Either way, my MIL found this recipe in the local paper and while I prefer to do my recipe hunts on the web, this one was particularly intriguing.

What does smoked cream taste like?  Would it taste burned?  Can I smoke some nut flavor into it?

Answers: decadently rich reminiscent of goat cheese, no, not the way I did it

This is a sinful pie, made richer-tasting with the smoked cream.  Even in a 9″ pie pan, it makes at least 12 servings.  Then watch your visitors waddle away in happiness.

The store ran out of peeled hazelnuts and I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of peeling them.  But next time, I will incorporate some ground hazelnuts into the crust and put more on top instead of almonds.  I also used 2% milk and more heavy cream than the original called for.

Smoked Chocolate Cream Pie
adapted from Hedy Goldsmith of Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink in Miami

We are unfortunate enough to have an electric stove, so we smoked hickory chips in a large Dutch oven fitted with a rack with the bowl sitting on top.  Beware of burns as Hubby has some nice battle scars.  I used Ghirardelli cocoa powder and Valhrona 72% dark chocolate – don’t skimp with Hershey’s and Nestle, now.

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 split vanilla bean
2 T dark unsweetened cocoa powder

5 large egg yolks

10 oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped
3 T butter

Prebaked 9″ pie crust

Line stovetop smoker (or a roasting pan fitted with a baking rack and lid) with damp smoking chips and heat over low-medium flame.  When chips are smoldering, place bowl containing heavy cream and whole milk on rack and cover.  Reduce heat and infuse for 20 minutes or until cream is smoky.  (Err on the side of intensity: Adding chocolate will diffuse the smoky flavor.)

In a small saucepan, combine cream mixture with sugar, salt, vanilla bean, and cocoa powder.  Whisk over medium heat until simmering.  Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks in a small bowl.  Stir 1 cup warm cream mixture into yolks to temper, then add both back into the saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk constantly until temperature reaches 170 degrees.  Remove mixture from heat and pour through mesh strainer into bowl.  Whisk 10 oz. finely lchopped dark chocolate and 3 T butter into warm custard until well incorporated.  Pour mixture into a pre-baked 9″ pie crust.  Chill 3-4 hours or until set.  Serve topped with whipped cream and toasted hazelnuts.

Pie crust – that’s with an “e” – has been one of my arch-nemeses since I started baking.  I watched my BILs crank out one perfect pie after another from their family recipes with (un)guarded jealousy.  Mine would be dense, bland, shrunken – once my apples completely dissolved into mush!  I gave up pies for awhile, especially double-crust ones, in frustration, especially since my family didn’t warm much to them (except every once in awhile I graced my neighbors with a delicious scratch-roasted pumpkin pie – who knows how I manage to get those done).  I also didn’t like the flavor shortening imparted in crust – it certainly didn’t seem to help me with my flakiness problem.

This season, however, I came across a recipe for smoked chocolate cream pie (recipe to come) that brought all inspiration back.  Problem was, there was no pie crust recipe.  Determined to find an all-butter recipe, I attempted one from a very credible source (will not name for sheer embarrassment for my results) and at her suggestion, stuck to cutting with two knives instead of the food processor.  Failure – several hand cramps later, my butter lumps were still too big so when baked, it started frying the dough to oblivion.  I could have probably turned it into a Christmas ornament it was so solid.

Another search, and this super simple AllRecipes recipe saved my future with pie (and Thanksgiving dessert!):

All-Butter Pie Crust
adapted from AllRecipes.com with adjustments and baking instructions

I just added a touch more salt and added instructions for a food processor.  Also, I found that chilling butter in the freezer, then the crust once rolled out, increases flakiness and reduces shrinking.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, diced and chilled in freezer for 15 minutes
1/4 cup ice water

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt.  Sprinkle butter pieces over flour mixture and pulse until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.  Alternatively, cut in butter with two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingers.  Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.

Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.  Trim off excess and make preferred decorative edge.  Freeze for 30 minutes.

To pre-bake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line crust with aluminum foil and pie weights or dry beans.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and pie weights and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool and use in your favorite single crust pre-baked recipe.

Enter young, or baby, ginger.  Young ginger is picked in infancy and doesn’t contain the spicy, stringy flesh of supermarket ginger.  It is very crisp and pale-colored, with a ginger flavor that is sweet and somewhat reminiscent of fresh water chesnuts.  I had only seen it in Asian supermarkets until I came across some from Gravity Hill Farm, purveyor of some of the most beautiful organic produce I’ve ever seen.  You can find them at the Stockton Market.  I’m not sure why you can’t find more local farmers making it, as I recently read that it is very easy to grow.  Guess it’s all those western European ginger-haters.

I haven’t yet had a chance to spring this new find on my in-laws, but the fact that Hubby actually used the word “yum” and proceeded to eat whole slices roasted with fish, I knew it would make a future appearance.

Out of fear I wouldn’t see it again, I loaded up and then promptly got overwhelmed by a series of household appliance breakdowns and discouraging service calls, so dinner was to be had elsewhere for awhile.  The ginger got a little old (and oddly enough got much spicier) so I decided to candy it, inspired by my sister’s own project just a couple of weeks prior and the fact that David Lebovitz posted a simple recipe on Facebook (love him).  A couple of days later and the spice has already died down – but they still retain that delicious gingery flavor to appear in future pies, cakes, and pancakes.  I also love things that stay shelf stable – great gift idea!

I cut much smaller slices so I dried mine on parchment paper instead, with outstanding results: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/12/candied-ginger/

Nutty Apple Crisp
Original Recipe

5 large apples (about 2 1/2 lbs), peeled and cored

1/2 cup flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Put butter in freezer 10-15 minutes to chill (you don’t want it to freeze but it should be fairly firm).

Halve and slice apples into 1/2-inch slices and add to 10 inch glass pie plate or 9×9 glass baking dish.

Combine flour, oats, sugar, zest, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.  Add butter pieces and, working quickly with your fingers to avoid melting the butter, pinch the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles the streusel topping on a coffeecake.  Still using your hands, pinch in the walnuts and pecans until just combined.

Sprinkle topping evenly onto apples.  Bake until apples are bubbling and crisp is golden brown, 45-55 minutes.  Let cool 15 minutes and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

This was my 4th of July contribution.  Based on the custard-based ice cream techniques from David Lebovitz, I was inspired to make some blueberry ice cream with some leftover buttermilk.  Once you make a few ice creams, it’s little more than milk, cream, and egg yolks – easy!  Anyone else like me where you just can’t seem to use up the rest of the buttermilk after making those pancakes?

This recipe made many a family member happy – so happy that the entire 2 quarts was gone before I could take a picture!  Hubby’s aunt said it tasted just like blueberry

cheesecake, which I thought was way more fun than “blueberry buttermilk”.

Blueberry “Cheesecake” Ice Cream
Original Recipe

The turbinado sugar adds a very subtle molasses tinge to the blueberries, plus it’s not as sweet.  Use brown sugar if you don’t have any; increase sugar to 3/4 cup if you use frozen blueberries.

Makes 1.5 quarts

1 quart fresh or frozen blueberries
Zest + 1 T juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup turbinado or brown sugar
2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1 cup buttermilk

Heat blueberries, zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved and mixture is thick and mostly smooth.  Scrape blueberry mixture into a heat-safe bowl.

Return saucepan to heat and add heavy cream over medium heat.  Meanwhile, beat the

egg yolks in a medium bowl until thick and yellow, about 30 seconds.  When the heavy cream comes to a simmer, whisk about 1 cup of cream gradually into the beaten egg yolks to temper.

Add the yolk mixture into the heavy cream and heat, whisking constantly, until custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spatula.

Mix the custard into the blueberry mixture; stir in the buttermilk.  Try to resist drinking it all as a smoothie – you’ll want to.

Cool until room temperature and then chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions, then take cover when the masses come.

Rice paper, or spring roll, wrappers are translucent and super thin like this.  You just need to dip them in warm water for all of a second on both sides and it turns into this noodle-y wrapper.  It’s traditionally used for Vietnamese spring rolls, and filled with cilantro, rice noodles, shrimp, and other ingredients.  I didn’t have any of the aforementioned ingredients; instead, I had the menage-a-trois of local ingredients that I mentioned at the beginning of this post (and I snuck in some sea beans to be extra saucy).

Since I only had to tackle a few for the both of us, I decided to make this fun fresh lunch, with a sweet and sour chili sauce as a dip (which I admit is out of a bottle).

There is no real recipe to be had here – I poached the chicken, shredded it and sauteed with the mushrooms in some sesame oil and soy sauce – ok, I lied, I also put in some garlic scapes – then rolled the mixture with shredded Napa cabbage and sea beans.  Yum!

The ingredients I remembered to photograph

Lining up the filling

Rolling it up like a burrito

Before devouring

When I went for my bi-weekly (give or take) mushroom purchase, they tossed in a bag of ramps – aka wild leeks – and these weird green things called sea beans.  The ramps I could handle – they’re more or less akin to a leek in flavor but they are super cute and little.  The sea beans?  My new secret flavor ingredient.  These succulent plants, found during Chris’s foraging excursions, grow in marshes or along beaches.  They look totally bizarre (you can Google them now) and weedy but have this wonderful natural sea salt flavor with a green bean-like crunch.  It was a nice change to the traditional salt and pepper seasoning on our Father’s Day potatoes.

We also picked up some crisp green beans with some greenhouse tomatoes and our favorite criminis for a tangy green bean side dish to accompany Hubby’s Father’s Day ribs.  Nothing better than fresh vegetables – no need for fancy sauces or flavorings.

Pan-Roasted Potatoes with Ramps and Sea Beans
2 large baking potatoes, diced
1/2 cup ramps or onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sea beans, chopped (or add salt and pepper to taste after cooking potatoes)
Drizzle of olive oil

Heat a non-stick skillet with 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium high heat.  Add potatoes and cook until golden brown and tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.  Remove to a bowl and top with ramps, sea beans, and drizzle with olive oil.

Tangy Green Beans and Portabella Mushrooms
8 oz. green beans, ends trimmed
1 tomato, seeded and diced
5 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Have ready a large bowl with ice and water.

Boil 3 cups of water in a large skillet; add green beans.  Blanch beans for 3 minutes until crisp-tender (they will turn bright green).  Use tongs to remove beans to the ice water bath and stop the cooking.  Empty the skillet and dry with a paper towel.

Heat 1 T olive oil in the skillet over medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms and saute until just tender; add the green beans, lemon juice and pepper flakes.  Saute until beans are just heated through; season with salt and pepper.  Remove to a bowl and toss with tomatoes.

It was the first real party I hosted and just the first of dozens where I would still be in my pajamas when the guests arrived.

Always believing I had superhuman abilities to make my little electric stove function like an 8-burner Aga, I would plan foods that alone would take 3 days to make.  We’re talking major blueprinting and plans down to the minute of how I would execute it all – and I would never have enough time to actually enjoy the company.

Things have changed since then.  Though you will still find me running around refilling platters and checking the oven, I may actually hold a meaningful conversation with you – and not in my jammies.  I’ve learned much about choosing menus that look fancy but can be prepped way in advance or at a moment’s notice.  It’s those skills that have allowed me to throw a 60-person baby shower, on the West Coast, cook in one home for 3 days, drive an hour to hold the party at another, armed off the plane with nothing but a timeline and recipes – and still have time to kick a soccer ball around with the kids.

Of course, there’s always room for the occasional blueprint…

Here’s a super quick, versatile ricotta to fill phyllo shells, mix into pasta, or pipe onto mini crackers (also a lifesaver) for a satisfying bite.  It’s one of those “oh, don’t mind if I do” appetizers.

Lemon Basil Ricotta
Adapted from Giada DeLaurentis

Makes 1 cup

1/4 lb fresh ricotta
5 basil leaves, rolled into a cigar and cut into thin strips (chiffonade)
Zest of 1 lemon
Sea salt to taste

Line a strainer set over a bowl with cheesecloth.  Fill with ricotta and leave in fridge overnight.  Discard liquid.

Combine ricotta with basil, lemon, and sea salt.  Chill for 1 hour.  Use as needed – to pipe, fill a freezer Ziploc bag with the filling and cut the corner with scissors.

For the locals, try Jamie Hollander in New Hope or Just Food in Buckingham for some superb house-roasted beef in place of the homogeneous deli counter meat.  Then add some of Blue Moon Acres‘ microgreens from Buckingham for a textural delight.

Roast Beef & Horseradish Crostini
Inspired by Christmas dinner

Makes about 2 dozen appetizers

1 French baguette, sliced on an angle into 1/2 inch slices

1 cup light mayonnaise
2 T whole-grain mustard
2 T dijon mustard
3 T horseradish

1/2 lb thinly sliced roast beef
1 1/2 cups microgreens or baby arugula

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line baguette slices cut-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Lightly brush each slice with olive oil; flip over and repeat.  Bake for 5-6 minutes per side or until golden brown.  Let cool.

Combine mayonnaise, mustards, and horseradish in a small bowl.  Refrigerate for 1 hour for flavors to meld.

Up to 1 hour before serving: spread 2 teaspoons of the mayonnaise mixture on a crostini; top with a roast beef slice and then microgreens.  Repeat for all crostini.

Although this sauce is creamy, there is nothing in it for consistency except almonds and water.  It does get a bit kicked up after a few days in the fridge – if you keep the pasta and sauce separated, you can whisk in extra water to thin out the sauce for later meals.

The sauce and pasta are brightened with local portabella mushrooms (Mainly Mushrooms), spring asparagus, and basil (None Such Farms).

Portabella & Asparagus Pasta with Lemon Almond Cream Sauce
Original Recipe, method inspired by Giada DeLaurentis

Serves 8

1 pound rigatoni pasta, cooked al dente
2 large portabella mushrooms, sliced into 2-inch pieces
10 asparagus spears, quartered
10 basil leaves, chiffonade (roll up like a cigar and slice into strips)
2 cups blanched slivered almonds
2 cups water
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp salt
1 T black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line 2 cookie sheets with foil (one for mushrooms, one for asparagus).  Toss mushrooms and asparagus separately in olive oil.  Roast asparagus until barely tender, about 4 minutes.  Roast mushrooms until browned, about 10 minutes.  Set aside.

Blend almonds and water in a blender until smooth (might be slightly grainy).  In a medium pot, bring to a simmer and add lemon zest, salt, and pepper.  Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Toss sauce with pasta, mushrooms, asparagus, and basil.