It is FINALLY farmer’s market season here in Boston. Like me, I am sure that many of you didn’t think the day would ever come!!

I have said before, as I have gotten older, my palette has matured.  I encountered rhubarb in most of the kitchens that I worked in and began to appreciate it as its own flavor, without strawberries.  Working at a restaurant and therefore being a slave to the New England growing season, I quickly learned that it was tough to actually pair the two in a dessert.  With such little access to local and fresh produce all winter, I was ecstatic to have two new ingredients to work with.  I preferred to let each ingredient to be featured in its own dessert.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie

A new project has been born – I helped start another baking blog.  A cool group of baking friends and I have decided to take our 1-year-old “baking club” global.

We will be posting as a group once a month and then taking turns sharing our kitchen trials, tribulations and triumphs every week.
We are also working on participating in some events and other cool sweet food stuff around the city of Boston.

Check us out….  BackStreetBakers

The Sticky Sticky Buns at Flour Bakery and Cafe achieved famed, star food status the year that I began working there.  Joanne’s win over Bobby Flay during a surprise throw down caused the production of these decadent baked goods to go through the roof! It was exciting, but after a month or two they quickly lost their “glimmer” as we all fell into bouts of “sticky bun over load”.  I began to pass them over on the snack tray, opting for the goodies of lesser status, biscotti and raspberry crumb bars.

However, I have been coaxed into enjoying them again and again whenever family comes to visit us in Boston.  Everyone wants to taste the winning sticky buns.  Bryan’s parents often request more than one visit to Flour during their stays here in Boston and rarely choose something other than the SB to go along with their coffee.  They are always impressively sweet and delicious and they become even more impressive when I make them at home.  I made them last Memorial Day for my mom, sister and brother in – law.  This past week while visiting my in-laws in Birmingham I decided to make them for my father in-law’s birthday breakfast.

While they are not has intimidating to make as one might assume, they do take some planning.  You need to start making them at least 2 days before you want to eat them.  I wanted to bake them on Wednesday morning, so I made the brioche dough and the goo on Monday afternoon.  I let it rest in the fridge until the following afternoon.  I then assembled the buns, rolling out the dough one half at a time.  Doing it this way will yield more, smaller buns.  I set the buns in the goo in the pan and put that back in the fridge overnight.  Finally, on Wednesday morning I took them out of the fridge and let them rise for 2 hours in a warm place.  I actually turned the oven on to 100 degrees for a few minutes, turned it off and put the buns in there to rise – it worked well!

Thirty minutes in the convection oven and they were beautifully browned and smelled amazing!  I let them cool for about 15 minutes and then used 2 forks to turn them out onto plates.  Everyone enjoyed at least 2 with a couple of cups of coffee.  Making the multiple visits to Flour during their trips north is fun for my in-laws, but there is something a little more fun about lounging around in your robe and slippers while feasting on fresh from the oven Sticky Sticky Buns!

I made the recipe as written in the Flour Cookbook – the recipe can be found here.

Maple Syrup often conjures up thoughts of apples, butternut squash, roast pork and all flavors that arrive upon our fall tables come October.  But Maple Syrup is really a product of early spring.  Growing up, as the snow began to melt and it was warm enough to be outside without 400 layers of clothing on, my childhood friend Molly and I would hop on our bikes to go explore the neighborhood and see what had been going on while were were hibernating for the past 5 months.  All along Mountain Road we would see the sap buckets hung on every Maple Tree that lined this picturesque, New England road.  We would lift the lids and peak in, seeing the clear water like liquid, daring each other to taste it…slightly sweet but without much taste we went on our way unimpressed.  Only after the sap has been boiled into that familiar golden syrup we all know and love, do I really indulge

In honor of the season I opted for some maple syrup cookies (well, I also made cupcakes, they can be found here).  I adapted the following recipe from one that I found on the blog Apron Archives.  They are really nice, while the maple flavor is not quite as pronounced as I had hoped they have a lovely caramel flavor and they keep really well!

Spring Maple Syrup Chocolate Chip Cookies

yield = 4 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room tempurature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup black strap molasses
1 cup grade B maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups AP flour
2 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven for 350 degrees.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
Whisk together flour, salt, b.s. and b.p.
Add molasses and maple syrup.  Mix till combined and make sure to scrape the bowl and beater.
Add vanilla and eggs (one at a time). Mix well, it will look slightly curdled.
Add dry ingredients and mix till just combined, scrape and add the nuts and chocolate.  Mix completly.
Shape into golf ball size portions and flatten slightly when they have been placed on a parchment lines sheet pan.
Bake for 8 minutes, rotate pan and bake another few minutes till bottoms are browned and top looks “dry” not raw.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

February easily wins the prize for most horrible, no good month. That is if the vote was taken in New England.  Cold, record amounts of snow, little sunlight and unflattering puffy down coats have taken their toll on my soul.  Although there is very little melting going on in February, it usually does a good job of causing my inevitable “winter meltdown”.  My meltdown is often prompted by an unusually annoying commute home.  This year it was when I chose to take the T on the coldest day of the year instead of the bus.  Why would I wait for the bus OUTSIDE when I could ride the T??? Although it takes a little longer, the warmth was worth it…or so I thought.  Long story short I ended up on a disabled train for 30 minutes, in a tunnel, in a car with about 500 other people – no joke, I was starting to worry we wouldn’t have enough oxygen!!!  By the time I got off the train I was close to tears, too annoyed to even go to the gym and ran home to see what Bryan thought about moving some place warm.

Well, February is almost over, we aren’t moving and I survived.  While February is my least favorite month it does have two redeeming qualities.  The first being the obvious…Valentine’s Day and the second being that James Taylor tickets go on sale!!!  Valentine’s Day is not something Bryan and I make a big deal about.  However, this year it was an oasis of warmth in this barren, frigid, unexciting time of year.  The excuse to bake some heart-shaped cookies, send some snail mail and eat chocolate really is the reason I didn’t have more than one meltdown!!!   As many of you know I am an enormous fan of James Taylor and the minute I get that confirmation email telling me my tickets for the 4th of July concert at Tanglewood have been purchased I am dreaming of summer! What a perfect Valentine’s gift – thank you JT

James Taylor’s music reminds me of…

- My Dad. My Mom.
- Driving in the car to Grandma Ryan’s on Saturday with my mom and stopping at Harvest Bakery for hard rolls and rye bread.
- Every mix tape (yes tape – I am old) I ever made.
- Sitting in Kailyn’s Jetta at Tobey pond in the rain because we wanted to get paid for a full day of work.
- KK, Kate, Addie, silly T-shirts, “shout outs”, good food, good wine, and the Riiska’s.
- Our wedding.
- SUMMER
- Baking goodies in the kitchen.

As I found myself baking Valentine’s Day cookies and listening to James, I couldn’t help but think that maybe February isn’t so bad after all.

I cannot take full credit for these cookies.  The short dough recipe came from culinary school.  The idea for the sandwiches came from my sister, Lindsay, who made them for Christmas.  The cookie recipe is wonderfully easy and there are numerous things you can do with it, from tart shells to cut out cookies it never fails.  I made these as a Valentine’s treat to bring to work and they received rave reviews. You can make any shape you would like anytime of year – they might make it to the concert as our picnic dessert!

1*2*3 Dough

The ratio of this dough is 1,2,3 which makes it easy to double or cut in half. I made a half recipe.

1 lb sugar (2 cups)                                                     1/2 lb of sugar (1 cup)
2 lb unsalted butter (8 sticks)                                  1   lb unsalted butter (4 sticks)
3 lb all-purpose flour (6 cups)                                1.5 lb all-purpose flour (3 cups)
6 oz whole egg (3 large eggs)                                     3 oz whole egg (1.5 eggs – I break the second,
mix with fork and use half)
2 vanilla beans or 3 Tbsp. vanilla extract            1 vanilla bean or 1.5 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp of salt                                                                    pinch of salt

Make sure butter is room temperature.  Preheat oven for 350. Paddle butter till fluffy about 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula and add sugar.
Paddle for another 5 minutes untill light and fluffy.  Add eggs along with the vanilla seeds (or extract), mix till incorporated.  Add flour in 2 additions mixing till the flour is just mixed in.  Do not over mix.  Turn out of the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap (two packets).  If you are using the same day, refrigerate for a 1/2 hour.  If you plan to use later it will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days and should be brought out and left on the counter for a 1/2 hour before you roll it out.

Roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut in shapes.  Sprinkle with sugar if desired.  Bake till just starting to brown around the edge.  Cool on cooling rack.
To sandwich, melt semi sweet chocolate chips in microwave.  I do this in 30 second increments stirring in between till melted.  Spoon a tablespoon of melted chocolate on one cookie and sandwich.  Let cool. 

The first time I made and ate a poached pear was in culinary school.  They were one of the many things we poached in our poaching class and I remember being amazed at how easy it was.   They emerged from a pot of simmering wine and spices so elegant and tasty.  Among all foods that are poached, my vote for tastiest would be the pear (Chicken and seafood sausage – not so much).  I revisited poached pears while working at the restaurant and used tiny seckel pears as an accompaniment to buttermilk panna cotta.  Last week as I was digging around in my fridge I came across some ingredients that I thought would pair well with pears!!!

I picked up some comice pears at the market and headed home to put together a dessert using them, phyllo dough and fig butter.   After reading a little about pears I learned that comice pears are usually not good for poaching, they can become too soft, however mine worked just fine.  Bosc are what is recommended along with the tiny seckel pears.  In school we poached pears using both red and white wine.  I liked the ones done with red wine better,  plus they are prettier.  My poaching liquid recipe is below.  The method for poaching, as mentioned, is very easy.  First peel the pears, leaving them whole.

If you are not going to be serving them whole then you don’t have to poach them that way.  You could peel them and cut them in half, removing the core.   You want to place them in a pot that will allow for the liquid to cover the pears as well as allow for room between them.  They should be able to “swim” freely.

When poaching you don’t want the liquid to boil, it should stay at a gentle simmer, the correct poaching temperature is 185 degrees which allows for the pears to soften gradually.  I poached mine till a pairing knife could be slid to the core easily, about a half hour.  For the best flavor, you should let them cool in the cooking liquid.  Once the pears where cool I lifted them out and set them on a plate.  I then decided to reduce the cooking liquid down to a syrup.  All that delicious and flavorful liquid doesn’t have to go to waste.  The sauce can then be used for any number of things and is wonderful when drizzled over the pears before serving.  (We still have some in the fridge and Bryan has been experimenting with it as a cocktail sweetener.)

Ginger and Red Wine Poached Pears

4 pears (6 if using smaller variety)
1/2 cup ruby port
3/4 cup red wine (I used a blend)
1/4 cup brandy
2 inch knob of fresh ginger root, cut in a few slices
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
1 star anise pod
5 cardamom pods
1 cup dark brown sugar
water to cover

Combine all ingredients except the pears in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer to allow the sugar to dissolve.  Add pears and simmer gently till soft.
Cool in liquid (if you are going to store the pears, store in liquid in the fridge for up to 4 days).  If you would like to reduce the liquid to a sauce, put liquid back in the pot and bring to a boil, continue to boil till reduced by about 3/4 and it coats the back of a spoon.  Once cool it should have the consistency of maple syrup.

I ended up slicing my pears, pairing them with fig butter and putting them in mini tartlets.  They made for an elegant dessert – one that Bryan said was restaurant worthy. It is nice to know I haven’t lost my touch

As most of New England is aware, today was a snow day.  The weathermen were finally doing their job and predicted a Nor’easter that has dumped a few feet of snow on our part of the world.  School was cancelled before I even left the office yesterday, and in anticipation of a cozy day at home I planned to start our morning off with pancakes.

I grew up in a family of teachers.  On those cold snowy mornings, our phone would ring around 5:30 am.  The first phone call would be the Gilbert School calling for my Dad and then the next ring would be the Botelle phone tree for my mom.  I remember hearing it and in a sleepy haze I would happily realize that I did not have to get out of bed and there was a day of freedom ahead of me.  My excitement built yesterday evening as I braved the market and picked up a few things to make it through the storm.  I rushed home to speed clean the apartment so I wouldn’t have to do it today!!

Bryan and I woke up to a winter wonderland!  Bryan got the coffee going and I opened my cookbooks to find a yummy pancake recipe.  CONFESSION… I actually made two kinds of pancakes this morning.  The first was Sweet Potato Pancakes and they were a BOMB!!! Don’t really know what happened, not the right proportion of ingredients caused them to stay pretty much raw in the middle.  After pouting on the couch for 20 minutes I gathered myself and headed back into the kitchen.  I mean, what else did I have to do today?! I chose to work with the Four Grain Flapjack recipe in the Joy of Cooking. A few tweaks here and there and I think they turned out lovely.  I added some ginger and orange zest, along with a little bit of molasses that I think created a few layers of flavor not found in your regular Bisquick

Eating fruit with pancakes makes me feel less guilty about the carbs and syrup, so I made some easy orange maple compote.  I segmented 3 oranges and added about 3 tablespoons of maple syrup to them and let them sit and marinate for a little while.  The oranges worked well with the ginger and the orange zest I added to the pancake batter.   We gobbled them up with our second cup of coffee.  The benefits of multi grain were the perfect fuel for Bryan as he headed out to do battle with the snow banks.

Snow Day Multi Grain Pancakes

Dry Ingredients

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Wet Ingredients

1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. molasses (black strap is OK)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
zest of 1/2 an orange

Whisk together dry ingredients. Set aside.

Whisk together wet ingredients.  Whisk in dry ingredients and mix till just combined.

Heat non stick skillet over medium heat, add a little butter to the pan and when melted spoon batter into pan.  About 1/4 cup per pancake.

Flip once bubbles start to form along the sides of the cakes.  You can keep them warm in a 200 degree oven till they are all cooked.  Serve with orange maple compote, extra butter and syrup!!!

Notes…

To segment an orange cut each end off so that you see the flesh, and you have a flat side to set your orange.  Then using a small, sharp pairing knife cut the rind away from the flesh in smooth curved cuts.

Then cupping the clean fruit in your hand and over a bowl, make cuts into the fruit along each segment.  Kind of a Y cut so that the wedges slide out clean.