After an 11 1/2 hour flight, a 2 1/2 hour train ride, and a 5 minute jaunt in a taxi, we arrived at the door of our Tokyo apartment on Wednesday. It’s been nearly 5 months since I’ve been here and it feels wonderful to be back. Back in my own kitchen, my own bedroom, my own home. Granted, life is completely different now that I am 5 1/2 months pregnant. Rather than riding my bicycle to the grocery store, I have to take the bus or walk. Which in this heat is just about one of the most miserable tasks. Still, aside from minor adjustments, I have never been so happy to be here. As we landed at Narita Airport, I watched out my airplane window as the ground grew closer and closer. I could see the neatly planted rice patties, the thick, lush forests covering the countryside, the canals and rivers that wind their way (in an orderly fashion, of course) through the landscape and the muted sunlight that placed its highlights in just the right places. I had never truly appreciated this scene until now. It was beautiful.

Once the jet lag has subsided, I will take more time to reflect on returning to Japan. I have so many thoughts that need to be shared. For now, I’d like to talk about food.

In the days before leaving for Tokyo, I spent a lot of time baking. Since I don’t have a proper oven here, I like to take advantage of my mother’s as much as possible when I’m visiting. My dad and I made, as we called them, “the best peanut butter cookies ever“. I felt like a little kid again, in a sense. Pressing a fork into peanut butter cookie dough to create that criss-cross pattern on the top, eating the first piping hot bite of a cookie right out of the oven, and spending time with someone you love immensely- it doesn’t get much better than that.

I also made these dulce de leche empanadas. I had made them a few weeks earlier and promised I would share the recipe here, but I had to get some decent photos first. My mom saved my life with these. I was having a miserable time with the dough. I had to make it more than once, which never happens with this recipe. It has consistently worked marvelously up until this incident. (I blame the fact that I am pregnant- that is really the only change. That can impact the success of a recipe, right?) When I felt like all I wanted to do was throw the dough against the kitchen wall, my mom hopped in and somehow made it work. You can all say a big thanks to her for the fact that this post is up!

These empanadas are the kind of thing you could throw together at a moment’s notice. They are perfect right out of the oven if you are serving them to guests, but they also make a delicious (though less impressive) snack when they are room temperature. Using the dough recipe from my Argentine empanadas, I simply fill them with a teaspoon of dulce de leche (which you can buy in the baking aisle by the sweetened condensed milk, or you can make yourself like this), and top them with a sprinkle of sea salt (you can use sugar if you prefer) after brushing them with lightly beaten egg white. A brief 15 minutes later, you have an ooey-gooey-oh-so-heavenly dessert that is perfection with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

So, with this recipe, I said good-bye to Minnesota (and its ovens), and hello to Tokyo (where the weather feels like an oven). More Japanese-inspired food is sure to follow here at Tokyo Terrace, so please stick around!

And by the way, if you haven’t done it yet, make sure to enter my giveaway for 6 free pints of ice cream! You still have time!

When I visited to Argentina a few years ago, I flew from Minneapolis to Dallas to Miami to Buenos Aires. It added up to something like 24 total travel hours and by the time I reached my destination I was completely exhausted. I remember very little about that first day in Buenos Aires aside from my happy reunion with (then boyfriend) Brad at the airport. It took me a couple of days to recover and get some rest, but when I did, I began to fall in love with Argentina- both its people and its food (of course).

Shortly after my arrival, Brad and I traveled to Mar del Plata for a few days, where we enjoyed breakfasts on a sun-filled deck, quiet walks along the beach, and I discovered my love (and I mean love) for café con crema. After a few days, we returned to the faster-paced Buenos Aires for the remainder of my visit. Brad lived with a beautiful host-family who truly adopted him as their own son while he lived there. They were so warm and lovely that I felt as though I could have stayed in their cozy home, complete with a friendly dog and a grandmother who made handmade ravioli every Sunday for the whole family, forever.

I don’t have many photos of my trip because this was before I really got into taking photos. But I remember a lot about it. One thing that sticks out in my mind is of course the food we ate. A couple days ago, we took a little trip down memory lane and made a simple argentine meal of empanadas and choripan with chimichurri.

Empanadas are wonderful. I’ve posted them before on the site (here). It seems like you are throwing together a million things that don’t make any sense together- ground beef, hard boiled eggs, raisins, green olives- but somehow they come together to form a perfectly flavored pocket wrapped in crispy, flaky crust. This time around, since there were some olive and raisin haters, I omitted those and used dried cranberries instead. This was actually a perfect substitute and added a subtly sweet, tangy flavor to the filling. I bake my empanadas, but if you buy them on the streets of Buenos Aires they will most likely be fried. I find that baking them still creates a delicious crust and prevents the mess of deep frying.

Choripan are sandwiches made with chorizo and french style rolls. These can be eaten as is but are best with the addition of chimichurri sauce, which is similar to a pesto but is made with flat leaf parsley and a few other ingredients one wouldn’t usually find in a traditional pesto. The flavor is bright and fresh and can be used on anything from meat to fish.

For dessert, I made empanadas filled with dulce de leché. I didn’t manage to get many photos of the dessert, so… What’s that? You insist that I make them again and do another post? Well, alright…just for you though!

This meal was great for Brad and I to make together. He was in charge of the choripan and I was maker of empanadas. We served the meal with a nice Malbec (if you haven’t tried it, get to it! It’s the perfect wine for grilled meat and this summer would be a great time to break open a bottle!) and had a great time reminiscing about our trip and sharing the experience with others. And don’t worry- I didn’t have any of the wine.

And last but not least (and this has nothing to do with Argentina) we found out that our little baby is a boy! We had an ultrasound on Wednesday and everything looks beautiful! I’m already completely, head over heels in love.

*I recommend making this dinner with another person just because its so much fun! Make the dough for the empanadas first, since it has to chill for about an hour in the refrigerator. Then, while one person makes the chimichurri sauce, the other makes the filling for the empanadas. Work on filling the empanadas together, or have one person do the filling and the other work on grilling the sausage for the choripan. Just keep in mind that the empanadas take a while to bake, but can be put back in the oven at about 275 degrees F to reheat if you want to do them ahead of time.

Chimichurri Sauce (from Simply Recipes)

1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, trimmed of thick stems

3-4 garlic cloves

2 Tbsps fresh oregano leaves (can sub 2 teaspoons dried oregano)

1/2 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Finely chop the parsley, fresh oregano, and garlic (or process in a food processor several pulses). Place in a small bowl.

2. Stir in the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Adjust seasonings.

3. Serve immediately or refrigerate. If chilled, return to room temperature before serving. Can keep for a day or two.

Argentine Empanadas

Makes 1 dozen empanadas

Filling:

2 T olive oil

1 lb. ground beef

1 small yellow onion, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup pitted green olives, roughly chopped (optional if you have olive haters)

1/3 cup raisins (or dried cranberries)

2 boiled eggs, chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

black pepper and salt to taste

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, green onion, garlic, raisins and olives. Cook until the onion and garlic are soft and fragrant. Add the ground beef and brown thoroughly. Stir in the soy sauce and water. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring the mixture to prevent burning. Season with salt and pepper, transfer the filling to a large bowl and allow to cool while you make the dough. When the filling is cool, stir in the boiled egg.

Dough (adapted from Asian Dumplings cookbook):

2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar or honey

4 tablespoons shortening

5 tablespoons butter, chilled and diced

1 egg yolk (save the white to brush the dough before baking) mixed w/6 tablespoons water

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar (if using honey, mix the honey together w/the egg yolk and water.)

Add the shortening and butter and use your fingers to break it into tiny crumbles (very important that this is done well! If you have a food processor, use that…I don’t, so I use what God gave me!)

Add the egg/water/honey mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until the dough comes together in a mass. Ditch the fork and use your hands to gently kneed the dough into a smoothish ball. Don’t do this for too long, just long enough to create a nice ball of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator when thoroughly chilled. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a thick, small rectangle and cut in half. Working with one half of dough at a time, continue to roll the dough into a larger rectangle until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Using a circular cookie cutter, cut out section of dough and set aside. Do the same with the other half of dough.

Assembly:

Take each cut out circle and roll it out so it is thin, but not so thin you can see through it. Put about 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the dough circle and seal the edges. Place the filled empanada on a lined baking sheet. Lightly whisk your reserved egg white. Before placing in the oven, brush the top of each empanada with the egg white.

Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Choripan

Makes 6-8 sandwiches

4 chorizo links (about the size of a bratwurst)

1 loaf of French bread, cut into 6-8 sections and cut in half like sandwich bread

olive oil

Heat a grill to medium high and cook the chorizo. When it is done, cut the chorizo in half once in the middle, then once lengthwise. Place the chorizo back on the grill, cut side down and grill for another minute or two for nice grill marks.

Brush the cut sides of the bread with olive oil and place them on the grill for about a minute. Transfer the bread and chorizo to a platter. Each place two halves of chorizo on each sandwich and serve with chimichurri sauce.

So far this year I have been all about simplicity. Getting back to basics. Unloading baggage. Whatever you want to call it, it’s been freeing. Last weekend, I emptied two garbage bags of clothes out of my closet (some that I’d had since, gasp!, high school) leaving me with a sense or organization that I’m pretty sure I’ve never felt. After that came this desire to, gasp!, keep the apartment as clean as possible! If you are my parents and you are reading this right now, I hope you are sitting down.

I’ve been a bit of late-bloomer when it comes to housekeeping. I’ve been known to leave piles of stuff- just clutter- sitting around for weeks. I’ll admit it. Cleaning was one of my least favorite activities. What I realized while cleaning out my closet was that there was one central problem: I just had too many things. I tend to get emotionally attached to most things that I own. However, with each move over the past few years, I’ve been able to cut the cord. Packing is much easier when you have fewer things. Lesson learned! Just let it go!

My cooking has been significantly altered this year as well. I still love the same foods and crave the creative release of putting together a beautiful meal, but I realized the beauty doesn’t have to come from a million ingredients or “fancy” food. The humblest ingredients, often those left in the refrigerator as an after-thought to an insanely involved recipe, can be the building blocks of rustic, flavorful, honest food. This galette, for example, is made of carrots, an onion, and an apple that have been roasted with a light drizzle of olive oil until the flavor has intensified. The crust, enhanced with red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese, comes together quickly while the vegetables slowly roast. And there is still time left to clean up the (small) pile of dishes from prep.

Perfect for a weeknight meal or an elegant dinner party. Simplicity. That’s what it’s all about.

*Check out RestaurantWare.com if you’d like catering supplies like these bamboo plates and flatware of your own!Enter coupon code “tokyoterrace” and receive 10% off! In this post, you see bamboo fork & knife and bamboo leaf plate.

Savory Vegetable Galette
Filling
2 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 onion, 1/2 inch dice
1 apple (I used Fuji, but you could use any variety) cut into 1/2 inch cubes
*cutting the vegetables into smaller cubes greatly reduces time for roasting
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with tin foil to make clean-up easier. Spread the vegetables in an even layer in the pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 30-45 minutes or until vegetables are soft and beginning to caramelize. While the vegetables are cooking, make the crust:

1 cup of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
5T unsalted butter, placed in the freezer for 30 minutes-1 hour
1/4 cup ice water
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, red pepper flakes, salt, and butter. If you froze the butter (which I highly recommend) use a medium-large sized cheese grater (not a microplane) to grate it into the mixing bowl. This will make it easier to work into the flour and keep the temperature cold. This is a trick of my mother’s that works beautifully! Using your fingers, combine the dry ingredients with the butter until the mixture resembles small crumbs. Using a teaspoon, slowly add the ice water 1 teaspoon at a time. Do this until the mixture holds together well and is not dry or crumbling. I usually have to use 2, maybe 3 teaspoons, but this can vary depending on climate, etc. Gently knead the dough until it comes together completely. Gather the dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for half an hour and up to 2 hours.
2. While the dough is chilling, remove the vegetables from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Set the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
3. When the dough has chilled long enough, turn it out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough with a rolling pin or wine bottle in a large circle until it is about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Place the rolling pin in the center of the dough (like you are drawing a line in the center of the cirle). Gently fold the dough in half over the rolling pin, making a half circle with the pin in the center. Lift the rolling pin, supporting the dough with your other hand, and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Open the dough and set the pin aside.
4. Pile the vegetables in the center of the dough and spread evening, leaving about 2-3 inches of dough around the edges. Fold the dough around the vegetables and gently press folds together to seal (see photos to see what the folds should look like). Brush the dough with the egg white and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.
5. Bake the galette for about 20 minutes or until the crust in a golden brown around the edges. Serve with a green salad and a glass of bright Chardonnay or a Pinot Noir.

I am not much of a morning person. Usually I crawl out from under my warm covers, interrupting cuddle time with my dog, to silently make coffee while the haze gradually (VERY gradually) clears from my eyes and I can join the world of the awake. Some mornings it takes all my strength not to hit the snooze button for the umpteenth time. Other mornings, residents of our apartment complex apparently think I need some extra early waking-up. They call taxis at 4:30am, loudly explaining where they need to go. Conveniently, this happens right outside our first floor bedroom window. As these exchanges occur, I’m typically imagining what would happen if I walked outside and gave them a piece of my mind. But I’m too tired to move, let alone yell at someone broken Japanese that doesn’t make any sense. Too much effort before the dawn has cracked.

This morning was classic. The dog had to be let out at about 3:00am, then an hour later a taxi pulled up outside followed by a 5 minute conversation that seemed to be happening in my room because the walls are paper thin. Then, at 7:00am, an ambulance drove by. At 8:30am I finally decided to give up trying to sleep and make some coffee and breakfast. I have to say that it was worth it. The smell of scones baking was enough to make me see the bright side of life.

Walking with Callie and looking at the beautiful plum blossoms that have been bursting over the past few days only made things better. Who can complain about a day that began with scones, coffee, and soaking in Japan’s beauty?

What are you favorite ways to begin a weekend morning?

*I used the pinewood boat, medium, from restaurantware.com in this post. You can purchase eco-friendly products like catering supplies and plastic plates from restaurantware.com and receive 10% off by entering the coupon code: tokyoterrace. For the dish used in this post, click here to purchase.

Cranberry-Citrus Whole Wheat Scones

Makes 1 dozen small scones

1 cup all-purpose or bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup dried cranberries

zest from 1 orange and 2 meyer lemons/1 regular lemon

8 tablespoons butter, frozen for about 30 minutes

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, 200 degrees C.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda and powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon. Add the cranberries and zests. Use a cheese grater to add the butter. Break up the butter in the dry ingredients with your fingers until crumbly.

Combine the egg and yogurt in a small bowl and mix together with a fork. Add to the dry ingredients using a fork to combine. When the dough has begun to cling together but is still a combination of sticky and dry, use your hands to create a ball of dough.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and gently knead until the dough’s consistency is nearly smooth. Form about an 8-inch round. Cut the dough into triangles and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Fall has arrived, at long last! After one of the hottest summers Tokyo has experienced in recorded history, we have finally gotten some release. Cooler temperatures have made the city feel like a different place. A better place. A place where you won’t melt walking down the street. When the weather changes this drastically, I automatically begin to crave apple-themed desserts. Apple pie, apple muffins, apple cider…anything with that welcoming scent and comforting flavor.

The other day, I made this simple and scrumptious apple tart for a small dinner party. I added a few lemon-thyme leaves to the crust, giving the overall flavor an earthy yet bright accent. It was the perfect way to add a little twist to a classically perfect dessert. What made it even better were the dishes I used to serve the apple tart. These bamboo leaf disposable plates are elegant and simple, just like this tart! The knife and fork are also bamboo. I love how contemporary the tableware is while still bringing an earthy elegance to a place setting. RestaurantWare.com sells a wide range of eco-friendly catering supplies and it is not limited to bamboo. (I’ll be sharing some other styles with you in the future.) Trust me when I say that you will love them all!

No matter what the occasion, whether it is celebrating the changing seasons or simply to treat yourself, this simple apple tart with lemon-thyme crust is perfect atop elegant bamboo leaf plates.

*Check out RestaurantWare.com if you’d like catering supplies like these bamboo plates and flatware of your own! Enter coupon code “tokyoterrace” and receive 10% off!

Apple Tart with Lemon-Thyme Crust

Serves 6-8

1 medium apple, sliced in 1/4″ slices
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pinch of salt

1 cup of flour

2 teaspoons lemon-thyme (or regular thyme) leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick of butter (4 T), placed in the freezer for 1 hour
1 tablespoon shortening
zest of half a lemon
1/4 cup ice water
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Sugar for dusting

Start by making the crust. In a large bowl, combine the flour, thyme leaves, salt, butter, shortening and lemon zest. If you froze the butter (which I highly recommend) use a cheese grater to grate it into the mixing bowl. This will make it easier to work into the flour and keep the temperature cold. This is a trick of my mother’s that works beautifully! Using your fingers, combine the dry ingredients with the butter and shortening until the mixture resembled small crumbs. Using a teaspoon, slowly add the ice water 1 teaspoon at a time. Do this until the mixture hold together well and is not dry or crumbling. I usually have to use 2, maybe 3 teaspoons, but this can vary depending on climate, etc.

Gather the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about half an hour and up to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, take the apple slices, cinnamon, sugar, salt and lemon juice and combine in a bowl. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes but not more than 15.

Remove the crust from the refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a large circle, about 13 inches. Transfer the dough to a tart pan. Do this by laying it over the pan and gently pressing the dough into the pan.

Put the tart in the oven at 350 degrees F (176 C) for about 20-25 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned.

Strawberries. Whipped cream. Sweet cakey biscuits.

There are few combinations as classically beautiful as these three ingredients. Strawberry shortcake is something that can be best enjoyed during strawberry season. I realized over the past two weeks back in the United States that we are far too spoiled. There are so many fruits and vegetables that are sent across the country or around the world to make it to our grocery stores. It may seem like a luxury when suddenly the ease and convenience of finding anything and everything all year round is taken away. But is the cost really worth it?

Are you wondering why I would write a post with a delectable dessert and a devastating disaster in the same title? Keep reading and you’ll see why.

My mom grew her own strawberries this year. These strawberries are a gorgeous deep red and have a delicately sweet and tart flavor. These strawberries traveled 50 feet from garden to table. These strawberries required no extra gas from a plane, train, or automobile. These strawberries did not increase our use of oil. And these strawberries will not contribute to off-shore drilling. They will not contribute to an oil spill.

The oil spill in the Gulf is easy to blame on BP. And I am not, by any means, saying that they do not have a massive amount of responsibility for this catastrophe. Still, we cannot ignore the fact that each and every one of us has contributed in large and small ways to the disaster that is becoming more serious each second of each passing day. By purchasing plastic products, driving gas-guzzling vehicles, buying foods that have to be shipped around the world to reach our shelves; our actions lead to a greater need for oil and therefore lead companies like BP to drill in risky areas in the ocean. No, they probably never thought something this bad would happen. But it did. Now what?

Photo from Huffington Post. Each cross stands for something that will be lost as a result of the oil spill in the Gulf.

Photo from AP via Huffington Post. Oil at the shoreline.

If any of you are like me, you’ve been sitting around feeling completely helpless. Unlike other natural disasters, we cannot just throw our money at the problem to speed-up the recovery process. We cannot volunteer our time to help clean up the mess left behind. No. This disaster is much more complicated. This very unnatural disaster has left so many people at a complete loss. So many livelihoods have been ruined with little hope on the murkey, muddy, oil soaked horizon.

While there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do to help with immediate results, there is plenty we can do to change our reliance on oil and prevent future oil spills. Growing our own food, if at all possible, is best. However, since this isn’t realistic for many of us, looking for local, seasonally appropriate foods (no, organic does not necessarily mean local) is a great place to start. Even if we can’t buy all of our food locally, every little bit helps. Look for products that have minimal plastic packaging or parts. Ride your bike rather than driving. Take the bus. Take the train. Carpool. Each and every one of these options can help to loosen the grip oil has on us.

I heard this message this morning while attending church with my parents and sister. The feelings that rushed over me when I realized that I do various things everyday that increase the overall need for oil. No matter how minute.

I once heard the phrase, “Every time you point your finger at someone else, there are three fingers pointing back at you.” So, before pointing fingers, let’s try evaluating what we do on a daily basis that could be changed. Let’s ask ourselves how we can help become more independent from our dependence on oil. Every little bit helps.

My mom’s strawberry shortcake is a perfect example of how to take advantage of local (right in our back yard in this case!) seasonal food to make something delicious. Homemade goodness. No oil required.

Mom’s Strawberry Shortcake

Makes 5 servings

For the biscuits:

2 cups self-rising flour

pinch of salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons shortening

1 cup milk or buttermilk

For the strawberries:

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled an quartered

1/3 cup sugar

For the whipped cream:

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Stir with a whisk. Add the butter and shortening and use your fingers to combine until there are no pieces bigger than a pea. Add the milk and combine. The dough will be sticky.

Roll the dough into a circle that is about 1 1/2 thick. Use a round cookie cutter to make 5 or 6 biscuits. Place in a cast iron pan or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

While the biscuits are baking, place the strawberries in a bowl along with the sugar. Stir gently to combine and allow to sit at least 20 minutes and up to an hour. The longer the berries sit in the sugar, the more the sugar will dissolve and create a syrup/sauce with the strawberry juices.

Next, whisk the whipping cream and sugar together until soft peaks form.

Take the biscuits out of the oven an allow them to cool slightly but not completely. Split the biscuits in half and put a scoop of strawberries on the bottom half, top with a dollop of whipped dream, and sandwich with the top half of the biscuit. Top with more strawberries and whipped cream. Spoon some of the sauce from the strawberries over the shortcake and serve.

Before you all start throwing tomatoes at me for being such a horrible blogger in the past few weeks, I would like to warn you that I have some great posts coming in the near future. But only if you keep the produce-throwing to a minimum. OK, just had to get that out there…

The recipe for this blog post was a bit of an accident. The other day I had a huge craving for a berry tart of some kind. I had the ingredients to make my own crust, but no fresh berries. I did, however, have in my freezer a bag of frozen blueberries and in my tiny refrigerator sat a jar of raspberry jam. Sounds like a good combination to me! I thought, as I fearlessly began making a super simple crust from Food & Wine. While the crust chilled in the refrigerator, I got a little creative with my berry ingredients.

I started by combining the frozen blueberries, 1/4 cup of the raspberry jam and the juice of 1/2 a lemon in a large bowl. Hello tart-deliciousness! But I was not satisfied with the flavor. I searched through my cupboards and there it was, right in front of me. A red wine vinaigrette infused with fig that was recently given to us by Laura and Braden from Paris-based Hidden Kitchen during their visit to Tokyo. I’d never thought of using red wine vinegar in a recipe like this, but the gentle fruity flavor of the fig along with the richness of the red wine added the perfect touch.

The perfectly flaky, buttery crust and the gooey berry filling of this tart was a ray of sunshine in the midst of an otherwise dreary week.

Tart Crust
Makes 1 9-inch crust
From Food & Wine Magazine, April 2010

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Salt
7 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup cold cream

Butter a 9-inch tart pan. In a food processor, pulse the flour with a pinch of salt and the butter until the mixture resembles course meal. Add the cream and pulse until the dough nearly comes together. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead a few times. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. (This is a good time to make the filling recipe below.)

Roll out the dough into a 14-inch round. Press the round into the tart pan, trim off any excess.

Tart Filling

2 cups frozen (or fresh) blueberries
1/4-1/3 cup raspberry jam
2 teaspoons red wine vinaigrette or fruity red wine
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until the jam has been broken down by the vinegar/lemon juice. Pour the filling into the prepared tart crust. Bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes at 325F, until the crust is nicely browned. Remove the tart from the oven and let it cool for about 15 minutes to allow the filling to become firm. Serve alone or topped with vanilla bean ice cream and some mint leaves.

There are few desserts that bring joy to my heart like this one. Simple, beautiful, delicious, and texturally perfect. Ok, maybe I’m getting a little too sentimental about my food- as usual- but hey, that’s what I do!

This dessert takes very little time to make and it can be as neat or rustic as you like. I made it last Friday night when our dear friends Rose and Alessandro had us over for a lovely Italian meal (Alessandro is from Italy, so you can be assured that the meal was amazing!) I had been working all day and knew that I would not have time to make anything too involved. So, I turned to the simplest, most scrumptious dessert I know: a rustic pear tart.

Usually, I prefer my tarts and pies made with apples. However, I came across two beautiful pears at the market on this particular day and knew they would be perfect. Slightly firm, gently sweet and with a gorgeous green skin, the pear slices made the tart an aesthetic and flavorful success.

To be honest, I have not always been a great baker. I used to destroy even the simplest cookie recipe without even trying. Tollhouse? Ruined them. Peanut butter cookies? Ruined them. Ask my parents. It was sad. Fortunately, I have outgrown my miserable baking skills and have finally developed what could be called decent baking skills.

The crust I made for this tart turned out perfectly. I made it totally blind- no recipes or anything- and somehow the stars aligned and I produced something wonderful. A buttery, flaky crust that was as golden and beautiful on the bottom as on the top. I have made the recipe several times and I can confidently say that it is fool proof. Go on- give it a shot!

With the holidays fast approaching, this is a perfect dessert to contribute to the buffet!

Rustic Pear Tart
Makes one 9-inch tart

1 medium pear, any variety, slightly less than ripe, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pinch of salt

1 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick of butter (4 T), placed in the freezer for 1 hour
1 tablespoon shortening
zest of half a lemon
1/4 cup ice water
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Sugar for dusting

Start by making the crust. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, butter, shortening and lemon zest. If you froze the butter (which I highly recommend) use a cheese grater to grate it into the mixing bowl. This will make it easier to work into the flour and keep the temperature cold. This is a trick of my mother’s that works beautifully! Using your fingers, combine the dry ingredients with the butter and shortening until the mixture resembled small crumbs. Using a teaspoon, slowly add the ice water 1 teaspoon at a time. Do this until the mixture hold together well and is not dry or crumbling. I usually have to use 2, maybe 3 teaspoons, but this can vary depending on climate, etc.

Gather the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about half an hour and up to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, take the pear slices, cinnamon, sugar, salt and lemon juice and combine in a bowl. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes but not more than 15.

Remove the crust from the refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a large circle, about 13 inches. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment or lightly dusted with flour. Arrange the pear slices as desired on the pie crust. Fold the edges of the dough over the pears to that it covers about 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches. Press lightly on the creases in the dough to ensure it stays laying down.

Brush the edges of the dough with the egg white and sprinkle with extra sugar.

Put the tart in the oven at 350 degrees F (176 C) for about 20 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned.

Serve topped with vanilla, cinnamon or dulce de leche ice cream, whipped cream, or all on it’s own!

When I was in college, I met this boy. He was cute, funny, sweet and attentive. I was completely head over heels in love with him within the first 5 minutes of our first date.

“I knew like ya know about a good melon.” — When Harry Met Sally

After a short time, I knew things were serious. Spend-the-rest-of-our-lives-together serious.

Boy was I in trouble. Sometimes I wonder if someone should have hit me over the head with a shoe and told me to run in the opposite direction. Especially when this particular boy said to me, “I am going to be spending 6 months in Argentina. And I’m leaving in 2 months. Oh, and by the way, we’re going to get married and move to Japan for 3 years.” Yep, shoulda put my running shoes on at that point.

Of course I am talking about the boy who turned into the man I  married. And I am still head-over-heels in love with him. Glad I left my running shoes in the closet.

Stick with me…I’ll get to the real point of this post very soon. But just to tide you over…

I gave you that “background info” because it explains how and why I ended up making these Argentine Empanadas. When hubs (or boyfriend at the time) told me he was spending 6 months in Argentina I knew it would be difficult. I also knew I had to go visit him. Duh! So he left in February. Fast-forward to June, the day after my college graduation, and I was on a plane by myself to Argentina.

AND I happened to be sitting next to a guy from Texas who wanted to tell me all about his dog named Booger. Yeah. Like the ones from your nose.

To make a long story short, Brad and I spent 2 weeks traveling around Argentina. Most of our time was spent in Mar del Plata and Buenos Aires where we enjoyed a lot of wonderful food. Empanadas became a favorite food for both of us in Argentina and I have not had them since then. (And no, I will not tell you how long it’s been…)

Did I mention that he proposed in Argentina? What a sneaky guy...

Last weekend I decided it was time to try making my own empanadas. I was determined to figure out the sweet and savory filling found in Argentina. The combination of ingredients here may seem strange at first, but trust me when I say that the flavors meld together to create delectable flavors and texture contrasts. Brad took a few for lunch today and his reaction was, “They are as good or better than any I had in six months in Argentina. You can quote me on that one! Flaky, slightly sweet, savory/rich filling. Oh my gosh.”

So, I hope that sentiment from Brad will help give you a little push to try these out! You can double the recipe and do everything through the last step and freeze them for later use. Just wrap them in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag!  Thaw ‘em out, bake ‘em up, and they are a great last-minute party snack.

Argentine Empanadas

Makes 1 dozen empanadas

Filling:

2 T olive oil

1 lb. ground beef

1 small yellow onion, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup pitted green olives, roughly chopped

1/3 cup raisins

2 boiled eggs, chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

black pepper and salt to taste

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, green onion, garlic, raisins and olives. Cook until the onion and garlic are soft and fragrant. Add the ground beef and brown thoroughly. Stir in the soy sauce and water. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring the mixture to prevent burning. Season with salt and pepper, transfer the filling to a large bowl and allow to cool while you make the dough. When the filling is cool, stir in the boiled egg.

Dough (adapted from Asian Dumplings cookbook):

2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar or honey

4 tablespoons shortening

5 tablespoons butter, chilled and diced

1 egg yolk (save the white to brush the dough before baking) mixed w/6 tablespoons water

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar (if using honey, mix the honey together w/the egg yolk and water.)

Add the shortening and butter and use your fingers to break it into tiny crumbles (very important that this is done well! If you have a food processor, use that…I don’t, so I use what God gave me!)

Add the egg/water/honey mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until the dough comes together in a mass. Ditch the fork and use your hands to gently kneed the dough into a smoothish ball. Don’t do this for too long, just long enough to create a nice ball of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator when thoroughly chilled. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a thick, small rectangle and cut in half. Working with one half of dough at a time, continue to roll the dough into a larger rectangle until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Using a circular cookie cutter, cut out section of dough and set aside. Do the same with the other half of dough.

Assembly:

Take each cut out circle and roll it out so it is thin, but not so thin you can see through it. Put about 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the dough circle and seal the edges. Place the filled empanada on a lined baking sheet. Lightly whisk your reserved egg white. Before placing in the oven, brush the top of each empanada with the egg white.

Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.