Damson and Blackberry Pockets - Test 1

I adapted a tart recipe to make this and knocked it out of the field on the first try! They are a bit dangerous, like cookies, where one doesn't seem to be quite enough... The technique is the thing, different fillings can totally be possible, even probable.

Sweet Pie Crust

225 g flour

generous pinch salt

1½ Tbsp sugar

170 g butter

¾ tsp vanilla

3–4 Tbsp cold water

Fruit Filling

1 cup (150–170g) damsons, after being quartered and stoned (200g whole)

1/2 cup (60–75g) blackberries

2 Tbsps. (16g) ground almonds

1/3 cup (72g) brown sugar

a pinch of salt

a pinch of ground ginger (or nutmeg, or cinnamon)

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1/2 teaspoon sugar

For the dough

1. Put the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and pinch with your fingers to create a lumpy mixture with pea-sized pieces throughout. We're not looking for perfection here, just to break up the butter a bit and spread it out.
2. Make a well in the middle, and pour in the vanilla and water. Quickly work in the flour to create dough. Do not over-mix. The bits of butter are what help the crust become crisp and flaky.
3. Pat into a thick disk and refrigerate 15 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough to about 2⁄3 of the usual size, fold in, reform into a ball and roll out again. You can do this one more time if you want before rolling it out completely to line the tart shell. Chill another 15 minutes. These two chilling times are important, because it hardens the little bits of butter in the dough so that it creates minuscule pocket in the crust for that flaking effect.

For the filling

1. While working on the dough, cook the damsons and blackberries in a small pot with a Tbsp of water on low for about 20 minutes. Let it cool completely.
2. Remove the damson pits and add the ground almonds, sugar, salt and ground spice. Cool completely. 
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
4. (WOULD IT BE BETTER TO ROLL OUT A SHEET AND CUT UP?) Divide the dough into 36g balls (this gives you 14 balls initially, but saving the trimmings you will get enough to make 2 more balls of 36g for a total of 16).
5. Roll out the dough to about 1/8" into 4.5x5" rectangles.
6. Wet 1/2" (about the width of an adult forefinger) around the edges of a piece of dough with water, dollop 30g of the damson blackberry mixture in the middle, lay another rectangle on top and press around the edges with your fingers to seal. Trim each side for an even edge and set on a cookie tray.
7. Brush the top of each pocket with the sweet yolk mixture.
8. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 20–25 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and golden brown. 

Spaghettini with broccoli, goat cheese, lemon, and herbs - Testing

1 - This was fine, but the cheese seemed to get sucked up by the pasta. The sauce needs work.

Serves 2 generously

8 oz spaghettini

8 oz broccoli

2–3 oz soft goat cheese

2–3 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

small sprig fresh thyme

a little oregano (not too much — it can dominate)

parsley

zest of ½ lemon (or 1/4 lime)

squeeze of lemon juice

black pepper

salt

Olive oil to drizzle

Optional:

pinch chilli flakes

toasted breadcrumbs if you want texture

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
2. While the water heats, cut the broccoli into small florets. Peel and slice the stems if they are thick.
3. Add the olive oil to a large frying pan and gently cook the garlic, thyme and oregano over medium-low heat until fragrant but not browned. If using chilli flakes, add them here.
4. Cook the spaghettini until almost done. About 3–4 minutes before the pasta is ready, add the broccoli directly into the pasta water.
5. Before draining, reserve at least 1 cup of the pasta water.
6. Turn the frying pan heat to low and add the goat cheese with a splash of pasta water. Stir until the cheese loosens into a light sauce. Add more pasta water as needed — it should coat the pasta lightly, not become thick.
7. Add the drained pasta and broccoli to the pan and toss well. Some of the broccoli will break down slightly into the sauce.
8. Add the parsley, lemon juice, black pepper and a small amount of lime zest.
9. Taste before adding extra salt since the goat cheese may already be salty enough.
10. If the pasta seems dry or sticky, add more pasta water or a little olive oil.
11. Serve immediately, with olive oil to drizzle.

Carmelitas - Testing

https://www.bostongirlbakes.com/milk-chocolate-caramelitas/

Oatmeal dough

¾ cup (170 g) butter, melted

¾ cup (160 g) packed light brown sugar

2 tsps. vanilla extract

1 cup (120 g) flour

1 cup (100 g) rolled oats

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Caramel sauce

350g Millionaire soft caramel

1. Make the caramel. It needs to be fluid when you're ready to pour it into the dessert.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). 
3. Line an 8×8-inch metal pan with parchment paper and grease the paper. Lining your pan is highly recommended for ease of cleanup due to the stickiness of the caramel; set pan aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth. 
5. Stir in the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt, and stir until combined. Mixture will be thick. 
6. Add half of the cookie mixture to the prepared pan and smooth. Set the rest aside. Bake in the preheated 350°F for 15 minutes.
7. After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Slowly pour the caramel over the chocolate, leaving a small border to the edge. (The caramel has a tendency to stick, so I make sure to not spread the caramel right to the edge.) 
8. Crumble the remaining oatmeal dough on top. 
9. Return the pan to the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the center is bubbling slightly. If using a glass pan, your bars may take slightly longer.
10. Allow bars to cool completely, for 1 to 2 hours, in the pan before slicing and serving. This permits the caramel time to firm up. (Time may vary on cooling, and may take longer). You can speed up the process through refrigeration.

Biryani Omelette - Testing

We had a potluck and someone left biryani. What to do? Throw an egg on top!

Per Single Serving

1 cup leftover biryani rice (ensure it is cold)

2-3 large eggs

1-2 tbsp chilli oil or ghee (ghee enhances the biryani flavor)

1 tbsp spring onions, chopped (optional)

Salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil/ghee in a 8" oven-proof fry pan. 
2. Add the leftover biryani rice and spread it in a thin, even layer. 
3. Press it down with a spatula to help it form a crust. 
4. Let it cook undisturbed for 5-6 minutes until golden and crispy.
5. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper until frothy. 
6. Pour the whisked eggs directly over the rice, ensuring it covers the rice completely.
7. Immediately sprinkle the spring onions over the eggs. 
8. With the egg still uncooked on the surface, (not just slithery but actually jiggly), slip the pan into the oven and broil.
9. When the egg is set and the edges puff up a little, take it out of the oven and carefully fold the omelette before serving.
10. Fold the omelette in half and serve immediately with hot sauce or yogurt.

Apple Jelly Layer Cake - Testing

https://food52.com/recipes/23704-old-fashioned-apple-jelly-cake

2 cup sugar (425g) (I want to try decreasing to 400g)

3 1/2 cup flour (525?g)

1 Tbsp baking powder

228g/1 cup butter, cut into pieces

5 eggs

1 cup milk

1 Tbsp vanilla 

500-600g apple jelly

1. Prepare four 8" cake pans by buttering them.
2. In a mixer bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
3. Gradually blend the butter in until thoroughly combined - it will look like rough sand. 
4. Add the eggs one at a time before adding the milk slowly, and finally the vanilla.
5. Divide the cake batter into four equal portions (about 410g) and pour into the cake pans. 
6. Bake at 325F for 15-20 minutes per layer, or until layers are golden around the edges and a toothpick comes out clean. 
7. Allow layers to cool a bit in the pan, then turn out onto a clean dish towel or cooling rack.
8. While the layers are still warm, put the first layer on a serving platter. Spread a layer of the apple jelly (I SHOULD KNOW THE WEIGHT), apply the next layer and repeat until you put the fourth layer on. (I did 100g between layers (300) and 300 around, but I have the wrong cake tins and it's all very uneven and funny looking and also makes it difficult to know how much I actually need for the exterior).
9. Spread the rest of the jelly over the entire cake. Let it cool completely before serving.

Zuppa d’Orzo Trentina with Beans - Testing

https://www.davidezambelli.com/ricette/minestra-d-orzo-trentina/

1 - I think this was much richer than I expected, and not necessarily in a good way. The simple original is better in my opinion. The hock I got was about double the size of the recommended size in the recipe so I doubled the recipe. What I hadn't taken into consideration was that it would take more time for the hock to fully cook, so that's something to keep in mind. Also, I was hoping to remove any excess fat that floated and cooled on the surface overnight, but nope, the creaminess seemed to mix with the fat and keep it mixed in. I'd remove the milk and only use either the hock or the bacon ends, but not both. And I'd cook the bacon ends in chunks and cup up before serving.

150g hulled barley (preferable, but pearl is ok)

60g dried borlotti beans

350g potatoes, small cubes

150g carrots, small cubes

2 celery stalks (90g) small cubes 

100g Savoy cabbage or cabbage, small cubes

40g leek, small cubes

1 cleaned pig's trotter (or smoked ham hock) about 500g

80g bacon ends, large chop

Approximately 2 litres of water

400 ml milk

Salt to taste

1. Soak the borlotti together for 8–18 hours. 
2. Bring the water to a near boil, add the drained beans and the barley, then all the vegetables cut small. 
3. Cook covered for 20 minutes, then add the hock and the bacon ends, salt, cover with a slight gap, and simmer for 90 minutes stirring occasionally. 
4. (Here you could remove it from the heat and refrigerate overnight to remove the cold fat cap on the surface.)
5. Thirty minutes before the end, add the 400ml of milk — this is what gives the soup its characteristic creaminess and body.
6. Remove the bacon ends and the hock. You can either set it on a board cut into serving pieces for diners to help themselves or chop the bacon in chunks and shred the hock and mix in (removing fat, skin and bone of course).

Green Harissa - Untested

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/gjustas-green-harissa

Schmear this on sandwiches, use it to marinate shrimp or chicken, or spoon a dollop onto eggs.

Makes about 2 cups

½ onion, halved

1 tomatillo, husk removed, rinsed

1 jalapeño, halved, seeds removed from 1 half

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tablespoon plus ½ cup olive oil

2 cups cilantro leaves with tender stems (from about ½ bunch)

2 cups parsley leaves with tender stems (from about ½ bunch)

2 cups trimmed arugula

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped preserved lemon or 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Toss onion, tomatillo, jalapeño, garlic, and 1 Tbsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, tossing once, until vegetables are soft, 12–15 minutes. Let cool.
2. Purée vegetables in a food processor along with cilantro, parsley, arugula, vinegar, preserved lemon, and remaining ½ cup oil until smooth; season with salt and pepper.
3. Harissa can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.