January 22nd through 28th - National Food Holidays

Welcome to this week's National Food Holidays.  This week's holidays are...

January 22nd:  National Blondie Brownie Day
January 23rd:  National Pie Day
January 24th:  National Peanut Butter Day
January 25th:  National Irish Coffee Day
January 26th:  National Pistachio Day
January 27th:  Chocolate Cake Day
January 28th:  National Blueberry Pancake Day

January 22nd:  National Blondie Brownie Day 

Today is for brownie lovers who want just a hint of chocolate -- a blondie brownie.  A blondie recipe is almost like a chocolate chip cookie recipe that you bake in a baking pan -- with just a few modifications.  So take your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and make the following adjustments:

omit the baking soda and substitute 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
reduce the salt by 1/2 of a teaspoon (1/2 teaspoon total)
omit the granulated sugar and increase the brown sugar by a cup (1 3/4 cups total)
reduce the softened butter or margarine to 3/4 of a cup ( 1 1/2 sticks)
increase the number of eggs to 3 large eggs
the amount of chocolate chips, flour & vanilla stays the same

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease the bottom of a 15"x10" jelly-roll pan.  Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Cool in pan.  Yields 36 blondies.

January 23rd:  National Pie Day

In honor of National Pie Day, it seems fitting to look at the foundation of all pies -- the crust.  Here is a basic pie crust recipe and a guide to "blind baking" a pie crust.

Basic Pie Crust 

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of sugar

3/4 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of butter (2 sticks), very cold, cut into pieces

6 tablespoons of ice water

Put flour, sugar & salt in your food processor.  Pulse several times to combine.  Add butter pieces to flour.  Pulse 25-30 times until butter is in small pea-sized pieces.  Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time pulsing 3 times between additions in 1 second bursts or until dough holds together when pressed between fingers.

Pour half of the dough mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a ball.  Then press firmly into a round disc.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Repeat with second half of dough mixture.

To use dough, take out of refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 2 to 3 minutes.  On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to desired size and place in pie plate.  Bake as needed following your favorite pie recipe.

 

Blind Baking 

Blind baking is baking an unfilled pie shell to produce a partially- or fully-baked crust.  Blind baking the crust prevents the crust from becoming soggy from custard based fillings and is necessary for pies which have the fillings either cooked separately or not at all.

To blind bake a crust, once your crust is prepared and placed in your pie pan, prick a few holes (this is called "docking") or fill it with pie weights (do one or the other, if you fill it with weights, you don't need to dock), and bake until browned (or just for several minutes if your goal is a partially-baked crust).  

To fully blind bake, bake it at 425 degrees 15 to 18 minutes or until the sides begin to brown.  (The initial high heat will force much of the steam out, helping the crust become flaky.)  Remove the pan from the oven. Gently remove your pie weights. Reduce oven to 375 degrees and continue to bake the crust for several minutes until it's golden.  

 

Without the weight of a filling, a baking crust can shrink, fill with air pockets, and puff up with bubbles, so it is important to either dock the crust or weigh the crust down as it bakes.  Weights are easier and you won't risk the filling leaking through the holes.  This is done by lining the dough with parchment paper or foil (if you use foil, you may need to grease the dough first, to prevent the foil from sticking) and filling it with pie weights or a pie chain (or dried beans, pennies, rice, marbles, etc.) to hold its shape during baking. [TIP: Keep your weights in an oven cooking bag. You can just place the bag with the weights in the pie crust, then lift the whole bag out to store for next time.] Alternatively, you can set a perforated pie pan into the crust.  

You may want to moisture-proof your crust when blind baking by removing the crust from the oven when it has about 5 minutes left to bake and applying your egg wash with a pastry brush on the bottom of the crust and about an inch up the sides.  Then resume baking the crust for the remaining 5 minutes.

January 24th:  National Peanut Butter Day

Here's a basic peanut butter recipe:

15 ounces of roasted peanuts
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. honey
1 1/2 T. peanut oil

Process peanuts, salt & honey in a food processor for one minute.  Scrape sides of bowl.  Continue to process while drizzling peanut oil into the bowl for another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until smooth.  Place in airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 months.

January 25th:  National Irish Coffee Day

Here's an easy recipe for Irish Coffee.

Ingredients:

1 cup of instant coffee powder
1/2 of a cup of powdered French vanilla coffee creamer
1/2 of a cup of cocoa powder, unsweetened
1/2 of a cup of white chocolate chips
1/2 of a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 of a cup of Irish whiskey
1/2 of a cup of Bailey's Irish cream liqueur

Place the first five ingredients into a large pot. Whisk in 4 cups of water. Place pot over medium heat; cook, whisking occasionally, until smooth & hot, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat & stir in the Irish whiskey & Bailey's Irish cream liqueur. Serve topped with whipped cream. Makes 6 servings.

And here's another fun way to enjoy Irish coffee -- in a cookie!  Make your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and add 3 tablespoons of Bailey's Irish Cream and 1 teaspoon of instant coffee powder.

January 26th:  National Pistachio Day

Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.  ~ Genesis 43:11   

• Related botanically to cashews and mangoes, pistachios are one of the oldest flowering nut trees, and are one of the only two nuts mentioned in the Bible.
• Pistachios grow on trees. They are native to the Middle East and grow wild in high desert regions.   
• Legend has it that, for the promise of good fortune, lovers met beneath the trees to hear the pistachios crack open on moonlit nights. 
• It's a long wait to get the first nut. A pistachio tree takes 7-10 years to mature
• California is the major producer in the U.S.
• Pistachios are harvested in September by machines that shake the trees. It takes less than a minute.
• The red dye added to the nuts is only due to consumer demand for the color.
• Its open hull is unique. The nut is ripe when the hull splits open.
• People in the Middle East call it the "smiling nut" and in China it's called the "happy nut".
• Pistachios are nutritious, so eat them up!

Here's a savory cookie recipe for Fennel Pistachio Cookies.  Yields 3 dozen cookies.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons amaretto or almond extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1-1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup pistachio nuts, chopped, plus extra for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar; mix well. Add egg; beat well. Add amaretto, lemon zest and fennel seeds; mix to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture; beat well. Stir in pistachio nuts (dough will be stiff).

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. If desired, flatten balls slightly and sprinkle with additional chopped pistachios.

Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly on baking sheets; remove to cooling racks and cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

January 27th:  Chocolate Cake Day

Who doesn't love a classic chocolate cake!  It's pure heaven when you cut through layers of fluffy chocolate cake and rich chocolate frosting.  So indulge today and make this classic three-layer chocolate cake with chocolate sour cream frosting: 

Ingredients:

3/4 of a cup of butter, softened
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 of a cup of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1 1/2 cups of milk

1.  Line three 9-inch round baking pans with waxed paper; grease and flour the pans and line with waxed paper. Set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg is added. Beat in vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and baking powder; add to the creamed mixture alternating with the milk, beating well after each addition.

3.  Pour 1/3 of the batter into each prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans to wire racks.  Cool completely.

 4.  To make a Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting, melt 12 ounces of chocolate chips and 1/2 of a cup of butter, cubed, in a small saucepan** over low heat. Transfer to a large bowl; cool for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup (8 ounces) of sour cream. Gradually beat in 4 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread between layers and over top and sides of cake. Garnish with chocolate curls if desired. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 16 servings. 
** Chocolate chips and butter could be melted in a microwave safe glass bowl to save having to transfer melted chocolate & butter to another bowl.  Make sure the bowl is big enough for the confectioners' sugar and for you to use a handheld beater in the bowl.
 

 

 

  January 28th:  National Blueberry Pancake Day

I have a friend at church, and she & her husband have a Blueberry Farm.  During harvest season, I always get 5 pounds of blueberries that I freeze to have on hand for blueberry muffins and blueberry pancakes.  Here's an easy recipe for homemade pancakes.  No box mix for me!

1 1/2 cups of self-rising flour
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/4 of a teaspoon of baking soda
1 large egg
1 cup of buttermilk or yogurt OR 3/4 of a cup of milk plus 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or melted butter
Blueberries, fresh or thawed

1.  Whisk together the flour, sugar and baking soda.

2.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and oil or melted butter until foamy.  Add to the flour mixture and mix until blended;  leaving a few small lumps is okay.

3.  Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes, while your griddle or frying pan heats up.  Heat to medium high until a drop of water dribbled onto the surface bounces across it.  Brush lightly with vegetable oil or spray with non-stick baking spray.

4.  For each pancake, drop 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot surface.  Add your blueberries to the top of your pancake.  Flip the pancakes over once bubbles have risen to the surface and cook the second side until golden brown.

5.  Top with blueberry compote (see recipe below) or your favorite pancake syrup and butter.

Try this Blueberry Compote for the top of your blueberry pancakes!

2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen, about 1 pint)
4 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/8th of a teaspoon of coarse salt
1/4 of a cup of sugar

Heat blueberries, lemon juice and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until berries begin to burst -- 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in sugar. Simmer, stirring often, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon -- 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.