Crepe Expectations

I have Paris on the brain.  Perhaps it's because I'm working on an Eiffel Tower art project for my living room.

This is one of my favorites.

Perhaps it's because breezy fall days make me want to walk along the Seine.

Don't you want to go to there?

Perhaps it's that, in perusing my photos for above-mentioned project, I spied the one I snapped of the warm, fresh crepe smeared with Nutella I ate while strolling along the Seine.

C'est si bon!

I shared with this guy.

Sadly, a trip to France is not on my immediate horizon.  Happily, one needn't go to Paris to eat crepes.  I grew up eating them. They're one of the very Cajun-French things my Mamaw used to make (along with beignets).  What I find truly amazing is that she used to make these for breakfast.  For her children.  All nine of them.  She was quite a woman. I wish I could have watched her slinging them around the kitchen.

We always had them with butter and syrup.  Sometimes peanut butter. I wonder if one Clara Sevin Cagnolatti would have liked Nutella?  I like to think so.

I haven't whipped out my cherished cast iron crepe pan in quite a while.  I think it might be time.  Maybe I'll wrap one up in parchment paper and go for a stroll along the Erie Canal.  It may be Syracuse, but that's no reason not to...

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Ship Shape Shortbread

Baked butter love.

There are a lot of reasons why shortbread cookies are my favorite cookies.  First and foremost, there is nothing butterier, at least not in baked form.  They're light, but also rich.  They're versatile.  They only require five ingredients.  And if you're looking to share some cookie love, they ship really really well.

This week, I was called upon to box up a batch for a special birthday boy (okay, man, but I love alliteration almost as much as I love shortbread).  I was more than happy to oblige.  Variation requested:  pecan.  Oh, yeah.  The recipe at foodnetwork.com?  Flawless.

Pecan Shortbread

3/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups small diced pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter/sugar mixture. Add the pecans and mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut into 2 1/2-inch squares with a plain or fluted cutter (or cut into any shape you like). Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature and serve. 

Literate Baker notes:  I roll the dough closer to 1/4-inch thick.  The bake time is 15-20 minutes.  I also never seem to have sufficient patience to chill the dough; this seems to be okay.

Shipping tips:  Shortbread is both sturdy and slow to stale, so it really is the ultimate cookie for shipping.  I like to put stacks in little cellophane bags, then seal those in zip-top baggies.

Surround with bubble wrap or packing peanuts.  You don't want to crush them, but the packing should be tight enough that there is no movement when you shake the box.

Oh, and be sure to tuck a little note inside.  My phrase of choice (courtesy of my ever-witty Aunt Claire):  Confectionately yours.

Send a little sweetness to someone in your life.  I promise they'll feel beyond special.  Besides, there are always the "irregulars" to be kept and devoured, er, enjoyed in moderation, by the baker.  Sharing, it's the karmicly awesome way to...

Keep it sweet.





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Old School Apple Crisp

One of my absolute favoritist fall activities is picking apples.  I romp around the orchard like a six-year-old and giggle like I'm being held against my will and tickled.  I make a halfhearted attempt to be very selective and try to keep my harvest under twenty pounds.  Good times.

Last fall, I dabbled in Caramel Apple Crisp.  It was yummy, to say the least.  This year, I found myself feeling more traditional.  Something classic, with lots of oatmeal and brown sugar.  The Apple and Raisin Crisp recipe from epicurious.com seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

Topping
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Filling
4 pounds pippin or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1 1/2 cups golden or brown raisins
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 9 x 13 1/2-inch glass baking dish.

For Topping:  Mix old-fashioned oats, brown sugar, all purpose flour, ground cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Add unsalted butter and rub into mixture until coarse crumbs form. Mix in chopped walnuts.

For Filling:  Combine sliced apples, raisins, sugar, fresh lemon juice, flour and ground cinnamon in large bowl. Mix well to blend. Transfer apple-raisin filling to prepared dish. Spread topping over. Bake until topping is golden brown, about 55 minutes. Serve crisp warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Literate Baker notes:  I was feeling atypically un-nutty, so I eliminated the walnuts.  I also skipped the raisins.  Oh, and I used a combination of Empire and Macoun apples.

Man, this stuff is autumn in a bowl.  Crunchy yet soft.  Sweet yet tart.  Hot and cold.  I may have made it twice already.  I may be planning to make it again.  You know, for quality control purposes.  Keep it homey, friends, and...

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The Baker Is Back

Dearest Readers,

When I began The Literate Baker a little over a year ago I promised myself that I would not be one of those bloggers that wrote a few entries then fell off the face of the planet.  Funny thing, though.  Life.  It sort of happens.  Sometimes in some crazy and all-consuming ways.  It was that kind of summer.

Fall, however, is upon us.  Life is feeling more settled, if only slightly.  Either way, my thoughts have returned to the kitchen.  Chilly nights, bursts of color in the trees, marching bands rehearsing in the distance.  Such things make me giddy for apples and spice and everything nice.  Pumpkins and pears and comforting fare.  Soups and stews and witch's brews.  Well, you get the idea.

I am back, fair friends.  I do sincerely hope for good this time.  Waxing poetic about the sweet things in life is great fun.  Connecting culinarily with family, friends, and perfect strangers is good for the soul.  I hope that you'll return, give me another chance.  A few minutes of your time a couple of times a week and I'll do all that I can to...

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