The Gouda Life

As I was flying 40,000ft in the air over the British Columbia Rocky Mountains, something struck me (aside from the usual “I’m probably about to die. I better eat another crunchy Cheeto just in case!”)… 

I really need to eat some vegetables.

Yes, these are the thoughts that scatter throughout my mind when I’m not thinking about how the airplane is inevitably going to kill me (I get terribly psychotic on airplanes - the only cure is booze and candy… but isn’t that the cure for anything anytime?) 

The past week has been a never-ending feast of all things cream-sauced, butter-filled, sugar-crusted and hollandaised… my gut is feeling a little worse-for-wear to say the least. The very least. 

I returned home Saturday evening, tired, jet lagged and hungry, to a lively bundle of freshly cut, ruby red and green Rhubarb from my great friend Ashley’s Mom, Wendy. Keeping in mind my promise to eat more veggies and fruit this week, I got busy making some White Peach & Rhubarb Galettes. 

…..what?! Pie isn’t considered healthy? But it’s got fruit in it! Well jeez, guys. I can’t be held responsible for that! 

In all seriousness, these are not exactly healthy. But what they lack in nutrition, they make up for in utterly delightful flavour. The combination of the sweet, floral white peaches, tart rhubarb and gentle rose-water flavour is perhaps one of my new favourites. Just eat them in moderation (and don’t keep sneaking past your boyfriend to pick pieces of the dough off in the fridge and chew them as fast as you can so he doesn’t know… but he always knows).



Individual White Peach & Rhubarb Galettes with Rosewater Pastry
Pate brisee adapted from Martha Stewart

Note: White peaches, which have a lighter flesh colour and are slightly more floral in flavour than typical yellow peaches, are recommended but not mandatory in this recipe. 

Pate Brisee 
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup unsalted butter chilled and cut into small pieces
1 tbsp rosewater
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

In the bowl of a food processor (which you can chill for 30 minutes prior to dough making for optimal results), add the flour, sugar and salt and pulse for 5 seconds to blend.

Add the butter, rosewater and 2 tbsp of the ice water and pulse. Add more ice water, 1tbsp at a time while pulsing until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. When you pinch it, it should easily come together.



Pour out and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight (can be frozen and stored for 1 month).

Galette Filling
1lb (about 4 cups) trimmed rhubarb, sliced into 1” chunks
4 very ripe white peaches, pit removed, sliced thin
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp rosewater
1/4 cup cornstarch
coarse sugar for finishing

Toss all ingredient in a bowl.



Once dough has been chilled, divide into 8 equal sized portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece to a 7-inch round, 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the rounds to 2 baking sheets. Add a heaping 1/4 cup of the filling into the center of the dough. Fold edges over the filling leaving an opening in the center. 

Once all the rounds are filled and folded, brush the dough with water and sprinkle with coarse (turbinado or sanding) sugar. Place the trays in the fridge while you pre-heat the oven t0 400 degrees. 



Bake for 25 minutes until crust is golden. Turn heat down to 375 and bake until fruit filling is bubbling and set.



Remove and let cool on a wire rack with parchment paper underneath (to catch all the saucy drips).

Serve on their own, with a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on the side.

Whenever I think about summer, I get this wonderful vision of leisurely lazy days filled with swimming and fizzy fruity drinks and friends and relaxation. 

And then summer gets here. And I remember that while there may be a few of the above mentioned wonderful things, there is also a ton of running around and busyness and stress. And perhaps the stressful busy things wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t so danged hot, but that tends to make it that much more exasperating. 



One of the most exciting and scary and stress-inducing items on my To-Do list this summer is a wedding I’m catering for a friend. While I’m no stranger to catering or wedding cake making, this wedding is much different than anything I’ve done before. Different in the most wonderful way, of course. The bride and groom have requested a doughnut cake. Yes, a DOUGHNUT CAKE! A three-tier doughnut cake! Isn’t that just the neatest thing you’ve ever heard of? I know if I were a guest at a wedding with doughnuts, I would leave a happy woman. To go along with the unique cake and round out the spread, we’ve decided to do some little cheesecake pots and a few pies. Another interesting and challenging piece of this task is that the couple are vegan. So I get to flex some vegan baking muscles which are, admittedly, quite weak. 

I’ve spent the last few days experimenting and tweaking and re-tweaking to make sure the desserts came out tasting as though they weren’t vegan at all. And for the most part, I think I’ve fared quite well if I do say so myself. The doughnuts, which I promise to post about sooner than later, were perfectly moist and dense inside with a sugary glaze that cracks ever so slightly when you bite into them. I, of course, couldn’t resist a colourful sprinkle topping and was thrilled when the couple said they wanted to have sprinkles for the big day. After all, what’s a doughnut without sprinkles? It’s nothing. That’s what. 



The cheesecake pots were another home run. Super lemony, light and creamy with a gingersnap crust and topped with a deep dreamy purple layer of blueberry compote. I have to say, my eyes have been opened to the wonders of vegan baking. In most cases, it’s no harder than non-vegan baking and really forces you to read labels and ingredients and be a little more conscious.  Which is something we could all benefit from every so often. 



Lastly, and also the reason I’m here right this second, is the pie. Ohhh, the pie. It was a first of many things yesterday, including my first vegan pie and my first vegan crumble. And they just happened to be smashed together into a crumble pie. Which, as you can imagine, is 100% as delicious as it sounds. The crust needs a little work and the filling was a little tart, but overall, it was a great learning experience. I’m going to share the pie recipe today with all of the little things I learned along the way. 



Vegan Raspberry Apricot Crumble Pie

Some of the photos won’t exactly look like the below recipes since there have been tweaks. Don’t get too worried if your pie doesn’t look exactly like mine. 

Pie Crust
1 1/4 cups pastry flour
1/2 cup frozen vegetable shortening (Earth Balance is great)
3 – 3 1/2 tbsp ice water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp granulated Sugar, optional

Whisk flour, salt and sugar.
Using a food processor or a pastry cutter, add the shortening until pea-sized chunks remain. It will be a coarse looking crumb mixture. 
Add ice water, beginning with only 3 Tablespoons, mixing enough only to form a ball.

Pour dough onto a floured surface and pat into a ball. It should be soft and smooth and maybe a bit sticky at this point. Pat the ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Freeze for at least a half hour and up to overnight. Remove from freezer when ready to use and let thaw slightly until you’re able to roll out. 



Filling
1 1/2lbs fresh apricots (about 5-6)
1/2 pint raspberries
1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cups sugar

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside. 



Crumble Topping 
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
1 stick vegan buttery sticks (again, Earth Balance works great!), cut into cubes

Preheat oven to 400 and put rack in lower third of oven. 

Combine everything but the butter cubes in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the butter to the bowl and rub into the dry mixture until you have a crumbly mixture. 

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to fit a 9” pie pan. 



Spoon filling into the pie crust and crumble the topping over. 



Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and continue cooking for 50-60 minutes until filling is cooked and crust is golden. If the topping is browning too quickly, feel free to cover the pie with foil. 

 

It’s 1996. I’m 10 years old. I’m sitting in the family room of the house I grew up in, watching the newly released music video for Sheryl Crow’s If It Makes You Happy. My older sister is sitting beside me while my parents rhyme off rules for the first time they leave us home alone. And we’re eating Swanson’s Frozen Chicken Pot Pies.

I will always associate chicken pot pie with feelings of nervousness (the monsters were still living under the bed at that time), excitement, and Sheryl Crow. Always.

As a result of many frozen chicken pot pies as a little person (I know. So hard done by. Someone call Child Services.) I never had any interest in trying them as an adult, much less taking the time to make them at home. Silly me. What was I thinking? Everything tastes better when it’s homemade. Except maybe beer or wine. I’ll let the pros do that for me.

It’s still cold and snowy (and then rainy. and then snowy…) in Ottawa and feels like it’s going to be this way for a while longer before we see any signs that Mother Nature wants to ease up. It seems to be wearing thin on a lot of the city and everyone is dealing with the winter-will-never-end cold/flu/allergies as a result. Allan and I are included in this sorry bunch, unfortunately. Not sleeping well, constantly congested and sneezy/sniffly, coughy. All those fun things!

I don’t care if you’re Tony Little (you know? Tony Little. The Gazelle guy. Jeez!) or you body is a temple or if you’re trying to lose 10lbs before your 20 year high school reunion… when you’re sick, you need comfort food. End of story. If you deprive yourself of that God given right, I bet you anything you will be sick for longer. It’s a proven fact… (…probably?).

These little pot pies are not necessarily something you want to make on a weeknight, but rather, on a day when you have some time to strap on your apron, turn on some Billie Holiday, and really enjoy the process. Had I not been going away this weekend, I might have followed my own advice. Instead, I rushed to get them done on a Tuesday. I maintain that it’s all for you guys. It makes me feel better.

As I’ve mentioned before, I am not the greatest with dough or dough-related recipes. I have a heavy hand and a tendency to think recipe quantities are merely ‘suggestions’ which is not true when it comes to baking or dough. Being precise in your measurements is extremely vital for doughs to turn out flaky and tender. That being said, I followed this one exactly and it turned out a perfect crust. The best I’ve ever made. (horn = tooted). As for the pie filling, it’s creamy, rich and packed with chicken, vegetables, mustard and tarragon. Don’t miss out on this one, folks. It’s a home run. And will slap the sickness right our of your body. And if you’re not sick, it might just slap you right in the face. Saucy little pies!

Mustard-Tarragon Chicken Pot Pie
Adapted from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook

Pâte Brisée:
2 sticks unsalted butter (try to use a goodish butter here)
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
3-6 Tbsp ice water

Cut up the butter into very small pieces and place in the refrigerator or freezer while you work with the other ingredients.

Place the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter pieces and pulse until mixture forms coarse small crumbs, about 10 – 15 seconds. Add 3 Tbsp ice water to the mixture and pulse until dough comes together a bit and holds together when you pinch the dough between your fingers.







Pour the dough out onto a cutting board and shape into a ball without over working the dough. Divide into 2 pieces and shape each into a flat round disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Chicken Filling:
2 large (3-4 small) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup heavy cream
4 carrots, peeled and medium diced
1 zucchini, medium diced
5 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
5 Tbsp flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup cognac
2-3 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
2-3 tbsp Dijon mustard (I use 3, but I like it mustardy)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 egg
1 tsp water

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the chicken in a baking dish in a single layer. Pour the cream over the chicken and bake for 25-40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts.

Remove the chicken from the cream, reserving the cream for the sauce. Once the chicken has cooled, cut it into 1 inch pieces.

Boil a medium pot of water and add the carrots. Cook until almost fork tender, 7 minutes. They will finish cooking in the oven with the pies.

Melt the butter in a wide sauté pan, add the onions and cook until translucent. Sprinkle in the flour, stir and cook 5 minutes, but do not brown. Slowly add the broth to the onion mixture, whisking until the sauce smooths out and thickens. Add the cream, cognac, tarragon, and mustard. Taste and season appropriately with salt and pepper.



Add the chicken, zuchini, and carrots to this sauce and mix gently. Pour mixture into a 2 quart casserole, soufflé dish, or large ramekins for individual pot pies.



Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Roll out the pastry dough so you have a circle of dough large enough to go over the edges of your bowl. (I made them fit IN the ramekins and they shrunk, so bigger is better if you like flaky dough.) Press down the pastry edges, folding them as necessary. Beat together the egg and water and brush over the top of the pastry to give a nice glossy finish to the crust. Cut a few steam vents in the pastry and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.





If you’re looking for a wine to pair with this, I have just the one for you. Claire, who is the endlessly talented wine blogger over at Foodieprints, suggested I try a Chardonnay (very specifically, anAu Bon Climat chardonnay, though I was unable to find it so settled for a Menage a Trois variety) to cut through the vinegar in the mustard and help bring out the cream and tarragon. I have never really been too saavy when it comes to pairing wines, and don’t often have ‘the perfect match’. But this… this was something. This wine, which I likely would not drink on it’s own, was the wine for the pot pies. It made every bite feel complete, balancing all the flavours and elevating them to a new level. If you haven’t visited FoodiePrints before, I urge you to do so. If not for the well composed, informative and witty posts from Don and Jenn, then for the seemingly infinite wine wisdom of Claire.