Tuesdays With Dorie - Summer Fruit Galette

Who doesn't love fresh fruit in the summer time (or any season, for that matter)? When I saw that Tuesdays With Dorie's next recipe was Dorie's Summer Fruit Galette, I started to think of the possible fruit combinations. Originally, I wanted to do apricots because I have never had fresh apricots (gasp!). Unfortunately, the local farm was sold out and the grocery store didn't put them on sale until the day after I made this (regular price - $3.99 a pound). So I decided to go with peaches. Then I thought, well raspberries compliment peaches, so it turned into a peach and raspberry galette.

For those not familiar with a galette, it's a pie crust filled with whatever (usually fruit but I suppose you could make a nut filling). What makes it a galette and not a pie or tart is the folding of the dough as opposed to putting it in a pie or tart pan.

I used peach preserves for the jam flavor, simply because that's what we had in the fridge. I am still new at homemade pie crusts, and since I don't own a food processor and I was too lazy to use the blender, I made it by hand. I don't think I rolled it out to a full 13 inches, but eh. Mine turned out to be VERY juicy from the peaches, so I guess that means more graham cracker crumbs next time. Also, I didn't use all of the custard. Honestly, I couldn't tell there was the custard filling simply because my galette was filled to max capacity and it was incredibly juicy. I would definitely be making this galette again, perhaps with apricots next time.

It also makes a good breakfast snack *cough*


Summer Fruit Galette




It was Michelle's turn to pick the recipe. If you own the book, the recipe is on page 366. If you don't have the book (what are you waiting for?!), you can find the recipe on her blog. Thank you Michelle for picking such a nice, refreshing summer dessert!

I've Been Tagged...Again!

1. Last Movie I Saw In A Movie Theater: I went to the drive-in this past Saturday and saw The Dark Knight (good) and Journey To The Center Of The Earth (bad unless you love Brendan Fraiser)

2. What Book Are You Reading? Well, I need to finish The Subtle Knife, which is buried on my floor somewhere. Then today, I went to the library and checked out Daniel Isn't Talking and Journey To The Center Of The Earth.

3. Favorite Board Game: I play Balderdash a lot with my best friend's family.

4. Favorite Magazine: Taste of Home and The Week.

5. Favorite Smells: Chocolate, garlic, and coffee.

6. Favorite Sounds:? My cat meowing, thunderstorms, and music.

7. Worst Feeling In The World: Lack of self confidence

8. First Thing You Think of When You Wake: Lately, it has been, "damn construction workers!"

9. Favorite Fast Food Place: Arby's

10. Future Child’s Name: Lily Marie for a girl and Jayden Anthony for a boy

11. Finish This Statement - If I Had a Lot of Money... I would travel the world.

12. Do You Drive Fast? Usually 5 MPH above the speed limit.

13. Do You Sleep With a Stuffed Animal?: No. I have to hug a pillow though.

14. Storms—Cool or Scary? AWESOME!

15. What Was Your First Car? Technically, I drive my mom’s car, which is a 2001 Chevy Cavalier.

16. Favorite Drink: Coffee and Vanilla Coke.

17. Finish This Statement - If I Had the Time, I Would…” accomplish stuff on my to-do list, which includes baking, reading, and traveling.

18. Do You Eat the Stems on Broccoli? Yes.

19. If You could Dye your Hair Any Other Color, What Would It Be? I love my dark brown hair.

20. Name All the Different Cities In Which You Have Lived: Irwin; Slippery Rock; Limerick, Ireland.

21. Favorite Sport to Watch: Football.

22. One Nice Thing About The Person Who Sent This To You: She is a new blogger who is passionate about baking and enjoys visiting my blog, which makes me SMILE! :D

23. What’s Under Your Bed? CDs, pictures, my clarinet, sometimes the cat.

24. Would You Like to Be Born As Yourself Again? If I could keep the knowledge I have now and relive my life, yes because I would be more confident and not let people walk over me.

25. Morning Person or Night Owl? Night owl.

26. Over Easy or Sunny Side Up? Over easy.

27. Favorite Place to Relax: My bedroom

28. Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate peanut butter.

29. Of All the People You Have Tagged, Who Is the Most Likely to Respond First? Megan, if she’s not too busy wrecking havoc in Canada haha

Now, I tag:

Cooking in Cleveland
Megan's Cookin
Javagirlkt's Cookin'

One Dented Can of Green Beans and a Rolling Pin Later...

This past year while living at school, my one roommate would occasionally make stuffed chicken breast for her and her boyfriend. Hers was the Campbell's version with the canned soup and boxed stuffing, so it didn't appeal to me that much. However, while browsing through one of my Taste of Home magazines, I found a recipe for stuffed chicken cordon bleu. Chicken cordon bleu involves ham and swiss cheese. Until I started this blog last year, I was never a huge cheese fan. Now, I love cheese, especially feta.

This dinner is perfect for when you want to impress the people you are feeding. I bought already-thin chicken breasts because the first time I made this, I couldn't flatten the chicken thin enough. I used canned green beans, but when those didn't survive the pounding (and they deserved it - I hate canned vegetables), I resorted to the rolling pin. Don't forget to remove the toothpicks before serving!


Stuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu




4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices deli ham
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 cup bread crumbs
2 Tbsp oil

1. Preheat oven to 350F. If needed, flatten chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Top each breast with one slice of ham and one slice of cheese. Roll up as tightly as possible. Secure each with a toothpick.

2. In one bowl, combine flour, salt, paprika, and pepper. In another bowl, whisk egg and milk. In a third bowl, place bread crumbs. Dip each chicken roll first into flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. In a small skillet, brown chicken in oil on all sides. They will not be fully cooked.

3. Transfer to 13x9 pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Before serving, remove toothpicks.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Taste of Home Cooking For 2, Winter 2008 p. 23

Tuesdays With Dorie - Chocolate Pudding

I have been such a slacker this summer. You would think with no classes or school activities, I would have more time to blog. Oh, I've found plenty of time to bake and cook. I just never get in the mood to actually go online and blog about them. Actually, it has to deal more with my laptop overheating and shutting down without warning rather than laziness. The sad part is I can't open my laptop base (the bezel for you techies) to get to my fan. I can get it 75% open, but not enough to reach the fan. I'm tempted just to shell out the $35 and get it cleaned by professionals. Maybe they can teach me how to open the bezel.

I should have a little more free time now that my internship is finished. I was at Fox 53 with their commercial production department. Just as the name states, clients contact them and they shoot :30 and/or :60 commercials. Right now, not only are they doing commercials, they are working on a huge, 3-hour program for The Children's Institute. It is one of the best schools for children with special needs in the country. The place, especially the kids, made me smile every time we went there.

Because of my unpaid internship, I have been working less at my paid job. What does this have to do with me slacking with Tuesdays With Dorie? Simple - my restricted budget. Most of the recipes picked involved me buying ingredients. Although I would be up for buying fresh produce or whatever, I had to cut back on spending somewhere this summer. Once I start getting more hours at my paid job, I should hopefully be back more often. I'm surprised I haven't been kicked out of the group yet. Whenever I found out today's recipe was chocolate pudding, I ran out and bought whole milk. A 16 oz. container was only 73 cents. I'm not sure if skim milk could be substituted because the fat content may contribute to the creaminess and thickness of the pudding, so if anybody out there used skim milk and was successful, please let me know. Also, I used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of bittersweet chocolate. If you don't have a food processor, use a blender. Just be careful when pouring the hot milk mixture in because it may overflow.

One thing I noticed while reading the instructions was it is almost the same instructions as the Split-Level Pudding. In fact, the only part that was different is the chocolate ganache part.

Mine took about 3 hours to set rather than the 4 hours Dorie suggests. When serving, use pretty coffee mugs or ramekins. Top with some whipped cream and chocolate shavings (which I didn't have). I guarantee that they taste better than how my picture looks simply because my batteries were dying, and I had to take a quick pic!


Chocolate Pudding




2 1/4 cups whole milk
6 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
2 egg yolks
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and still warm
2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Bring 2 cups of whole milk and 3 Tbsp sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. In a blender or food processor, blend 3 Tbsp sugar and egg yolks for 1 minute. Add remaining 1/4 cup milk and pulse just to mix. Then add cornstarch, cocoa, and salt and pulse a few more times.

2. While the machine is still running, very slowly add hot milk mixture. Process for a few seconds more, then pour everything back into the saucepan. Whisk without stopping over medium heat until the pudding thickens and some bubbles burble and pop on the surface. Do not let it boil completely, so if it hasn't thickened yet, feel free to turn down the heat.

3. Scrape the pudding back into the machine (avoid any scorched spots) and pulse a few more times. Add butter, chocolate, and vanilla and pulse until evenly blended.

5. Pour the pudding evenly into four 6-oz or six 4-oz ramekins/cups. Press a piece of plastic wrap over each surface to prevent a milk skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Source: Baking: From My Home To Yours, 2006 p. 383

Garden Fresh

Summer is great for many reasons - lazy days, traveling, fresh produce. I've been to several farmer's markets in my area but have yet to find a great one. The ones I've been to have products such as jams and baked goods more than the actual produce. I want to be able to go to the market, pick out a vegetable, and cook a meal. Although I do have a mini garden in my backyard, they are still in the blooming process, so I bought some zucchini from one farmer. I usually just brush melted butter on zucchini slices and grill them, but I spied a patty recipe in my Taste of Home magazine. The amount of vegetables and the fact they are fried in oil balance out, no?


Zucchini Patties with Dill Dip



3/4 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp fresh minced dill
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 large carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup oil

1. For dip: In a small bowl, combine sour cream, dill, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

2. Place shredded zucchini in a colander to drain. Squeeze out any excess liquid. Pat dry; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs and garlic powder. Stir in egg and butter until blended. Add carrot, onion, garlic, and zucchini. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Shape mixture in 24 small patties. Coat with flour.

4. In a large skillet, heat oil. Fry patties, a few at a time, 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels. Serve with dip.

Makes 24 small patties.

Source: Taste of Home, Feb/March 2008 p. 56