.  don't turn it into a powder but rather a collection of crumbs that are not completely uniform in size.  to punch up the almond flavor, i toasted some almonds in a skillet on the stove so the tart was truly a no-bake tart!

mexican chocolate cinnamon crunch tart 

1(9") tart serving 8-10

crust

1/2 cup sliced almonds

4 cups cinnamon toast crunch cereal

1/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and hot

toast the almonds in a skillet over medium heat until they are golden brown-be sure to watch them constantly as they will color quickly.  remove from the heat and turn them out onto a plate to cool.  using your hands, crush the cereal in a bowl until it is mostly small crumbs with some powder and very few large pieces.  roughly chop the almonds so that they are roughly the same size as the cereal crumbs.  add the almonds, sugar and hot butter and mix to combine.   dump the mixture into a tart pan with a removable bottom and press it evenly up the sides and across the bottom.  set aside.

chocolate filling

9 ounces ibarra chocolate-i used 3 pucks

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate

2/3 cup half and half

place the ingredients in a microwavable bowl and using the lowest setting, heat it in 30 second intervals taking the time to stir the mixture after each heat cycle.  when the chocolate has all melted and is smooth, pour it into the prepared crust and make the white chocolate swirl.

white chocolate swirl

1 1/2 ounce white chocolate

1 tablespoon half and half

mix the ingredients in a microwavable bowl and heat it on the lowest setting until it is melted, about 30 seconds.  stir until smooth and then using a small spoon, drizzle all over the top of the tart.  take a tooth pick and swirl the white chocolate into the tart so that it is marbleized.  carefully place the tart in the fridge to cool and set for at least 2 hours.  to serve, remove the ring and carefully insert a thin palette knife between the crust and the metal bottom.  move the palette knife around to completely release the crust and then slide it onto a flat serving platter.  to cut, use a hot, wet knife taking care to completely clean the blade between slices for perfect cuts.

and as always, make it and send me a photo, i will post it here.  bakinbabe116@aol.com

apple butter-walnut linzer tart; pie #49 of 52

when apples come into season, i love to make applesauce.  the rest of the time, i indulge in apple butter-i love the spicy flavor.  linzer tarts have always been a favorite of mine.  the spicy, nutty dough is so rich and the tartness of the traditional raspberry filling go so well together.  since it is definitely fall, i decided to left these two favorite things collide and see what came of it.

i took a traditional linzer tart dough and used some walnuts in it.  the tart shell was filled with purchased apple butter, topped with a lattice and baked until golden brown.  the filling was slightly tangy and a perfect compliment to the rich walnut dough.  since the apple butter is the predominant flavor , use a good one that you like, either purchased or home made.

apple butter-walnut linzer tart

1 (9") tart serving 8

dough

3/4 cup almonds, natural sliced

3/4 cup walnuts, pieces

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups apple butter

preheat the oven to 350.  toast the almonds and walnuts until fragrant and lightly browned, 5-7 minutes.  allow the nuts to cool.  turn the oven down to 325.  place the sugar in the bowl of a food processor with the nuts and pulse together until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.  add the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves, salt and baking powder and pulse it to combine thoroughly.  sprinkle the butter cubes over the top of the mixture and pulse to form a crumbly mass.  add the egg yolks and vanilla and pulse to form a soft dough.  shape a disk using 1/3 of the dough, wrap it and chill it.  press the remaining dough evenly into a tart pan with a removable bottom.  place the tart shell on a baking tray and line the shell with baking paper or coffee filters, fill with baking weights and partially bake the crust until it no longer looks shiny in the bottom and has just barely begun to show color, about 30 minutes.  turn the oven back up to 350.  remove the tart shell from the oven and carefully lift out the weights and paper.  spread the apple butter evenly in the tart shell.  roll the remaining piece of dough out about 1/8-1/4 inch thick and cut 3/4" strips of dough.  lay the strips over the filling to form a lattice top.  bake the tart until golden brown on top and the apple butter is bubbly, about 50 minutes. allow it to cool before removing from the pan. 

the end is very near...may the tart be with you...send a photo and i will post it here.  bakinbabe116@aol.com