pie

May 7, 2014 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i would probably bore you if i recounted the details of how many different incarnations this dessert had before its current state; but you should know that there were 2 batches of rhubarb curd (which is now my favorite thing to spoon into my mouth - move over peanut butter!), mini layer cakes, one large layer cake, 4 cans worth of coconut cream, not to mention flour, nut meal, and other ingredients. i shudder to even write down how much was squandered here in the name of a singe dessert, but i have some trusty peeps (namely my husband and dad, thanks guys!) on my side willing to eat the leftover disasters. the lesson learned out of all this you ask?...curd is THE word, and lemon + hazelnut is a new favorite combo! if you do nothing else, i urge you to make rhubarb curd, people!

when choosing to make a meringue pie/tart, the decision was easy. i was making this post with mother's day in mind, as well as with what's in season. my mom would make my brother his favorite dessert each year for his birthday which was a lemon meringue pie - her pie crust was, and still is, the best i've ever eaten, the lemon filling was always store bought and made on the stovetop (similar to jell-o), and she whipped up the meringue using my nana's recipe. my favorite part was when she plopped the meringue on top using a spatula to evenly spread it all over the pie, then with an up-and-down motion she would make tiny peaks over the surface that would get all toasty when she broiled it in the oven. i wish i could say that the rhubarb i used here was from my mom's garden; as she has a huge plant that we've been watching grow (here it was just a month ago; it's now quadrupled in size!). but alas, this rhubarb was store bought in the name of curd and mother's day!

wishing all the mamas out there a happy day!

*in case you missed it, i was over at Food 52 the other day where i highlighted fresh spring spinach, and incorporated it into 5 dinner time meals :) you can check it out here

rhubarb meringue tarts w/ lemon-hazelnut crust (gluten + dairy free)

rhubarb curd adapted from here and here

i threw some strawberries in with the rhubarb curd for some added pink color, and for a bit of sweetness. i've also made it using 6 ounces strawberries and 6 ounces rhubarb, with really yummy results - but here i wanted to keep some of rhubarb's tartness intact, so i reduced the amount of strawberries. either way it's super delightful! i also reduced the amount of sugar, so if you're looking for a curd on the sweeter side, this is not it.

| makes 4 small tarts or one 9" tart |

ingredients

(dairy free) rhubarb curd

10 ounces rhubarb (roughly 4-5 stalks), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 ounces strawberries, halved
3 tablespoons organic cane sugar
1/4 cup water
4 large free range egg yolks (save whites for meringue)
1/3 cup organic cane sugar

lemon-hazelnut crust

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted and skins removed
zest of one small lemon (or half of a large lemon)
3 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
3 tablespoons grade a maple syrup
pinch of salt

meringue

4 free range egg whites
~1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons organic cane sugar

instructions

rhubarb curd

in a saucepan over medium heat, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, water and 3 tablespoons of sugar. cook for 10-15 minutes - until rhubarb is soft and falling apart. remove from heat and let cool
transfer fruit mixture to a food processor and puree mixture. over a bowl, put mixture through a fine mesh sieve. set aside
in a large heat proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and remaining sugar, whisk in the fruit mixture. place bowl over a medium-sized pot with 1-inch of boiling water and stir continually with a rubber spatula until the mixture thickens, about 10-12 minutes. (the curd should thicken up and coat the back of your spatula when ready) remove from heat and pour curd mix into a lidded jar; place in freezer (without the lid) for about 15 minutes - you want the curd to be cold, not frozen. once cold, secure lid on the jar and place in the refrigerator until ready to use

lemon-hazelnut crust

preheat oven to 350° and oil 4 small pie pans with coconut oil and set aside
grind the hazelnuts in your food processor to make the meal. once ground, add lemon zest, coconut oil, maple syrup and salt. blend ingredients until a ball of dough forms. remove dough, and using your hands divide it evenly between the pie pans. press mixture evenly into each dish, moving up and around to distribute the dough; place the dishes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly toasted. remove from oven and let cool completely

meringue

once the crusts have cooled, make the meringue. in a large bowl, combine egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar. using an electric mixer, whip the whites until stiff white peaks form, about 5-6 minutes. set aside

assemble tarts

preheat your broiler
place about 3-4 tablespoons of rhubarb curd in each shell; spoon meringue over the curd and crusts and evenly distribute. use the back of a spatula to make peaks on top. place tarts on a baking sheet and broil for a few seconds, rotating to brown evenly, until toasted
tarts are best eaten the day of, but can be refrigerated for about 1 day

enjoy!

cranberry + orange zest pop tarts w/ ginger glaze / December 3, 2013 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

every sunday morning my husband and i get up and go to the farmer’s market here in brooklyn. this has become a fairly regular ritual for us over the last nearly two years since we moved to this neighborhood. around the corner from where our market is in carroll gardens is a little coffee/pastry shop that i first saw on yelp when we moved to the surrounding neighborhood (i’m sorry to admit how much i depend on yelp, especially in cities other than my own!). we have since made it part of our sunday morning routine to grab a nice hot coffee from them in these cold winter months. they serve counter culture which is a great roaster out of durham, nc, not too far from where my husband grew up. also at smith canteen one can find some super yummy treats such as ginger glazed rhubarb pop tarts in the summer months, and pumpkin pop tarts in the colder months. these delicious pastries seem to constantly be screaming my name, once in awhile frank will indulge and i will have a bite or two.

this brings me to the past few weeks where i've been anticipating the upcoming holidays and trying to develop a cookie dough resembling the cookies i grew up eating around this time. through that, i ended up coming out with not only a cookie dough, but with a few tweaks, an all-purpose pastry dough that is fitting for all sorts of baked goods. the experimentation process got a little heavy one afternoon and i ended up making everything from thumbprint cookies, to hand pies, to linzer tart cookies, to rugelach- type looking cookies. needless to say it was an exciting day! after the excitement was completed i got to thinking what i really wanted to make with this dough. then i thought of those delicious, flaky pop tarts at smith canteen that i always want more than a bite of. so keeping with the seasonal pop tart theme i decided to go with what my farmers’ market has, fresh cranberries! i mixed them up with some sweet citrus and sugar, cooked them down until they burst a bit, and filled these little pastries up! ‘tis the season, xo.

cranberry + orange zest pop tarts w/ ginger glaze | gluten free + dairy free

| makes 8 pop tarts |

cranberry filling adapted from Bon Appetit

ingredients

1 ½ cups almond flour
1 cup oat flour
½ cup arrowroot powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ cup coconut oil, solid and cold
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons coconut palm sugar
2 organic free range eggs

6 ounces fresh (or frozen) cranberries (about ¾ cup)
⅓ cup coconut palm sugar
½ teaspoon orange zest
1 ½ tablespoons fresh orange juice
½ teaspoon arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon almond milk

equipment

2 large pieces of parchment
mini food processor
rolling pin

make the dough

in a medium sized bowl, whisk almond flour, oat flour, arrowroot, baking powder and salt together until mixed, set aside. in a small bowl, combine the eggs with the coconut palm sugar until sugar is disolved. transfer egg mixture to a small food processor and add the cold coconut oil, pulse until combined - about 20 seconds. mix the wet ingredients into the dry, working the dough until incorporated. form dough into a ball and cut in half, wrap each piece in parchment, refrigerate for 20 minutes - the dough can be made ahead and left in the refrigerator for up to one day

make the cranberry filling

in a saucepan combine the cranberries with the sugar, orange zest, juice, arrowroot powder and vanilla extract, stir to combine. set the saucepan over medium-low heat, bring mixture to a simmer. let it cook, about 10 minutes, until many of the cranberries have burst, and the liquid has thickened. set aside and allow to cool completely

assemble the tarts

preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

take one piece of the dough from the refrigerator and place between the 2 large pieces of parchment paper. with the rolling pin, roll out dough into an 8” x 10” rectangle, about 1/8" thick. use a pastry cutter and slice 8 (2” x 5”) rectangles (you can make these larger or smaller depending on what you prefer, these are loose guidelines). repeat with remaining dough. this dough liked to stay chilled, if it sits too long at room temperature you may have a bit of difficulty getting it to do what you want. i popped my dough back in the refrigerator if it sat out too long

spoon out filling onto 4 of the pieces, take the top piece and place over the filling. press the edges lightly with your fingers, then use the tip of a fork to seal the dough together. gently transfer tarts to parchment lined baking sheet (what i find super helpful is to slip your hand underneath the parchment and gently lift while still supporting from the bottom). repeat with other half of dough. bake for 15 - 18 minutes, rotating halfway through, until edges are lightly browned. let cool

in a small mixing bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, ginger and almond milk together until the sugar and ginger is dissolved. place in refrigerator until ready to use

once the pop tarts have cooled remove the glaze from refrigerator. with a pastry brush or spoon, distribute glaze evenly over the tops of the pastry. allow to set or inhale immediately!

s'more pie w/ toasted marshmallow meringue / September 17, 2013 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

it was a big weekend over here with my husband turning 30 and all. lots of fun celebrating with food, family, and a beautiful sailboat ride through new york harbor. not to mention this s'more pie. frank loves s'mores, so naturally i thought i would make him some combination of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallow. i experimented weeks before making this pie with variations of marshmallows. i even bought grass-fed gelatin to make a traditional kind of gooey marshmallow, and it came out pretty good. however, i had a little difficulty wrapping my head around what the powdery substance truly contained, and opted to make another version of marshmallow that didn't contain ground pig hooves (or whatever gelatin is made from).

a few things to note here...for the graham cracker crust, i used store bought gluten free and vegan graham crackers. they are not the easiest to find in your local grocery, but can be found online. i swapped the butter for coconut oil which makes the crust a bit more crumbly, but still delicious. i also added 1/2 cup more crumbs than the original recipe because the crust was quite thin. for the chocolate filling, i used dairy, soy and nut free chocolate (mostly because it's dairy free) semi sweet chocolate. any other semi sweet chocolate will work, or your could go with milk chocolate for a sweeter, more traditional s'more taste. i used full fat coconut milk for the heavy cream. the marshmallow is egg-based, but if you're vegan, my blogger friend sophia has been experimenting with flax meringue over at her beautiful blog. i haven't had the time to make it yet, but it sounds too intriguing not try at some point!

s'more pie w/ toasted marshmallow meringue

| gluten + dairy free |

crust and chocolate filling adapted from Smitten Kitchen. marshmallow meringue adapted from Honestly Yum

| makes a 9" pie |

for the crust

6 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil, melted
2 cups S'moreables graham cracker crumbs (roughly 18 crackers, finely ground in a food processor)

for the chocolate filling

7 ounces Enjoy Life semi sweet chocolate (or any other chocolate semi sweet chocolate)
1 cup unsweetened, full fat coconut milk (from a 15 ounce can)
1 organic, free range egg

for the marshmallow meringue

1 cup pure cane sugar
4 organic, free range egg whites
pinch of salt
splash of pure vanilla extract

directions

make the crust

preheat oven to 350° and lightly oil a pie plate with coconut oil. in a medium sized bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs and coconut oil; turn out onto pie dish. press evenly into the bottom and sides of the pan. bake in the center of the oven for 12-15 minutes; until shell is crisp and slightly browned. let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour

make the chocolate filling

preheat oven back to 350°. put chocolate in a heatproof bowl. in a saucepan, bring coconut milk just to a boil, then pour hot cream over chocolate. let stand for 1 minute, use a whisk to combine until smooth. gently, whisk in the egg and a pinch of salt until combined; pour into graham cracker shell. bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes, until the chocolate is softly set and giggles a bit in the center. (deb recommends covering the edges of the graham cracker crust with tin foil before baking the chocolate, however i did not as the graham crackers i used did not burn from extra time in the oven.)
on a rack, cool pie to room temperature. the filling will firm as it cools, about 1 hour

make the marshmallow meringue

combine 3/4 cup of the sugar with 1/4 cup of water in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and simmer syrup without stirring until the thermometer reads a temperature of 240°, occasionally swirling the pan. place the egg whites, salt and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk. whip on high until frothy and add the 1/4 cup of sugar. whip until peaks form
reduce speed to medium, and with the mixer running on low pour the hot syrup into the meringue in a steady stream, being careful not to let it touch the side of the bowl or the whisk attachment (if the syrup hits the bowl or whisk it will harden and be difficult to clean. if it ends up hitting anything just soak in hot water.)
gently spread the marshmallow over the top of the pie. if eating immediately, turn your oven to broil and toast the marshmallow meringue until lightly browned 30-50 seconds. if not eating immediately wait to toast until you're ready to eat. the pie can stay in the fridge for up to one day before toasting

slice carefully and enjoy!