holiday fever, that is…

i can’t lie…i’ve had it for some time now. i can hear the chorus of grumbles already, but i love seeing holiday displays. even when it’s still warm enough for me to forgo a cardigan or jacket. i’ll walk into a store and slowly drift away from sean, eyes like saucers, one hand stretched out longingly…towards the holiday displays.

i can’t help it, i’m a sucker for candy cane stripes and gift wrap, twinkly things and sparkly do-dads.

the other day i walked into such a store and came home with a mean hankering for some gingerbread. back in the day, long, long ago when i worked for the coffee giant we all know (green aprons and venti cups), i loved to set up the pastry case. especially during holiday season. though, at that time, all of their goods were laden with hydrogenated oil (you could tell because we used to squish up an expired pastry from time to time…which would result in a puddle of clear oil…nice). i’ve been told they have changed their ways. anyways…the gingerbread came in a nice little loaf with a heavy slick of cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of candied ginger.

though i don’t remember exactly how it tasted, as i was cracked-out on eggnog lattes for the duration of the season, this gingerbread is better. i just know it.

ginger-spice bread
this is adapted from a martha stewart recipe. i swapped some of the spices and also changed some of the measurements as well. i also used fresh grated ginger since i always keep a good chunk in the freezer.

1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup molasses
1 large egg, lightly beaten

preheat oven to 325 F. grease an 8-inch sqaure pan (i used two small loaf pans). in a bowl rub brown sugar with the ginger to combine. add flour, salt, baking powder, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

place butter and water in a small saucepan to melt. stir into dry ingredients until smooth. stir in molasses and egg to combine. pour into prepared pan(s) and bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (the mini loaves tooak about 25 minutes). cool on a rack before removing from pan.

cream cheese frosting
i just added powdered sugar until i got both a consistency and flavor i liked.

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon grand marnier
2 cups powdered sugar

in the bowl of a mixer, beat cream cheese and liquer on medium-high until creamy and fluffly. add powdered sugar in increments to combine. frost cake and garnish with chopped candied ginger.

as much as i love pie and as tasty as apples are…i don’t love apple pie. not even close. not even these pies…cute as they are! i wish i were awesome enough to love this american icon…but i’m not. i love all manner of berry pies, pies made w/ stone fruits of all varieties, sour cherry pie…omg l-o-v-e!

i mean, i’ve tried many an apple pie. some with blackberries and sour cream, caramel or topped with delicious crunchies…but, apple just ain’t doin’ a thing for me. i had a few spoonfuls of this pie, spiced with candied ginger and while i wasn’t put off by any one element or combination thereof, i just wasn’t wowed. i never am with apple pie.

i know, i’m ashamed. it puzzles me too.

so, now that i’ve tried my hardest to make these pies sound as unappetizing as possible, i’ll mention the crust. ohmy. ohmy…is it ever good! i used dorie greenspan’s recipe for “good for almost everything pie dough” and well, the title speaks the truth…except i thought it was better than just good ;)

good for almost everything pie dough
from dorie greenspan
usually i’m an all-butter kind of gal…but i tried this recipe, which has mostly butter and i loved it. i used non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening here with great results. also, if your feeling adventurous you can add a few grates of fresh nutmeg to the dough like i do. i’m a fan of the food processor, but lately i’ve been using a pastry blender with wonderful results…kickin’ it old school ;) feel free to use either method.

makes enough dough for four ramekin pies with top crusts or for a single crust 9-inch pie.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces and chilled or frozen in the freezer
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled or frozen
1/4 cup ice water

2 tablespoons half and half

place all ingredients except for water and half and half in a large bowl. using a pastry blender (fork tines, or even cold fingers) cut the butter and shortening into the flour until you have varied sized chunks of fat (yum!), oaty-looking crumbs and pea-sized balls. add ice water (not ice) about 1-2 tablespoons at a time and blend until dough comes together when pinched.

scrape the dough onto a smooth work surface and shape into a disk. there should still be chunks and streaks of butter visible throughout the dough. wrap with plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.
for ramekin pies, divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll out four pieces of dough to fit inside the ramekins, add filling. roll out remaining dough and top and seal each pie. cut an X in the top of each pie, brush with half and half and sprinkle with sugar(i used sanding sugar for visual appeal) and bake at 350 until the crust is golden brown and the insides are bubbling (for my oven, about 40 minutes).

apple pie filling
i used pink lady apples, i think that granny smiths are better for pie though. use what you prefer.

4 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into a rough dice
4 pieces of candied ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/2 cup sugar (this will depend on the tartness of your apples)
the juice of half a lemon

combine all ingredients in a large bowl and fold to coat well.

hello! it’s been a while since i posted anything edible and with a recipe ;)

the summer, it’s busy.
next week i will be camping with sean and his fam in half moon bay, california. i’ve never camped beach side, so i am pretty excited, plus i got a fun new lens for the camera to play with. yay! after that i will be in reno for a week before leaving to the big old apple for a whole week, then when i get back i go to san francisco with sean, my mom and her boyfriend. this summer, it’s action packed.

the heat, so hot.
…but, the evenings, so lovely.

that’s the thing about northern nevada (and i assume in other desert communities too?), the summer sun is so scorching hot during the day, but once it settles into those western sierra nevada’s, the heat of day is replaced by cool, sometimes even breezy, evenings with stunning watercolor sunsets…which i will try to remember to photograph…

if i can put my wine glass down and pull my ass up off the porch swing ;)

in an effort to beat that heat and keep the oven dialed to off, i made a granita. icy, juicy crystals=yum.

ginger.lime granita
i like granita. a lot. it’s super easy and definitely the perfect reward for surviving a super-hot day. how could you resist flaky, crunchy ice crystals flavored any way you please? oh, that’s right, you can’t resist ;)

juice of 5-6 limes (about 1 cup fresh juice)
1/2-1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated super-fine
1-2 cups sugar (to taste)
3 cups h20

stir all ingredients together until sugar dissolves completely (if need be, or patience dictates, heat up the sugar in the liquid). pour into an 8×8 (bigger is fine too) baking dish and freeze for 1 hour. remove from freezer, scratch it all up with some forks (pay special attention to the edges of the dish) and repeat until the granita is completely frozen.