Thursday, January 25, 2018

Almond Scones


3 cups almond meal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1 Tbls honey or maple syrup
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 300° F.

Stir together the almond meal, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter as small as it will go, then stir in the honey/maple syrup and eggs, forming a soft, sticky dough.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Form small balls with the dough, then press them into disks on the baking sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Friday, January 19, 2018

Crusty Country Pasties




Crust:
1 cup whole wheat flour
6 Tbls. butter
1/4 cup cold water
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp ground mustard seed

Filling:
1/2 cup diced potato
1/2 cup minced carrots
1/2 cup minced celery
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup chopped green beans
2 Tbls. oil
1 Tbls. flour
1 Tbls. butter
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp fennel seed
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable stock

Crust: Stir together the flour, salt, pepper, basil, and ground mustard. Cut in the butter until the flour is all moistened, but leave some larger chunks of butter. Stir in the water to make a soft dough. Press the dough together, then wrap in plastic wrap and chill while making the filling.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, sautee the vegetables with the oil for 3 minutes. Mix together the flour, rosemary, fennel, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low, push the vegetables to one side, and melt the butter on the other side. When it is melted, stir the flour mixture into the butter, then stir everything together. Add the vegetable stock and keep stirring as a gravy forms. Then remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Divide the crust dough into 4 parts. Roll each section into a thin circle. Get the outline of the circles wet with water or beaten egg. Put 1/2 cup of filling onto each crust piece, and fold the crust over the filling, pinching together the edges to seal it closed.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the pasties on without touching each other. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the crusts are golden brown.