Thursday, December 9, 2010

herb & garlic flatbread



Okay, so I'm wicked upset that I made this, it turned out GREAT, and then I cut it up and ate all the pretty, crunchy edge pieces before it dawned on me that I DIDN'T TAKE ANY PICTURES OF IT YET. Ugh. But, since it did turn out so good, I'm going to give you the recipe anyway. Why? Because I just love you that much. And because who knows how long it'll be before I make this again since it's the start of exams, and I'll be going home to the land of barbeque and chinese food after that. This is super easy to make since it requires no yeast and the ingredients are ones you should have in your cupboard to begin with. Pile it on with some easy bruschetta or maybe some spinach dip, or if you like it, hummus. Any kind of dip would be awesome with this since you can easily change the texture and thickness of the flatbread you want. So let's get started!

Herb & Garlic Flatbread
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup warm water
¾ cups oil
Parchment paper, for baking
Extra oil, for brushing
Coarse or Table salt, for sprinkling

Place a large rimless baking sheet or an upside down rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 450F.
In a bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, garlic powder, basil and black pepper. With a spoon, stir in the water and olive oil until a medium stiff dough forms. Knead gently to combine into a ball. Let rest in the bowl covered with a tea towel for about half an hour to let it (and you!) rest.

Divide dough into 6 to 8 portions, depending on the size of your cookie sheet. One at a time, roll dough out with a sprinkling of flour until very thin; the thinner you roll it, the thinner and crispier the flatbread will be. If you want it to be more breadlike, don't roll it so much. More cracker-like, roll it paper thin. 
Place on the parchment paper and brush excess flour off the dough, then brush with oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Place on top of the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 8 to 12 minutes until lightly browned on the edges with specks of brown throughout. It should have some nice golden bubbles on top. Remove from the oven, cool and break or cut into pieces. Repeat with the remaining dough. Keeps well in a ziploc bag or sealed container. Eat up!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

apple crisp

I've been dying, and I mean dying, to bake something for the past few days. This recovery is driving me nuts, and I can't wait until I can bang out the Christmas cookies I've been dying to make. Have I mentioned I've been dying? to bake? So instead, while on the couch, my boyfriend brought me the bag of apples that has been sitting in our crisper since his mom brought them for us, and I elected to make some apple crisp! While lying on the couch! Problem solved. But I still want to make cookies. And I won't even go into detail about how I managed to maneuver a knife and peeler while lying down.


This is a basic apple crisp recipe I make anytime we have leftover apples lying around. It's pretty simple, and can be really versatile, so you can dress it up however you want. Pears, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, anything you have handy. A fruit medley. I added chopped pecans to the crumble this time around, which we both really liked. And oatmeal too. It's like my lazy, recovering man's apple pie.


Apple Crisp


5 or 6 apples, any kind
peeled, and sliced or chopped
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon


Topping:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine


In a bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Mix together with a fork until well combined. Pour in the melted butter and continue to mix with a fork until large, coarse crumbs form. Set aside.


Peel apples, and slice or chop them, depending on the size you prefer your fruit to be. Throw these into a very lightly greased 8x8 baking dish. Add 2/3 cups sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon. Mix gently until coated. Spread apples into an even layer, and add topping, loosely crumbling into an even layer as well. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes, until bubbly and golden. Remove and let cool slightly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Best when served with Tim Hortons coffee :) (see pic above!)