Four and Twenty Blackbirds' pies

Before I set out to visit my family in New York for the Lunar New Year, I asked my sister if we were planning to do anything.  Visits with the parents can turn into couch potato sessions, lots of cooking and baking, and lots of baby watching and chasing.  She suggested some urban indoor park in Manhattan.  No way -- I can go to some real outdoor parks right here!  She then mentioned the former railroad tracks that have become High Line.  Um, no.  Not interested.

Then she mentioned this pie place I had heard of, Four & Twenty Blackbirds.  "Wait, did you say pie?!"

So we set out from Bensonhurst to Park Slope, leaving her Little One with my mother.  The area and neighborhood weren't too impressive.  I could have walked right past the place if I wasn't looking for it, and the bars made it look like some kind of jail.  Yes, I know bars are sometimes necessary in Brooklyn.  But it doesn't say "bakery" to me.

The inside looked all right, a nice, casual space.  Some savories and small sweets were displayed in a glass case, though none tempted me enough.  So, let's move on to the good stuff.

We got three by the slice to share: Bourbon Pear Crumble, Salted Caramel Apple, and Lemon Chess.

Clockwise from top right: Salted Caramel Apple, Lemon Chess, and Bourbon Pear Crumble

Mom and I thought the Bourbon Pear Crumble was all right -- lightly sweet, nice flavors, but nothing that knocked our socks off.  Sis hated it, though to this day I haven't gotten her to describe why.  Mom was crazy about the Lemon Chess, but Sis and I thought it was just okay and tasted just like a lemon bar.  I loved the Salted Caramel Apple, and Mom and Sis thought it was all right.  The Little One smiled repeatedly when given apple pie filling to taste.  Sis pointed out you couldn't taste much salt or caramel, and I had to agree.  I loved it because the apples were sweet and crisp, not overly soft or mealy, and the crust was both crisp and tender. It was a well-executed pie.

That said, I don't think I'd trek out to Park Slope again for these pies.  These two hands can bake and have made many a pie, and nothing was so outstanding as to warrant the trip again.  Sis was more harsh, saying nothing in our selection impressed her.  Mom, being old-fashioned and not very adventurous, couldn't believe we took the train there just for some pie.  If you happen to be in the neighborhood, though, I definitely recommend stopping by and tasting for yourself.

Two-tone Linzer Hearts

Every year the twin sister pesters me to make linzers around Christmas.  I think she now expects them around Valentine's Day, too!  I've done linzers a couple times on this blog before, but when I saw these beautiful Chocolate and Vanilla Linzer Hearts on Butteryum I had to make them.  I can just hear the sister complaining about changing up her favorite recipe, but I think she should count herself lucky that she gets any cookies.  I mean, how many people send you linzers without fail every year?

I used my usual King Arthur Flour recipe with the hazelnut dough, but adapted Butteryum's idea to make half of the dough chocolate.  Guittard cocoa powder gives it an intense, chocolatey hit that mortal cocoa powders might not.  The chocolate cookie is further contrasted with the hazelnut layer by a shower of snowy confectioners sugar.  And the little cutout chocolate hearts are pretty darn cute.  I think the sister will enjoy these anyway.

This post was shared with:
Crazy Sweet Tuesday
Tea Party Tuesday
Sweet Treats Thursday
Sweets for a Saturday

Key Lime Cupcakes

I don't think there are enough key lime cupcake recipes out there.  When I got the idea to make some, I didn't find many recipes on the Web and I ended up adapting a lemon cake recipe.  The result was a moist cupcake lightly fragrant with key lime, which was echoed in the frosting.  To boost the key lime factor, you can add more zest.  Lime oil is another possibility, but adding more juice could dilute the batter.  But considering the praise these got, I think their lime factor was just fine.

I brought them in to work on the night of the Florida presidential primary, to keep up the sugar and carb high in the newsroom while we were working.  Aside from oranges, what else says Florida like key lime?  I don't think I'll be continuing the cupcake-for-a-primary theme, since my mind wandered to lobster cupcakes for Maine and Rocky Mountain cupcakes for Colorado.  Let's just not go there.  I often find key lime pie cloyingly sweet, but this cupcake dialed that back.  The frosting especially got rave reviews.

This post was shared with:
Tea Party Tuesday
Crazy Sweet Tuesday
Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweets for a Saturday
Themed Bakers Sunday

Nian Gao!

Nian gao always conjures up one memory.  My mom often made one for Chinese New Year (in fact, its literal translation is "year cake") when I was little.  One year I couldn't wait to taste it, and I liked the cake in its molten, not quite set form.  I stuck my finger in the cake while it was still cooling and had a taste.  Not much later Mom yelled, in Mandarin, "Who stuck their finger in the nian gao?!"  See, I was years away from any culinary know-how or common sense, so I didn't know I had left a finger imprint behind as evidence.  At least it gave Mom a good laugh.

New York in the 1980s. I'm one of the runts sitting on the wall. I'm not sure which one.

A couple of years ago, I asked Mom for the recipe.  Like so many of Mom's recipes, there was no written form or measurements or timing.  Which means that if she hasn't made the recipe in a long time, it might not come out right because she doesn't quite remember how it was made.  So after telling me "a little of this, and a little of that" over the phone, I tried making her nian gao and ended up with some awful tough thing.  This year I turned to Epicurious.

Windsor Tea Room

Ever notice how a cup of tea and a scone can slow life down, and make it a calmer and happier place?  When life suddenly turns your landlord into a psychotic nut and your life is in boxes, many a cuppa will get you through it.  That's right, folks, I've been silent because I've been apartment-hunting and then moving (still in the same area), but I am unpacking my new kitchen and really eager to get into the spirit of Christmas baking.

But I did make the time to explore a new tearoom with friends, and it was fun and delicious.  So head on over to our Boston Tea Party blog and read mine and Rebecca's takes on the Windsor Tea Room in Cohasset, and I'll get cookin' soon!

Apple Butter Hand Pies

I have only one complaint about this recipe, and it's that these mini-pies can't hold any more apple butter.  So I spread more on top of a hand pie like it's toast.  But spoon more apple butter inside and it just squeezes out the sides when the pastry is folded up.  The crust is nice too, made tender and slightly tangy with the addition of cream cheese, and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.  It comes out softer than your usual pie crust, almost like a cookie.  The pies are also good reheated in the toaster oven the day after.

The apple butter took some time to make, but not much work.  I used 6 pounds of Galas from the farmers market.  It was my first taste ever of apple butter, and I found it to be somewhere between applesauce and apple pie filling, and nicely spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and clove.  You won't use it all up in the pies like the recipe indicates, but that's all right with me: The apple butter is also great on top of pancakes, or as part of a grilled cheese sandwich.  I think pear butter has to be next on my list.

Caramelized Pear Ice Cream

I've never had pear ice cream, and didn't know it could be this good.  The pear is refreshing, but the caramelization gives it a buttery flavor and creaminess, without any butter.  For this recipe in The Perfect Scoop, David Lebovitz recommends Comice or Bartlett pears, which he says have a heady, roselike aroma when ripe.  I found beautiful and fragrant red Comice pears at the grocery store.

I also made his recipe for Salted Butter Caramel Sauce to drizzle on top, but it's totally unnecessary and kind of redundant.  Joe's really been enjoying the caramel as a topping for vanilla ice cream, and the sauce is really easy to make.  But the Pear-Caramel Ice Cream is delicious all on its own.

This post was shared with:
Tea Party Tuesday
Sweet Treats Thursday
Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweets for a Saturday