Recipe Archives - Page 2 of 2 -

Boterkoek, with research and recipe

My friend Janet wrote to ask how the Boterkoek had gone over with local pie lovers. I reported that it had done well indeed. I made several for customers and an “extra” one for sharing samples with friends. Some tasters liken it to shortbread or marzipan, but I really think it’s a unique taste and texture among desserts.

One Boterkoek went to a women’s group meeting; one of the members is a holocaust survivor who had spent part of her childhood in Amsterdam and has a fondness for all things Dutch. She liked the Boterkoek, although it wasn’t the same as the one in her memories.

The range of recipes for what counts as Boterkoek was something that struck me in my internet research on the topic.

I had a recipe in my file, and I asked my friend Janet, a second-generation Dutch-Canadian, to review its authenticity. She stated that she thought of Boterkoek consisting of only flour, sugar, and butter, with a bit of almond extract.

Jan showed the recipe to her mother, who noted that even with the egg and baking powder in my recipe, it likely was “someone’s tradition”, even if it wasn’t Boterkoek exactly like she made it.

In research online, I found more varied and wide-ranging ingredients. Some cooks use vanilla, orange juice or zest, lemon juice or zest, cake flour, brown sugar, 3 eggs (!), milk, or almond paste. The variety of ingredients shows the range of creativity and ingenuity of bakers in different times and places, perhaps working with what they have on hand or pushing the boundaries of a recipe through experimentation.
Here is the recipe I like to use.

Boterkoek

Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter (really, it needs to be butter)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 egg, beaten; set aside 1 Tablespoon for finishing the surface
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
sliced almonds, optional but certainly a nice touch.

Method:
1. In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and almond extract.

2. Mix in the beaten egg, being sure to reserve 1 Tablespoon.

3. Mix the flour and baking powder together. Then add them to the other ingredients.

4. Gather the dough together and kneed lightly 3 or 4 times.

5. Spread the dough in a greased 9 inch pie pan. Wet the back of a spoon and use it to spread the dough evenly. Some bakers like to score the top of the dough with a knife or fork to create a diamond pattern.

6. Brush the reserved egg over the surface of the dough.

7. Sprinkle the surface with sliced almonds.

8. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. It will be firm to the touch but still soft on the inside.

This is a delicious, dense dessert that is best served in thin slices and enjoyed by many.

Discovering the Secrets of Shortbread Crust

Peach Shortbread Pie. Photography by Diane and Doug Russell.

The first time I read the ingredients and instructions for making shortbread crust for a pie, I had serious doubts about its possible success. Like most pie crust recipes, the shortbread crust recipe has just a few ingredients, five to be exact: flour, sugar, salt, butter, and egg yolk. The proportions did not seem to be very “wet” at all; what would make this crust stick together?

Shortbread crust was a different type of pie crust from the “regular” recipe I usually make. The ingredients mix up sort of powdery. It doesn’t form a ball; it’s not really a dough. It is not rolled out, but instead the mixture is gently pressed into place in the pie pan.

The recipe calls for setting aside 1/4 of the crumbles for topping the pie. That’s also a very nice feature on a finished pie.

Like all pie pastry, this recipe requires patience, and, in this case, a bit of adventure when dealing with the unexpected. The technique is really not all that difficult, and the resulting pie crust is wonderful.

My adaptation of the recipe is a little bit wetter and a little bit easier to handle. Plus it makes enough shortbread crust for 2 pies.

Shortbread Crust

2.5 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 salt
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
3 egg yolks, beaten to blend

Blend flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add butter pieces and cut in with pastry cutter until a coarse mixture forms. Drizzle yolks over surface and mix with a fork until crumbs form. Do not form into a ball. Pat 3/4 of the mixture over the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie pie. You could use a tart pan; I never do.

My two favorite fillings so far are apples or peaches. Watch for both of those recipes to come.

My first Instructable: Caramel Apple Pie with Homemade Caramel

Prompted by a Pi-Day challenge, I made an Instructable for making Caramel Apple Pie with Homemade Caramel. It’s a multi-step process that results in a delicious and impressive pie, if I do say so myself.

Jim lept at the opportunity of helping me out with this, which was absolutely great of him, because the task took up a good chunk of a whole day. And that was just the making the pie part! Baking a little slower to that we could pause for many photos stretched out the activity.

In the end, I was delighted with the results. Both the pie and the Instructable came out great. Like caramel and apples, Jim and I make a pretty good combination!

In Search of Coconut Custard Pie

CococutCustard — Coconut Custard Pie, photo by Diane and Doug Russell

One of my customers asked after a Coconut Custard Pie. He made it clear that he was interested in a “custard” pie, not a regular coconut pie. I did a little research, and then I asked if he meant a baked custard pie rather than a pudding-type cream pie. And indeed the baked coconut custard pie is was what he’s interested in.

Here’s the recipe I’ve developed, based on one taken from my Desserts book in the Favorite Recipes of America series, circa 1968. The recipe itself is amazingly simple. Use fresh packaged coconut (as opposed to the open bag from the back of the fridge) for the best results. Tasters described the custard as “just right” and “firm, but still tender.” This pie needs to be refrigerated, but a taster suggested enjoying the pie at room temperature.

Coconut Custard Pie

3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
2.5 tablespoons melted butter
1.5 cup skim milk
.5 cup of heavy whipping cream (unwhipped)
Unbaked pie shell
.5 cup of coconut

Beat eggs and then add sugar and flour. Stir in melted butter, milk and cream. Pour into pie shell. Sprinkle coconut evening on the top of the pie. Bake at 425 F for 20 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes more.