Pop-tarts and Life Changing Discoveries

And we're back! 

It's been a long and busy semester which really sent our cooking to the back burner. But after an incredibly successful Vegas adventure, a massive student-run conference, and finishing enough homework to feel like we could breathe for a minute, the first thing we wanted to do was bake.

The idea for pop-tarts came from a "make don't buy" cookbook, which is right up our alley with ridiculous projects (like making your own butter). This idea was too cute to pass up, so even though we didn't end up using much of her actual recipe (why change what's already working?) we have to give credit for the idea.

Homemade pop-tarts start with a standard pie dough, meaning a lot of butter, flour, and dough chilling.

We started out with our standard double batch and a pastry blender. As we struggled through making frozen butter pea-size by hand, Sarah remembered that she had seen Alton Brown make pie dough in a food processor, and let's be real, if Alton can do it, why can't we?

And so the life changing discovery occurred. Pie dough in the food processor (though you can only make one batch at a time) takes about one minute. One. And you only get one dish dirty. Everything is the same, 2.5 C. of flour, 1 tsp. of salt, 1/2 C. butter, and 1/2 C. cold water. Add the dry ingredients and butter, use the food processor the chop the butter and then add the water and run until your dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.

Roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface. Cut your dough into the desired number of rectangles considering that you will need two rectangles to make one pop-tart. We decided to make ours mini to have more to share, (and really, do you need a whole pop-tart?).

Add filling on one rectangle of dough. You can use just about anything that sounds good, but we used strawberry jam, raspberry jam, nutella, and cinnamon sugar.

Place a matching rectangle on top of your filling. Press the edges with a fork to seal the pop-tarts together, then poke some holes in the top. Brush an egg wash (egg mixed with a small amount of water) on top. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the crusts are slightly puffy.

In true pop-tart fashion, we added a glaze (powdered sugar, butter, and a splash of water to make it silky) to complete the ensemble. These were a huge success. Considering we can now make pie dough in under a minute, I cannot imagine that we will ever need to buy pop-tarts again. All we really need are more ideas for good filling!

Fresh Homemade Croissants

Homemade croissants. Not something that every home cook (or cooks) would try to make. However, we are not your ordinary home cooks, and thus the 24 hour adventure of making croissants began...We followed a very scary Cooks Illustrated recipe (it was 3 pages long) word for word as we navigated the process. 

(Note: the measurements (yes, measurements) are not to be taken lightly. You will need at least two rulers to complete the croissant making process. This was by far the most precise project we have ever attempted.)

First - the ingredients. Croissants do not require much, just flour and butter (mostly) though, special varieties are encouraged. European butter has a much higher fat content (and as such is much more delicious) and high protein flour makes the dough easier to work with throughout the process. A small amount of milk, rapid rise yeast, a bit of sugar and 2 teaspoons of salt round out the dough. 

Melt three tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over low heat.

Measure 1 3/4 C whole milk and add to the melted butter, removing from heat immediately.

Whisk together thoroughly.

Add four teaspoons of rapid rise yeast to the mixture. Dump the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment ready to go. Add 4 1/4 cups of flour, two teaspoons of salt and a fourth cup of sugar. 

Mix on low speed for 2-3 minutes, then on high for 1 minute. 

Turn dough out onto lightly floured clean counter top. 

Wrap tightly in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. 

After the 30 minutes, shape dough into a 10"x7" rectangle about 1" thick on parchment paper. Wrap tightly in parchment paper and plastic wrap, refrigerate for two hours.

While the dough is chilling, prepare the envelope for the butter block (that's right, a butter block). Take a 24" long piece of parchment paper and fold in half to create a 12" rectangle. 

Fold over open sides of rectangle to create an 8" square. 

Enjoy the crafty side of croissant making, but don't forget to be precise, rulers (or industrial measuring tapes) are very helpful. 

Place 3 sticks of very cold butter on a lightly floured counter. We used two sticks of regular (Kroger brand, even) style butter, and one stick of Plugra, a European style butter for each batch. Yes, we made two batches (totally worth it!).

Beat (yes, beat) the butter with a rolling pin for about 60 seconds, until it is well incorporated. You will need to rotate the butter several times to ensure that it is one mass. Ultimately, you would like a rough 6" square. 

Unfold the parchment envelope and place butter inside. Fold the paper back just as you had it (creases are helpful) and flip so the flaps are on the bottom. Roll out gently until the butter completely fills the envelope.   

 

Make sure to fill the corners and have even thickness.

 Yes, this really works, and might be the coolest thing ever. Place butter block in the fridge for at least 45 minutes.

 After the dough has chilled for at least two hours in the fridge, and 30 minutes in the freezer, remove it from the wrappings and turn onto a lightly floured counter. Roll gently into a 17"x8" rectangle.

Place the butter block (unwrapped) in the center of the dough. 

Fold each side of the dough in so they meet in the middle on top of the butter. 

Goal: evenly spaced. 

Pinch together the seam you have just created with your fingers. 

 Pinch together the open ends as well. You can also press down with a rolling pin to ensure this is sealed. Roll out into a 24"x8" rectangle.

 Fold into thirds, like a business letter. Left over right. Tightly wrap in plastic and put in freezer for 30 minutes. Repeat, being sure to freeze in between to avoid sticky dough. At this point, the dough can stay in the fridge for 2 to 24 hours. When you are ready to use it, freeze it for 30 minutes beforehand. (This is a great place to take a break, for sleeping, eating, drinks with friends, whatever will get you through the next 12 hours...)

 After removing the dough from the freezer, roll into an 18"x16" rectangle. This is the most challenging part of the whole process.

Use your rulers to ensure appropriate size (this will be very important when you are cutting your croissants for rolling). 

Fold the top 8" of the dough over the bottom half. Mark dough at 3" intervals along the bottom edge with a bench scraper or pizza cutter. Measure 1.5" in from the top left, make a mark, then measure 3" intervals across the top from that mark. 

Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough from mark to mark to cut on a diagonal. 

This will create triangles that will be rolled into your croissants. 

Separate the dough triangles from each other, making sure to cut those that are diamond shapes into triangles. 

Cut a 1/2" slit into the bottom half of each triangle. Stretch each side of that slit gently.

 

 Gently roll each triangle from wide end to narrow end. (How cute are Janae's fingernails??) This is the time to add chocolate chips if you like.

Continue to roll the dough toward the tip, stretching the dough as you go.

Shape into a crescent, with the ends tucked toward the center. 

Admire your perfect (and completely homemade) croissant. 

Place on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper approximately 2.5" apart. 

Loosely cover with plastic and allow the dough to rise at least two hours at room temperature. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg, a teaspoon of water and a pinch of salt. Lightly brush each croissant with egg wash. 

Place croissants in oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake 12 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for an additional 6 minutes. 

If you can stand it, let them cool just slightly and serve warm.

Tempting Tucson Tamales

Neither Sarah nor Stacie grew up eating tamales and before arriving in Tucson, they had no idea that they were part of holiday tradition in the southwest. Sarah discovered how fantastic they were and they were the first dish we ever made together. The second time around, the tamales were just as delicious and worth all the effort of creation. We made corn and chicken tamales but you can make any flavor combination that suits you, even fruit!

To start, you need to pour boiling water over corn husks and then let them soak until they are soft and flexible, at least 2 hours, but it's fine if they soak longer.

Start with a couple cloves of garlic, bay leaves, salt, pepper, oregano, and water in a skillet.

Poach chicken in the prepared pan.

Use a food processor to combine a jalapeno pepper (with the seeds removed), 1 cup of lightly packed cilantro (stems and leaves are okay), one raw onion, and 2 cloves of garlic for the sauce.

Heat the beautiful green sauce you just made in a skillet over low heat.

After shredding your poached chicken (two forks work fabulously), mix it with the sauce until thoroughly combined.

Time to mix the dough! Mix three cups of masa, six tablespoons of butter (softened), (yes, ours is melted...Sarah is not familiar with the power button on her microwave), 1/4 cup Crisco, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1.5 teaspoons baking powder, and 1.5 cups of warm water (add slowly, it may be the consistency you want before all of the water is used until you have a dough that mostly sticks together but isn't soupy).

You can add a cup of corn to the dough or your chicken mixture. We chose to put it directly in the dough.

Time to assemble! Spoon some dough into a corn husk and press it down into a relatively thin layer.

Scoop some filling on top of the dough (as much as will fit!).

Push the two sides together so the dough connects and the dough surrounds the filling.

Fold the bottom of the corn husk up, then the two sides over each other.

Use cooking twine to tie the corn husk around the tamale. This will keep everything together while they cook.

Tamales are a fair amount of work and freeze well, so if you're going to make them, make a lot! Once your tamales are wrapped, stand them up (open end to the ceiling) in a pot with a steamer basket. Start with 2 inches of water over medium heat and steam until the dough is set, covered, about 45 minutes.

 

Cut the string, peel off the corn husk and enjoy! Tamales are also great with a variety of sauces/salsa - tomato based, cream based, whatever your heart desires!