PIE PASTRY

2.25 cup flour
6 oz butter
1 egg
2 TBSP vinegar
water

Mix egg and vinegar in a measuring cup, add enough water to make 1/2 cup of liquid. Place the flour and cut up butter in a food processor and pulse several times while pouring the liquid in. Turn out onto a floured board - it will be very crumbly. Gather into two balls, pat into flat discs and place in the freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from the freezer, place between two sheets of wax paper, roll to desired size and shape. Freeze again to be able to remove the wax paper. Enough for 2 open face pies or one closed pie.

BISCUITS

2.5 cup flour (600 ml)

1/2 cup (112 g) soft butter
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk

1 egg for glaze

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Flake the butter in the flour using a fork. Add the buttermilk, stirring with a fork, until clumpy. Turn out onto a floured surface, knead quickly 3-4 times. Pat flat , about 1" thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter. Arrange on a cookie sheet lined with a parchment. Glaze with the egg, using a pastry brush. Bake at 450°F until pale golden. Serve immediately.

UPDATE: if you don't have buttermilk, but you do have sour cream, your day is saved! Mix 1/2 cup sour cream with 1/2 cup milk or half&half and you have an approximation of buttermilk. The longer you let it sit at room temp, the better (up to 2 hours)

CHEESECAKE CUPS

These delicious desserts with a swirl of chocolate are similar to cheesecake, but have no bottom crust.
Makes six 4 oz ramekins.

16 oz Neufchatel cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cocoa

Mix the egg yolks and sugar with a hand-held mixer until pale. Add the vanilla, combine until smooth. Add the cheese and whip until there is no clumps, just a smooth-looking cream.

Divide between the ramekins, reserving 2 tablespoons. Add cocoa to the reserved cream, mix well. Squeeze the cocoa cream on top of the ramekins, swirl the top with a toothpick. Place ramekins in a small cookie sheet with sides and place in a preheated 325°F oven. Pour boiling water around the ramekins and bake for 1.5 hour.

Turn the oven off and open the door to cool. Remove the ramekins when the oven has cooled and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, best overnight. Serve with raspberry or orange sauce.

LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE

Dry ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
zest of 1 lemon

Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup sour cream
3.5 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon oil
4 eggs
6 tablespoons melted butter

3 tablespoons poppy seeds
boiling water

Frosting:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup powder sugar

1 bundt cake pan buttered and floured.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the poppy seeds in a cup, pour boiling water over them, and let stand for 2 minutes. Drain over a fine sieve, let cool.
Place all of the dry ingredients and the poppy seeds in a bowl of a mixer, stir to mix. Place all wet ingredients in a smaller container and mix with a fork to combine thoroughly. With the mixer equipped with a paddle and running on low, add the liquid in a slow stream to the dry ingredients, when mixed turn on high for 30 seconds. Pour into the prepared pan, and bake 60 minutes until the wooden skewer comes out clean (210°F on the cooking thermometer inserted into the center of the cake). Remove from oven and reverse onto a cookie rack after 5 minutes.
Make frosting by stirring the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small cup until combined. Place the cake on the rack over a cookie sheet to catch the drippings and pour the frosting in swirls over the top of the cake. Let cool.

WAFFLES

4 oz/110 g butter
1 cup/160 g white flour
2/3 cup/160 g white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup sour cream

Turn the oven on to 200°F. Start heating the electric waffler or the waffle iron.
Melt the butter in a large measuring cup. Add the water and sour cream,
mix until smooth, best with a fork pressed against the inside wall of the cup.
Add the eggs, mix only until the egg white combines, do not whip.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and add the egg mixture to the dry
ingredients, mixing with a fork only until the dry ingredients are incorporated,
do not whip. Bake in a waffle iron, until golden on both sides, transfer to the
oven and place directly on oven racks. Leave in the oven for 10-20 minutes,
while making the rest of the waffles.

The waffles will be very soft and floppy when they come out of the waffle iron,
but they will dry out in the oven and will be quite crispy. Open the oven from
time to time to let the steam escape.

Serve with warm maple syrup, heated raspberry jelly and whipped cream,
or sliced fruit and powder sugar.

Coconut Walnut Flourless Cookies

No butter, no egg yolks, no flour - light and delicious!

6 egg whites

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups chopped walnuts

2 cups shredded coconut

2 Cookie sheets lined with parchment

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 3/4 of the sugar, whip until stiff like marshmallow cream. Add the remaining sugar, the walnuts and coconut, fold delicately with a spatula. Place walnut-sized nuggets on the parchment, 1" apart. Bake until pale golden, and the centers are soft, but baked through. remove one to test, bake 5 minutes longer if necessary. Cool on a cookie rack.

Chicken Wings

This is a homemade "shake and bake" method, which makes wonderful, crunchy skin and moist meat.

2 lbs chicken wings

1 tabespoon crushed pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry italian dressing mix

1/2 cup white flour

2 tablespoons garbanzo flour (makes crunchier coating)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Chop each wing into three parts. Reserve the wing tips in the freezer for a future broth.

Place the dry ingredients in a ziplock bag, shake. Add the wing pieces, shake to coat well. Smear the olive oil in a cookie pan, arrange the wing pieces. Bake 20 inutes, turn, bake 15-20 minutes longer, until golden.

Ham Bone Soup Dinner

1 ham bone with little ham scraps attached, about 1 lb

2 carrots

1 small onion

2 celery stalks

1 parsnip or small potato

1 Tablespoon dry herbs (sage, rosemary, oregano, thyme)

1 teaspoon crushed black pepper

1 Tablespoon Maggi Sauce

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

3 lovage leaves (optional, because it’s hard to find)

3 bay leaves

about 1 cup of green vegetable scraps, such as broccoli legs, mushroom legs, kale stems, cabbage cores, cauliflower leaves, etc.

1 gallon water

Place the ham bone, all spices, herbs, and vegetables in a large pot and add 1 gallon of water. Bring to boil, then simmer for 2 hours, uncovered. Do not add more water – let the broth concentrate.

Meanwhile, slice

1 medium onion

caramelize in a skillet with

1 tablespoon olive oil

Set aside. In a medium pot, place

2 cups white navy beans

and enough water to cover 1″ above the beans. Bring to boil, then simmer 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes longer, covered. Drain, rinse well under running water, drain again.

Add fresh water, bring to boil, simmer 5 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let stand until cool. Drain, rinse well under running water. Taste the beans. If they are not soft enough to eat, add water and simmer until soft, then drain.

Drain the ham broth through a colander into another pot, discard all the bones and vegetables, but reserve any remaining ham meat pieces. Add 1 tablespoon dried marjoram or oregano, the caramelized onion, ham pieces, and the cooked beans to the broth, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust the flavor with Maggi, soy sauce, salt and pepper, but make sure to simmer for 5 minutes after adding these to let the flavors combine. Taste again. Serve with bread as a single meal.