Summer tomato pie

Summer Tomato Pie

From Cook's Country | August/September 2009

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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Our first few tests of Summer Tomato Pie made it clear that while juiciness is the strength of a good tomato, it’s the enemy of tomato pie. The wet tomatoes created a soaked, doughy bottom crust. To eliminate moisture, we salted the tomatoes and let them sit to draw out their juice. After the… read more

SERVES 8

Use our recipe for Double-Crust Pie Dough (related), or use your own recipe or store-bought dough. If using store-bought dough, bake the pie for 30 minutes after turning down the heat in step 4.

INGREDIENTS

• 2(9-inch) pie dough rounds (see note)
• 2pounds ripe beefsteak tomatoes (about 4 large), cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 1/4cup mayonnaise
• 4teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 4scallions, sliced thin

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. DRAIN TOMATOES: Arrange tomatoes on paper towel-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Let drain 30 minutes, then press tomatoes with additional paper towels until very dry.
   2. ROLL DOUGH: On lightly floured surface, roll 1 dough round into 12-inch circle (if using store-bought dough, you do not need to roll either crust). Transfer to 9-inch pie plate, letting excess hang over edge. Cover with plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes. Roll second round into 12-inch circle and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
   3. ASSEMBLE PIE: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Mix mayonnaise, cornstarch, and 1 cup cheese in bowl until well combined. Sprinkle remaining cheese over bottom of dough-lined pie plate. Arrange third of tomatoes over cheese. Spread half of mayonnaise mixture over tomatoes and sprinkle with half of scallions. Layer with another third of tomatoes, remaining mayonnaise mixture, and remaining scallions, then top with remaining tomatoes.
   4. CRIMP CRUST: Arrange top crust on pie. Press crusts together, then trim, fold, and crimp edges. Cut four 2- by 1-inch oval vent holes in top. Place pie on rimmed baking sheet, bake for 10 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake until crust is golden brown, about 55 minutes. Cool on wire rack at least 3 hours. Serve at room temperature.

KEYS TO CRISPY CRUST

As they cook, juicy summer tomatoes expel so much moisture they turn pie shells sodden. Prevent slush with our three-step plan.

1. Salt the tomatoes and let them drain for 30 minutes. Then press on them firmly with paper towels to dry them.

2. Before filling the pie, sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese over the bottom of the pie shell to protect the crust from the wet tomatoes.

3. Cut oval vent holes in the top crust so steam can escape. Place on a preheated baking sheet to set the bottom crust.

The only chocolate cupcake recipe you will ever need

Chocolate Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly butter, or line 16 muffin cups with paper liners. In a small bowl stir until smooth the boiling hot water and the cocoa powder. Let cool to room temperature. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth. Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full with batter and bake for about 16 - 20 minutes or until risen, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. (Do not over bake or the cupcakes will be dry.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. You can either spread the frosting on the cupcakes with a small spatula or if piping, use a large Wilton 1M open star tip to make lovely swirls. These cupcakes are best the day they are made, but can be covered and stored for a few days. Chocolate Frosting: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2 -3 minutes). Makes about 16 cupcakes. View comments on this recipe on YouTube References: Bell, Annie. 'Gorgeous Cakes'. Kyle Books. Distributed by National Book Network. Lanham, MD: 2005. Lewis, Matt & Nelson, Alison. 'Chocolate Bar'. Stonesong Press. New York: 2004.

Chocolate Cupcakes: 1/2 cup (50 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1 cup (240 ml) boiling hot water 1 1/3 cups (175 grams) all purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract Chocolate Fudge Frosting: 4 ounces (120 grams) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped 2/3 cup (150 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 1/3 cups (160 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Read more:http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolateCupcakes.html#ixzz30mH9gnCf

Chicken and Slicks (dumplings - Cooks Country)

Chicken and Slicks

1 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed

1 1/2 pounds bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed, halved crosswise

Salt & pepper

2 cups plus 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

7 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Toast 6 tablespoons flour in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer flour to medium bowl and wipe out pot. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch over over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until well browned on both sides, about 10 minutes; transfer to a plate. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Pour fat (you should have about 2 tablespoons) into small bowl; set aside.

Add onion and 1 tablespoon more oil to now-empty pot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 7 cups broth, chicken and bay leaves and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until breasts register 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer chicken to clean plate; remove bay leaves. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces and set aside, discarding bones.

Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth, reserved fat and remaining 1 tablespoon oil in liquid measuring cup. If reserved fat doesn't equal 2 tablespoons, then add enough oil to the fat to equal 2 tablespoons (should have altogether 3 tablespoons combined fat and oil). Process remaining 2 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in food processor until combined. With machine running, slowly pour in broth mixture and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead until smooth. Divide in half. (Dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 1 day; let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before proceeding with the next step.)

Roll each dough half into 10-inch square. Cut each square into twenty 5 by 1-inch rectangles. Place handful of noodles in single layer on parchment paper-lined plate, cover with another sheet of parchment, and repeat stacking with remaining noodles and additional parchment, ending with parchment. Freeze until firm, at least 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes.

Return broth to simmer and add noodles. Cook until noodles are nearly tender, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to separate. Remove 1 cup broth from pot and whisk into reserved toasted flour. Stir broth-flour mixture into pot, being careful not to break up noodles, and simmer until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken and parsley and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

So, how does it taste? Delicious. There's a rich chickeny-flavor throughout the dish, in each bite. It also gets better on the second day. The slicks are also tasty. B thinks it needs more seasoning (he thought sage) and more broth (more on that later).

How did the recipe work? The stew part was pretty easy. Browning the flour, browning the chicken, then adding chicken stock and seasonings. The hard part was, as I figured, the slicks. It all processed well, but how much kneading is enough? I just never know. And does anyone keep a ruler in their kitchen? I never know how long 10-inches are. Or 1-inch. Or whatever is required. I hope that it will be easier as I make the recipe more, but I'm pretty sure I never created a 10-inch square, and the slicks weren't quite uniform in thickness. Once that was done, however, it was pretty easy from there.

I finished the recipe two hours before we were to eat. I decided in my vast wisdom to leave it on the stove at low. It essentially simmered for another two hours as I did other things. So the broth boiled away and some of the slicks became glued to the bottom of the pan (it had to soak overnight). That's why B complains about the lack of broth.

What did the family think? For the first time since the kids became toddlers, the kids seemed to really enjoy what I fed them. Wow. Finally. They both handled their spoons well and seemed to enjoy both the broth and the slicks. I assume some chicken made it in there too. Who knows.

So this is a definite keeper. Try it!

Moravian Chicken Pot Pie (cooks Country)

Moravian Chicken Pie from The Complete Cook’s Country TV Show Cookbook

 

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Prep time

50 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

 

from The Complete Cook’s Country TV Show Cookbook

Author: Taking On Magazines One Recipe At A Time

Recipe type: Pie

Cuisine: American

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• Crust
• ½ cup sour cream, chilled
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2½ cups (12½ ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
• Pie
• 2 (10 to 12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, halved crosswise and trimmed
• 3 (6 to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup half-and-half
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Instructions

1. For the crust: Combine sour cream and egg in bowl. Process flour and salt in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add butter and pulse until only pea-size pieces remain, about 10 pulses. Add half of sour cream mixture and pulse until combined, 5 pulses. Add remaining sour cream mixture and pulse until dough begins to form, about 10 pulses.
2. Transfer mixture to a lightly floured counter and knead briefly until dough comes together. Divide dough in half and form each half into 4-inch disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
3. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove 1 dough disk from refrigerator an d let sit for 10 minutes. Working on a lightly floured counter, roll into 12-inch round and transfer to 9-inch pie plate, leaving ½-inch overhang all around. Repeat with second dough disk and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover both dough rounds with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. For the pie: Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until browned, about 10 minutes; transfer to plate. Pour fat (you should have 2 tablespoons; supplement with butter if necessary) into bowl; reserve. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Add broth, chicken, and bay leaf to now-empty pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until breasts register 160 degrees and thigh register 175 degrees, 14 to 18 minutes. Transfer chicken to bowl. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces, discarding bones. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into second bowl and reserve (you should have about 2¾ cups); discard bay leaf.
5. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat butter and reserved fat in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until golden, 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 2 cups reserved broth and half-and-half and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gravy until thickened and reduced to 1¾ cups, 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine 1 cup gravy with shredded chicken; reserve remaining gravy for serving.
6. Transfer chicken mixture to dough-lined pie plate and spread into an even layer. Top with second dough round, leaving at least ½-inch overhang all around. Fold dough under so that edge of fold is flush with rim of pie plate. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with tines of fork to seal. Cut four 1-inch slits on top. Brush pie with egg and bake until top is light golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Let pie cool on wire rack for at least 45 minutes.
7. When ready to serve, bring remaining ¾ cup of reserved gravy and remaining ¾ cup reserved broth to boil in medium saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve pie with gravy.

- See more at: http://www.takingonmagazines.com/moravian-chicken-pie/#sthash.DTNwuWnm.dpuf