Friday, you’re good.
Snuggled up on the couch with two of the kidlets, with coffee in hand and Curious George in the background, I had just had the urge for an indulgent pastry when Gabe walks through the door with donuts. After all these years maybe he is finally learning to read my mind?!
Then I look out the window to see frosting covering the grass and glittering in the sun – yes, SUN! You see it’s such a rare gift to see the sun and feel a bit of its warmth this time of year. So rare in fact that when it’s here we take advantage; windows open, playtime outside and a moment to just bask in its light.
Friends, you’re going to laugh at this one – tonight we are going to see Barry Manilow and ice skaters. This life of mine is so odd at times, I love it. Earlier in the week I styled a shoot for a commercial that will air when the skating show is on tv (later this month). One of the perks was tickets to the show and who can say no to a little Manilow and ice (well, Gabe could of but I’m insisting)?
And then there’s this salad. I created this recipe for Wisconsin Cheese and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. It’s a simple salad, as I like to have quite often, but the toasted fennel seed in the dressing and the nutty gruyere really makes it something special. My husband shot the video (he’s so good, right?!) and the folks at Wisconsin Cheese put it together.
Your Friday might not include Manilow but I still hope it’s a good one none-the-less.
Happy weekend!
Oh, one more thing: I’m hosting a little giveaway from a*pour toi on my Facebook page. If you’re not a “liker” of the page I’d “like” you to be if you’d “like”. (Is that subtle enough?)

Fennel and Apple Salad with Toasted Fennel Vinaigrette

As much as I love the cozy warmth that braises, roasts and long simmered stews provide, I grow tired of them. A few years ago I realized that much of what is in season during the winter tastes great simple sliced and eaten raw. It offers a fresh bite and crisp crunch that is often lacking in my cold month diet. This salad features raw fennel and it’s toasted seeds that scent the tangy vinaigrette. Pleasant Ridge Reserve adds the perfect bit of nuttiness and heft that this light salad needs. A very welcomed, fresh meal this time of year.

Vinaigrette

1 teaspoon fennel (use whole seed that you’ve toasted and ground, if possible)
1 teaspoon mustard
½ teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

In a bowl combine the fennel, mustard, honey, and lemon juice. Whisk to combine. While whisking those ingredients drizzle in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle the dressing onto fresh greens (I used arugula and butter lettuce). Top that with thinly sliced apple, fennel and toasted walnuts. Finish it all off with shavings of Pleasant Ridge Reserve.

*I was paid by Wisconsin Cheese to create this content but I’m so happy with how it turned out I wanted to share it with you here as well.

We want you to get a glimpse at our date night. The mess, the chaos and the joy.

We start before the kids are in bed. At times they help us prepare the meal knowing what the food is for – a special date night for mama and dad. Ivy guides my hand to cut the tomatoes just to be a part of it. She’s eager to help taste and her joyful reaction assures me that I’ve done something right. She is already fearless in the kitchen. I watch her confidently grab for ingredients as she nudges her way into the process. Carefully I remove knives out of her path and do my best to keep her safe while not discouraging her bravery and curiosity.

The cocktails are made and the kids are put to bed while I remove the sweet and tangy pork from the oven. In the not-yet-quiet  house the smells of fatty pork and pungent garlic lure us to the table and help to mute the distractions.

This evening we find ourselves casually eating on the couch. The tacos disappear quickly while the conversation lingers. By this point the house is quiet and we settle in a little closer while we talk about the latest book we are reading together.

Both of us work from home so we see each other quite often throughout the day. Quite often we are able to have three meals together as a family – a blessing I cherish in these precious days. But because of that it is easy for us to forget that even though we see each other a lot we are rarely connecting on the level that is needed to deepen our relationship. To become lazy in our marriage is the disease that can quickly kill it. Working hard to preserve our friendship and intimacy we set aside these times, learn together and carve out moments to grow.

While the summer sun slowly retreats we pull our little ice cream bombes from the freezer and finish our night with a sweet, satisfying and unsophisticated dessert that reminds us that while deep and intimate conversations are vital to the marriage, so is having fun. The laughter and goofiness instantly reminds me of falling in love with my husband as his carefree attitude and easy ability to laugh drew me to him. His joy was and continues to be infectious. Somehow he managed to turn our first “date” (said loosely as we insisted we were just friends for months) of a walk to 7-11 into a hilarious adventure that had me laughing for days, actually years, after.

The evening ends and life continues. We go about our days and weeks checking off the hundreds of items that scatter our to-do lists but that time to shut everything off sustains us and sets us closer together. We walk away feeling more of a team and less of just “roommates” and already we anticipate our next day, our next meal and our next adventure.

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For the pork I used this recipe from my dear friend Rachel. Her carnitas are pretty darn spectacular – fatty, sweet, salty and tangy – everything you want in a great taco.

Additional taco fillings:

cotija, cilantro, radish and lime.

Pico de Gallo
adapted from Bon Appetit June ‘12
makes about 2 ½ cups

It was my mother-in-law who really grew my love of pico. At their house it is a staple and it is not hard to see why. This quick salsa is so fresh, simple and with the perfect bite you get flecks of sweet tomato, spicy jalapeno and cool cilantro. Summer’s ideal accessory.

½ medium red onion
2 cups diced tomato
⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon minced jalapeno
Kosher salt

Combine everything in a medium bowl. Season with salt. A squeeze of fresh lime is perfectly acceptable I’d say.

Taqueria Guacamole

adapted from Bon Appetit June ‘12
makes about 2 cups

Usually I like my guacamole thick and full of large chunks of avocado. This simple recipe yields a simple and creamy guacamole perfect for adding to tacos.

2 large, ripe avocados
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon lime zest
Kosher salt
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In a medium bowl mash avocado with lime zest, juice and a hearty pinch of salt using a fork to break up the avocado.
Once creamy and well mashed stir in the cilantro and minced garlic. Add a bit of water (1 Tablespoon at a time) to achieve a smooth texture. Season with salt or more lime juice.

Little Bombes
adapted from Jeni Britton Bauer via Bon Appetit, June ‘12

12 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
⅓ cup coconut oil
pinch salt

topping suggestions:
cinnamon
lime, lemon or orange zest
ground coffee
cocoa nibs
coconut
sprinkles
flake salt
candied ginger
turbinado sugar

In a medium bowl combine the chocolate, coconut oil and salt. Microwave in intervals of 30 seconds stirring between each or melt over a bowl of simmering water.

Once melted remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

While the chocolate is cooling scoop some ice cream onto a cold plate then place in the freezer until ready to dip.

With a scoop of ice cream on a fork spoon the melted chocolate over the ice cream. Using another fork gently slide the chocolate covered scoop of ice cream onto a plate and sprinkle with any number of toppings. Work in small batches and quickly return ice cream to the freezer. Let set for at least 10 minutes before serving.

This can also be done several days in advance.

Pork Tacos // Little Ice Cream Bombes

For the pork I used this recipe from my dear friend Rachel. Her carnitas are pretty darn spectacular - fatty, sweet, salty and tangy - everything you want in a great taco.

Additional taco fillings:

cotija, cilantro, radish and lime.

Pico de Gallo
adapted from Bon Appetit June ‘12
makes about 2 ½ cups

It was my mother-in-law who really grew my love of pico. At their house it is a staple and it is not hard to see why. This quick salsa is so fresh, simple and with the perfect bite you get flecks of sweet tomato, spicy jalapeno and cool cilantro. Summer’s ideal accessory.

½ medium red onion
2 cups diced tomato
⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon minced jalapeno
Kosher salt

Combine everything in a medium bowl. Season with salt. A squeeze of fresh lime is perfectly acceptable I’d say.

Taqueria Guacamole

adapted from Bon Appetit June ‘12
makes about 2 cups

Usually I like my guacamole thick and full of large chunks of avocado. This simple recipe yields a simple and creamy guacamole perfect for adding to tacos.

2 large, ripe avocados
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon lime zest
Kosher salt
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In a medium bowl mash avocado with lime zest, juice and a hearty pinch of salt using a fork to break up the avocado.
Once creamy and well mashed stir in the cilantro and minced garlic. Add a bit of water (1 Tablespoon at a time) to achieve a smooth texture. Season with salt or more lime juice.

Little Bombes
adapted from Jeni Britton Bauer via Bon Appetit, June ‘12

12 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
⅓ cup coconut oil
pinch salt

topping suggestions:
cinnamon
lime, lemon or orange zest
ground coffee
cocoa nibs
coconut
sprinkles
flake salt
candied ginger
turbinado sugar

In a medium bowl combine the chocolate, coconut oil and salt. Microwave in intervals of 30 seconds stirring between each or melt over a bowl of simmering water.

Once melted remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

While the chocolate is cooling scoop some ice cream onto a cold plate then place in the freezer until ready to dip.

With a scoop of ice cream on a fork spoon the melted chocolate over the ice cream. Using another fork gently slide the chocolate covered scoop of ice cream onto a plate and sprinkle with any number of toppings. Work in small batches and quickly return ice cream to the freezer. Let set for at least 10 minutes before serving.

This can also be done several days in advance.

*that is not my kitchen in the video. I wish it was, however.

Before saying hi to the cows casually grazing in the field, or giving the ponies much attention, before gathering a few garden scraps for the sake of making the chickens happy or giving much of a hello to my parents, I headed straight towards the walnut trees at the mini farm that is my parent’s house.

I had never before watched the process of walnuts turning from a lime-like pod to become a buttery, slightly bitter nut that I know and love. The shadow that the large leaves provided was a perfect canopy to escape the warm summer sun. In the spring we watched a flourishing insect community take roost among the branches – some bad, most good. I examined every change and anticipated when they would finally be ready, all the while gathering recipes in my mind.

Then one day when the days were gray and the ground was wet it happened. I got a text from my mom with an image of walnuts half out of their greenish-brown coverings, strewn all over the green carpeted floor under the tree, “they’re ready.”

Before long the five of us we’re making an hour long trek to the little farm with fresh walnuts as the mission. Well, it was my mission any way,  I’m sure the kids were more excited about pony and tractor rides. Either way we were all eager and excited to stretch our city legs on the farm.

Ivy and I fetched a deep wicker basket from my mom’s collection and quickly headed towards those trees. Her black boot covered feet found balance difficult as she had only recently discovered walking. Quickly realizing the mission she proudly plopped walnuts into the basket even if it meant taking one out only to plop it in again. She noticed the joy on my face and collected as many as she could understanding that something delicious was to become of these wet and wrinkled shells.

Ivy was right, something delicious did become of those walnuts. A caramel walnut tart. In my mom’s kitchen we made a vanilla scented butter crust. The sort of crust you dream about. One that doesn’t require cold butter and delicate hands and hours to chill. I’ve been known to force people to time me while making this crust – they oblige and it’s about 30 seconds. All the ingredients get dumped and stirred together, then the wet dough is patted into form. It bakes with no fear of shrinking and awards your minimal efforts with a lightly sweet, tender bite.

While the crust baked Ivy and I whisked together bittersweet chocolate, cream and creme fraiche anticipating the desire for a dark, bitter taste to balance the sweet caramel. We ate it, although not necessary. Both she and I are not ones to turn down chocolate.

Let’s talk for a moment about caramel. It can be intimidating, right? It is one of my favorite things to teach as so many are afraid to try but when they see how easy it can be it opens up a world of possibilities for them.

We start with a large, very clean sauce pan. If there is any fear of residue, wipe the interior with lemon juice or vinegar using a clean dish towel. All the utensils involved in making a caramel should be impeccably clean. In the restaurant this was the reason why we required a set of spatulas separate from the savory side – a speck of leftover anything can wreak havoc on a pot of perfectly golden caramel.

Next add your sugar, lemon juice and enough water to enable the sugar to reach the consistency of wet sand. If you add too much water don’t worry, it will just take a bit longer to caramelize. During the next few steps I like to use my hands so that I can really feel where the sugar is and what is happening in my pan – a spatula works fine if you are opposed to sugar fingers.

Stir the sugar, lemon juice and water until completely combined. Wipe down the sides of the pan with more water until you don’t feel or see any sugar granules clinging to the side. What we are fighting against is crystallization – it’s the enemy of a smooth caramel. It’s the enemy of most candy making actually. Crystallization happens when sugar caramelizes at different points. So if you have sugar that is nearly caramelized and a granule falls into the pan from off the side you may have a problem. Now, in saying all this I don’t mean to add to the intimidation of caramel making but simply to inform you of the problem and give you the proper ways to avoid it.

At this point crank up the heat and don’t touch the pan. Let the sugar dissolve then boil like crazy but don’t walk away. It happens quickly and there is no coming back from a pan of burnt sugar.

If around the sides of the pan you notice some color but the middle remains colorless, carefully swirl to mix.

The caramel is done when it has reached the color of a penny – a deep amber. You can go lighter but I like to take it to the edge, teetering the line of bitter and sweet.

Turn off the heat and add the butter, cream, and creme fraiche. You will see why we use a large pan at this point as the caramel bubbles up madly at the addition of the cold fats. Stand back until it has calmed down then carefully swirl the pan to combine. Then you are done. Perfect caramel.

Unless you are okay with warm caramel puddling all over your plate, the only down side to this recipe is needing to wait. We couldn’t and didn’t with no complaints of puddled caramel. Being a resourceful bunch we used the crust to help mop up the mess.

My recommendation is joining this rich tart with a lightly sweetened cream. If you like the mature tang of creme fraiche add a heap of that to the cream you are whipping, I find it settles the intensely sweet caramel nicely.

This tart made the long wait for ripe walnuts completely worth it. That and seeing my baby girl clenching those golden shells around her pudgy fingers. I’m already excited for next year’s harvest.

Caramel Walnut Tart

Tart shell

makes enough dough to for a 9” or 10” tart

¼ cup powdered sugar

½ cup butter (melted)

pinch salt

½ tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

In a medium bowl stir together all the ingredients. The dough will be quite wet but can easily be pressed into a tart pan or spring form pan.

Bake at 350*F for about 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden.

Let cool.

Chocolate Glaze

Not necessary to make this tart a memorable one but really what isn’t improved upon by the addition of chocolate?

½ cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup cream fraiche

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Add the chocolate to a medium bowl.

In a small sauce pan, heat the cream and creme fraiche over medium heat. Watch carefully as cream tends to bubble up and boil over quickly. When bubbles appear all over the surface, remove from the heat and immediately pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute the whisk to combine.

Can use immediately or store in a covered container in the fridge for 2 weeks. Makes a great ice cream topping or hot chocolate base.

Caramel Filling

The recipe in the video had double the caramel but I found it to be a bit too much. As it is this recipe is quite rich but I like this ratio of crust, caramel, and cream much more pleasant.

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tbl lemon juice

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces

¼ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoons crème fraîche

1 cup walnuts, toasted, roughly chopped

Place sugar, water, and lemon juice in a heavy, large saucepan. Stir to combine. Wash down the sides of the pan until no sugar remains. Set on high heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, about 7-10 minutes depending on the power of your stove and the pan you use. If the sugar around the sides begin to caramelize more rapidly, gently swirl the pan to mix.

Remove from heat. Whisk in butter, cream and creme fraiche (mixture will bubble vigorously).  Stir in walnuts. Let cool until slightly thick before pouring into prepared crust. Let cool until caramel is set. If you are really eager you can pop it in the refrigerator for a bit.

Serve with lightly whipped cream.

I couldn’t decide on the perfect cake to celebrate my little girl turning one. So I did what any normal person would do – I made three cakes.

It’s possible I regretted this decision as I frantically frosted while the list of things yet to do grew longer and longer as time went on. But in the end there were three. Every little girl needs three cakes at her birthday.

Many of you commented on the gradient cake from this post. Layers of pink fondant subtly change in tone creating a sweet, modern looking cake. In the name of birthday parties everywhere, my husband and I created a video to show the process of creating this cake.

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I used Fondarific Buttercream Antique White Fondant and also Fondarific Buttercream Red Fondant. As lovely as this fondant smells I still prefer to peel mine off rather than eating it. My children, however, love the stuff.

You will also need a frosted cake, water and a paintbrush, a straight edge (or a good eye), pizza cutter (or sharp knife), rolling pin, and powdered sugar to keep the fondant from sticking.

Begin by covering your cake in a 1/4″ thick layer of fondant.

Roll out the darkest color of the gradient to about 1/8″ thick and cut into two roughly 1″ strips. Use powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Apply a small amount of water to the back of the strips than place on the base of the cake. Apply both strips then add some white to the first gradient color to create a lighter tone. Continue the process until you reach the top of the cake.

Keep the seams in the same place.

There it is.

I have recently become aware of a sub-culture that exists in the ever growing world of food lovers. The people that exist in this culture are passionate, determined, generous, adventurous, tough, gentle and secretive. They are at times self-less and giving and conversely elusive and greedy. For the mushroom hunter, finding the perfect specimen is the ultimate priority but to share their find and to introduce one to the often secretive world of the forager – well, they are just too darn excited and in love with the fungi not to.

Angelo Pellegrini defines mushroom hunters as such; “He hunts only at the crack of dawn and wears his shirt inside out. To ask why is to ask why fire burns. His credo may be stated thus: he has sworn an oath to keep his mushroom patches secret and to find and to poach on the patches of other hunters. When mushrooms are the prize, the scope of all his aspirations is narrowed to these two goals. Though in all else he may be as saintly as St. Francis, in the pursuit of these ends he is more satanic than satan. He will betray his nearest and dearest without the slightest twitch of flesh or spirit. He is amoral.”

While I have yet to find the answer as to why they wear their shirts inside out, I can now understand this definition to be quite comical in its honest and nearly perfect portrayal of those who tirelessly seek out mushrooms. After spending an unforgettable day with three foragers I would never use the word “satanic” to describe them. It might have been that they were simply guarding me from that aspect seeing that it was my first time out but on this day they were all saints.

I will say however, that I fear if I were to give too many descriptors regarding the location of our finds you may never hear from me again. So I shall choose my words wisely.

Our day of foraging happened a couple of weeks ago while the sun was still warm and the heirloom Brandywine Tomatoes plucked from Jon and Kate’s garden prior to leaving, were at their peak. The English language lacks the words to describe the honor and privilege I felt to be a part of this expedition. A permanent grin painted my face as I spent the day with Kate McDermott (the queen of pie), Jon Rowley (contributing editor for Gourmet Magazine, Pellegrini award recipient, James Beard award-winning food consultant) and Langdon Cook (author of the recently published book, “Fat of the Land” and the blog by the same title).

There were jokes of blindfolding me on our drive and confiscating my iPhone so I would be unable to plug in the GPS coordinates of our location but I was too enthralled in the conversation and the idea of seeking the woods for our next meal to pay attention to where we were going.

We arrived at our first location, slowing the car down for our initial hunt. The well-trained eyes of my companions spotted several varieties from the comfort of their seats and quickly determined that this spot was to their liking. As an eager child combs the sand in search of beach glass my eyes scanned the forest floor in search of anything resembling a mushroom. Even though I studied the mushroom manual in the backseat on our long voyage I was completely clueless as to what was fit to eat and what would cause hallucinations similar to what Alice felt as she followed the tardy rabbit.

Years of experience and education taught my fellow hunters what to look for and what to avoid as they continually answered my calls of “what about this one?” and “what’s this? Can I eat it?”

Our team began to separate in the midst of the trees, each on our own mission to be the hunter awarded the honor of the “first find of the day”.

It didn’t take long for us to notice Jon carefully cradling several specimen. With great excitement we rushed over to see what our fellow hunter had found. We gathered round like a bunch of school kids to see what Jon had brought to show-and-tell. He proudly described his find and as he was doing so I inhaled a pungent flavor of woods and meaty, aromatic mushrooms.

Langdon taught me the clever way to decipher the Matsutake variety. “Red hots and wet socks”. Sure enough one deep inhale through my nose and I quickly understood how this phrase was coined. While we associate the smell of apple cider, cinnamon and roasted squash as the pronouncement of Fall, in Japan it is the distinctive aroma of the Matsutake that rings in Autumn.

We continued our day hoping from one “hot spot” to the next. While Jon and Langdon had their intuitive mushroom seeking sensors tuned in Kate and I continually brought our conversations back to the joys of pie. The car would stop at a new location and we would all pile out with much anticipation as to what we could find in the dirt.

This would be the first time that I’ve seen Matsutake, Porcini, Lobster and Chanterelles outside of the market. Combine that thrill with the joy on Jon’s face each time we spotted a mushroom, the taste of Kate’s pies eaten in the woods, simple sandwiches of fresh baked bread and tomatoes bursting with their own juices sliced with a leatherman in the trunk of a car, the crisp air cutting through the warmth of the sun, learning from the wisdom of experienced foragers such as Jon and Langdon and of course the immeasurable pride and excitement I felt when I spotted my first unguided find – a bountiful pile of Chanterelles – I’m hooked.

In all honesty, my lust for mushrooms is a recent development. As a child I would meticulously peel them off my pizza, remove them from strogonoff and avoid them in stews. I still get slightly squeamish at the texture but can greatly appreciate the depth they lend to many of my dishes. But it wasn’t until taking the proper actions in order to seek out the mushroom rather than simply grabbing them from the store that I was able to truly appreciate fungi.

On a recent trip to San Francisco I stood in awe in front of a mushroom purveyor at the Ferry Building. I stared at the Chanterelles and imagined each one in its original environment. I noticed how clean they were and thought about the care taken to gently brush away each spot of dirt so as not to spoil the rest of the batch. I imagined the hunters in the early morning fog heading out to their “spot” in search of their treasure.

I have to come to honor the mushroom not just for its unmistakable flavor that it imparts but because I now understand it much better (with infinitely more to learn). I have discovered where they come from, the care taken to properly find the best variety and the work needed in order for them to be a part of my dinner.

The more I come to learn about food the more I fall deeper in love with it. Good food is both simple and incredibly complex. The good news for us is that if we choose to select and seek out “good food” – food that is seasonal, often local and grown with skill and passion – then much of the work is done for us and it’s quite easy to convert that food into an unforgettably delicious meal.

The complexity comes from how our food was created, how it was grown, who knew when it was the precise time to pluck the fruit from its branches and who took the time to create the perfect soil conditions to attain the proper sweetness.

This complexity is beyond my comprehension. Much of it is driven by the passion of farmers who care enough about good food to unravel some of these complexities in order for us to enjoy a meal that causes us to moan in joy and acknowledgment of a job well done.

Sometimes the intricacy of good food is created for us, as is the case of the mushroom. Our job is to know and understand the many varieties and then seek them out. But they are there, for us to enjoy, savor and consume with great pleasure – for this and many other reasons I believe there is a God because good Lord these mushrooms were good!

Phew. After all that hunting, foraging and thinking – I dried my porcini and sauteed my Chanterelles in butter, salt/pepper and white wine – ate some then froze the rest so that I can, at another time, relive this day that I will never forget.

So if you are like me pictures really do speak a thousand words. When learning a new technique if I have an image to guide me along the process then I am golden.

Because of this I decided to post again on Puff pastry (yes, it is that good it deserves multiple posts) In the brief but educational video above you will see the steps necessary to laminate your puff dough. If that moved a little to quickly for you then hear is a visual step-by-step instruction perfect for all you right-brainers out there.

First we start with the detrempe (the dough) and the butter block (just a little bit of butter in this recipe – speaking of recipe… you can find it here.)

Then take the slightly cooler than room temperature detrempe and start shaping it into a plus sign, or a dissected envelope. I start shaping it with my hands and then I use the rolling pin.

The butter is soft enough to bend (if it is to cold it will crack) but not to soft that it gives when you touch it.

Place the butter in the center of the detrempe.

Tightly fold the detrempe around the butter block.

Take out some aggression by pounding the dough. This way the butter is dispersed throughout and then you can use the rolling pin to even it out.

Roll the dough into a rectangle then fold like a business letter.

Rotate 90* and do the process again. That was one turn. I do two turns then let it rest for one hour until I have a total of six turns.

If you look real closely you can see the layers of butter evenly throughout. I can not ever get over how beautiful this is. When I teach this course my students think I am partially crazy because of how excited I get about the butter in the dough. I proceed to pass it around class in hopes that my excitement will be contagious.

This lucky batch of puff pastry was transformed into meat pies (a mixture of ground beef, vegetables, spices and tomato paste then stuffed into a pastry package) and apple turnovers – which I reluctantly shared with my dad… it was his birthday after all.

I hope you enjoyed and I really hope this has provided even more assistance to remove the fear that is associated with creating puff pastry.

shoutout to Gabe and my brother-in-law Garrett for putting the 20 second stop-motion video together!!

Recipe for puff pastry can be found here.