Tomato Cobbler

Wondering what to do with all those garden tomatoes crowding up your countertop?  Well, me too…

An experiment for the oven, tonight I made “Tomato Cobbler” from Mark Bitman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.    And you and I both thought cobbler was for fruit and berries, right?  Never afraid to veer from the black and white print, I added some fresh basil from my garden to spice up the tomatoes and cheese from my grocer’s refrigerator to, well, cheese up the topping.

Dinner turned out quite tasty!  Tomatoes are now acceptable with the word “cobbler” in my house; (though, prefixes like “apple,” “peach,”and “blueberry” may still be preferred.)  This dish reminded me a lot of tomato pie, a pizza without cheese found in the Philly area.

I spent the rest of the evening updating some of the photos in my shop, and now it’s past time for bed!  Happy September!

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!   

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

With so many holidays and events to celebrate, I enjoy Thanksgiving the most.   Truly a holiday to be spent with those most dear, we cherish one another and the country as a whole, as we all enjoy a ubiquitous meal of turkey, potatoes, stuffing and gravy.  

This year was especially difficult in my family;  the economy took its toll on us.  As a result, I think we've been able to spend more time together, and for that, I'm thankful.  With December around the corner, I'm really looking forward to 2010.  I have a positive outlook for next year, and for once in my life, I've started to get excited about my work, and for that, I'm thankful.  Most importantly, although my immediate family is not celebrating this holiday at my house, we're all celebrating somewhere and raising a glass to having a roof over our heads, clothing on our backs, and each other.  And for that, I'm truly thankful.

Warmed up like biscuits! Cheddar Biscuits!

Third time's a charm, because I finally got perfectly round biscuits!  Just look at it!  Don't you want to reach into your screen and take that yummy, cheddary, flaky goodness?  That's right, they were flaky!  I'm so proud.

When attempting this recipe before, I would have to revert to drop biscuits when left with a sticky, blobby, yet still delicious biscuit batter.  This time, instead of pulling out the mixer, I learned how to correctly combine everything together with my hands.  I made scones recently that specified cutting in the butter with two knives, and I realized I needed to try that with this biscuit recipe!  Certainly a labor of love cutting in butter, I alternated between knives and my fingers, and it did the trick.  They happily cut into perfectly round biscuits.

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

2        cups all purpose flour
1        tablespoon of sugar
2 1/2  teaspoons of baking powder
1/2     teaspoon of baking soda
1/2     teaspoon of salt
6        tablespoons of chilled, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/4 cups of cheddar cheese
1       cup cold buttermilk (I use the instant powder)
1       egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of milk (glaze)

1. Preheat over to 400°.  Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add butter and cut in, using a couple knives, a dough cutter, or even your fingers until a fine meal forms.  Add cheese and mix until combined.

2.  Add buttermilk (or water if you added powdered buttermilk in with dry ingredients) and gently mix together to bind dough.  Turn onto a well floured surface and knead about 10 turns until combined.

3. Pat out dough to 3/4" thickness, and using a biscuit cutter or glass, cut out biscuits.  Gather scraps, gently knead together and repeat to make additional biscuits.

4. Transfer biscuits to parchment lined or Silpat lined cookie sheet.  Brush biscuits with egg glaze and bake until golden brown and firm to touch, about 18 minutes.  Serve warm!

I think I'm becoming a better baker!  But practice makes perfect...and more biscuits to eat!  Here's a couple of things this baker has added to her Christmas wish list for the next time I make this recipe:

a Pastry Blender

and a Pastry Brush.