Plantain Tart

I was definitely looking forward to this Jamaican Dessert Challenge. I tried to make plantains tarts for Christmas but my crust was a no go. I put the filling on the stove and forgot about it and it was burnt in no time - ripe plantain has a lot of sugar! But along came March's challenge for me to try try again.

This time I used a flaky pastry. I followed this one on King Arthur Flour since it's the same ratio as the majority of flaky pastry recipes that I read. For the filling, I cooked a plantain in a bit water then added nutmeg and sugar to taste. Most recipes call for mashing the plantain with a fork. But I just tossed the plantain, sugar, and nutmeg in the blender. Plantain tart fillings are usually coloured red so I added a teeny weeny bit of food colouring.

I actually baked these one morning while I was getting ready for work. I grabbed a few of the hot tarts off the tray and snapped a quick picture. I fully intended on taking better pics when I got home but eating the tarts seemed more fun.

       

The crust on that plantain tart over there had a huge piece of shortening so that melted and left a hole. Did a torn crust affect the taste? Nope. I did forget to vent these but they were fine.

So no real recipe here. Just a guide. First, make the a batch of King Arthur's Flaky Pastry. 

Next, get a really ripe plantain and cook it in a bit of liquid. It cooks quickly so don't walk away. when the plantain is tender, remove and blend with sugar and nutmeg to taste. Start with a 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. For the sugar, start with a tablespoon. A really ripe plantain may not need any depending on your tastes. Add a few drops of red food colouring, if desired. 

Next, roll out the pastry to 9" x 17". Trim to 8" x 16" so that your edges are all even. Cut eight 4" x 4" squares. 

Add a scant tablespoon of plantain to the centre. Dampen the edges with water and then fold over. Use a fork to crimp the edges. It's usually folded into a triangle but I went with a rectangle. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate while you preheat the oven. 

Preheat oven to 400 F. when the oven is ready, make vent holes in the tarts and brush with egg wash (1 egg plus a tablespoon of water). 

Bake 20-25 minutes or until the tarts are golden. 

Cool and devour. 

Apple, Cheese and Chive Turnovers

Welcome to another Crazy Ingredient Challenge! This month the winning ingredients were apples and chives. My first idea was to make some apple, cheese, and chives scones but at some point that turned into turnovers. No regrets here! I got to practise making a blitz pastry dough - it’s really easy and really flaky.  It’s faster than traditional puff pastry and quite delicious. I still have scones on the mind though so maybe later this week I’ll make those and post them.

Sorry about the super quick post. It’s only 7 am but it’s already shaping up to be one of those days. Be sure to scroll down to see how my fellow Crazy Ingredient Challengers used apples and chives this month. Sure to be mouthwatering!

Apple, Cheese and Chive Turnovers

Pastry Shell (adapted from King Arthur)
1 ½ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter
6 tablespoons sour cream

Filling
1 apple
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2-3 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Egg for egg wash

Directions

Whisk together the dry ingredients then cut the butter into the flour mixture. You can use a food processor. Leave mixture unevenly crumbly. The largest pieces of butter should be about the size of a pea. Stir in the sour cream.

Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and pat it into a rough square. It’s OK if it’s a bit shaggy. Roll out into an 8” x 10” rectangle. Dust the dough with flour, if necessary. Starting with a shorter end, fold the dough into thirds as one would a business letter. Turn it over so that the open end is on the bottom.

Once again, roll the dough out into an 8” x 10” rectangle and do another letter fold.  Turn it over so the open end is on the bottom, roll out again to 8” x 10” and do a third letter fold. If the dough is sticking, chill it before doing the third letter fold. After the third letter fold, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes before using.

While the dough is chilling, dice the apple into small pieces, shred the cheese and chop the chives.

When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 400F.

Roll out the chilled dough to a 16” square and cut into 16 4” squares.

Place a bit of apple, cheese, and chives on each square. Be careful not to add too much - should be no more than a tablespoon or so of filling.  Fold over each square and use a fork to the crimp and seal the edges.

Place the turnovers on a lined baking sheet and brush with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of water). Sprinkle on any remaining cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Naked Ladies with Their Legs Crossed - Foodie Extravaganza

Do not, I repeat, do not do a Google image search for "naked ladies with their legs crossed" if your safe search filter is off. In fact, I don't even think the safe search search filter will help you. Just do yourself a favour and add "recipe" to the search terms. I may or may not have done such a search. Let's talk about these particular naked ladies and not the ones that Google showed me.

I came across this recipe in a 2007 Cook's Country magazine.  It's nearly impossible to see such a title and walk away. I had to find out what it was about. It turns out that the magazine made a call for long lost recipes and this is one of the recipes that they received. These naked ladies (maybe I should stop typing that, the Google hits are not going to be pretty) are basically potato crullers with a German heritage. They were particularly popular on Shrove Tuesday (Fastnacht) when people tried to use up all the fat and sugar before Lent began. In fact, potato donuts are called fasnacht by the Pennsylvania Dutch.

All the Google hits seem to point back to the Cook's Country recipe so I couldn't find more information about the specific shape of these crullers. Most of the potato crullers I found were shaped like circular crullers. Other potato donuts had traditional donut shapes. However, I did find one that had a slit in the center and then the dough was pulled through that slit. My best guess is that these ladies are related to those.

When I first saved this recipe, I had no intention of making them. I simply do not fry. Well, that's not true, I make an exception for breadfruit. I'm not some health nut* avoiding fried foods. Far from it. Fried food is up there with ice cream and chocolate on my favourite foods list. I just don't have the patience for frying. My oil is never hot enough and whenever I get it to the right temperature, I get distracted, leave the kitchen and suddenly things are burning.

The recipe was just going to languish in my collection until Kathleen chose potato as the theme for this month's Foodie Extravaganza. I did a search of my collection and the ladies popped up. I went back and forth between this and another dish for weeks. But there was no way that I could seriously pass up sharing the naked ladies. I knew that there would never be a perfect time to make them again.

I am so glad that I did! Rolling them out was not as troublesome as I thought it would be (the dough is a bit sticky - make sure the surface is well floured). I grabbed my thermometer and made sure my oil's temperature was correct and set a timer so that if I left the kitchen, there'd be a timer summoning me back in. All so very worth it. I used nutmeg instead of cinnamon and loved the taste of nutmeg in the dough. It was so hard to not eat them all before taking pictures for this post. Those are the only three that survived, actually. I can definitely say that I will be heating up some oil to fry these again. If you love donuts, you will love these.

Be sure to scroll down to check out how everyone else used potatoes this month!

*My apologies to anyone avoiding fried foods but doesn't consider themselves a health nut.

Naked Ladies with Their Legs Crossed

Recipe by: Kelly   Adapted from: Cook's Country

Yield: 12

Ingredients 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, unseasoned 1 egg 2 tablespoons milk 1 cup sugar, divided 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg  Oil for deep frying

Directions Beat the mashed potato, egg, milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add the potato mixture and stir to form a moist and sticky dough.  On a heavily floured surface, roll the dough out to 14" x 9" x 1/4". Cut the dough in half to make two 9" x 7" rectangles. Cut each rectangle into six 7" x 1.5" strips.  Make a slit in each strip for the legs and twist to form crossed legs. Refrigerate until ready to fry.  Heat oil in a pot large enough to fit the strips. Oil should be heated to 350F. Carefully lower each strip into the oil - do not crowd the pot. Fry until crisp and brown on both sides - about two minutes per side.  Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain for about 30 seconds then toss with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar.  Best eaten immediately.

Notes Do not use mash potatoes that contain any other ingredients - no milk, salt or butter. Ensure that there are no lumps. I used a russet potato. The crullers can be refrigerated up to 24 hours before frying. I actually refrigerated the dough before rolling it out. That made it much easier to roll out.  The original recipe calls for rolling out to 18" x 14" x 1/4".  There's no way there was enough dough to do this. I would have needed to roll it about 1/8" thick. Maybe you will fare better.  Check your oil's temperature periodically. Maintain between 325F and 350 F. You could toss the crullers in cinnamon sugar or a glaze, if that's your preference.

 

Foodie Extravaganza is where bloggers come together and celebrate food holidays. Did you know there is at least one food assigned to each day of the year to celebrate that food? Kathleen from Fearlessly Creative Mammas is our host this month and since she is from Idaho, she picked potatoes. All of the recipes will feature potatoes in one form or another. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of the month. If you are a blogger and you're interested in joining in the fun, visit us at our Facebook Foodie Extravaganza page. You can also visit our past party submissions on our Pinterest Foodie Extravaganza board . We hope you will enjoy the recipes we are sharing this month. The potato is so versatile that we've come up with a huge variety of recipes for you to try.  

• Bloody Mary Potato Salad from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Chicken and Mashed Potato Waffles from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Chipotle and Lime Roasted Fingerling Potatoes from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Copycat Chicken & Gnocchi Soup from Pantry Friendly Cooking 
• Bloody Mary Potato Salad from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Horseradish Potato Au Gratin from From Gate to Plate
• Japanese Moon Gazing Potatoes from Ninja Baker
• Jersey Royals with Mint from Food Lust People Love
• Latvian Spiced Dill French Fries from Fearlessly Creative Mammas
• Llapingachos (Ecuadorian Stuffed Potato Patties) from Tara's Multicultural Table
• Loaded Pierogi from Cooking With Carlee
• Naked Ladies with their Legs Crossed from Passion Kneaded
• Potato Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Potato Rolled Tacos from Foodie and Wine
• Roasted Purple Potatoes with Rosemary and Thyme from Our Good Life
• Shredded Potato Crusted Chicken from The Freshman Cook
• Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup from Making Miracles
• Sweet Potato Spiced Swirl Bread from Baking in Pyjamas
• Tortilla Espanola (Spanish Omelet) from Cali's Cuisine

Cherry Danishes - Foodie Extravaganza

If this is your first time joining us, the Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food! Each month we incorporate one main ingredient into recipes to share with you and this month that ingredient is a Valentine's Day classic - cherries! Be sure to check out all the dishes below.

 Two years ago, I found a Kitchen Bucket List on Saveur and proceeded to use it to create my own. I had over a 100 items listed and most of them had already been crossed off. Looking back, I know there are several more items that I could add to that list. I can't wait to update it and share my progress soon. There was one item still on that list that I really wanted to make but actively avoided - Danishes.

I knew they weren't particularly difficult. But laminating dough can be hit or miss for me. The first time that I made puff pastry, I had wonderfully flaky layers. Then I tried sourdough croissants. They were buttery and delicious but not particularly flaky. I decided to try Danishes for this month's Foodie Extravaganza because it was the easiest thing on my list of possibilities. Well, it was the second easiest. Easiest was the slow cooker cherry cobbler that's cooking right now. I'm not sure how I came to the conclusion that something with laminated dough was easiest. But I think the simple list of ingredients factored greatly into that calculation. That and the fact that I could break it up over a few days.

Laminated dough recipes look long and intimidating. But they are really just a bunch of short steps that aren't particularly difficult. When I first made puff pastry, I was still avoiding any recipe that called for a rolling pin.* I had some oozing here and there but it still worked out. The big thing to remember is to keep everything cold. Stop and chill everything often. I loved working with this particular dough. After the rest in the fridge, it was wonderfully supple and easy to roll.

*I also avoided separating eggs and making caramel. I now separate eggs without giving much thought to it. But caramel is still a no-no. I actually tried to make some two Sundays ago and ended up with a crystallized mess. That led to a Food Chemistry discussion with friends (the caramel was meant to be a topping for a cheesecake for one's birthday) and now I am convinced that I need a degree in Food Science. I am searching for schools right now. Seriously. I need to be able to troubleshoot from a scientific perspective.

Cherry Danishes 

Adapted from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Everyday

Ingredients
Dough
10.5 oz all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon instant yeast
7 tablespoons cold milk
5 tablespoons cool water
1 large egg
1 tablespoon oil

Butter Block
3/4 cup cold butter

Filling
Cherry pie filling, homemade or store-bought

Hot Glaze
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar

Directions
Dough: Combine flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Add milk, water, egg and oil. Combine with a paddle on low speed for a minute. The dough will be shaggy. Mix on low speed for 30 more seconds then increase speed to medium for 15 seconds. The dough will be sticky and soft. Place in an oiled bowl and immediately refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.

Butter block: Place the butter between two sheets of wax paper. Lightly pound and roll the butter to a 3" x 6" rectangle. Place in the refrigerator.

Laminating. Remove dough from fridge and roll to 6 1/2" x 6 1/4". Roll from center to corners and then from center to sides. This truly makes rolling a rectangle easiest for me. With a longer side facing you, place the butter block 1/4" from the left side of the dough so that there is 1/4" of dough left at the top and bottom. Fold the remaining dough over the butter.

Lift dough and lightly flour underneath. Gently roll out to a 8" x 9" rectangle.
Turn the dough so that a 9" side is facing you. Do a letter fold by folding 3 inches of dough to the right and then the uncovered 3 inches to the left.
Rest dough in the fridge for 15 - 20 minutes.

With the open seam faced away from you, roll the dough out again to 8" x 9". Do a second letter fold.  Rest for 15 minutes.

Repeat for a third letter fold and rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Roll out the final dough to 12"-14" x 9" x 1/4".

Pinwheels. Cut 2 1/2" squares. Cut notches leaving 1/2" in the center uncut. Take every other corner and fold over to the center. Place on a parchment lined sheet pan about 1/2 inch apart. Proof 2 to 2/1/2 hours until the dough is noticeably puffed.

Preheat the oven to 450 F 20 minutes before baking.
Use your finger to press an indent into the center of the each pinwheel and fill with about a teaspoon of cherry filling. 

Hot Glaze. Just before baking, make the hot glaze. Place sugar and water in a sauce pan and stir until the sugar dissolves. Lower heat and maintain a gentle simmer while the Danishes bake.

Place the pinwheels in the oven and lower the temperature to 400 F. After 6 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for another 5 - 6 minutes. Brush immediately with hot syrup.

4 Ingredient Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake Balls by Keep it Simple, Sweetie
Chocolate and Maraschino Cherry Shortbread Cookies by Making Miracles
Real Maraschino Cherries by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Fresh Cherry Crisp by Fearlessly Creative Mammas
Chocolate Cherry Brownies by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Breakfast Yogurt with Cherries Sauce by Brunch with Joy
Cherry Apple Crumble Tart by Food Lust People Love
Cherry Pie Bites by The Freshman Cook
Dark Cherry BBQ Sauce by The Joyful Foodie
Balsamic Cherry Brie Stuffed French Toast by Pantry Friendly Cooking
Cherry Chocolate Coconut Slices by Baking in Pyjamas
Vanilla Ice Cream with Dried Cherries and Dark Chocolate by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Chocolate Cherry Protein Smoothie by Mrs. Penguin
Cherry Danishes by Passion Kneaded
Dark Cherry-Cranberry Compote by Rhubarb and Honey
National Cherry Month by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Crock Pot Balsamic Cherry Beef Roast by Rae Gun Ramblings
Cherry Glazed Cherry Muffins by We Like to Learn as We Go

Pumpkin & Peanut Butter Pop Tarts

Welcome back to our monthly Foodie Extravaganza!

If this is your first time joining us, the Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food! Each month we incorporate one main ingredient into recipes to share with you and this month that ingredient is a classic family favorite...PEANUT BUTTER!

Which means you can see 18 more delicious and unique peanut butter recipes at the end of this post. 

When peanut butter was chosen for this month's Foodie Extravaganza, I immediately knew what I would make. A couple months ago, I made a peanut butter pie with an oatmeal crust and it was amazing. I ate it for breakfast, with lunch and dinner and as a snack. I meant to write a post about it but just never got around to it. Here was my chance. I particularly loved the oatmeal crust. I have always had difficulties with traditional pie crusts and this oat crust was simple with an extra boost of whole grains and fibre. 

But as today drew closer, I changed my mind. I didn't want an entire pie anymore. That would probably be dangerous. I ate that last one in..er.. perhaps I shouldn't say how few days it took. So what to make? I asked a couple friends and one suggested a tart. She was thinking in the style of Jamaican plantain tarts which are puff pastry pockets filled with plantain cooked in sugar and spices. I was still hesitant about laminating dough when making pop tarts popped (pun so unintentional) in my head. Time to face the pie crust demon.

This was actually my most successful pie crust attempt. It just worked. I don't know if the pie crust gods were just on my side. Or if it was the fact that South Florida was experiencing record low temps. (It was in the 50's on Sunday morning!) Maybe I just had more confidence and patience. Who knows. I just know that these pop tarts were good. Very, very, good. I want to "pop tart" everything. Don't be surprised if pop tarts show up again for the next few posts. The pumpkin and peanut butter combination is different. The peanut butter slightly overwhelms pumpkin. Maybe next time I won't use equal amounts so it will  be pumpkin with a nutty undertone. I loved having that hint when I made carrot soup with peanut butter. I didn't use a lot of sugar. Feel free to increase or use a sweetener of your choice. Maple syrup should be good. Play around with the spices too. 

Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Pop Tarts

Ingredients

Crust

6 oz all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 oz cold butter, in half inch cubes

Filling

2 tablespoons cooked and pureed pumpkin

2 tablespoons peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)

1.5 tablespoons sugar, to taste

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

pinch ground nutmeg

pinch ground cloves

Frosting 
1 cup powdered sugar
milk
 

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Toss in cold butter cubes then place the mixture in the freezer for ten minutes. 

Empty the contents of the bowl onto a baking mat. Using the heel of your hand or a rolling pin, flatten the cubes of butter into the flour. Repeat until all the flour seems to be buttered.

Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture and add just enough milk to get the dough to start clumping together. It should not be wet. It may even seem dry. Press everything together, flatten into a rough rectangular shape, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Blend together all the filling ingredients. 

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to a 8" x 12" rectangle. Cut into 8 4" x 3" rectangles. 

Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of 4 of the rectangles leaving a half inch border around the edges.. Poke vent holes in the remaining rectangles. Top the filled rectangles with a vented-top. Use a fork to seal the edges.

Place the tarts in the fridge while the oven preheats to 350 F. 

When the oven is heated, bake the tarts on a parchment lined baking sheet for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.

When cooled, mix the powdered sugar with just enough milk to make a thick frosting. Spread on tarts.

Don't miss the rest of these delicious peanut butter recipes!

To see more delicious Foodie Extravaganza treats or learn how to join the party each month visit us here!

Savory Dishes

• Peanut Butter and Chicken Pumpkin Stew by Reneé at Kudos Kitchen by Reneé
• Peanut Butter Beef Stew by Joy at The Joyful Foodie
• Peanut Butter Curry Ramen by Marissa at Rae Gun Ramblings
• Peanuty Autumn Roots by Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Sesame Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles by Melanie at Garnish and Glaze
• Thai Peanut Chicken Skewers by Pantry Friendly Cooking

Sweet Treats

• 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies by Lindsay at My Creative Days
• Applesauce Peanut Butter Muffins by Kathleen at Fearlessly Creative Mammas
• Buckeye Brownie Bites by Teri at The Freshman Cook
• Dairy Free Chocolate Syrup Swirled Peanut Butter Blondies by Mary Frances at The Sweet {Tooth} Life
• Hong Kong French Toast by Tara at Tara's Multicultural Table
• Peanut Butter & Potato Chip Fudge by Kaylin at Keep it Simple, Sweetie
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes by Jacklyn at Mrs. Penguin Bakes
• Peanut Butter Filled Steamed Buns by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Peanut Butter Potato Candy by Cindy at Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Pumpkin & Peanut Butter Pop Tarts by Kelly at Passion Kneaded
• Reese's Krispies Popcorn by Rebekah at Making Miracles
• Salted Vanilla Bean Peanut Butter Cup Fudge by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas