vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and lavender. Mix until well combined.
4) Combine dry ingredients. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Spread mixture into prepared pan.
5) Bake at 300 degrees for about 25 mins or until edges are golden.
Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temp
1/8 c. lemon juice
Beat ingredients until smooth.
Once cooled, spread glaze over top and sprinkle with more dried lavender.
Spinach, Caramelized Onion & Gruyère Galette
Dough:
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
8 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter
1/4 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. ice water
Put the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse in chunks of butter until it’s pea-sized. Combine cold water, sour cream and lemon juice in separate bowl. Add to flour mixture and pulse just until it comes together. Cover in plastic wrap and chill for an hour.
Note from Blair: “I usually triple the recipe and have portions of dough ready to go in the freezer. I take the dough out of the freezer and put it in the cooler so it’s ready for me to roll out in the morning.”
Filling:
1 lb. of spinach
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 c. caramelized onions (how-to below)
olive oil
1 14.5 ounce can white beans, drained
2 cups of shredded Gruyère
salt, pepper
Egg wash: 1 egg with 1 Tbsp. water
Caramelized Onions
2 yellow onions
3 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt
Thinly slice the onions. Melt butter in saucepan over medium/high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onions. Cook the onions, stirring constantly until they start to soften. Add 1 tsp. salt. Turn heat down to medium low and cook the onions until they are dark amber and jammy. This will take about 30 minutes. Make sure to stir the onions every few minutes to prevent burning.
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Sauté garlic until golden, and then add the caramelized onions. Mix that until it’s warmed up, and then slowly add the spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Once that is cooked down, let cool.
3) Assembly: Roll dough out into a 12" round. Spread shredded Gruyère evenly over the dough, leaving a 2" border of dough all around. Next, evenly sprinkle drained white beans over the cheese. Top this with an even layer of your spinach/onion mixture.
4) Fold the border of dough over the filling. Brush border with egg wash and bake at 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
Pesto Twists
Note from Blair: “I make two versions of these savory rolls: red pepper rolls and pesto twists. The dough is the same for both. Filling and shaping methods are different.”
Dough:
1 c. lukewarm milk
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 3/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1/3 c. unsalted butter, diced
1) In a small bowl, combine milk, yeast and 1 tsp. sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes in a warm spot.
2) In bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook, combine flour, milk mixture, sugar, salt, eggs and butter on medium until it comes together. Then knead on high for about 10 minutes until smooth and soft. Transfer dough to oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1-1 1/2 hours until double in size.
3) Punch down the dough.
PESTO TWISTS
I make a pesto using spinach, pistachios, olive oil, parmesan, garlic. Roll dough into rectangle. Spread the pesto on the dough. Sprinkle with parmesan and mozzarella. Fold dough. Cut into strips, and make twists.
RED PEPPER ROLLS
I make a paste with roasted red peppers (in a jar), almonds, Parmesan, garlic, oil, and sriracha. I roll out the dough into a rectangle and spread this savory paste on the dough. I then scatter strips of red pepper over the paste and sprinkle with mozzarella. Roll it up, cut into 12 pieces. Proof, and bake. Brush with garlic butter as soon as they come out of the oven.
Author note: “Blair, what the hell do you mean by ‘Proof’?”
Blair: “Proofing just means to let rise. Usually you let dough rise until double in size, for about an hour.”
Southern Comfort Strata
Ingredients
18 eggs
5 1/2 c. Half and half
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. thyme
1 Tbsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. turmeric
2 bunches of Swiss chard, roughly chopped
1 c. cooked chopped bacon
2 cups cooked chopped ham
1 large onion
5 cloves garlic
1 c. chicken stock
24 oz day-old bread cubes
12 oz Gruyère, shredded
4 oz Parmesan, grated
24 oz canned white beans
1) Slice onion and garlic. Cook until golden brown. Add chopped Swiss chard. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5-8 minutes or until Swiss chard starts to cook