Wordless Wednesday: Rural
Philippines edition

In the Philippine countryside, May 2010.

Maple oatmeal scones

The maple syrup that I’ve been able to find here has generally been disappointing. Yes, it’s maple syrup, but I think it’s the equivalent of Grade A Light in North America. My favorite is U.S. Grade A Dark Amber because it has really strong maple flavor, which is perfect for baking. (Wikipedia breaks down maple syrup grades here.) So, as you can imagine, if you are visiting us from the States, you will be schlepping maple syrup with you. And again, apologies to those of you who have had maple syrup bottles break in your luggage on the way over. And yes, this has in fact happened TWICE. (We have some maple-scented books to prove it.)

These are my favorite scones on a chilly day. There’s something about maple, pecans and oatmeal that says autumn.

Maple Oatmeal Scones
adapted from Cooks Illustrated
makes about 12 triangular scones

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups (130g) regular oatmeal (not quick or instant, and not steel-cut)
1-1/2 cups (210g) AP flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup brown sugar (80g)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup butter (165g), cold, cut into small squares
1/2 cup heavy cream (120ml)
1 large egg
1/2 cup chopped pecans (50g)

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar (50g)
1/4 cup maple syrup (60ml)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Spread the oatmeal and pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool to room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients. Remove 2 tablespoons of the oats for dusting your prep surface later.
2. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 C) and preheat.
3. In a measuring cup, whisk together the cream and egg. Remove 1 tablespoon of the liquid for glazing, and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Scatter the chunks of cold butter over the flour. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal.
5. Stir in the oats mixture, then stir in the cream/egg mixture. Fold with a spatula until the dough clumps together into a mass.
6. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons reserved oats on a cutting board. Spread the dough out on the surface, patting it into an 8 x 10 inch rectangle (20 x 25 cm). Cut it in half lengthwise, and cut each half into 5-6 scones. Set the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the scones with the reserved egg/cream liquid.
7. Bake the scones for 12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to a rack and cool to room temperature.
8. Prepare the glaze: Whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and syrup. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the scone. (The glaze will harden a bit in a few minutes.)

Nectarine berry pie

One of my favorite combinations for fruit desserts is nectarines with berries. I end up using nectarines more frequently than peaches because, well, I’m lazy: nectarines, unlike peaches, don’t require peeling. The skins are thinner so they aren’t so noticeable when baked in a dessert, so it’s a great fruit for quick desserts like crumbles and cobblers.

I love the nectarine/berry combination in a classic pie crust. For this crust I used all butter, and using a tip from Cooks Illustrated, replaced some of the water with sour cream so the crust is more tender.

I used strawberries for this recipe, but as they are no longer in season in most places (we are seeing the last of local strawberries this September for some reason), other berries – especially blueberries – go well with it. It’s also delicious if you want to skip the berries — just add another nectarine and adjust the sugar.

Sooooo good with ice cream.

Nectarine and berry pie

Ingredients
For the crust:
2-1/2 cups AP flour (175 g)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup, 225g) butter, cold and cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/3 cup ice water

For the filling:
3 medium nectarines, pitted and sliced into eighths
2 cups strawberries or other berries (blueberries are nice)
1/2 cup sugar
pinch salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch lemon zest

Making the crust:

1. Stir together the sour cream and water.
2. Stir together the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter, and using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture. Don’t mix too much; you should still have some larger pea-sized chunks of butter.
3. Stir in half the sour cream mixture with a fork. Add the rest of the mixture if the dough still seems too dry (it should come together and be just a little bit sticky.)
4. Form into 2 disks and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Make the filling:

1. Place the berries (if you are using them) in a large bowl. Put the nectarines in a medium saucepan with the sugar, cornstarch and lemon zest. Sir to mix. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, allowing the juice to thicken.
2. Turn the mixture out into the berries and stir to mix. Taste for sweetness. If not sweet enough, add a bit of sugar. If it’s too sweet, add a bit of lemon juice. Set aside to cool slightly.

Put them together:

1. Roll out each disk of dough on a floured surface about 11 inches in diameter. Set the bottom round into the pie pan.
2. Add the filling.
3. Add the top of the pie crust. Press the edges of the crusts together and crimp them shut.Make slits in the top of pie crust so that it can release steam while baking. Brush the top with a little bit of egg white or milk, and sprinkle with sugar. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 375 F (180 C). Set the pie on a large cookie sheet (just in case it bubbles over). Bake for 45 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling.
5. Set on a cooling rack and allow to cool until just warm. This is great with ice cream.

World blog surf day

For World Blog Surf Day, I’ve decided to post some snapshots of the things I like as an American foodie living in Holland. It’s a bit weird to do this because you really have to think back to what it was like to be new to this place, but it’s difficult because it’s become so normal. Let’s focus on those Dutch things that float our boat, shall we?

Amsterdam!

Who doesn’t love Vlaamse frites?

Market cheese stands — a dime a dozen

Hollandse Nieuwe: I know this is on the list of ‘what I hate’ for a lot of expats, but honestly, how can you hate marinated fish with onions? (Okay, I can still see how someone might hate that, but not me). 

Where else can you ride a bike with two kids and not fight any hills?

If you make it through the long winters, you start to appreciate that high ceilings are the standard in old Dutch houses.

Maybe the most amazing garden ever: The Keukenhof (only open March-May, by the way).
Now to link to Internation Musing, a really nice blog collective of many people living in different countries. Sounds like Hans is in charge of the post for this event!

Links
http://internationmusing.blogspot.com/

I love Twitter

Man, I love how Twitter is a big two-way conversation.