I am always taking pictures. And not all of them seemed to fit my most recent post, but I wanted to share all the same.  

I started working this week! Getting back into the grove of kitchen life (or just work in general) has proved to be a bit of a struggle. I really started to love putzing around in my home kitchen, cooking and baking when I chose to, becoming inspired by what ingredient was featured in my latest issue of Bon Appatit. With that said, I really did enjoy my first week. Shelburne Farms is a 1,400-acre farm that is owned and operated by an educational nonprofit. The Inn (where I work) is located right on the shores of Lake Champlain, set back from the main road, it's beautiful. The restaurant at the Inn prides itself on being one of the premier farm-to-table establishments in Vermont. The menu is dictated by what is available in the market garden as well as what is available on neighboring farms. Additionally Shelburne Farms also produces Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese as well as raises lambs and pigs. It's an exciting place to work, as I love the challenge of finding uses for the variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs that are available to us in the pastry kitchen. It's a wonderful feeling to be working amidst like-minded creative individuals, sharing not only life stories and experiences, but also taking the opportunity to learn from one another. 
OK, my hokey kitchen rant is over. I promise this upcoming week I will snap more shots of what I'm whipping up....

I admit, that last paragraph was written last week. Monday evening of last week, my creative juices were running, I hemmed and hawed a little, but I managed to pump out the above paragraph. And then I most likely became distracted by something or someone... wandered away, telling myself I would return to write the last bit before the end of the week. Obviously that never happened. I feel as though I have somewhat of a valid excuse, work is kicking my behind (in the best way possible) and by the time I return home I either want to soak up the last bit of sunshine with an evening bike ride or hang with my gals. 

I've done so much cooking and baking in the past week between home and work, the only way I am able to keep some sort of order is through my pictures. I get a bit overwhelmed with all the recipes I find that spark my interest, and just last week I started a list, a list that never really ends, but all the same a list of all the recipes I stumble upon and want to save for later making. I'm proud to say that I have tackled at least 5 thus far. 

With Jamie gone during the week, I fall off the band wagon a bit in terms of making myself actual meals that go beyond blueberries, yogurt, and rice cakes. A quick blurb on Jamie, he's possibly the best person to cook for. He will eat almost anything, is endlessly encouraging, and seems to find equal excitement in the dishes I prepare. Thus is why, when he's been away this past month, I have started sending him and his work fellas treats. A tiny box that is stuffed with whatever I choose to whip up. I absolutely love sending things in the mail, decorating the package, sending sweet notes, oh man, it's the best. This past week I sent them blackberry filled hand pies. My dad had picked a mass amount of blackberries and left me with at least 10 cups. Eeek! What was I to do with all that fruit? Hand pies!

Patee Brisee
1 3/4 cups (245 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks / 228 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons cold milk

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a handheld mixer), mix together the flour, sugar, and salt for 10 to 15 seconds, or until combined. Scatter the butter over the top. Mix on low speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or just until the flour is no longer bright white and holds together when you clump it and lumps of butter the size of pecans are visible throughout.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and milk until blended. Add to the flour mixture all at once. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until the dough just barely comes together. It will look really shaggy and more like a mess than a dough.

Dump the dough out onto an unfloured work surface, then gather it together into a tight mound. Using your palm and starting on one side of the mound, smear the dough bit by bit, starting at the top of the mound and then sliding your palm down the side and along the work surface (at Flour we call this “going down the mountain”), until most of the butter chunks are smeared into the dough and the dough comes together. Do this once or twice on each part of the dough, moving through the mound until the whole mess has been smeared into a cohesive dough with streaks of butter.

Gather up the dough, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and press down to flatten into a disk about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using.


Quick Blackberry Jam Filling 
1 quart fresh ripe blackberries, hulled
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Put the blackberries in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a large skillet and stir in the sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, and cook until the jam is thickened about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let come to room temperature.

... To make the filling even more delicious, feel free to add a bit of whipped cream cheese to the jam. When I say whipped, I mean, throw it in your kitchen Aide if ya got one, or just give it a good stir to loosen it up, then add to jam. 


Assembly
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Divide your dough into two. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out your dough to 1/2"-1/4" thick. I like to use round fluted cookie cutters. I like my hand pies to be a bit rustic looking, so feel free to free form it. After cutting out the circles, I take about a 1/2 teaspoon of filling an plop it down a bit off center on the round. Using a pastry brush, I lightly brush the edges with water. I then fold the circle in half, making sure that the filling doesn't leak out. Using the tins of a fork dipped in flour, I seal the edges of the hand pie. Once all the pies have been filled, I like to freeze them for about 20 minutes (they retain their shape better this way). While the pies are freezing, make the egg wash. This will add shine to the final pastry! Yeah! To make the egg wash, blend 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water. When the hand pies are ready, lightly brush with your egg wash and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar. They are now ready for the heat! Place in the oven for about 15 minutes. You want them to be lightly browned. 

Updates! I was offered the job at The Inn at Shelburne Farms, and said yes on the spot! A seasonal position that will offer me the opportunity to persue what I truly love, but will allow me to leave come December when Jamie and I plan on taking off to Southeast Asia (more on that in the coming weeks). I conquered my exercise/yoga goals like a champ this week; made a point to go out biking every morning, and hit up some local yoga classes. My new glasses came in the mail, relief! No more headaches when I'm in bed reading cookbooks. And lastly, probably the most disheartening, I think I may be allergic to pecans, gah! I rarely/never spend the money on pecans when baking because they are just so damn expensive. But, I do love a good Pecan Pie, as does my significant other. I decided on Friday that I would surprise Jamie with his favorite pie, a welcome home baked good for him to savor all weekend. Fast forward a few hours, I've downed a bite or two of pie, my throat is feeling a bit scratchy. I ignore the obvious symptoms. Saturday evening comes along, Jamie's enjoying a bit of pie, I grab a fork and have a bite. Five minutes later my face is covered in hives and quickly spreading to my legs. This time, I'm a bit more responsive, maybe because I assume all nut allergies to be somewhat severe. My roommate Colin jumps up, runs about the apartment to try to locate Benadryl, comes back with Bengay. This story really doesn't have a dramatic ending, rather I realized I need to make an appointment to get this pecan thing checked out. 

A few side pieces, I got to enjoy the lovely food at Duende twice this week. If you live in the area, do yourself a favor and go check it out, order the Poutine with butternut squash gravy. I tried my hand at Jim Lahey's Rye Bread, it was delicious and a perfect replacement for english muffins in the eggs benedict I made Jamie yesterday. Revolution Kitchen opens up this week, a new restaurant in Burlington offering all vegetarian and vegan fare, yes please! I also started a long long list of recipes I plan on tackling in the coming weeks; Sweet Corn Ice cream with Raspberry Sauce anyone? 

I leave you with the best Pecan Pie recipe. It has a bit more pecans than in your traditional pie, but I know you'll love it all the same. 

Flour Bakery's Pecan Pie
Pate Brisee ----> Pie dough
140 grams all purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
128 grams cold unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons cold milk

1. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Scatter the butter over the top and mix on low speed for about 45 seconds, or until the flour is no longer bright white and holds together when you clump it and pecan-size lumps of butter are visible throughout. 

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and milk until blended. Add to the flour-butter mixture all at once. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until the dough barely comes together. It will look really shaggy and more like a mess than a dough.

3. Dump the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and gather it together into a tight mound. Using your palm and starting on one side of the mound, smear the dough bit by bit, starting at the top of the mound and then sliding your palm down the side and along the work surface, until most of the butter chunks are smeared into the dough and the dough comes together. Do this once or twice on each part of the dough, moving through the mound until the whole mess has been smeared into a cohesive dough with streaks of butter.

3. Gather up the dough and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and press down to flatten into a disk about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using. 

Pecan Pie Filling
150 grams sugar
120 grams water
320 grams light corn syrup
30 grams unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
250 grams pecan halves 

1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a well-floured work surface, roll out the dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Roll the circle around the pin and then unfurl it on top of a 9-inch glass pie dish. Press the dough gently into the bottom and sides of the pan. Evenly pleat the overhanging dough with your fingers to create a decorative edge. Refrigerate the pie shell for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line the pie shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil- fill with pie weights or dried beans. Blind bake for about 30 minutes, or until the entire shell is light brown. 

3. Meanwhile in a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and stir gently with a small rubber spatula until the sugar is dissolved. Be sure the sides of the pan do not have any sugar crystals on them; if the do, use a pastry brush dipped in water to wash down any clinging sugar. (This helps prevent crystallization of the sugar as you are caramelizing it.) Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Do not jostle the pan as it is coming to a boil, or the syrup may start to crystalize. Once the syrup starts to color to a pale brown, you can gently swirl the pan to even out the caramelization. It will take 3-4 minutes for the sugar to start caramelizing and another 30 seconds or so to even out.

4. Once the sugar is golden brown, turn down the heat to medium and carefully pour in the corn syrup. It will sputter a bit and get clumpy. Continue to whisk for 1 to 2 minutes, or until all of the clumps of sugar have melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted and combined.

5. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into the egg mixture, a little at a time, whisking constantly. When all of the sugar mixture has been incorporated, add the pecans and stir to coat well.

6. When the pie shell is ready, remove from the oven and leave the oven set at 350 degrees F. Remove the weights and parchment/aluminum foil, and pour the pecan mixture into the shell.

7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the pecan mixture has puffed up and doesn't move when you jiggle the pan. Let cool completely on a wire rack.