strawberry rhubarb sweetheart pie

I made this pie like, 3 weeks ago... my excuse is that I started work the day after I made it, monday to friday, 9 to 5...

So I suppose it's better late than never

The thing is that I didn't really have a recipe, I just had a crapload of farmer's market strawberries and 5 or 6 stalks of rhubarb. I kind of just threw it together with a little bit of sugar and cinnamon. Cinnamon seemed like a kind of strange idea but I really liked the way it turned out.



My only complaint would be that the center was a bit juicy. Next time I will throw in a little bit of cornstarch to thicken it up.



I made the crust from scratch too because Trader Joe's didn't have any and that's the only brand of pie crust I like. I was proud of myself because it was my first time making crust and it turned out really soft and flaky! The trick is to handle it as little as possible. I'm pretty sure I used a recipe from my Joy of Baking cookbook but I can't remember... sorry I fail at this food blogging business. Bah! Recipes! Who needs 'em?




love,
SARAH


PS I'm pretty sure I have some pictures of these amazing meyer's lemon bars that I made also, but I think they might still be on my camera... perhaps next time...

cinnamon rolls.

so this might be a wee bit late (who am i kidding?), but i made cinnamon rolls a few weeks ago (see what i mean by late?). and they were damn delicious. though i had cut them a bit to thin (i knew something was up when i was placing them in the pan), they were still yummy, and portion controlled if you will. 

so i followed the recipe on smitten kitchen. and damn was it good. so i'll be quoting from that blog. :)

"Dough

1 cup whole milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise or instant yeast (from 1 envelope yeast)

1 teaspoon salt

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling

3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Pinch of salt

Glaze

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract"

 

"For dough: Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, about 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add additional 2 1/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. (You may also use a KitchenAid’s dough hook for this process.) Form into ball.

Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours."

  

For filling: Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt in medium bowl.

"Press down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15×11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon mixture evenly over butter. Starting at the longer side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, trim ends straight if they are uneven (we baked them in a ramekin, incapable of discarding such deliciousness) cut remaining dough crosswise with thin sharp knife (a good serrated worked well here) into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).

Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes (an 8-inch square metal pan worked just fine, too) with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes, though yours, like mine, may take longer. Don’t skimp on the double-rising time.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up."

 

"For glaze: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature."

 

these babies practically took all day to make and bake. but they were so worth it. i added walnuts and nutmeg to my filling. later this summer, i'll make these again the correct (bigger) way. until then, enjoy. 

 

love,

LEILA GRACE.