This cheesy kale pita panini will turn kale haters into believers. This is a decidedly adult grilled cheese sandwich that will have you craving kale. A heap of kale, flavoured with onions, garlic and Aleppo pepper wilts down into a glorious pile of shiny tangy greens. Mixed with some mozzarella, Fontina and Gouda, this panini will satisfy both your grilled cheese craving and your need for green nutrients. Don’t omit the finishing drizzle of hot honey.
Check out how it all comes together:
Get to Know the Different Varieties of Kale
If you had told me a few years ago that I would actually crave a kale salad, I would have thought you were crazy. I used to hate kale. It made my throat itchy.
Apparently, I was doing it all wrong. I was buying curly kale, and using it raw, in salads. Curly kale is best for blending into smoothies or sauteeing, stews and soups, where the heat can mellow it’s bitter bite.
For eating raw, Tuscan Kale (aka Lacinato Kale or Dinosaur Kale or Cavalo Nero/Black Kale) is a better choice. It is a bit more tender than the curly variety and the flavour, while still quite earthy, has an almost nutty sweetness. You need to remove the stems, slice it quite thinly and let it sit in the dressing for about 10 minutes before serving. That will help to tenderize it.
Keys to Success for Cheesy Kale Pita Panini
If you don’t have a panini press, just heat a frying pan over medium heat. Place stuffed pita onto the hot pan. Place another heavy pan, like a cast iron pan, onto the sandwich, then add two heavy cans to the top pan. Press down on the cans to compress the sandwich.
Since you are sautéing the kale, either curly or Tuscan kale can be used here. Just make sure you remove the leaves from the stems and slice them very thinly.
For the cheese, use a good mix of flavourful melting cheeses. I used mozzarella, Gouda and Fontina. Monterey Jack would be a good choice as well.
Rather than trying to cut a pocket into the pita to stuff it, make your life easier and just slice the pita in half so that you can top it like a sandwich made with two slices of bread.
Don’t be shy with the Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes. Cheese is bland and needs something to wake it up.
Be picky about your pita. Not all pita bread is created equal. There are some brands out there that have the texture of cardboard. You want a thick fluffy pita. I love Angel Bakeries pita (I find it at Whole Foods).
Wash kale leaves. Strip kale leaves from stem. I find the tip of a paring knife is the best job for separating the leaf from the stem. Discard stems. Pile the leaves up and use a sharp chef's knife to slice across into 1/4 inch strips.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and diced onions. Sauté over medium heat until onions are tender, about 4-5 minutes. If onions start to burn add about 1/4 cup water. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Stir in Aleppo pepper.
Add kale and cook, tossing, until kale is wilted down. This will take 1-2 minutes. Transfer kale and onions to a large mixing bowl.
Add pesto, shredded cheese, salt and pepper to kale mixture. Mix well until everything is well combined.
Preheat panini press. (see note if you do not have panini press). Slice pita in half horizontally, and spread 1/4 of the kale and cheese mixture onto each pita. Brush both sides of pita with olive oil.
Place 2 pita onto the panini maker and grill for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and pita is golden brown. If using a skillet, flip the pita over at the 3 minute mark and grill for an additional 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining 2 pita.
Drizzle with hot honey and serve.
Notes
If you don’t have a panini press, just heat a frying pan over medium heat. Place stuffed pita onto the hot pan. Place another heavy pan, like a cast iron pan, onto the sandwich, then add two heavy cans to the top pan. Press down on the cans to compress the sandwich.
Chive Blossom Chinese Pancakes, not to be confused with the traditional Western sweet breakfast pancake, are a savoury snack. Traditionally the dough is sprinkled with scallions and sesame oil, rolled up and coiled into a spiral and then flattened out into a disc and pan-fried.
My chives have all flowered, and after last year’s success with creating Chive Blossom Butter, I was excited to find another way to use up those gorgeous chive blossoms.
I scattered my dough with toasted sesame seeds, finely chopped chives and their vibrant purple flowers for a yummy aperitivo snack. Ultra crispy and flaky on the outside and slightly chewy inside, these are addictive.
Watch how they come together.
A hot water dough for Chive Blossom Chinese Pancakes
Commonly, the dough for most Chinese pastries, like dumplings and these pancakes, is made with hot water. This is counterintuitive to everything we have been taught about pastry. Pie dough and biscuits are made with ice cold ingredients. But, the hot water acts to inhibit gluten formation. This dough rolls out so easily and is a dream to work with. A dough with a lower gluten content will be more tender. This is what we want in these pancakes. They will still have a pleasant chew.
The secret to flaky layers in Chive Blossom Chinese Pancakes
Traditionally, the dough for Chinese pancakes is made with hot water and flour. But I came across a recipe for Scallion Pancakes, by food journalist Julie Van Rosendaal that added butter to the dough. I was intrigued. First of all, butter equals flavour, and secondly, if you think about traditional butter pastries, like croissants and puff pastry, butter adds layers of flakiness. In forming these pancakes, you are in essence performing a mini lamination.
I added butter in two forms. Solid butter is worked into the flour, with your fingertips, so that you have flat shards of butter, that will release steam when it hits the hot oven, contributing to flaky layers. The second addition of butter is melted butter. After rolling the dough flat it gets brushed with melted butter and rolled up a second time to create more flaky layers. J Kenji Lopez-Alt, had the genius idea to add a second rolling and coiling of the dough, to enhance those flaky layers. It’s a small additional step, but the payoff is worth it.
What to serve these with
I made Kenji’s soy dipping sauce, loaded with ginger and scallions. It is very delicious. I also added a big drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey just before serving and that sweet heat was fantastic. If you’re feeling fancy, a glass of Prosecco is the perfect accompaniment for aperitivo hour.
Make ahead tips
The pancakes freeze beautifully. After the final rolling, I layered the uncooked pancakes between sheets of parchment or waxed paper and slid them into a freezer bag . I cooked them right from frozen, no defrosting. The cooking time was slightly longer.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Rub in 28 grams of butter. Stir in the hot water until you have a soft dough. Turn it out onto the countertop and knead for a few minutes, until it’s smooth. Return it to the bowl, cover with a towel and set aside for 30 minutes.
Using sharp scissors, snip the chive flower blossoms into individual petals. Place in a small bowl. Using scissors or knife, finely slice chives into bowl with blossoms. Mix and set aside.
Divide the dough into four pieces and roll each into a rectangle (it can be oval-ish) as thin as you can – about 7×10 inches, with a long side facing you. Brush with the melted butter.
Starting at a long side, roll up tightly into a long roll, and then shape it into a coil. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of dough and let them rest for about five minutes.
Flatten each coil, gently with your hand, then re-roll into a 7×10 inch rectangle/oval for the second time.
Brush with another layer of melted butter and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 of the chives and chive blossom mixture and 1/4 of the toasted sesame seeds and roll up tightly into a long roll, and then shape it into a coil. Flatten coil gently, with your palm and re-roll into a 7-inch disk, about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough balls.
In a small bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside at room temperature.
Drizzle 1 tablespoon vegetable oil into in an 8-inch nonstick pan and heat over medium-high heat. Carefully slip pancake into hot oil. Cook, shaking pan gently, until first side is an even golden brown (about 2 minutes). Carefully flip with tongs and continue to cook, shaking pan gently, until second side is an even golden brown (about 2 minutes longer). Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Season with salt and cut into 6 wedges. Repeat with remaining 3 pancakes. Drizzle with hot honey, if using, and serve immediately with dipping sauce.
Notes
This recipe is adapted from Julie Van Rosendaal’s recipe for Spring-Onion Cakes (Globe and Mail May 23, 2024) and Serious Eat’s Recipe for Extra-Flaky Scallion Pancakes. The additional step of a second layer of lamination is what gives a super flaky pancake. This was the genius idea of Kenji López-Alt at Serious Eats. The drizzle of hot honey was my idea. I loved the addition of sweet heat to these pancakes. I’m planning to serve these all summer long at Aperitivo hour with a glass of Prosecco. They freeze beautifully too, if you want to make them in advance and have them ready to go. Freeze them, rolled flat and uncooked, between pieces of waxed paper or parchment, and cook them straight from frozen
My husband’s side of the family is putting together a cookbook of favourite family recipes. When they polled the family, Bubbe Bess’ Tomato Macaroni and Cheese was at the top of the list for recipes that must be included. It occurred to me that I had never blogged about it, so I’m sharing the recipe with you today.
Sam Sifton, former NY Times food critic developed something he called the “Pizza Cognition Theory “(PCT). He posited that, “The first slice of pizza a child sees and tastes …, becomes, for him, pizza.” The same could be applied to any food really. When I was growing up, mac and cheese came in a box. (KD, or Kraft Macaroni and Cheese if you live in the USA).
Macaroni and cheese for my husband was something else entirely. He grew up with his mom’s (Bess) mac and cheese. Her version, a Tomato Macaroni and Cheese, forgoes the making of a traditional roux. She relied on a very unusual ingredient to add richness and creaminess. Canned tomato soup.
Watch how it comes together.
When I was introduced to my husband’s childhood mac and cheese, I was stunned. But I must admit, it has grown on me over the years. I love the tang that the tomato brings to the dish. I adapted Bess’ Tomato Macaroni and Cheese recipe slightly by adding some cream to the mix, as I found it to be a bit dry without it.
Breaking through the crispy golden breadcrumb topping to reveal the layer of creamy cheesy noodles is a study in textural contrast.
For my children and their cousins, this is the ultimate mac and cheese.
Bubbe Bess’ Macaroni and Cheese
A quick and easy macaroni and cheese that skips the step of making a roux. Canned tomato soup and cream combine with cheddar to make a rich and creamy casserole. A crispy golden breadcrumb topping adds great textural contrast to the cheesy tangy noodles.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 2 Quart casserole dish with butter and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 Tablespoons Diamond Crystal Salt to the water. Add macaroni and cook for 3 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain noodles and transfer back to pot.
Add grated cheddar, tomato soup and cream to the noodles in the pot. Mix well and transfer macaroni to the casserole dish.
Melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add bread crumbs and toss until all the crumbs are coated. Cook for about another 2 minutes, tossing well. Spread breadcrumbs over top of casserole dish. Bake macaroni and cheese for 30 minutes until cheese is bubbling and top is golden brown.
Notes
This is my late mother-in-law’s recipe. I have adapted it slightly by adding a bit of cream to the mixture, as I found it to be a bit dry. My children and all their cousins think that this is the ultimate mac and cheese!
Rhubarb season is here and I am thrilled. Strawberries are a classic pairing with rhubarb, and they come together perfectly in this galette. What makes this the ultimate strawberry-rhubarb galette is the rye crust. Yes, of course you could just use store bought puff pastry or a ready made pie crust for this galette, but I implore you to try this rye crust. This rye crust recipe comes from the book, “Good to the Grain” by Kim Boyce and Amy Scattergood. It is flaky AF and I love the the nutty, subtle earthy flavour of the rye dough. It complements the sweetness of the strawberries and tanginess of the rhubarb.
Start with making the dough. It will need time to chill. The butter must be ice cold when you work it into the flour. Don’t totally incorporate the butter. Only work it in until you can see pea sized pieces of butter. The pastry must be chilled for an hour before rolling it out.
Now here’s where the magic occurs. The dough is rolled out and folded into thirds, like a letter being stuffed out into an envelope. That rolling and folding is repeated 2 more times. What you are doing is creating distinct layers of dough and butter. Once the dough hits the hot oven, the water in the butter evaporates and creates steam. The steam gets trapped in the dough and creates air pockets. When the dough cools, you are left with delicate layers of the flakiest pastry. I could geek out on culinary alchemy all day. But suffice it to say, it’s worth taking the time to make this crust. You will be rewarded with the Ultimate Strawberry Rhubarb Galette.
While the dough is chilling, mix the strawberries and rhubarb with some sugar and let it sit to macerate for a while. It will release lots of liquid which we will use to make a glaze later.
You can make one big galette or several mini personal sized ones, your choice. Galettes are a free-form tart. Just fold the dough up over the sides. It will pleat naturally, it’s meant to be rustic looking. That is part of the galette aesthetic.
Brush it with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar. Give the galette a good chill in the fridge before baking, to firm up the butter in the dough. Halfway through the baking time, add a few tablespoons of sliced almonds to the rim of the galette. If you add them at the beginning of the baking time, they will burn. I love the added crunchy texture they add to the crust.
Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, adding back any bits of grain or other ingredients that may remain in the sifter. Add the 1/2-inch pieces of cold butter.
Rub the butter between your fingers, breaking it into smaller bits. Continue rubbing until the butter is in sizes ranging from peas to hazelnuts. The more quickly you do this, the more the butter will stay solid, which is important for the success of the recipe.
Add the vinegar and 8 tablespoons of ice water to the flour mixture. Working from the outer edge of the flour, mix the ingredients with your hands just to moisten the flour. The dough needs to come together as mostly one lump, with a few shaggy pieces. Squeeze the dough together to see if a ball forms. If it is too dry to come together, add additional ice water 1 tablespoon at a time.
Pile the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, sprinkle a few drops of water over the top, wrap tightly, and chill for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight.
Unwrap the dough onto a floured surface. Pat the dough into a square, then use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle about 81/2 x 11 inches. The dough will be crumbly and rough around the edges, but don't add more flour or water, as it will come together during the rolling.
For the first turn, fold the dough into thirds like a letter. The seam should be on the left side. Turn the dough so that the seam is at the top and parallel to your body.
For the second turn, again roll the dough into an 81/2 x 11-inch rectangle and repeat the previous step.
For the third turn, repeat the previous step, and then wrap the dough in plastic and chill in fridge for 1 hour or up to 3 days before using, or freezer for up to a month. Thaw dough in fridge if frozen
In a large bowl, stir the strawberries and rhubarb with the granulated sugar, gently mixing until the sugar evenly coats the fruit. Set aside.
Place the chilled pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Roll it into a 13”-14" inch circle, about 1/4" thick. Lay the circle of dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. It will overlap the edges of the paper, but you will be folding it over later when you form the galette. Let the dough rest at room temperature, lightly covered, while you finish the filling.
Drain the strawberry-rhubarb mixture, pressing gently to remove any excess liquid; reserve the liquid for the glaze.
In a small bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar, breaking up any large clumps with your fingers. Add the flour/sugar mixture and lemon zest to the drained fruit. Toss gently until the fruit is evenly coated.
Pour filling into the center of the galette dough, leaving a 2 inch bare pastry border. Brush pastry border with egg wash.
Fold the uncovered border of dough up over the filling, allowing the dough to pleat as you lift it up and work your way around the galette. This sounds harder than it actually is. It will pleat naturally. Place galette onto a rimmed baking sheet and place into fridge for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. After galette has chilled, remove from fridge, brush pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle crust with sliced almonds. Return galette to oven and continue baking for a further 10-15 minutes until galette has a firm, golden bottom crust, a bubbling filling, and a deeply coloured, crispy top crust. If in doubt, err on the side of baking the galettes a bit longer. They won’t dry out, and extra time in the oven will ensure a crispy crust.
While the galette is baking, prepare the glaze. Pour the reserved strawberry-rhubarb juice (about 90g, 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon) into a small saucepan. Add dried hibiscus flowers if using, Stir in the lemon juice and bring to a boil. Simmer the mixture until thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes; it should be the consistency of heavy cream. Strain glaze to remove hibiscus flowers.
Immediately after baking, brush the glaze onto the fruit-filled center of the galette. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with freshly whipped cream or ice cream, or simply enjoy plain.
Notes
The crust for this galette comes from the book, “Good to the Grain” by Kim Boyce and Amy Scattergood. The filling recipe was created by King Arthur Baking. They suggested baking it in a puff pastry crust, but I love the the subtle, nutty, slightly earthy flavour of the rye dough. It complements the strawberries and rhubarb. The dried hibiscus flowers in the glaze are my addition.Totally optional but they add a great tangy flavour to the tart. I happened to have some in the pantry as we use it to infuse gin for a Hibiscus and Gin Tonic. Storage information: Store any leftover galettes, lightly wrapped, at room temperature for a couple of days; freeze for longer storage. Galettes can be re-crisped in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
I hoard rhubarb during the local season and freeze it so that I can be assured of having it all year round. While you can find all kinds of other fruits and vegetables frozen in the supermarket, it’s not that easy to find frozen rhubarb. At least twice a week I mix roasted strawberry-rhubarb compote into my morning yogurt. Here’s what I do:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 2 cups frozen strawberries (no need to thaw) and 2 cups frozen sliced rhubarb (no need to thaw) onto baking sheet., Sprinkle with 1-2 Tablespoons granulated sugar. Roast in oven for 15-20 minutes until fruit is tender. Use potato masher to mash fruit into jammy consistency. Store in airtight container in fridge for 2 weeks. Yummy mixed with yogurt, or use as a filling for hand pies, or an addition to cheese for a grilled cheese sandwich.
For more rhubarb deliciousness, check out these other rhubarb recipes.
Poached eggs are not something I ever made at home until a few weeks ago. They always seemed so complicated to make. Swirling the simmering water into a vortex and then gently lowering the egg into this seemed like a recipe for disaster. But then I started seeing people making them in the microwave all over Instagram. I wondered if it could really work.
It took me over a dozen eggs until I finally cracked the code! (a little egg humour there). The problem is that all microwaves are different with respect to wattage. Home microwaves can range from 600-1200 watts. Timing will depend on your oven’s wattage. It will take a bit of trial and error, but soon you will be poaching like a pro.
Check out this video to see how I do it.
Tips for success:
Start egg in boiling water rather than room temperature, to give the whites a head start on setting.
Add about a teaspoon of vinegar to the water. The acid helps to coagulate the whites so you do not end up with feathery whites.
Use 80% power. I discovered that 100% power set the yolk too quickly and I had undercooked whites.
Start with the freshest eggs you can find when poaching. With fresh eggs, the yolk sits up high, and the white is thick and surrounds the yolk. An older egg has a thinner, watery white.
Do not crack egg on edge of bowl. It encourages shells to fall into bowl. Crack egg on counter or tap with a spoon to crack it.
Cover the bowl with a microwave safe plate to prevent exploding yolks and to create steam to help whites set more evenly.
After 30-35 seconds, use a spoon to gently turn the egg so that the yolk gets entirely surrounded by the white. Continue cooking for a further 10-15 seconds. If the white is not completely set, continue cooking in 5 second intervals until you learn the sweet spot for your microwave.
Drain egg on a towel right away, to prevent further cooking.
1 teaspoonvinegarwhite wine, rice wine, apple cider or champagne vinegar
Instructions
Fill a microwave safe 1-cup bowl 3/4 full of boiling water from kettle. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar (white wine or any flavour you like).
Crack egg on counter top or with spoon and gently put it into hot water. Cover bowl with microwave safe plate.
Microwave on 80% power for 30 seconds. Uncover plate and use a spoon to flip egg so white has a chance to totally encase egg yolk. Cover bowl with plate again and microwave on 80% power for 15 more seconds. If egg white is not totally set continue cooking for 5-10 second intervals.
Drain with slotted spoon and place on towel to dry. Repeat with fresh water and vinegar for second egg if desired.
It’s beginning to look a lot like spring outside my window and this Green Goddess Spring Salad satisfies my craving for all things green.
It is entirely customizable, depending on what’s available at your market. I used asparagus, sugar snap peas, radishes and rainbow carrots as my base and bulked it up with avocado and jammy eggs. Add chicken or grilled steak for more protein if you like.
I found these stunning watermelon radishes, but regular radishes would be equally tasty in this spring salad.
I created a creamy herb based dressing for this spring salad. I used a mix of cilantro, parsley, basil and dill, but feel free to change up the mix depending on your preferences. Any soft leafy green herbs will work. Watch it come together:
Tips to ensure success:
Even if you think you hate anchovies, don’t omit the anchovy paste in the dressing. It won’t taste fishy. It just adds a huge depth of flavour.
Add a handful of fresh spinach to the blender when making the dressing. It will preserve the green colour of the dressing for a few days.
After cooking asparagus and sugar snap peas, plunge them in ice water to retain that bright green colour.
For jammy eggs, bring water to a boil. Add eggs, boil for 7 minutes. Drop into ice water to stop cooking and chill. Peel. Perfect eggs every time.
1/2cupfresh spinach leavesloosely packed, washed and dried well
1cupsmix of soft green herbs (dill, basil, parsley, cilantro)loosely packed, washed and dried well
1Tablespoonanchovy paste
1 clovegarlic
1/3 cupextra virgin olive oil
1/4cuplemon juicefreshly squeezed
1/4 cupmayonnaiselight is fine, just don't use fat free
1teaspoonDiamond Crystal Kosher saltor 1/2 teaspoon Morton's Kosher salt
1/2teaspoonblack pepper
Salad
6 cupsmixed salad greens (radicchio, arugula and romaine)washed and dried well
4 largeeggs
1 bunchasparaguswashed and trimmed
2 cupssugar snap peaswashed and trimmed
3radishesbuy watermelon radishes if they are available
2carrotsbonus points if you can find purple carrots!
2avocadospeeled and cut into wedges or chunks
Instructions
Make dressing: Place spinach, herbs, anchovy paste, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice into blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Scrape down sides of blender. Add mayo, salt and pepper and process just until combined. Pour dressing into jar and refrigerate until ready to use. This will keep in the frisdge for about a week.
Cook eggs: Bring a medium saucepan filled with water to a boil. Gently lower eggs into While eggs are cooking, fill a bowl with ice and water. When eggs are done, transfer to ice bath to briefly chill. Peel eggs, halve and set aside.
Bring pot of water to a boil again and add a big pinch of salt. Add asparagus and cook for 1 minute. Add sugar snap peas and cook for additional minute. While veggies are cooking, fill a bowl with ice and water. Drain veggies and place in ice water bath to stop cooking and help retain beautiful green colour. Drain and dry well on a kitchen towel.
Wash radishes and thinly slice.
Slice carrots, on the diagonal, into 1/4 inch thick slices.
Arrange salad greens on a large platter. Channel your inner artist and cover the lettuce with rows of all your spring toppings (eggs, asparagus, sugar snap peas, radishes, carrots and avocados). Serve the dressing on the side.
Looking for a fast and easy bar cookie recipe? Skor bar cookies skip the fuss of rolling or scooping cookie dough. Just press the dough into a pan, bake and cut into bars. Crispy on the edges, chewy in the center, they’re positively addictive.
I first learned to bake these cookies when I worked at David Wood Food Shop in Toronto. The recipe was created by Chef Karen Barnaby. We baked trays of these every day and they sold out before closing. They have become a family favourite in our house. We love them straight from the freezer. Any frozen cookie fans out there?
Tips for success:
Skip the supermarket chocolate chips and splurge on good quality bittersweet chocolate. I love these from Valrhona, but any good quality bittersweet chocolate bar chopped up would work.
Remove your butter from the fridge about 30 minutes before starting. This is enough time to soften the butter and get it to the optimal temperature for creaming with the sugar. If you let the butter soften for too long the sugar crystals will not incorporate properly into the butter.
Use the back of a metal measuring cup to spread the dough evenly into the pan.
Score the cookies with a sharp knife into bars as soon as they come out of the oven. Then let cool completely in the pan before breaking into squares.
Check out the video to see how they come together:
Skor Bar Cookies
saltandserenity
Looking for a fast and easy bar cookie recipe? Skor bar cookies skip the fuss of rolling or scooping cookie dough. Just press the dough into a pan, bake and cut into bars.
170 grams bittersweet chocolate chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
1teaspoonflaky sea salt, like Maldonoptional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a quarter sheet pan (9.5 x 13 inches) with parchment paper and set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt. Add flour and mix just until incorporated. Turn off mixer. Add Skor Bars and chocolate chunks and, using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix in by hand so the pieces do not get too small.
Dump dough into prepared pan. Using your hands, press dough evenly into prepared pan. Use the bottom of a metal measuring cup to smooth out and level dough. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired. Bake for about 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and while still warm, score dough with a sharp knife. I usually do 4 rows down and 6 rows across for 24 cookies. Put pan on a rack to cool. When totally cool, turn out onto a cutting board, peel off parchment and finish cutting into squares.
Notes
This recipe was created by Chef Karen Barnaby. I have adapted it slightly by using a good quality bittersweet chocolate (my favourite are Valrhona Manjari feves, 64%) instead of supermarket chocolate chips and omitting the chopped pecans.
We can all agree that the best part of a grilled cheese sandwich are the bits of cheese that escape the bread and get all crispy around the edges. These biscuits get baked on a pile of shredded Gruyere cheese to form a lacy crispy cheese skirt around each biscuit. Texture heaven. I flavoured them with za’atar and extra Gruyere.
Here are some tips for success in making the ultimate flaky biscuits:
The type of flour you use makes a difference. All-purpose flour has a higher protein content than cake and pastry flour. More protein means more gluten, which gives the dough enough structure/body to create flaky layers and a nice crusty exterior. But using all-purpose flour exclusively led to a biscuit that was a bit tough. Cake and pastry flour, with its lower protein content, does not develop gluten as well as all-purpose flour. This results in light fluffy biscuits but those made exclusively with this flour did not rise as high or achieve the flaky layers I desired. The ideal was a 55%/45% (by weight) mix of all-purpose and cake and pastry flour.
Use both baking soda and baking powder. Baking soda has an alkaline base, which means it is not acidic. It needs acid to activate it and create carbon dioxide, which provides the leavening. Buttermilk plays the role of acid in these biscuits. It also adds a nice tangy flavour. Too much baking soda would completely neutralize that tangy flavour and leave behind unactivated baking soda which tastes metallic. Baking powder is made up of baking soda plus a dry acid. That additional acid will help give the biscuits their characteristic tang, plus provide extra leavening insurance.
The butter must be very cold. If you tend to have hot hands, I would suggest investing in a pastry blender. They are inexpensive and do a great job of working the butter into the flour. Make sure that you don’t totally work the butter into the flour. leave a few pea sized bits of butter. Butter is 20% water, so when those little knobs of butter hit the hot oven, they will melt and release steam, which creates pockets of air for maximum lift.
Don’t over knead the dough: You are not looking for a ball of dough that is as smooth as a baby’s bottom. After adding the buttermilk, the dough will look like a shaggy mess. That is correct. Just knead the dough 6-7 times until there is no dry flour visible. You will still see little knobs of butter in the dough.
Building layers is the key to flaky biscuits. Shape the dough into a rectangle, roughly 11×7 inches. I used a rolling pin to start and then used my bench scraper to help me straighten the edges. A ruler would also be an excellent tool for this. Next, fold the dough into thirds, as if you were folding a sheet of paper into thirds to fit into an envelope. Repeat this flattening and folding three more times and you have built in your layers.
Don’t twist the biscuit cutter. Press the cutter down into the dough and then lift it straight back up again. If you twist it, you seal off the edges of the dough, prohibiting the biscuits from rising evenly.
Give the biscuits a refrigerated 15 minute rest before baking. This gives the gluten time to relax, resulting in more tender biscuits and the butter can harden. If the butter is too soft, the biscuits will spread and slump more readily.
Here’s a video to show you how it all comes together.
Buttermilk Za’atar Cheese Skirt Biscuits
Biscuits baked on a bed of cheese for a lacy and crispy bottom skirt!
1/4teaspoonDiamond Crystal Kosher Saltor 1/8 teaspoon Morton's Kosher Salt
8gramsbaking powder
3gramsbaking soda
125gramsunsalted buttercut into 1/2 inch pieces and very well chilled
130 grams Gruyere cheesegrated and divided into 40 grams (to add to dough)and 90 grams (to place under biscuits)
8gramsZa'atar
220gramsbuttermilk
21gramshoney
Topping for biscuits
14gramsunsalted buttermelted
4 gramsZa'atar
Instructions
Stack 2 sheet pans together. Line the top sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. (Doubling the baking sheets prevents the biscuits from getting too dark on the bottom.)
Sift the all-purpose flour, cake and pastry flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Add cold butter pieces to the bowl. Using a pastry blender, or 2 forks, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is the size of small peas. I do not recommend using your hands, as the heat from your fingers will melt the butter. You want the biscuit dough to have small flecks of butter that are not completely incorporated into the dry ingredients. Butter is about 20% water, so that when the biscuits hit the hot oven, these little bits of butter will release their moisture and create steam, which will help create flaky tall biscuits.
Add 40 grams grated Gruyere cheese and za'atar and briefly mix. Add the buttermilk and honey and, using a rubber spatula, stir together. Just stir until there are no dry patches of flour in the bowl. The dough will look like a shaggy mess. This is correct.
Lightly dust your counter with all-purpose flour. Dump the dough onto the floured work surface and gently knead together just to incorporate the remaining dry flour This should only take about 7 kneads.
Using a pastry scraper, bring the dough together into a rectangle, roughly 11×7 inches. Fold one side of the rectangle into the center, then fold the other side into the center. Imagine you are folding a sheet of paper into thirds to fit into an envelope.
Turn the dough horizontally. Gently roll or pat it into a 11×7 inch rectangle a second time. Repeat the letter fold again. Turn the dough horizontally one more time and gently roll or pat dough into a 11×7 inch rectangle a third time. Fold like a letter into thirds again, for a third fold. Repeat the patting and folding one last time, for a total of 4 folds.
Sprinkle the remaining 90 grams of grated Gruyere cheese into 8 piles on the parchment lined baking sheet, making sure they are about 2 inches apart.
Gently pat or roll the dough until the rectangle is about 1 inch thick. Cut dough into rounds with a 2½ inch biscuit or cookie cutter. Don’t twist the biscuit cutter when pressing into the dough. Just go straight down. If you twist the cutter, the biscuits will not rise as tall. Re-roll scraps until all the dough is used. You should have 8 biscuits. Place each biscuit on a mound of cheese, making sure cheese peeks out at the edges of the biscuit. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with za'atar. Place baking sheet in fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
While biscuits are chilling, place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Bake biscuits for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown and biscuits reach an internal temperature of 205°F-210°F using an instant read thermometer.
Let biscuits cool on baking sheet for at least 5minutes. Any leftover biscuits can be wrapped in plastic wrap and then popped into a freezer bag for freezing. Thaw slightly, split biscuits and toast in oven.
The Jewish holiday of Purim falls on Sunday March 24 this year. The traditional treat to eat on Purim are Hamentashen, a triangular shaped cookie. Created by my Aunt Carol, these are the very best hamentashen. Tender cookie dough encases a sweet golden raisin and prune filling. After baking, dip them in honey and chopped toasted pecans, for crunch.
If you need a primer on Purim, or just a laugh, check out this cute video from Mayim Bialik.
Growing up in Toronto, we celebrated Purim with hamentashen from Open Window Bakery. They were enormous, with a hard, crumbly cookie dough exterior. There were only two flavour options, prune or poppy-seed fillings. Life was simpler back then! My sisters and I fought over the poppy-seed ones. Mom, why did you even bother buying the prune ones?
After marriage, I was introduced to Ottawa-style hamentashen. Homemade! These were little triangles of tender dough filled with a prune and raisin filling, dipped in honey and walnuts. Talk about culture shock. My husband’s aunts, Jenny and Carol, supplied the family with their version of hamentashen. They really are the very best hamentashen. After Aunt Jenny died, Aunt Carol continued the tradition of making hamentashen. She would mail them, near and far, to all her nieces and nephews.
My beloved Aunt Carol died suddenly in 2018. I miss her dearly. She taught me how to bake hamentashen and many other important life skills. When I first moved to Ottawa, she took me under her wing and offered me lots of advice, such as “I know you kept your own name when you got married, but if you use our family name when you order from the kosher butcher, you’ll get better quality meat. “ Turns out she was right. She usually was.
I will do my best to carry on her tradition of sharing her delicious hamentashen with as many as I possibly can!
Aunt Carol’s Hamentashen
Traditional cookie served during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Tender cookie dough filled with a sweet prune and raisin filling. Dipped in honey and pecans for some crunch.
Make dough: In an electric mixer, mix eggs and sugar until smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Pour in oil and mix to combine. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and add to mixer. Mix just until dough begins to come together.
Dump dough onto the counter and knead for about a minute. Divide dough into 2 pieces and roll each piece, between 2 sheets of parchment paper, to an 1/8 inch thickness. Chill rolled dough in fridge for one hour. (Dough will keep in fridge for 5days or can be frozen for up to a month.
Make filling: Combine all ingredients in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped, about 20 –25 pulses.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Use a round (2¾ -3 inch) cutter to to stamp out rounds, leaving as little space between them as possible so that you do not have too many scraps. Place rounds on parchment lined baking sheet, setting them 1½ inches apart. Set scraps aside.
Brush the edge of the circles with cool water. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the filling into the center of each circle. Fold up three sides of the dough against the filling, forming a triangular shape. Pinch the edges and corners gently so that the shape holds together. Repeat with remaining filling and dough. Scraps can be rerolled and chilled for at least 30 minutes before cutting and baking more hamentashen.
Brush unbaked hamentashen with lightly beaten egg white. Before baking, add a second baking sheet under hamentashen. The double baking sheets will prevent the bottom of the hamentashen from getting too brown, before the tops and sides are done. Bake the hamentashen, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until golden, 15-16 minutes.
Once the hamentashen have cooled, dip one edge of them in honey and then into the chopped pecans. Hamentashen will keep well in an airtight container, for about a week. For longer storage, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Traditional cookie served during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Tender cookie dough filled with a sweet prune and raisin filling. Dipped in honey and pecans for some crunch.
Make dough: In an electric mixer, mix eggs and sugar until smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Pour in oil and mix to combine. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and add to mixer. Mix just until dough begins to come together.
Dump dough onto the counter and knead for about a minute. Divide dough into 2 pieces and roll each piece, between 2 sheets of parchment paper, to an 1/8 inch thickness. Chill rolled dough in fridge for one hour. (Dough will keep in fridge for 5days or can be frozen for up to a month.
Make filling: Combine all ingredients in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped, about 20 –25 pulses.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Use a round (2¾ -3 inch) cutter to to stamp out rounds, leaving as little space between them as possible so that you do not have too many scraps. Place rounds on parchment lined baking sheet, setting them 1½ inches apart. Set scraps aside.
Brush the edge of the circles with cool water. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the filling into the center of each circle. Fold up three sides of the dough against the filling, forming a triangular shape. Pinch the edges and corners gently so that the shape holds together. Repeat with remaining filling and dough. Scraps can be rerolled and chilled for at least 30 minutes before cutting and baking more hamentashen.
Brush unbaked hamentashen with lightly beaten egg white. Before baking, add a second baking sheet under hamentashen. The double baking sheets will prevent the bottom of the hamentashen from getting too brown, before the tops and sides are done. Bake the hamentashen, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until golden, 15-16 minutes.
Once the hamentashen have cooled, dip one edge of them in honey and then into the chopped pecans. Hamentashen will keep well in an airtight container, for about a week. For longer storage, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.
This is my twist on a classic Margherita pizza. I stuffed the crust with fresh mozzarella cheese. Because more cheese is never a bad idea, right? I used fresh pearl mozzarella. If you can’t find the little balls, just dice up some regular fresh mozzarella into 1/4 inch pieces.
Fresh mozzarella is sold in small plastic containers or bags filled with water or whey. It is quite perishable and should be used within a few days. Regular, or “low moisture” mozzarella is sold in a block or ball, tightly wrapped without any liquid. it has a firmer texture and is more rubbery than fresh mozzarella. That is what the pizza gets topped with and what gives you that gorgeous cheese pull.
Here’s how it all comes together.
For the dough, you can certainly purchase ready made pizza dough. But if you want something truly spectacular, try Jim Lahey’s no knead pizza dough (recipe below). You need to plan a day ahead if you want to make the dough, but it’s worth it.
I have a little pizza oven that I can put on my BBQ. But I have also made pizza successfully in my regular oven. I would suggest getting a baking steel or pizza stone to bake the pizza on. I prefer the durability and performance of the baking steel, but have had good results with both.
A little drizzle of olive oil on the crust before baking ensures a golden crust.
Add the fresh basil after baking so that it does not wilt and go black.
Stuffed Crust Margherita Pizza
saltandserenity
A twist on the classic tomato sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil pizza. I stuffed the crust with fresh mozzarella, because more cheese is always a good idea, right?
225gramsfresh pearl mozzarella or regular fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
130 gramsmarinara sauceI like Rao's brand
150 grams low moisture mozzarella shredded
25gramsParmesan cheeseshredded
1Tablespoonextra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoonsflaky sea salt
15leavesfresh basiljulienned
Instructions
Preheat your pizza oven if you have one or, set a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500°F, allowing at least 45 minutes for the stone to heat.
Flour your work surface and scrape the dough out of the bowl. Divide it into 3 equal parts and shape them. For each pizza, start with the right side of the dough and pull it toward the center; then do the same with the left, then the top, then the bottom. (The order doesn’t actually matter; what you want is four folds.) Shape each portion into a round and turn seam side down. Mold the dough into a neat circular mound. The mounds should not be sticky; if they are, dust with more flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for a few minutes.
Shape the pizzas, one at a time. On a lightly floured surface, pressing down with floured fingertips, shape the dough into a small, flat disk. Work from the center and push the dough outward, spreading your fingers as you make the disc larger. Keep the rim a bit thicker. Pick up the dough and move your hands along the edges, allowing gravity to pull the dough into a 12-inch circle. This method has been nicknamed, “Driving the Bus”.
Lay a sheet of parchment paper, slightly larger than the pizza, on the counter and sprinkle it with cornmeal. Place dough on parchment paper. Pull rim of dough to flatten it a bit more. Arrange 1/3 of fresh mozzarella around the edges of the crust, leaving a 3/4-inch space. Fold the edges of the dough over the cheese, pinching down to seal.
Top pizza with 1/3 of sauce, low moisture mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle crust with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky salt.
Transfer pizza, still on parchment paper, to a pizza peel. Slide onto the pizza stone and bake for 3 minutes. Using the pizza peel, slide pizza out and, carefully, using tongs, pull the parchment paper out and discard. The parchment paper is just used to make sliding the pizza into the oven easier. If you leave it in for too long, it will burn. Now that the bottom of the pizza is partially cooked, it will slide easily back onto the stone. Continue baking until cheese is melted with some browned spots and crust is golden brown and puffed, 11 to 13 minutes more if you are using your oven. If you have a BBQ pizza oven, it will cook quicker, maybe 5-6 minutes in total.
Remove from oven. Repeat with remaining 2 pizzas. It is best to shape and top them just before baking.
16gramsDiamond Crystal Kosher saltor 8 grams Mortons Kosher salt
350 gramswaterroom temperature
Instructions
In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend the flour, yeast, and salt.Add the water and, with a wooden spoon, a Danish whisk, or your hands, mix thoroughly.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow it to rise at room temperature (about 72°F) for 18 hours or until it has more than doubled. It will take longer in a chilly room and less time in a very warm one.
