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Homemade Apple Toaster Strudels

Growing up, there were a lot of foods that weren’t allowed in our home: Sugar cereals. White bread. TV dinners. Soda. Regular peanut butter, such as Peter Pan or Jiff (we could only have the natural kind! It was hard as a rock and wasn’t sugary and creamy and delightful!). Tang. Kool-Aid. Pop Tarts. Toaster Strudels.

Of all the banned foods, I felt that the lack of Toaster Strudels was the greatest injustice. In my childhood mind, Toaster Strudels were the ultimate treat, and I was sorely disappointed that I was not allowed to indulge in these sugary and wonderful toaster pastries.

Homemade Apple Toaster Strudel | Rosemarried.com

Now that I’m an adult, I completely understand my mom’s food rules. I appreciate that she made us eat fruits and vegetables, and taught us how to make healthy choices. To this day, I don’t like white bread and I don’t drink soda (save for the occasional Mexi-Coke with tacos. Mmmm…).

But, that doesn’t mean that I don’t have my vices. I LOVE sugar. If I let myself, I would eat Salsa Verde Doritos every single day. And, I still have a weakness for Toaster Strudels. They’re warm and buttery pockets of sugary goodness, and they come with a packet of frosting so that you can slather icing all over the warm strudel. I’m sorry, it doesn’t get much better than that.

So, when I saw a recipe for homemade apple toaster strudels, I knew I had to make them. And, since they’re homemade they’re totally good for you right? That’s what I’m telling myself, anyway.

p.s. I made these toaster strudels weeks ago, before our little one was born. It’s just taken me this long to get around to editing photos and writing a post! 

p.p.s. Apparently I suck at frosting toaster strudels. The frosting tasted great, but looked pretty stupid. We all have our strengths, and apparently icing toaster strudels is not one of mine. 

Homemade Apple Toaster Strudel | Rosemarried.com

Homemade Apple Toaster Strudels with Cream Cheese Icing

Serving Size: 8

Ingredients

  • For the crust:
  • 2 sheets of puff pastry (1 box), thawed
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • For the filling:
  • 3 apples, peeled and cored
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • For the cream cheese icing:
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. To make the filling, first grate the apples using a cheese grater or food processor. In a skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, stir in the grated apples. Add the brown sugars, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture is thick and reduced (about 10-15 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
  3. Working on a well-floured surface, roll out one sheet of puff pastry into a large, thin rectangle – about 10″x14″. (Note: puff pastry can be very sticky, so be sure to flour as necessary.) Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 8 rectangles (3.5″x5″).
  4. Using a spatula, transfer 4 of the rectangles to a prepared baking sheet. Place 2 tablespoons of the apple filling in the center of each rectangle and spread across the pastry, leaving about a 1/2″ of space along the edge. Brush the other 4 pastry rectangles with the egg wash. Next, place an egg-washed piece of pastry atop a filled rectangle (egg-side down). Using your fingers, or a fork, firmly seal all the edges. Continue with the rest of the rectangles. Prick each with a fork or knife several times. Brush the top of each strudel with a bit of egg wash. Repeat this step with the second sheet of puff pastry.
  5. Bake the strudels until puffy and golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before frosting and eating. Best served warm!
  6. To make the cream cheese icing: beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together until mixture is fluffy and well-combined. Frost the strudels with a knife, piping bag, or a Ziploc bag with a small hole cut in one corner.

Notes

Adapted from The Kitchn

http://rosemarried.co/2014/11/14/homemade-apple-toaster-strudels/

 

 

Fall Favorites

A little over two weeks ago, we welcomed our tiny daughter into the world.

It’s crazy how time flies. She’s only be here for 2 weeks, and she’s already changed so much. Truth be told, I’ve changed a lot in the past couple of weeks as well. I had no idea that it was possible to be so utterly exhausted and completely in love, all at the same time. Parenthood is strange like that.

With that being said, I’ve not been doing a whole lot of cooking lately. Really, haven’t needed to cook because our friends and family have been so generous and have been bringing us meals (and cleaning our house, and supplying us with tiny baby clothes and diapers…) I know I’ll get back in the kitchen eventually, but for now it’s nice to rest and relax and allow others to help us while we adjust to this crazy thing called parenthood.

I’m sure I’ll be back in the kitchen soon enough. For now, I’m happy to drool over recipes and photos on Pinterest and plot out all the amazing things I’m going to make this fall and winter. Since I’ve been keeping a list, I thought I’d share it with you. Some of these are my own recipes, and some of these are recipes I found online. They’re all warm and comforting and perfect for Fall. Enjoy!

fall favorites | rosemarried.com

 

Here’s a few fall recipes from my own archives: 

Harissa-Stewed Butternut Squash

Cream of Chanterelle Soup

Pumpkin and Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cream Cheese Butter

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup with Cilantro and Bacon

Spiced Cranberry and Pear Compote

Shepherd’s Pie with Potato, Parsnip, and Goat Cheese Mash

 

And here’s a few favorite fall recipes from friends across the web:

Curried Coconut Cauliflower Soup from Lunch Box Bunch

Leek, Fennel, Apple + Walnut Soup with Turmeric from The First Mess

Tomato and Coconut Curry with Delicata Squash and Kale from So Let’s Hang Out

Pumpkin Cheesecake Tart with Gingersnap Crust from Saveur

Warm Brussels Caesar with Bacon Cibatta Croutons from How Sweet it Is

Rainbow Chard and Roasted Pear Salad from Brooklyn Supper

Pumpkin Creme Fraiche Spaghetti with Fried Sage from Café Johnsonia

 

Hello, World.

At 7:07 am on October 18th, we welcomed little Margot Louise into the world. She arrived promptly on her due date, and weighed 5lbs and 11oz.

She is tiny and perfect and we are completely in love with her. 

I’ll be back to food and recipes and writing shortly, but for now I’m taking a little time to just be with my family.

margot louise

 

margot louise

Brussels Sprout Soba Salad with Fish Sauce and Mint

I’ll just come right out and say it: This is a David Chang recipe.

Really, all I did was take his genius recipe and fiddle with it a bit. I made the sprouts and the sauce, mostly to his specifications. Then, I made some buckwheat soba noodles according to the package directions. Lastly, I tossed the soba noodles with the sprouts and sauce. It wasn’t rocket science, but it did make for a quick and tasty dinner.

Since I didn’t deviate much from the original recipe, there’s no point in posting it here. If you want to know how to make David Chang’s amazing Brussels Sprouts with Fish Sauce and Mint, just head on over to Food & Wine Magazine. However, I will leave you with a few notes on my adaptation of the recipe.

brussels sprout soba salad with fish sauce and mint | rosemarried.com

If you plan on making this Brussels sprout soba salad, here are a few notes:

*First off, this recipe translates nicely into a cold soba salad. In addition to making Chang’s sprouts, you just need to cook up a few buckwheat soba noodles (according to package directions) and toss the sauced sprouts with the noodles. I let the noodles and sprouts cool a bit, and ate the salad at room temp. However, the cold leftovers the next day were even better.

*I found Chang’s recipe to be a litttttttle too fish saucy for my tastes, so I dialed back the fish sauce just a bit and upped the lime juice. I also added thinly sliced green onions to the salad, for kicks.

*The spicy rice crispies are awesome. Don’t skip this step. Make them. Just don’t toss them in/on the salad until you’re ready to serve or they’ll get soggy.

*I didn’t have a red chile on hand, so I substituted a jalapeño  from my garden. This was a great idea in theory, but that particular jalapeño was face-meltingly spicy. Thankfully, I didn’t put the whole darn pepper in the sauce (otherwise, it would have been completely inedible).

*The recipe on Food & Wine calls for ‘boiled’ Brussels sprouts, but doesn’t specify any boiling instructions. In my opinion, you really don’t want soggy/overcooked Brussels sprouts! I just blanched mine in boiling water for 2 minutes, then doused the sprouts in an ice bath. This just softens the sprouts and gets them ready for a good charring in the skillet!

And, that’s all I gotta say about this Brussels Sprout Soba Salad! It’s a spicy and simple weeknight meal, full of interesting and unique flavors. Bonus: it tastes even better the next day. Do it!

 

Peach Cornmeal Skillet Cake with Lavender

I’ve made this recipe a couple of times now, and finally took the time to stop and snap a couple of photos. That’s the problem with delicious desserts, you see. They disappear far too quickly to take photos.

Truth be told, however, this isn’t the most photogenic of cakes. Granted, this recipe is an adaptation of a Martha Stewart recipe. Of course, her version looks absolutely stunning. The peach slices are arranged with care, each one placed perfectly in line. The cake is baked in a skillet, but then is turned out onto a gorgeous serving board. It’s a Martha masterpiece.

peach and cornmeal skillet cake | rosemarried.com

My version isn’t nearly as pretty as Martha’s. And my baby bump accidentally made an appearance in most of the photos. Oops.

 

But, let’s be honest. Who has the time or the energy for that? I certainly don’t.

You know what I did? I sauteed the peach slices in a lot of butter (and sugar!) and left them in the bottom of the skillet. I didn’t arrange them whatsoever. I poured batter on top of the peaches and baked the cake. Then, I ate the cake straight out of the skillet. And you know what? It was damn near perfect. The cake was buttery and moist, and just bursting with juicy summer peaches. The lavender was subtle, yet present, and added a unique and surprising flavor to the cake. It was fantastic.

Sure, it might not be as pretty as Martha’s version, but that’s fine by me. I want to cook attainable food that tastes good. The reality is that most of us are busy people with jobs, kids, pets, sports, mortgages, and all sorts of other responsibilities. We simply don’t have the time to arrange peach slices in concentric circles. And that’s ok.

There’s a time and a place for pretty cakes with pretty peach slices. But there’s also a time for peach cornmeal skillet cakes that are simple, easy, and totally delicious. This is one of those times.

peach and cornmeal skillet cake with lavender | rosemarried.com

Peach Cornmeal Skillet Cake with Lavender

Serving Size: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 stick (plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 3-4 ripe peaches (skins on), sliced into 3/4″ wedges
  • 1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried lavender
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a 9″ or 10″ cast iron skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When butter is bubbling and melted, add in peach slices, nutmeg, and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, and stir to coat. Reduce heat to low, and allow peaches to cook until most of the juice has boiled off and peaches are beginning to caramelize, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, lavender, and salt. In another bowl, beat the remaining butter with 3/4 cup of brown sugar on high speed. Beat until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, and add in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally, and add in vanilla and cream.
  4. Next, pour in the the cornmeal mixture, stirring just to combine. Pour batter over peach slices, using a spatula to spread the batter evenly.
  5. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove skillet from the oven, and allow cake to cool at least slightly before serving. (I highly recommend serving this cake with a heaping dollop of homemade whipped cream. It’s downright dreamy.)

Notes

Adapted from Martha Stewart

http://rosemarried.co/2014/09/15/peach-cornmeal-skillet-cake-lavender/

 

 

Buckwheat Zucchini Muffins

I recently received a copy of Erin Scott’s new cookbook,  “Yummy Supper: 100 Fresh, Luscious & Honest Recipes from a {Gluten-Free} Omnivore“. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little hesitant about the book at first glance. For starters, I love gluten. I have no known gluten allergies or intolerances (pizza is my favorite food group!), thus, I have no need for a gluten-free cookbook. Secondly, the word “yummy” just bugs me. It conjures up images of Rachael Ray and overly perky Food Network hosts, and I just don’t like it.

So, then, when I finally opened the book, I was pleasantly surprised. The book is brimming with beautiful photographs and creative recipes. And while the book is written from a gluten-free perspective, it certainly has recipes that appeal to all types of diets.

buckwheat zucchini muffins | rosemarried.com

 

While there were a lot of standouts in the book – such as Black Rice PuddingSavory Custards with Wild NettlesMussels with Rosé, Leeks, and Mustard – but I decided to start with her simple and lovely recipe for Buckwheat Zucchini Muffins.

The recipe stood out to me, as it’s such a unique twist on a typical zucchini muffin. Made with buckwheat flour, coconut oil, honey, and molasses, these muffins pack a flavorful punch. They’re a great way to use up extra zucchini, and they are officially my new favorite summer snack.

Yummy Supper’s version of the recipe uses a combination of oat flour and buckwheat flour, and is gluten free. I didn’t have any oat flour on hand, so I substituted all purpose flour. Thus, my version of this recipe contains gluten. However, the recipe is easily adaptable depending on your dietary restrictions!

buckwheat zucchini muffins | rosemarried.com

 

Buckwheat Zucchini Muffins

Serving Size: Makes 1 dozen muffins

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup buckwheat flour
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour (Can sub oat flour if GF)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 2 heaping tablespoons molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cups shredded zucchini, strained or patted dry with a towel
  • Optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts

Instructions

  1. First, combine the honey and coconut oil in a small pot. Heat over medium-low heat until oil and honey are melted. Stir to combine and set aside to cool.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin cups.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together the flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs together with the honey and coconut oil mixture. Whisk in molasses and vanilla. With a spatula, stir in the dry ingredients until combined. Fold in the zucchini (and nuts, if using).
  5. Pour your batter into the lined muffin cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

http://rosemarried.co/2014/09/05/buckwheat-zucchini-muffins/

Ingredient Spotlight: Percebes!

It’s not often that I am presented with a food or ingredient that is completely foreign to me. I consider myself to be a well-rounded and adventurous eater and I’ve tried a lot of different things in my lifetime. (I lived in Alaska, for crying out loud. We wild game of every shape and size. Have you ever eaten bear chili or moose burgers? I have.)

However, last weekend I was invited to try percebes at Lincoln. I had never even heard of percebes, let alone eaten them. I was intrigued. I’ve never known Jenn Louis to steer me wrong, and if she was excited to prepare and serve percebes, I was excited to eat them.

First off, you might be wondering what on earth I’m talking about. Percebes?!

Percebes at Lincoln PDX

 

 

Let me explain. Percebes  – also known as goose barnacles, gooseneck barnacles, or stalked barnacles – are crustaceans that grow on rocks and debris in the ocean. While gooseneck barnacles can be found in Oregon, Jenn and the Lincoln team source the best possible barnacles, which come from British Columbia. And, yes, it should go without saying that percebes are strange and bizarre looking little creatures. While they may be strange to look at, however, percebes are completely and totally delicious.

At Lincoln, percebes are prepared simply and beautifully. The barnacles are quickly poached in boiling water, and are served with lemon wedges and herb and garlic olive oil. The texture is something akin to a clam, but the flavor is more along the lines of fresh shrimp. The texture is chewy, but not overly so. They’re fresh and wonderful and they taste like the sea. They’re honestly unlike anything I’ve ever had.

All of that to say, percebes are a rare and unique ingredient, and I highly encourage you all to pop into Lincoln in the next few weeks and give them a try for yourself. (Lincoln should have percebes on the menu for the next few weekends, depending on availability. You can always call ahead and inquire!)

A huge thank you to Jenn Louis and the Lincoln team for introducing me to a tasty new creature. While my meal was comped, all opinions expressed here are my own.