Apple Galette des Rois

You know, it's funny.  Life, that is.  Sometimes you cruise right through it barely noticing the change in time and day.  Just one moment into the next with your head down missing the details, the ups, the downs.  And then something unexpected stops you in your tracks and forces you to look around.

This is the story of my life as of late.  Just kind of going through the motions, each day passing pretty much the same as the rest.  Not in a bad way, but in a less-than-present sort of way.  And then two little things that don't amount to much in the grand scheme of life nearly took my breath away.  Those two little things, really not much more than a few sentences spoken both by people who know me and by those that don't, made me look deep inside and as a result of that introspection to see the world around me in a much different way.  I'm grateful.  It feels good to appreciate the people around me more fully and perhaps even take care of myself with more purpose.

Am I being a bit too cryptic for you?  If I am, you have my deepest apologies.  It's simply that I'm not quite sure what the end result of those few sentences swirling around in my mind will be.  I need a bit more time for that.  But in the meantime, I'll share a few of those words with you.  Because they made me stop and catch my breath and it's my hope that they might just do the same for someone else.

"You are brave enough.  Don't ever think otherwise."

Apple Galette des Rois
Makes 1 9-inch galette which will serve 4-6 people.  Rough puff pastry recipe from in jennie's kitchen.
For a printable version of the recipe, click here.

Not too long ago my sister and I were standing at the counter of a French patisserie ordering pan au chocolat (chocolate croissants) and eclairs when I noticed this beautifully bronzed pastry that I had no name for.  The two of us wondered aloud at what it could be, but were happy to buy our croissants and eclairs and be on our way without too much thought.  A couple of weeks later that same pastry appeared in my Instagram feed (from Jennifer Perillo of in jennie's kitchen) and I learned that what we had seen was called a galette des rois and it is a pastry made in France only once a year for the celebration of Epiphany. I was intrigued by the pastry and even more so when I read through Jennifer's post and saw that she had made her own puff pastry for the galette.  My visions of puff pastry were of huge blocks of butter and a long, tedious process.  Jennifer's recipe was a revelation to me.  So simple- 4 ingredients, a bit of rolling and chilling and I had puff pastry better than any I could buy in a store.  It's a game changer.  The rest of the galette process was just as simple having decided on making an apple filling instead of the usual almond one since my people aren't nut people.  In my house, this galette will be a year-round treat instead of being reserved to once a year, that's how much we love it.

Rough Puff Pastry
1 2/3 cup ( 250 g) all purpose flour
1 tsp fine sea salt
12 tbs (125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes
2/3 cup (150 mL) cold water

Place the flour and salt into a large bowl and give them a quick mix.  Toss the butter pieces into the flour and, using your finger tips, blend the butter and flour together until you have a crumbly mixture with some marble-sized pieces of butter remaining.

Stir the water into the flour-butter mixture with a wooden spoon until it just comes together into a dough.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently form it into a rectangle.  Working in one direction (left to right or top to bottom, for example) roll the dough into a long rectangle that is roughly 3 times longer than what you started with.  Fold the dough in thirds (fold one end towards the center and then fold the remaining third over the top) so that it resembles a folded letter.

Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat the process, rolling out the dough into a long rectangle and then folding it like a letter.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Apple Filling and Finishing the Galette
1.5 lbs apples (3 medium apples), your favorite cooking apple
3 tbs light brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out (optional)

1 recipe rough puff pastry from above
1 egg yolk, beaten with a splash of milk

While the dough is chilling, make the filling.

Peel, core and chop the apples into 1 inch chunks.  Place the apples, brown sugar, water and vanilla bean (if using) into a medium saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Cover and lower the heat to medium-low.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until the apples are soft but haven't completely broken down (you want some texture in the filling, not applesauce).  Give the apples a light mash with a fork and set aside to cool.

Preheat your oven to 375 F (190 C).  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator.  Cut it in half and return one half to the refrigerator.  Place the other half on a lightly floured work surface.  Rolling in one direction again, roll from one edge to the opposite edge.  Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat the process of rolling in one direction edge to edge.  Continue giving the dough a quarter turn and rolling until the dough is just larger than an 8 inch plate or round baking pan.  Using a sharp knife, cut around the edge of the plate or pan and place the circle of dough onto the prepared baking sheet.

Spread the cooled apple filling over the dough, leaving a one inch border clear of filling all around the edge.  Remove the second half of dough from the refrigerator and roll and cut it in the same fashion as the first half.  Place the second circle of dough over the filling and gently but firmly press the edge down so that it adheres to the bottom circle.  With the tip of a sharp knife you can score a design across the top (but don't cut all the way through the dough!).  Pierce a few holes for steam to escape.  Brush the top of the dough with the egg yolk.

Bake the galette for 30-35 minutes until puffed and golden brown.  Let the galette cool and serve warm or at room, temperature.

Spring Kohlrabi Salad

So I don't really remember why we got it going, but somehow an old college roommate and I have started a little farmer's market Facebook game.  It's called "Can you guess the vegetable?".  The whole thing cracks me up because before I met this roommate, she was never into cooking.  A few lessons in our tiny apartment kitchen started what I like to think of as a deep appreciation for getting her bake on, and I'm happy to take all of the credit!

Our game goes a little something like this-

1. I visit the weekly market here in town.  I generally get inspired to take a bunch of photos while wandering from tent to tent, so I snap a few as I go.

2. I post a picture of something odd or particular to Germany and she guesses what it might be (though she has gotten it right, more times than not).

I usually get some odd looks from the Germans selling their goods when I break out the camera or my phone.  It's like they can't figure out what could be so picturesque about their crates and stacks of fruits and veggies.  Of course, to me not much (except my gorgeous kiddos) could be any prettier.  Sometimes stealth is the wisest way to get a great photo, as is the case with the lovely older lady who had no idea I was taking pictures of the gently stacked flowers in her shopping basket this morning (so pretty!).

Last week's guessing game centered around the kohlrabi.  It's a totally alien-looking veggie that I had never encountered before moving to Germany.  Though I've noticed it's growing popularity in the US.  My roomie didn't know what it was, but my awesome sister guessed it right away.  I love kohlrabi raw- it's crunchy and juicy very much like an apple but with a sweet earthy flavor reminiscent of broccoli (it's a cousin after all) and cabbage.  But it's also great tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted along with root veggies.

The conversation that ensued after  disclosing the identity of the "mystery veggie" last week inspired me to make sure I picked up some kohlrabi this week.  As I walked around the market this morning I found several farmers selling giant green heads of it so I had my pick.  Yea me!  My basket also filled up with all sorts of late winter and early spring stuff and I could absolutely feel the transition in the air.  The warm sun, the bushels of tulips, radishes, spring onions.  It was like a perfect storm of inspiration.

I could feel the hibernation of winter shaking off.  The salad that I created when I got home was only the first step.  Hopefully the next few will take me towards asparagus and strawberries.  Then on to the beautiful apricots that lead the way to everything that is delicious and wonderful about summer.  In the meantime, the leftovers of this first salad of many are waiting for me to dig into again tomorrow.

Sweet!

Spring Kohlrabi Salad
Serves 6 as a side dish.
For the printable recipe, click here.

This crunchy salad is more like a slaw than a traditional salad.  Lots of texture and a great balance of flavors.  The dressing is light and slightly tangy with buttermilk and lemon.  I like the nuts in the salad, but you can certainly leave them out if you have nut issues.  Today I used almonds but would have tossed in walnuts if I had them.  Both are equally delicious in the salad.  And as a bonus, this is one salad that keeps well so it's perfect to make ahead or take along to a potluck or BBQ.  One further note- kohlrabi has very thick skin so you definitely need a good sharp peeler.  It might even take two passes to get all of the skin away.

1 pound kohlrabi (1 large head), peeled and sliced thinly into matchsticks
1 medium sweet apple such as honeycrisp or pink lady, sliced thinly into matchsticks
2 or 3 radishes, diced or sliced into matchsticks
1 small spring onion or 1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 tbs chopped parsley
3 tbs sliced almonds or chopped walnuts

1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp honey
1 1/2 tsp whole grain or dijon mustard

Place all the salad ingredients into a large bowl.  In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, lemon juice, honey and mustard.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently.

The salad can be kept in the refrigerator overnight in a sealed container.

Crispy Chewy Almond Cookies {Amaretti}

It's early January, cold and gray here in Germany and the snow from two weeks ago that was so beautiful and dazzling white as it laid fresh on the ground now lingers in slushy little piles that are the saddest remnants of their former selves.

It's easy to be a little melancholy right now. The weather is less than inspirational for sure. And all of the festive excitement of the holidays is a memory. Germany really has a love affair with Christmas that lasts for a good 6 weeks and the withdrawl from the festivity is tough to take.  The Christmas markets are over.  The twinkly lights and ornaments have been packed away and (in our case) the tree has been drug down the street to the neighborhood collection spot in a parking lot. It really is a sad sight to see- all of those beautiful trees just tossed into a big pile next to a soccer stadium and bus stop.

I'm not the kind of girl who makes New Year's resolutions. Probably because I know I'd never stick to them. I always try to do a little better with my health, eat a little better, stay on top of housework more. You know, the standard stuff.  It's not really working out just yet, but I promise when the weather gets better and the baby goes back to her normal sleepy schedule...

I do have to admit that I'm a little excited about a new "Mom and baby" yoga class starting soon, truth be told.  I happen to really like my yoga instructor and I could certainly use the help.  After three c-sections my core is.......well......let's not even go there. 

So you're not going to get a ton of new year healthy recipes from me (not really sorry about that, sorry!).  In my opinion, healthy eating really only works if you allow yourself a little treat now and again.  So I'll handle the little treats for you if you can manage the healthy part on your own.  Deal?  Deal.

Crispy Chewy Almond Cookies {Amaretti}
Makes about 6 dozen cookies.
For the printable recipe, click here.

These cookies are delightfully good.  There is a perfect balance between the shatteringly crisp exterior and chewy center that cannot be beat.  They are based on one of my favorites, the Italian pignoli cookie, but it turns out that I didn't have pine nuts in my freezer so I quickly decided to use the sliced almonds that were there instead and was totally pleased with the results (even my kids ate them and they hate nuts!).  I also ended up making my own almond paste for this cookie, something I had never done before.  I guess Germans don't use it (but they seem to really love marzipan- odd) because it was nonexistent in the local stores.  I actually really loved my homemade almond paste much more than the store bought stuff and it was so easy I may never buy it again.  If you don't have already ground almonds available just whiz some whole or slivered almonds up in your food processor or blender so that you end up with 1 1/2 cups of the ground stuff. 

Almond Paste:

1 1/2 cups ground almonds (or almond flour)
1 1/2 cups pure cane sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (or almond extract if you want it extra almond-y)
1 egg white

Place the ground almonds into a food processor and pulse until the almonds begin to form a paste.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until you have a thick paste.  The almond paste can be refrigerated at this point for up to three days.

Cookie dough:

2 egg whites
1 recipe almond paste
2 tbs honey
3 tbs all purpose flour

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl beat the egg whites until they begin to get frothy.  Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, blend the almond paste into the egg whites in small increments until just blended in.  Add the honey and flour and beat until fully combined.

Spoon quarter sized mounds of the cookie dough 2 inches apart from each other on the prepared baking sheet (you could also pipe the dough with a piping bag).  Bake for 7-9 minutes until the tops of the cookies turn golden, they have spread and the tops have crackled.  Let them cool completely on the parchment or baking mat before peeling off.  To speed things up you can slide the parchment with the cookies onto a wire rack and replace it with a clean parchment to bake a second batch while the first batch cools.  You can continue to swap out the two sheets of parchment until all the cookies are baked.

The cookies keep well in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

Just a Little Thing...A New Book and My Favorite Christmas Cookie Ever

A year of work has finally come to an end.....

After a lot of recipe collecting and bugging my Mom for her instructions for my favorite childhood treats, writing, editing, photographing and a few extra pounds from, ehem, taste testing.....this labor of love is finally finished.  It's just a little thing- 18 recipes that represent the collective kitchen wisdom of three generations of my family bound together into one sweet book.  My Mom and I worked together to make this book before some of these recipes disappeared forever without being written down.  My original intention was to give copies as gifts for my family, but I got so many requests for a copy from friends far and wide that I decided to self publish the book and offer it for sale.

So if you head on over to Blurb, you'll find My Mother's Kitchen for sale in a few different formats.  You can grab a hard or soft cover 7x7 inch book or download an ebook for your iphone or iPad.  I'd be honored if you were fond enough of me or my recipes to purchase yourself a copy.  Thrilled and humbled beyond belief as well.

I thought I'd give you a little taste of what's in the book today.  In keeping with the current theme of European cookies, here's my favorite Italian cookie.  We always called them dardeeds because that's how my Nana pronounced it, but I have since come to find out that the actual name for this cookie is turdilli.  I'm sticking with dardeeds, but you can call them whatever you like.  Maybe call them delicious.  Turdilli are definitely a regional secret from Calabria- most people have never seen or heard of them.  I aim to change that right now.

Turdilli {or Dardeeds}

Makes a mountain of cookies.  Divide the recipe by 3 for a more reasonable amount.
For the printable of this recipe, click here. 


3 cups neutral flavored oil           
2 cups dry red wine               
1 cup whiskey               
11 1/2 cups + 1 tbs all purpose flour       
8 1/2 cups semolina flour           
2 tsp sugar               
3 eggs                   
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbs ground clove


Neutral flavored oil for frying
2 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves, divided
 2 lbs. honey
1/4 cup sugar



Place the oil, wine and whiskey in a large pot.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Boil for just a couple of minutes to burn off the alcohol.  Remove from the stove and cool.

In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, semolina, sugar, ground cloves and ground cinnamon.  Pour in the cooled liquid ingredients and the 3 eggs.  Mix until you have a cohesive, sturdy dough. 

In a large pot, pour enough oil to fill the pot about three inches deep.  Place the cinnamon sticks and 7 cloves into the oil.  Insert a candy thermometer into the pot.  Heat over medium until the oil reaches 350 degrees.


In the meantime, cut small sections of dough (keep the rest of the dough in a covered bowl) and form ropes about the diameter of your thumb. Cut into ¾ to 1” pieces and roll them on a fork or a wooden board used to roll cavatelli/gnocchi. Fry the dardeeds in batches, turning gently once, until golden.  Let cool.

Rub the sides of a bowl large enough to hold all the finished dardeeds with half a lemon.  Place the honey in a pot large enough to hold all the dardeeds. Add the remain cloves to the honey. Mix the sugar and flour together and add it to the honey also. Warm the mixture to just above a simmer but not quite boiling.  Add the dardeeds and toss gently until they are all coated well. Remove from heat and turn out into the prepared bowl. Keep covered with foil.

German Gingerbread {Lebkuchen}

This past week my youngest son's school had a Christmas party.  Families were invited and we grilled bratwurst over fire pits in the school yard, had hot punch and shared Christmas sweets.  If this seems like an idyllic German setting, let me set the record straight.  It was dark at 4:00 pm, 37 degrees out and mistily foggy.  It was a GREAT idea and I was super excited for it, but the reality was not so wonderful.  Let's just say we only lasted as long as it took my oldest to grill his bratwurst (which took way longer than his patience held out, truly) and have a few cookies.

I brought cookies to the celebration (of course).  I was excited and just a bit nervous to bring these particular cookies.  We had spent the weekend before exploring the Christmas markets in Munich and Salzburg and I fell in love with the cookie booths in both the German and Austrian cities. It's THE cookie around these parts.  And everyone's mom or grandma has their own way of making lebkuchen that is the "best" or "only" way to do it.  I think I went to one booth at the market in Salzburg that had 10 different versions for sale.  Some were studded with candies fruit, some dressed up with a chocolate coat and more plain versions decorated with almonds.  After all the tastings (purely for scientific reasons, of course) my favorites were lightly sweet and mildly spicy with a simple glaze and chewy middle.

The big question was- would my American version of everyone's favorite go over with the teachers and family's at my son's school.  I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I popped in the morning after the big grill out and the teacher gave me a big thumbs up while snacking on the leftover cookies.  Phew!  I'm so glad because I just love this cookie and having others feel the same way just feels so good.

German Gingerbread {Lebkuchen}
Makes about 3 dozen 3 inch cookies.
For the printable recipe, click here.

This recipe is the result of quite a bit of research into traditional lebkuchen recipes.  There were so many ways I could have gone, but I think after much tinkering I came up with my ideal version.  A few notes.  First, many lebkuchen recipes require long resting times either before or after baking to produce a more mature flavor.  I suppose that would work, but I found that an overnight rest in the fridge before baking was just right for my tastebuds.  Feel free to let the dough rest up to three days if you fancy a stronger spiciness.  Second, though I loved the snowflake cookie cutter that I used when making the cookies for this photo, I probably wouldn't use it again.  The spiky parts of the cookie baked much more quickly than I would have liked and I missed the chewy center that is the hallmark of the lebkuchen.  I think the angel shape was perfect, but if you really want to go traditional most lebkuchen that I saw in the markets were round.  If you find the cookies drying out as you keep them on your counter, take a cue from the Germans and place a slice of apple in your cookie jar to keep your lebkuchen fresh.

1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour

1 tbs cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tsp water

In a large bowl beat the honey, brown sugar and egg together.  Add the dry ingredients and carefully stir then into the wet ingredients until they are fully incorporated.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough overnight and up to 3 days.

When ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment.  Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface (it can be a bit sticky) to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut shapes using a cookie cutter between 2 and 3 inches in diameter.  Place cookies on the prepared cookie sheet with a couple of inches between each cookie.  Bake one sheet at a time for 5-7 minutes.  You want the cookies to puff in the center and get just the lightest of golden on the edges but NOT browned.  If you let the cookies bake until browned they will be hard and lose their chewy middle.  Let the cookies cool for a couple of minutes to make them easier to handle before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Continue rolling and cutting cookies until you are out of dough (scraps can be rerolled a few times before it gets tough).

Meanwhile, mix together the powdered sugar and water to get a thin glaze.  When the cookies are completely cooled, brush them with the glaze.  Give the glaze a few minutes to set before serving.

Cookies will keep in an airtight container for 3 days on the counter.

Swedish Dream Cookies {Dromkakor}

So last we met I had decided that I was going to put less pressure on myself.  Ha!  That didn't last long.  Not only am I in the midst of trying to finish up a family cookbook project before Christmas (2 recipes left to make and photograph- yay!)  but I went and decided to up the stakes here on this little old blog as well.  I've decided to do something that I've never tried before and do a series of themed posts from now until the end of the year.  How's that for slowing down and not feeling like I have to live up to any standard? 

If nothing else, it will certainly put some pressure on the waistband of my jeans (cue the groans for the cheesy joke now). 

So what's this theme all about, you might ask?  Here in Germany there is no Thanksgiving (duh), so things move along from apples and pumpkins right to Christmas.  And pretty quickly too.  The world-famous Christmas markets start up next week and my family is skipping the turkey this year and heading to Munich for the first market of the season.  Can't.  Wait. 

All the holiday hub bub has me thinking about my favorite part of Christmas.  The cookies.  So inspired by our travels and surroundings I decided to feature a selection of European cookies.  Some are simple and perfect for the busy holiday season and some are time consuming traditional cookies of the season.  I'm starting simple with a cookie from a country I haven't been to yet, but it's on the bucket list.  I must admit, I'm really tickled about the whole thing.  This is going to be so much fun!

Swedish Dream Cookies {Dromkakor}
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.  Very slightly adapted from Saveur.
For the printable recipe, click here.

These cookies are about the simplest things I can imagine making (next to good old American chocolate chip ones).  No fancy equipment or exotic ingredients required here.  They are crisp and melt in your mouth, in other words truly dreamy just as their name suggests.  I added just the tiniest bit of nutmeg to the dough which isn't a pronounced flavor but adds to the buttery richness of the cookie.  They remind me of a brown butter cookie with their nutty caramel-ly undertones but with none of the extra work required.  They may just become my go-to, in a pinch cookie.  And yours too.

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
8 tbs softened butter (1 stick)
1 1/4 cups cane sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or 2 tsp vanilla paste
1/3 cup canola oil

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, nutmeg and baking soda.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add in the vanilla and beat for another few seconds until thoroughly mixed.  Add the oil and stir together until smooth.  Slowly stir in the flour mixture just until combined.

Portion the dough 1 tablespoon at a time into balls.  Place the balls 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for about 25 minutes.  The cookies will crack on top slightly and be very pale golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack before serving.