Recipes

The aroma of cinnamon and freshly baked dough. The taste of juicy fruit and a crisp crust. Lattice neatly placed over the filling. What could be more perfect than pie? Pie always stood out to me, whether displayed in cafes or mentioned in books. It stands for a homey treat that is an American classic. Yet, as much as I wanted to, we never made pie at home. Don’t get me wrong, we do bake a lot. We’ve made all kinds of bread, cookies, cakes, and tarts, yet never pie. Part of the reason is that nearly all pie recipes call for butter, and I am allergic to dairy. My efforts to convince my parents to find a solution never worked. “Let’s make a pie and substitute oil for butter.” I’d suggest. “The dough won’t be the right consistency for the lattice. Let me look into recipes,” my dad replies. “You don’t have the time for it. Let’s just make a tart, it’s the same thing,” my mom put in. But it isn’t! A pie has lattice. And lattice is what makes pie a pie. The curtain to the Broadway show Waitress inspired me. It was designed to look like the top of a pie with a cherry filling and a golden brown lattice. The show was about a waitress who had a hard life. She made scrumptious pies, through which she remembered her mother and that cheered her up. Later, it helped her create a better life for herself. When the curtain closed at the end, again I saw the lattice and bright filling. Right then and there, I made up my mind that when I got home, I’d make a pie. The recipe I used was originally meant for Linzertorte. I made a few small changes. Oil instead of butter and oat bran instead of nuts because of my allergies. And a dash of maple syrup, which my grandmother does to give the dough a nutty flavor. You can use any filling for the pie. It was summer when I made my first pie so I made a blueberry peach pie. Plain peach is sour and the blueberries make it sweeter. I’m making this pie in the fall so I am using apples. I think apple pie is a very wintery and autumn thing. I hope you enjoy making this pie and experimenting with flavors for different seasons. Taken by the author Ingredients For the crust: 1 cup / 95g oat bran 1¼  cups / 160g all purpose/plain flour 1 egg, beaten 1 tablespoon of cold water ½ cup / 120ml olive oil (or sunflower oil) 1 tbsp cinnamon (or to taste) ¼  cup / 50g white/caster sugar 1 teaspoon maple syrup For the filling: 5 medium to large apples ½ cup / 100g white/caster sugar 1 tsp maple syrup 1 tsp cinnamon Method Prepare the filling Peel the apples and cut them into half inch cubes. Mix them with the sugar and cinnamon in a pot. Then add the maple syrup and cook on low heat for 20-25 minutes until the apples are soft. Stir as needed. Preheat your oven to 400℉ / 200℃. Make the dough Mix the oat bran, flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Add the oil. Beat the egg with the water. Add the egg and water to the dough and then mix it with a spoon. Mix it with your hands and then bring it into a ball. The dough might appear dry and lumpy, but that’s okay. (If you can’t bring it into a ball, then you can add a tablespoon of water.) Divide the dough into two halves and put one half in a round pie pan, 8-9” / 23cm diameter. Push it with your fingertips so that the entire pan is covered with dough, including 1½“ up the sides. Put the apple mixture on top of the dough. On a cutting board make a rectangle that is approximately 9 x 4” / 23 x 10cm with the other half of the dough by pressing the dough with your fingertips until it is evenly thick. Then cut it into 9” / 23cm strips, each ½ “ wide (1.25cm), ending up with 8 long strips. Now use a knife to pick up the strips and lay them over the apples, 4 in one direction, 4 in the other, evenly spaced. Then weave the strips. If a strip breaks, you can stick it back together with your hands when it is already on the apples, or make sure the join is underneath another strip. Bake the pie at 400℉ / 200℃ for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 350℉ / 180℃ and bake for another 25 minutes. Serve and enjoy! Maya Viswanathan, 12 Champaign, IL

Have you heard of the stinking rose? On nearly every dish that comes from our kitchen, the stinking rose is the star. So much are the garlic filled dishes loved, it is common to say wholeheartedly, “Don’t eat it all!”. Once my dad even ate a raw garlic clove, just to see what it tasted like. While I would never do that, I still love garlic. Seven years ago, on April 16th, a cool breeze blew our neighbor’s tree in front of the window that faced the street. I watched each passing car intently, wondering if it would be the one that carried my baby brother. In the wee hours of the morning, he had been born, and I couldn’t wait to see him. My grandparents had bought my sister and me teal jelly beans, so I chewed them nervously as I waited. Just as the clock chimed 11:00, the garage door opened and I heard the small wails of a newborn baby. My sister and I made such a fuss over our new little plaything that we worked up an appetite. After a while of baby tears, my little brother fell asleep and Mama rested with him. Then Daddy cooked his forever-to-be-remembered Basil-Asiago-Garlic-Olive Oil Tortillas. My dad rarely cooks, but when he does, he adds too much cheese or too much garlic, which is awesome. The Italian-style tortillas became legendary. My little baby brother loves these Italian-style tortillas and has grown to cherish the stinking rose, too. He now joins in the chorus of, “Don’t eat it all!” Taken in the Stone Soup Test Kitchen Serves 1 Takes 7-10 minutes Ingredients 2oz / 60g asiago cheese, shredded or thinly sliced (you can substitute with parmesan, pecorino or other hard, melting cheese) 1½ teaspoons olive oil 6 leaves of fresh basil 1 small garlic clove (or half of a medium one) 2 flour tortillas (10-inch / 25.5cm) 1 tomato, diced Method Pour the olive oil onto a nonstick pan. Set the stove to medium heat. Crush the garlic over the pan and sautée. Do not let it brown. When the garlic is sautéed, transfer it to one tortilla. Place the tortilla, garlic side up, in the pan. Sprinkle the cheese over the tortilla. Tear five of the basil leaves and put them on the cheese. Top with the second tortilla. Let it cook for one and a half minutes on each side. Top with freshly diced tomatoes and the last leaf of basil. Enjoy as an afternoon snack, appetizer, or a quick lunch. Catherine Gruen, 11 Chino Hills, CA

First of all, I love tomato soup. And knitting. (It turns out that these two things can be a very dangerous combination; strange, I know, but trust me.) Last Hallowe’en, I had almost finished a pair of knitted slippers which I had been working on for a while—all that remained was to add grippy treads to the soles. But I didn’t have time to add them immediately, and I was excited to finally try them on, so I was wearing them when my mom called me in for lunch. Tomato soup and toast with fresh goat cheese. Yum. And so I, in my very slippery slippers, ran across the very slippery wood floor, and (you guessed it) I slipped. Not just slipped! My feet shot out from under me and I crashed to the ground, landing on my arm. My concerned mother, in an attempt to discern the extent of my injuries, asked if I could wiggle my fingers. Since I could, she was confident that I hadn’t broken anything (it turns out that that is not a good test for broken bones). And it wasn’t until the doctor insisted that I get an X-ray that we realized that there was anything wrong. My arm healed quickly, though, and tomato soup is still one of my favorite foods. I’ve experimented with several recipes, and this one’s my favorite. Enjoy—and please walk carefully when you smell its delicious aroma… Taken by the author Makes four servings Ingredients 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 red pepper, seeded and sliced, or roasted peppers from a jar (the latter adds a particularly nice flavor) 1 large onion, sliced 1 carrot, peeled and diced 1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped 4 cups / 800g chopped tomatoes (canned tomatoes work well, too—include their juice) 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or ½ tsp. dried thyme 1 cup / 250ml chicken/vegetable stock Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 13 oz / 400g cooked / canned cannellini beans (optional) 1 cup / 250ml cream (optional)   Method Place the oil in a 3-quart saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Add the onion, pepper, carrot, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans (if using), thyme, and stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. You can proceed with the next step now, or simmer for up to 60 minutes longer for a deeper flavor. The beans will give a creamier, thicker, texture to the soup so you may wish to add more liquid at the end. Allow the soup to cool to room temperature. (You can refrigerate it for up to two days at this point before continuing.) When the soup is cool, add the cream and purée in a blender or food processor. Then, adjust seasonings and reheat before serving. Lina Martinez Nocito, 13 Sunderland, MA

Every year, my family and I harvest the honey from our bee hives. We scrape off the thin lacing of wax capping, and honey glistens on the frame. It comes in a variety of colors, such as yellow-gold, a deep rust colored gold, and dark brown. It is rich with flavor, a hint of flowers and clover. We spin the frames with honey in a special contraption that shakes all of the honey off, then filter it 3 times. I made a dessert with this honey and entered it into the 4-H fair, where it won the grand champion prize. Enjoy the dessert I created. Taken in the Stone Soup test kitchen Makes approximately 18 bars Ingredients Bottom layer: ½ cup / 115g butter ⅓  cup packed  / 75g light brown sugar 1¼ cup / 160g all-purpose (plain) flour Top layer: 2 eggs ½ cup packed / 110g light brown sugar ½ cup / 170g honey ⅓ cup / 45g all-purpose (plain) flour 1½ cup / 180g dried tart cherries ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup / 30g shredded coconut Method Heat the oven to 350℉  / 180℃. Crumble first three ingredients together until there are very few lumps, either by rubbing with your fingers or with a quick blast in a food processor. Make sure that there are no huge balls of butter. Gently press the mixture into a 9 x 9”/ 23 x 23cm pan. Bake for 10 minutes. While it is baking, start on the top layer. Beat together the eggs, sugar, and honey, until the mixture is light and thick. Stir in the other dry ingredients and use a spoon to spread it evenly over the baked bottom layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden. Stick a toothpick into the middle of the pan when you think they are ready, and make sure that no batter comes off on the toothpick. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, and cut the bars into equal rectangles. Arielle Kouyoumdjian, 11 Fairfax, VA

When I think of a crepe cake, I think of the dainty mounds of crepes stealing the spotlight in a bakery window, the creamy sensation that explodes in my mouth after I take a bite. My family and I often go to a little bakery by my home to buy a slice of matcha crepe cake. One day, I thought, why not make one in my own kitchen? I decided to try with my friend Olivia. It seemed a bit intimidating, but how hard could it be? On Saturday, we met at my house. We blended the crepe ingredients together to make a liquid green mixture, and then put it in the fridge to settle. When mixing the cream to go between the layers of crepes, we accidentally flung heavy cream everywhere. That attracted my dog, Archie. He made a beeline for any cream he saw, and we laughed as he smudged cream all over his snout. After three minutes, the cream hardened into an airy, white fluff, stiff enough to form firm peaks as we pulled the mixer out of the bowl. Two hours later, we oiled the pan to cook a crepe. It wasn’t until we spread the batter that we realized neither of us knew how to flip it. In the end, we managed a maneuver with forks and a spatula, and ended up flipping, but also ripping, the crepe. We called it our “tester”, gobbled it up, and then made another one using that spatula operation. Our crepes looked better and better, and in the end, we had a beautiful stack of 20 matcha crepes. We spread the cream with a knife and layered them one by one. Finally, we sprinkled matcha powder on top with a sieve, and then gathered some mint leaves from outside to position on the cake. The end product looked surprisingly like a store-bought crepe cake. As we were devouring our masterpiece, the combination of the delicate crepes and the sweet cream made every bite melt on my tongue and ooze with flavor. I was surprised that it was such a success, and I learned never to underestimate the power of a good recipe, quality ingredients, and some determination. Taken by the author Ingredients For the crepe batter: 1 ½ cups / 350ml milk 3 eggs 1 tsp sugar 1 tbsp matcha powder 1 cup  / 130g all-purpose flour 2 tbsp  / 30g melted butter 1 tsp baking powder For the cream: 2¼ cup / 540ml heavy whipping cream 2 tsp sugar Method Mix all the crepe batter ingredients together. You should have a liquid green mixture with a consistency similar to a thoroughly blended smoothie. Put the batter through a sieve, pushing through any lumps, and let it sit in the refrigerator for two hours. In a separate bowl, add the sugar to the heavy whipping cream, and whisk it until it is thick, but easily spreadable. Put it in the refrigerator. Butter a 10” / 25cm pan lightly and pour enough batter in the pan to thinly cover the bottom of the pan. Cook both sides of the crepe. To do this effectively, let the first side cook for a little while and then when the center is firm and the edges are starting to look cooked, try scooping up the edges of the crepe with a thin, metal spatula. Then shake the pan a little to free the rest, and flip the crepe with the help of some utensils. You may need to practice a few times! Do this with the rest of the batter, ending up with 20-25 crepes. Let your crepes cool down, then stack them one on top of the other spreading a thin layer of cream in between each layer. You may want to sprinkle some matcha powder on top of the cake, but this is optional. To make it look more professional, try sprinkling it with your sieve. I put mint leaves on my cake, but feel free to put what you want on yours, such as raspberries or strawberries. Enjoy! Alicia Xin, 13 Scardsale, NY

When I think of fall, I feel leaves crunching under my boots, globules of rain sliding down the window, and our big tall apple tree. It stands proudly in our yard, brown bark slick with rain. By the time school starts, the tree is drooping under the weight of sweet red apples. We pick hundreds of apples, giving away loads to neighbors and friends. My mom cooks applesauce in the big red pot, and I help my dad juice some to make cider. I think food should look, as well as taste, amazing. But applesauce and cider don’t showcase the beautiful crimson of apples. So I decided to make these delicate apple rose tarts. Since apples are a universal fruit, I think that everyone will enjoy this recipe. The roses are actually fairly easy to make, just make sure to slice the apples thinly. These make a perfect sweet snack or dessert. Enjoy! Taken by the author Makes about 14 apple tarts Ingredients 1 sheet thawed puff pastry (if using ready-rolled, enough to make a total size of 14 x 10” / 35 x 25.5cm) 2 Gala, McIntosh, Fuji, Red delicious, or other red variety apples ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg ⅛  tsp. ground cardamom ¼ tsp. ground cloves 1½  tsp. lemon juice 2 tablespoons brown sugar Method Slice the apples thinly, about 1/16 of an inch / 2mm. If they are a little thicker, that’s alright.  Toss sliced apples in big non-metallic bowl and add in cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, lemon juice, and brown sugar. Roll the puff pastry into a 14 x 10” / 35 x 25.5 cm rectangle. Then, cut it into 1 x 10” / 2.5 x 25.5cm strips. Microwave the apple slices for 35 seconds, so they are flexible enough to roll. Lay the apple slices on top of the dough strips, overlapping the edges. Carefully roll up the strips. Lay the tarts rose side up–the prettiest cut edge up–in a buttered muffin tin. Bake at 350℉ / 180℃ for about 40 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, and carefully remove from the pan. I like to serve these warm with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. You could also try them with honey or powdered sugar. Mia Widrow, 11 Olympia, WA