Foolproof Pie Dough

makes one 9-inch double-crust pie -
The trick to this pie crust is the inclusion of vodka. Eighty-proof vodka, which is 60 percent water and 40 percent alcohol, adds moistness to the dough without aiding in gluten formation since gluten doesn't form in ethanol. Although the recipe includes 8 tablespoons of liquid, the alcohol vaporizes during baking, resulting in a tender crust that only contains 6 1/2 tablespoons of water. Because of the extra liquid, the dough will be moister than most standard pie doughs and will require up to 1/4 cup more flour. My mom hates pie crust- but she will eat it if it is made with this recipe!

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup cold vodka
1/4 cup cold water

Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl. 2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Rhubarb Crisp and Pear Pie

Rhubarb crisp
This rhubarb crisp was a hit when I made it for a group of friends the other night because the crisp for this recipe is on the bottom and the top - you can never have enough crisp! Also, the simple syrup helps the rhubarb not be as tart.

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups sliced rhubarb
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, oats, butter, and cinnamon, mix together until crumbly. Press half of the brown sugar and oats mixture into a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Top with sliced rhubarb.

In saucepan combine 1 cup sugar, cornstarch and the 1 cup water and vanilla on medium heat. Keep stiring over medium heat until clear, then pour over rhubarb. Top Rhubarb with remaining crumb mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 55 minutes

Pear Pie

This was also a hit, very yummy!

2 cups peeled, diced ripe pears
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg

1 tablespoon flour
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp almond flavouring
dash salt
1 unbaked 9 inch pastry shell

Crumb topping:

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup buttered, softened

Combine pears, sugar, egg, flour, sour cream, vanilla and salt; blend gently. Spoon into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Combine all of the topping ingredients until well mixed. Sprinkle on top of pie; return to oven for 30 minutes more

Pear Chicken Curry Pasta

One of our friends introduced this to us... We both loved it and made a few changes... but really good! And not too spicy for the beginner curry eater!

2 Chicken breasts (Pre cooked)
2 pears, chopped
2 cups chicken Stock
2 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 Cloves of Garlic
4 Tbsp cilantro - chopped
oil
Curry Paste
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp Cream
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 pound pasta (Bow tie or shells is best)

In a frying pan, add oil, Onion and Garlic and Curry Paste. Saute for 5 mins. Add Tomato paste, and Honey. Add Chicken Stock and boil on high, then turn to med and slowly boil for 8-10 min. (good time to add pasta to boiling water). Add Cooked chicken. Add Pear and cook for 2 mins. Add Tomatoes and Cream and cook for 1 min. Add Cilantro and pour over strained pasta.

Zupfe

This type of bread comes from the Emmental region of Switzerland, which is the same region that Herbert and his family originate from. Although I call this 'bread', the Swiss call it Züpfe. I'm constantly being reminded that it's not bread, it's Züpfe. If I ask someone at a table to pass the bread, they look around the table, completely confused. After I've pointed to what I mean, the response is always, "Oh, the Züpfe."
Everyone seems to have their own recipe and it's taken me almost four years to find a recipe that works perfectly for me every time I make it. This is the recipe I always use now and it's a recipe from Mädi. It's is the least complicated, and most reliable for me.
This bread is, by its name, a braided bread. Don't let the thought of braiding bread dough deter you from trying. You can follow this link for a diagram of how to braid the traditional Swiss way with two criss-crossed strands, or you can simply make three strands pinch the three ends together and braid as you would braid hair. The only difference will be that the three-strand bread will be flatter than the traditional one. Either way, I think you'll be happy with your final loaf of 'bread'. Its a sweet fluffy bread with a nice hard crust.


1 1/4 cups milk,
3 teaspoons
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 3/4 cups flour

1/2 Tbsp salt
1 egg yolk

* * * Do not preheat the oven. * * *

1. Warm 3/4 cup of the milk until it feels warm to your hand, but not too hot. (If you heat it too much, you can add some of the remaining milk to cool it.)
2. Disolve the yeast into the milk and set it aside until it starts to foam.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix the salt into flour.
4. Mix the milk-yeast mixture, the melted butter and the remaining milk with the flour and salt.
5. Knead until it doesn't stick to your fingers anymore and the dough is smooth and elastic. You can add additional flour or drops of milk, a little at a time, as needed to make a dough that's easy to work with. The dough should be a little sticky and will clean itself off your hands as you knead it. (You can use a machine if you want, but I have had the best results when I've kneaded the dough by hand. It only takes about five minutes and you can think of it as a short little work out.)
6. Place the dough in a large, clean bowl, cover with a dry towel and set in a warm place to rise until double. (About 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.)
7. Seperate the dough into two pieces. With moist hands, roll each piece in to a long strand and braid as shown here.
(Or, seperate the dough into three pieces, roll into strands, pinch the ends together, braid as you would braid hair and pinch the last ends together.)
8. Place the braided dough unto a baking sheet.
9. Brush the surface of the braid with egg yolk.
10. Place in an cold (non-preheated oven) and turn the oven to 350°F (175°C).
11. Bake until a hollow sound is heard when you knock on the bottom of the loaf. (About 45-55 minutes after you turned on the oven.)

Yield: One 2-pound loaf.

Blueberry Scones with Lemon glaze

This scones are absolutely delicious....!

Ingredients
Blueberry Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones
1 cup fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze:
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 lemon, zest finely grated
1 tea unsalted butter

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough.
Press the dough into a pie pan. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze.

Technically you should make this simple lemon glaze in a double boiler (i.e. over a pot of simmering water with a heatproof bowl set on top) but it's even simpler to zap it in the microwave. Mix the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest and butter. Nuke it for 30 seconds on high. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, then drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving.

* To have less blue bleeding through the scones, use frozen blueberries . Also you can coat them in flour to help prevent bleeding