I always look forward to blood orange season. These little jewels brighten the starkness of the mid-winter snow and ice. After trudging through the snow, I arrive home with my precious cargo. I take off my snow boots, my snow covered coat and hat and hang them above the heater to dry. I set the oranges in a hanging basket in the window and I begin to search around the kitchen for inspiration. While searching through cupboards, pantry and spice racks, I see hanging above the basket a bunch of dried lavender, plucked from my garden on a warm summer day. After flipping through over 20 curd recipes, I came up with my recipe for Blood Orange and Lavender Curd. This lovely curd is perfect for cakes, pastries, pies, or slathered on a fresh baked piece of rye bread.
What You'll Need:
zest of 2 blood oranges
1 cup fresh blood orange juice (about 4 oranges should do the trick)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cups butter, cut into pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
6 egg yolks
- Place all the ingredients in the top of a double boiler (or do what I do and use a metal bowl on top of a sauce pot filled with about 2" of water).
- Cook over high heat and whisk until the butter is melted and the ingredients are combined. Once the butter has melted, cook, whisking constantly, for another 10 minutes until thickened.
- To test if the curd is done, coat the back of a wooden spoon with the curd and draw a line with your finger. If the curd falls back in on the line, it is not ready. However, if the line stays clear, the curd is ready.
- Pour the curd over a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. This curd can be canned and kept for 1 year, or refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Yield: About 3 cups
I must say, I've outdone myself. It's not often that I praise the things I make - I always seem to find something that can improve, but these are simply marvelous.
These danishes are deliciously sweet and hearty. The sweet potato is perfect with a hint of spice and brown sugar and the cream is delicately tangy and light. These are the ultimate in rustic breakfast pastry. They do take a little time to prepare, but it is well worth it. Serve them on a snowy Sunday morning with a hot cup of coffee and eggs. For an explanation about Strained Yogurt, check out my previous recipe, Strained Yogurt and Almond Tart.
The dough recipe is courtesy of Williams Sonoma Baking Cookbook.
What You'll Need
For the Pastry:
1 package active dry yeast
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 whole egg plus 1 yolk
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 to 4 cups all purpose flour
For the Butter Package:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/8 cup all purpose flour
For the Filling:
2 medium or 3 small sweet potatoes
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup heavy cream
For the Topping:
1/4 cup strained yogurt or cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
To make the dough, in a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and a punch of the sugar in warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the remaining sugar, salt, melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla and mix on medium speed until combined. Add the yeast mixture and then add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix just until the dough clings together in a rough mass. If it is still very soft, add an extra 1/4 cup at a time until it is no longer sticky.
Turn the dough onto a floured cookie sheet and pat into a rectangle, about 1" thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
While the dough is chilling, make the butter package. Use a rolling pin or the heel of your hand to knead the butter on a work surface. Flatten it and warm it so it is pliable but not mushy, adding the flour as you work to keep it from sticking to your hands. Shape the butter into an 8" by 7" rectangle. If the butter becomes too soft as you work, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator.
Time to laminate the dough. A laminated dough is simply a dough that is created by pressing together alternating layers of pastry and butter. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a rectangle, roughly 10" by 16". With the short side facing you, place the butter package on the lower half, leaving a 1" margin. Fold the upper half over the butter and press the sides together. Next, roll the dough out into a 12" by 20" rectangle. With the short side facing you, fold the bottom third up and the top third down, as you would a letter. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat this rolling and folding process 3 more times. After the 4th turn, refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight before shaping.
While the dough is chilling, let's make the filling. Bring a large pot of boiling water to boil over high heat. Peel and half the sweet potatoes and place them in the boiling water. Cook until very soft, about 30 minutes. When a fork is inserted in each potato it should go all the way through with ease. Strain the potatoes and place them in a medium sized bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla and allspice and beat with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until mixture is smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
As the potato mixture chills, in a small bowl, beat the cream until stiff peaks form. Remove the potato mixture from the refrigerator and add a forth of the cream and mix it in to lighten the potatoes. Once fully incorporated, add the remaining cream and gently fold it into the potato mixture until fully incorporated.
Time to form the danishes. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut it into 16 equal pieces. Form each piece into a disk and roll it out until it is about 1/4" thick. Place about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each disk, leaving about a 2" margin on all sides. Using your fingers, twist the margin of dough along the edges to bring it up to the filling. This is not a science, you can really do whatever you think looks best. Repeat this until all the danishes are formed.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the danishes with a warm kitchen or tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 45 minutes. Place in the oven until the pastry becomes golden, about 12 to 14 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let cool slightly.
As the danishes cool, prepare the topping. In a medium bowl, combine the strained yogurt or cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and light. Add the cream and continue to beat until the mixture is very airy. Scoop the mixture into a plastic bag and snip the tip.
Pipe the filling over the danishes - you can do swirls or stripes. Top with a few sliced almonds and powdered sugar.
Whew!
Yield: 16 danishes
This is one of my favorite afternoon snacks in the late fall, early wintertime. The spice of the parsnips pairs wonderfully with the delicate sweetness of the caramelized onion and buttery crust. Serve it warm with just wilted arugula and a balsamic reduction drizzled over top.
If you have left over pastry dough, roll it out as thin as you can, cut into small squares and skewer with a fork. Salt and pepper and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes and you'll have delicious little crackers!
What You'll Need:
For the Crust
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into 1/2" cubes
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream, plus extra
For the Filling
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 red onion, sliced into thin half circles
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 medium sized parsnips
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- Salt and pepper
To prepare the crust, combine the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over top and toss to coat them. Using 2 knives or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse and resembles corn meal (this can also be done in a food processor to speed up the process - just pulse it a couple times). In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and cream with a fork until smooth. Make a well in the center of the flour and butter mixture and pour in the egg mixture. Using the fork, start to beat the egg mixture into the flour until the dough starts to come together. If the dough is still too dry, add a little extra cream. Form the dough into a ball and flatten it into a disk with the heal of your hand, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to overnight.
When the crust is thoroughly chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and place the disc in the center of a tart pan. Using the heal of your palm, press the dough into the pan, filling up the bottom and sides, until the dough is about 1/8" thick. Cut off any excess. Place the crust in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
When the crust is chilled, line it with tin foil and fill the foil with rice, beans or pie weights. Place the crust in the oven for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes are up, check to see if the crust is dry by gently lifting up one corner of the foil. If the foil sticks, it is not ready - return the crust to the oven and check every 2 minutes. Once the foil stops sticking, remove the foil and weights and return the crust to the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature down to 375.
To prepare the filling, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is just golden brown, add the onions. When the onions begin to soften, add the brown sugar. Cook the onions until they are dark in color and fragrant, about 5 - 7 minutes. Be careful not to burn them. Remove the onions from the heat.
Chop the peeled parsnips in half and again lengthwise into longish strands, about 4" long and 1/4" wide. Arrange the parsnips in the bottom of the crust so they cover the bottom. Try to arrange them in an attractive pattern. Set aside
In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, cream, eggs, yolk, salt, pepper and thyme until the mixture is smooth. Pour the milk mixture over the parsnips into the crust. Arrange the onions on top.
Place the tart in the oven until the center has set when you give it a little shake, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Serve warm.
