Friday, January 30, 2015

Rosie Makes Lemon Coconut Cakes.

I found these cute little springform pans
down at the Kitchen Collection store in the Tanger Outlet mall
in South Nags Head some time ago.
Today I'm putting them to use for lemon cakes.

Lemon Cakes

 Heat oven to 350°
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 TB unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup coconut oil
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
With a mixer, beat eggs.
Gradually beat in sugar,
then butter, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Pour egg mixture into flour mixture
and blend until smooth.
Add oil and mix well.

Pour batter into 3 well-greased 4-inch diameter springform pans.
Bake at 350° for 45 minutes,
or until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean.
Let cool, then unmold and remove from pan.
 Drizzle lemon icing over top.
Lemon Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1 TB cream
zest of one lemon
1 TB lemon juice
Combine all ingredients with mixer.


These are pretty little cakes.

And they popped right off the pan.

They have a nice bottom.


















Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Rosie Is Published.

Please check out my January column in the Outer Banks Voice:

Let's Celebrate the Oyster.





Monday, January 26, 2015

Rosie Makes Pizza.

The Hawthornes love a good pizza,
so I don't want to hear a collective internet groan,
"Eeeeeehhhhhh.  Rosie is doing pizza again."

Just stay with me.
I'll show you the how-to-do's.
 
Pizza ain't hard to do.


First you make the dough.
Pour 1/2 cup warm water in a medium bowl.
Sprinkle a package of yeast over the water
along with a teaspoon of sugar to wrestle the yeast down.
Let it proof, i.e. let the yeast prove it's alive.
It should get foamy and bubbly.
When the yeast has proofed,
fork in a 1/4 cup flour at a time until it's a shaggy dough.
In total, about a cup or so.
Work in about a teaspoon of kosher salt.

Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and work it.
Knead away!
Until you have a nice, elastic ball.
Place in an oiled bowl.
Cover and set aside to rise until doubled.


Meanwhile...
... I minced a couple of garlic gloves
and chopped up some peppers from the garden
along with an onion.

Sauté in a little butter.

Add a can of tomato sauce to the vegetables
 and let it cook over low heat.

Here's my trick for pepperonis.
Set the very thin slices on a paper towel and ...

 ...NUKE 'em.
30 seconds or so, depending.

Ta daaa.
Grease on towel not on pizza.

Next, I sautéed some shrooms.


About an hour or so later,
my dough has risen nicely.

I put cornmeal on my parchment paper.
Helps in sliding the dough off and onto my pizza stone.

Flatten the dough out, and work it,
starting at the middle and pushing out.
Let it rest.
Drink a glass of wine.
Come back and work it some more.
You don't need to rush this process.
Just push out and rest.
And drink.
I like to form a little lip around the outside.
And I like dimpled dough.
Let it rest and rise a bit.

Quick trip in a 450° oven for about 7 minutes
to brown the crust.


Grate assorted cheeses.
Cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan.

Have toppings ready.

Add extra sliced onion and peppers.

Top with cheese.

Give it a drizzling of olive oil.

450° oven until cheese is melted and browned.

Dee-vine.



You do know that I make the bestest pizza pie.
The crust was perfect!




You want a good pizza?
Come to Rosie's!

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Rosie Makes Chicken Pot Pies For Her Hawthornelets.

The Hawthornelet-He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named,
requested chicken pot pies.
Rosie hops right on it.
I just happen to have a package (several) of 5 chicken bosoms
and I have carrots, celery, onion, frozen peas, 
chicken broth, cream, and a box of those refrigerator pie crusts.
Well, that's all the fixin's I need.

Rosie Tip #573
Keep those pie crusts on hand
for when you don't have time to make a pie from scratch.
I don't recommend the frozen pie crusts -
they tend to crack in the freezer,
especially when another Hawthorne-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named
piles a bunch of crap on the crust.

 
 Rosie's Chicken Pot Pies
Makes 5 8-oz. ramekins.
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
1/4 cup celery
2 TB chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 TB olive oil
2 TB unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy cream
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
One pie crust
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 TB water.)

Heat oven to 350°
Place chicken breasts in a skillet, cover with water,
and add a little salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer.
Cook the breasts, uncovered, about 15 minutes.
Let sit for 5 minutes.
Remove chicken from water and dice into bite-sized pieces.
Set aside.
The chicken will be slightly pink inside.
Don't worry.
We're going to cook it.

Clean out the skillet, dry it well,
heat it up over medium,
 and add 1 TB each of olive oil and butter.
When butter starts to sputter,
pour in the vegetable mix and sauté for a minute, stirring.
Add in the other tablespoon of butter and the flour.
Cook the flour, stirring for 1-2 minutes.
You want to cook out the taste of raw flour.
Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring.
Let it thicken.
Add in the chicken.
Slowly add the heavy cream, stirring,
and bring to a boil.
Reduce and stir until nicely thickened.
Add in frozen peas.
Ladle into ramekins.
I used five 8-oz. baking dishes.
Cut out circles in pie dough to cover tops of ramekins.
Crimp edges.
Slit a few steam vents on top.
Brush with egg wash.
Bake at 350° until pie crust is golden brown,
about 25 minutes.
Tent with foil if necessary
and rotate pan halfway through so pies cook evenly.