a perfect pear

i haven’t posted a recipe in ages.  ages and ages.

i made this for the girls this morning and mae’s typical i’m-six-and-i-whine-about-eating-anything-new moment was cut short by these babies hitting the plate.

this recipe makes 5-7 small pockets

FILLING:

1 Red D’anjou Pear

1 Asian Pear (also known as an apple pear)

1/4 c honey

2 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tbsp flour (+ for flouring surface)

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

CRUST:

this is seriously the best go-to crust for any sweets.

ETC:

parchment paper

cookie sheet

GET TO IT:

Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees

while the crust is chilling, dice pears into 1/2” chunks and place in a small mixing bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well

remove crust from refrigerator and place on a well floured surface. press around the edge of the dough with your fingers to reduce splitting, then lightly flour and begin rolling out into a very thin sheet - about 1/8”

cut the dough into (10-14) 4” squares (the size of your pears and how thin you’re able to roll out the dough will determine how many)

spoon about 1-2 tbsp of the filling into the center of 5 (or 7) squares, lightly wet the edges with a dab of water on your fingers, and place a second square of dough on top.  press the sides together using your fingers (a fork with pierce the delicate dough)  then, use a knife to slit the top of each pocket.

place the pockets onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 425 degrees.  bake 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and bake an additional 5 minutes.  

remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

you can also make a tart if you’d prefer - i mean, pockets are fun and all but sometimes you just want to throw it all in a pan and be done with it!

p.s. double the recipe (filling and crust) to make a two-crust pie to die for!!!

these days

i hope everyone had a nice labor day weekend.  

quiet, relaxing, rejuvenating and the like…

my mama and i went caving with mae in southern indiana.  it was fun and beautiful and exciting for the little.  my mom and i laughed and dreamed all the way home, taking back roads through itty bitty towns surrounded by farms on giant hills dotted with goats and cows and horses.  we smiled and waved as we passed the amish men and women selling goods out of their carriages and reveled in how affordable the housing is in those towns.

alizah was on a separate adventure in west virginia with her poppie.  ya know, white water rafting, zip lining, and jumping off cliffs.  the usual stuff for an 11 year old girl.

blessed children.  loved and loved.

it wasn’t all death defying and adventurous though.  the rain has come and i’m on my knees with gratitude.  things are growing!  really!

running outside to collect the few plants still thriving is such a thrill.  the broccoli is so happy - growing nearly waist high and forming big beautiful heads.  ugh.  our garden broccoli is the most delicious thing to pass by my lips.  and of course those mint family plants are taking fast advantage of the space left by the plants we lost to the drought.  

a lot of rain means the house is quiet with nappers and play and pies… oh the pies.

baby blueberry pies

apple raspberry pie

chicken pot pie

i never ever made a pie from scratch before this week.  while i was making the chicken pie for dinner last night mae asked if pies were my new thing.  she’s so funny to me sometimes.  i just hope my girls see that spark - i want them to be fearless in every facet of their lives - even in the most domestic ones.  we were enjoying our dandelion vinaigrette on our garden broccoli the other day and i laughed as they mmm-ed and yum-ed and we reflected on how they thought i was nuts when i started running around the garden digging up dandelions for food!  (i got the dandelion vinaigrette recipe from taproot magazine, soil)  alizah asks me all the time if i know what i’m doing and the fast answer is “no” but it’s also such a good, rich, fulfilling answer.  i will never know what i’m doing as long as i’m moving forward and learning something new.

i’ve done a bit of knitting, too of course but i’m not quite ready to share.  soon.  maybe even tomorrow.  and now that i’m thinking of it i think i should go start another shawl.  yes, that sounds mighty fine.

have a wonderful wednesday sweet people! xo

————————————————————————————————

SO, you should make some pies, too… right?  i know you want to.

the crust recipe i used for the sweet pies

the crust recipe i used for the savory pie

the filling recipe i used for the blueberry pie

the filling recipe i used for the chicken pot pie - for this i omitted the celery & carrots, added corn & potatoes.  it was delicious.

the filling recipe for the apple raspberry pie doesn’t exist.  sorry.  i just sort of made it up as i went, but if you happen to find one, MAKE IT!  it was delicious and the entire family voted it the best pie of the week.

good.

waking up feeling heavy with a cool, fresh breeze licking at my nose is good.

eating simple, fresh meals with a side of warmer weather is good.

waiting (impatiently) for our two little eggs to (hopefully) hatch this week is good.

evening thunderstorms that rattle window panes…

planning trips to visit loved ones…

new opportunities to learn and teach and grow…

good.

father-in-law breaking his tooth and now matching a proud five-year-old granddaughter?  

also very good.

dog nose coming in for the attack.  good.

sweet sleeping kitties…  well, you know.

bread for elizabeth

yes, i realize this is in no way a foodie blog BUT, i do love to cook and bake so… per elizabeth’s request - my all time favorite recipes for BREAD!

perfect french bread/baguette:

18 oz bread flour

1.5 tesp dry active yeast

2 tesp salt

12.5 oz water (luke warm)

cornmeal

Measure four into a large bowl, add salt & yeast & crumble together with fingertips.  

make a well and add warm water& use a dough scraper or spatula to fold the flour & water mixture into a shaggy ball.

knead by hand or in a mixer with dough hook for about 10 minutes (this dough will be on the sticky side!)

on a lightly floured surface gently press out flat, then fold into quarters creating a  loose ball with air pockets.

place dough in a bowl to rise in a warm, draft less spot until it has doubled in size. you may use a tea towel to cover it or plastic wrap.  i’ve used both and have no complaints.

*do not punch down*

scoop dough out of the bowl and either divide into 2 loaves for baguette or leave in one loaf for french bread

again, to create the loaf, gently press the dough out flat (about 1” thick) and fold over the sides to create a loaf shape (or a ball for a circular loaf)

sprinkle cornmeal onto baking tray and place loaves on top with spines down

slice loaf tops 5-7 times with a sharp knife and let rise once more.  i usually use plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick spray to cover.

pre-heat oven to 450 & bake 15-20 minutes.  let cool before slicing (if you can wait!)

variations: i often use a cornstarch wash on these to give them a nice crackle crust.  i’ve also used this recipe and used bread pans.

quick biscuits

1/3 c shortening

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tesp baking powder

3/4 tesp salt

3/4 c milk

pre-heat oven to 450

cut shortening into flour, baking powder, and salt with a fork until it’s fine and crumbly.

stir in milk - i usually go on the sticky side for extra soft biscuits

turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly 10 times.  roll out to about 1/2” - 1” thick with rolling pin 

i use a floured glass to cut the biscuits rather than a biscuit cutter because it’s what i’ve got!

place biscuits in a round cake pan with all sides touching and bake about 10-12 minutes.

i can’t find my pizza crust recipe though… hmm.  it’s a delicious cracker crust - no rise variety.  well, when i find it i’ll post it along with my pretzel bread rolls!  i just found this english muffin recipe that i’m eager to try, too. enjoy. xo