Tag: pear

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Rhubarb & Houseplants

More rhubarb! Lately, I can’t get enough of it. Some years I’ve been more ambivalent towards it, but not this year apparently. I’m out now though – I’m going to have to track some down again in short order.

I’ve actually never put rhubarb and pears together but I actually really love the combination. Plus, it works well in the shoulder season between winter pears and early spring rhubarb. Not to mention they both are amazing with spices like cinnamon and five spice; I added ginger as a garnish as well because I can’t get enough of that either.

I did a bunch of houseplant work the last two days – my giant hanging pothos got a haircut (his name is Kuzco and he’s been with me probably 4+ years at this point, I’ve lost track). I’m propagating the cuttings so that I can stick them back in the pot when they’ve rooted.

before… getting out of hand, he’s literally resting on my nightstand.
after!

Another little guy got a new pot since he was incredibly rootbound in his last pot, so I have a bunch of much happier plants in here.

The wildflowers around the city are blooming too! So fun to see them up on Twin Peaks and at Crissy Field.

Anyway, rhubarb galette. Per usual, eaten for dessert and breakfast. I love it both ways… I can’t ever say no to eating things with ice cream, so obviously that’s a hit. But I also love it for a midmorning snack alongside coffee – can’t go wrong with that either.

I think rhubarb is starting to be a bit more easy to find in the market – normally it’s paired with a TON of sugar, which I obviously hate. I love it this way instead, alongside a sweeter fruit.

Happy weekend! I hope you are able to do something fun :)

Rhubarb & Pear Galette with Cinnamon and Five Spice

Lightly sweet and perfectly springy. Whole grain and refined sugar free – easy to swap in a gluten/grain free galette crust if needed – just add the cinnamon & five spice to whatever crust you use. Yield: 1 galette, serves several. A Wait are those Cookies original.

for the crust:

1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/4 c almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp five spice
4oz/1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 tsp almond extract
2-3 tbsp ice water

In a food processor, pulse together whole wheat flour, cornmeal, almond flour, cinnamon, five spice & sea salt. Add in cubed butter and pulse until it resembles coarse sand. Add almond extract and ice water. I typically add three tbsp water, pulse a few times, then add more if need be, 1tbsp at a time, stopping just when the dough starts to come together. Turn it out onto a board and knead it into a ball. I like to roll it immediately since it’s most pliable – typically I haven’t had trouble with this dough sticking or cracking if rolled immediately. I roll it between two sheets of parchment paper and use the bottom one to bake the galette on; makes an easy transferral method between cookie sheet & cooling rack. If you’re not rolling immediately, stick it in the fridge on a plate. Can be made ahead the night before if need be. If you are rolling immediately, roll it out into a circle about 1/4″ thick.

for the filling:

2 pears, sliced (mine were d’anjou)
2-3 stalks rhubarb, sliced
2 tbsp apricot jam (I use St. Dalfour’s, which has no added sugar – just fruit juice)
sprinkle of coconut sugar + milk/half and half for brushing

Preheat the oven to 425. Spread the apricot jam over the middle of the dough, leaving a 1″ border, then pile on the sliced pears and rhubarb. Fold up the sides of the dough over the fruit and sprinkle with coconut sugar. Brush the dough with milk or half and half. Pop in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. Store leftovers in the fridge overnight – it’s great for breakfast :)

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galette obsessed.

Hello, have you met me? I’m galette obsessed.

To be fair, this one was requested by C so how could I say no to that? Also, I had approximately one bazillion pears sitting at home that needed to be used – two weeks’ worth of imperfect produce deliveries that I hadn’t gotten around to using. Luckily, they were rock hard when I got them, so this batch was finally perfect for baking.

I swear at some point soon I will make something other than a galette – I have two ideas floating around, one involving more cranberries, the other featuring chai – that I’m sure will make an appearance on here soon; both are fun and seasonal.

Let’s see what is new! It’s been a week since things finally felt like they went the right way – we’ve had some beautiful cloud effects for sunrise and sunset in the city, and I’ve been enjoying the crap out of them. I usually go out for a brisk walk/hill run at 615a – I motivate myself by listening to Marketplace on NPR (I know I know I’m a dork) and usually get a pretty good view of the sunrise. My apartment faces southwest so evenings are gorgeous from home. Here are a few of the recent ones!

I’ve been trying to get back into drawing more. I love it and it’s relaxing, but I’ve just fallen away from it as a habit. Attempting to get back to my daily drawing meditation, even if it’s just a little doodle.

snack tiiiime

Then there’s this galette! Amaaazing with vanilla ice cream (what isn’t) and for breakfast with coffee (what isn’t better with coffee? seriously. life is better with coffee).

Perfectly seasonal with the pear and cranberry combo; plus I love pretty much anything rye. Ironically, I actually prefer rye alone and not with caraway – maybe that’s my german roots speaking? Anyway. If you think you’re not a rye fan, I recommend giving this crust a shot anyway – the rye isn’t in your face, just gives it a nice nutty undertone.

Happy baking, happy weekend!

Pear, Cranberry & Rye Galette

Refined sugar free and whole grain. Actually – there is NO added sweetener in here – the sprinkle of coconut sugar to finish could easily be omitted. The jam I use is fruit-sweetened (look for St. Dalfour’s, LOVE) so this galette is really just whole grain + fruit + butter. Can’t argue with that. A Wait are those Cookies original. Yield: 1 galette; serves several.

for the crust:
1/2 c dark rye flour
1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/2 tsp sea salt
4oz/1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp ice water

In a food processor, pulse together rye flour, whole wheat pastry, cornmeal, and sea salt. Add in cubed butter and pulse until it resembled coarse sand. Add vanilla, then the ice water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough starts to come together. Turn it out onto a board and knead it into a ball. Flatten slightly and stick it into the fridge while you cut up the fruit (can be refrigerated up to several days if you want to make it in advance).

For the fruit:

pears, sliced (I used 3 d’anjou – pretty much any variety will work here except maybe Comice, which is so soft)
heaping 1/2 c frozen cranberries

1/4 c apricot jam (I use St. Dalfour, as it’s sweetened with fruit – no added sugar)
dabs of butter + egg wash + coconut sugar for finishing

Preheat the oven to 425. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until it’s about 1/4″ thick. Spread the jam in a thin layer over the middle of the dough. Pile the pears and the cranberries in the center, leaving a border of about 3″. Fold up the sides of the dough over the fruit. Brush the dough with an egg wash and sprinkle with a little coconut sugar. Dot fruit with butter if you like, though it’s not strictly necessary. Pop in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. Store leftovers in the fridge overnight – it’s great for breakfast :)

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Fall galette time!

Whoops, I’m almost a week behind on this post – this week got away from me.

Oh well, such is life. And 2020 apparently, I’ve just given up on anything being remotely even kind of normal this year. Except for baking! That’s still normal. I try to bake about once a week since it keeps me on some kind of ‘creative’ schedule, where I work within the parameters of the food I have on hand + my weekend schedule to make something. It always feels like a fun challenge to make something slightly new, even if it’s just a riff on an old recipe I’ve made ten thousand times.

Clearly I’m all about galettes this year. I love how infinitely adaptable they are – gluten free or grain free crust is so easy; they’ll take just about any fruit (or veggie!) you have on hand or that’s in season, and they are straight up DELICIOUS.

Also, pomegranate makes everything better.

This is me using up two weeks’ worth of pears from my imperfect produce shipment (LOVE the concept of this by the way – helps use cosmetically damaged or surplus foods – such a great idea) and loving every minute of it. I think we ate this in nearly two sittings – stretched it to three but it was a close call. Whatever, we did a walk and a hike that day so it was deserved :)

Breakfast, as always of course. I LOVE “desserts” that do double duty.

Let’s see, what else. Saw some skywriting during our afternoon hike! That was fun, I haven’t seen any of that in ages.

I hope everybody has a smooth rest of the week and a great weekend! We’ll see if I can get back on my normal posting schedule this weekend… it finally cooled off here so we’re back to roasting/baking business as usual since it’s not too hot to live in my apartment anymore, hooray! Yay for fall weather. Happy baking!

Pear Galette with a Rosemary Cornmeal Crust

Refined sugar free and whole grain. A Wait are those Cookies original! If you need or want a gluten and grain free crust, I suggest this one! It comes together also very easily in a food processor. Yield: 1 galette; serves several or 2 over a couple sittings.

for the crust:
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp fresh rosemary, very finely chopped
4oz/1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp ice water

In a food processor, pulse together whole wheat flour, cornmeal, sea salt and rosemary. Add in cubed butter and pulse until it resembled coarse sand. Add ice water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough starts to come together. Turn it out onto a board and knead it into a ball. I like to roll it immediately since it’s most pliable (see below for tips) – typically I haven’t had trouble with this dough sticking. I roll it between two sheets of parchment paper and use the bottom one to bake the galette on; makes an easy transferral method between cookie sheet & cooling rack. If you’re not rolling immediately, stuck it in the fridge on a plate. Can be made ahead the night before if need be.

For the fruit:

pears, sliced (I used roughly 5 small ones – I think they may have been red bartlett)
2 tbsp apricot jam (preferably homemade by a friend ;)

Preheat the oven to 425. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until it’s about 1/4″ thick. Spread the jam in a thin layer over the middle of the dough. Pile the fruit in the center, leaving a border of about 3″. Fold up the sides of the dough over the fruit. Brush the dough with an egg wash and sprinkle with a little coconut sugar. Dot fruit with butter if you like, though it’s not strictly necessary. Pop in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. Store leftovers in the fridge overnight – it’s great for breakfast :)

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All Things Autumnal

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Hi friends, happy Monday!

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I have a rustic, easy galette for you today – sometimes even I need a break from tarts ;) Besides, I LOVE galettes to highlight seasonal fruit. They’re unfussy, quick to throw together, and can accommodate a variety of random pantry ingredients and dietary needs/preferences. Basically, they’re just a win all around. Not to mention they make a superb breakfast the next day! Or snack, or basically whatever.

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This one features the oh-so-autumnal pears (d’Anjou and Bosc, two favorites of mine) coupled with all things sesame. I’m having a moment with black sesame lately and I’ve been itching to do more things with it, so here it is making an appearance in galette dough. I love the warm grey color the dough ends up being – much of it bakes out, but you’ll see a little of it in the photos still.

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Tahini, almond and pears are made for each other anyway, so this is an easy sell. As usual, C and I ate it with ice cream for dessert and then again the following morning with coffee as a post-climbing snack (tried NOT to finish the remaining half in one sitting – accomplished this only to some degree).

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The time change has happened! I do kind of like cuddling up in the evenings this time of year – it makes me feel like it’s holiday time. Then again, I really like walking home from work in the daylight so that’s a mild bummer – just means I have to walk to work instead.

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I had a succulent potting party with the fam yesterday! Check out these cute little guys planted in my gram’s best friend’s china. More plant friends!

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I hope your week goes smoothly – I’m just about ready for another weekend, not sure about you guys but that one went by way too fast.

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Pear, Tahini and Black Sesame Galette

Nutty, lightly sweet and perfect for fall.  Gluten and grain free, refined sugar free, paleoish. Could be lactose free if you use ghee instead of butter! Yield: 1 galette, serves several. A Wait are those Cookies original.

For the galette dough:

1.5 c almond flour (not meal; you want the finer flour variety)
1/2 c tapioca flour
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 c black sesame seeds, lightly toasted and crushed*
6 tbsp salted butter, chopped (or ghee)
1 egg**
1 tbsp vanilla extract

*lightly toast the sesame seeds over medium heat for a few minutes, shaking the pan frequently. crush the warm seeds in a mortar before adding them to the food processor
**alternately you can use a flax egg with very similar results (3tbsp water + 1 tbsp ground flaxseed)

In a food processor or high-power blender (I used a food processor), pulse almond flour, tapioca starch, salt, ground sesame seeds and butter to combine until it looks like coarse meal. Add in egg and vanilla extract and pulse just until combined. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disk and chill in the fridge for at least an hour, or up to overnight.

For the filling:
2 pears, sliced thinly (I used d’Anjou and Bosc)
1/4 c tahini
pinch of sea salt
1/4 c unsalted almond butter
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp maple syrup

In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, sea salt, almond butter, extracts and maple. Set aside.

Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 375. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper, keeping the circle to about 1/4″ thickness. Peel off the top piece of parchment, and slide the rolled out dough on its parchment onto a baking sheet. Top with the tahini and almond butter filling in the center, leaving a border of dough around the edges, and add the pears. Begin folding up the sides, creasing them together as you go – if the dough rips, that’s okay (you can crimp the cracks back together; remember: galettes are forgiving and rustic!); you can use the bottom piece of parchment to help fold up the sides.

Dot the pears with butter and sprinkle dough with a little coconut sugar. Bake for 35-40 minutes until edges are golden brown — mine came out just fine at 35 minutes, so check accordingly.

Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully slide the whole galette onto a cooling rack to let it cool completely. Serve with your fave ice cream or whatever of choice! Keeps well covered in foil on the counter or in the fridge.

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Galette for breakfast: guaranteed to improve your election day experience

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Galette and pears and hazelnuts and dark chocolate and November!

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I love fall because it means pears are EVERYWHERE and I love pears so this just feels like a win-win situation. Besides that, throw in some dark chocolate hazelnut filling and put all that goodness in a cardamom crust? Sign me up. And then eat it for dessert with ice cream and then for breakfast with (what else) eggs and kale and sourdough toast? Yeeessssss please thanks.

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Let’s see, what else… today is election day! Did you vote?! I voted absentee ages ago and didn’t get a sticker… they should send stickers with the ballots!

And the time changed, woohooo for not having to get up in the dark anymore! I miss the extra daylight hours but I’d rather not go to work when it’s still dark out… Jessie and I enjoyed our extra hour of snuggles:

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Pretty skies lately!

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Annnnnd I’ve been drawing again, shocker I know. I just read a study that says making art reduces cortisol levels! Which is awesome and I think I subconsciously knew that because drawing always gets me into the flow state, pretty much without fail.

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But anyway, back to galette!

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This sounds complicated but totally isn’t. The crust is forgiving and easy to work with, and the filling comes together in a snap. Also, unlike the last time I made galette and crammed a truckload of blueberries into it, this one is far more structurally sound since pears are a little easier to wrangle than blueberries.

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Give yourself a break from watching those election returns and gaze on this instead. I guarantee it’ll lower your cortisol levels ;) 

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Pear Galette with Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Filling and Cardamom Crust

Grain free, gluten free, paleo and refined sugar free. Yay! There is butter, though a sub for coconut oil might definitely be possible (if you try it, tell me how it goes!). Yield: 1 galette, serving sizes are up to your discretion ;) A Wait are those Cookies original!

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For the crust:

  • 1.5 c almond flour
  • 1/2 c tapioca starch
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 3/4 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 egg
  • 6 tbsp salted butter, chopped
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

In a food processor or high-power blender (I used a Vitamix), pulse almond flour, tapioca starch, cardamom, salt, and butter, and pulse to combine until it looks like coarse meal. Add in egg, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract and pulse just until combined. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disk and chill in the fridge for at least an hour, or up to overnight.

For the dark chocolate hazelnut filling*:

  • 1 c roasted hazelnuts, skins mostly removed (reserve a few for topping purposes if you want!)
  • 3 tbsp raw cacao powder
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1.5-2 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

* measurements are approximate! Adjust as necessary to suit your tastebuds :)

Blend hazelnuts in a vitamix or high power blender / food processor until a nut butter consistency forms (it’s okay for it to be on the chunkier side; mine wasn’t completely smooth). Add cacao powder, sea salt, maple, and vanilla and pulse until combined. This can be made up to a week ahead — just store it in an airtight jar in the fridge!

For the galette:

  • 1 crust
  • most or all of the hazelnut spread
  • 2 pears, thinly sliced (I used d’Anjou; Bosc would also be good) — you can peel them if you want, I chose not to
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 tbsp coconut sugar, divided
  • 1 tbsp salted butter, melted
  • extra hazelnuts for topping, if desired!

Preheat the oven to 375.

Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper, keeping the circle to about 1/4″ thickness. Peel off the top piece of parchment, and slide the rolled out dough on its parchment onto a baking sheet. If you’re feeling extra artistic or motivated, cut some extra dough off the edge of the circle and cut leaf shapes out of it because… I’m an overachiever and it’s FALL! YAY! Anyway… moving on.

Spread the hazelnut paste carefully over the dough circle, leaving about a 2″ border from the edge — I found that the back of a spoon worked nicely for this (Try not to move it around too much, just press it into place so that the bottom dough stays intact). Spread the sliced pears in a fan shape if you’re feeling fancy, or just toss them all in there (I’m definitely not going to judge!). Begin folding up the sides, creasing them together as you go – if the dough is cracking, that’s okay (you can crimp the cracks back together; remember: galettes are forgiving and rustic!); you can use the bottom piece of parchment to help fold up the sides. Stick the leaves on the edges if you went that route. Brush the pears with the melted butter, and top with 1 tbsp of coconut sugar. Brush the dough with the beaten egg (I like a pastry brush for this), and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of coconut sugar.

Bake for 35-40 minutes (mine was perfectly done at 35, so check accordingly), until the dough is firm to the touch and golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then slide the whole piece of parchment paper and galette onto a cooling rack to cool completely (or serve immediately!). Eat with some kind of vanilla ice cream thing (dairy or not) because… you should!

Leftovers keep covered at room temp for about… 1 day. Because it will be gone by then anyway so you won’t even have to worry. Promise!

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