The recipes for this month’s Taste section were provided by Dan Cook, who with his wife Mary Koselke, is owner of blackbird bakery and blackbird café, both in downtown Valparaiso. Dan grew up in a family-owned baking business and learned his trade from his dad and grandfather. He is passionate about baking and opened blackbird bakery at the end of August–much to the delight of area residents. Autumn on The Beach Coast is the perfect time to pick up some apples or pumpkins and we hope you’ll put them to good use by trying one (or all) of Dan’s recipes.
blackbird whole wheat spiced apple raisin bread
yield: 1 8" x 4" loaf
Ingredients:
2/3
c. whole-wheat flour
2/3
c. unbleached all-purpose white flour
3/4
tsp. baking soda
1/2
tsp. kosher salt
1/2
tsp. cinnamon
1/4
tsp. nutmeg
2
large eggs
1/2
c. light brown sugar
2/3
c. vegetable or canola oil
1/4
c. applesauce
2
apples, peeled, cored and diced
1/2
c. golden raisins, boiled or soaked over-night
1/2
c. coarsely chopped walnut or pecans
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350
degrees. Mix together flours,
baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients: beaten eggs, oil, brown sugar and applesauce. Incorporate dry ingredients into wet
ingredients a little at a time with a large mixing spoon until all ingredients
are well mixed, about 1 minute or two.
Add diced apples, plumped raisins, nuts and mix until they are evenly
distributed. Pour mixture into
loaf pan (greased & floured) and bake for
about an hour.
Use toothpick to test that
center is done.
blackbird flaky piecrust
yield: 1 double crust pie or 2 single crust pies
Ingredients:
2
3/4 c. unbleached all-purpose white flour
1
tbsp. kosher salt
1
tbsp. white granulated sugar
1
stick (4 oz.) cold or frozen unsalted butter
3/4
c. (3 oz.) vegetable shortening
1/2
c. ice cold water
Instructions:
Mix together flour,
salt and sugar. Incorporate
vegetable shortening into dry ingredients using a fork. Prepare cold butter by cutting into
1/4-inch thick squares or, if using frozen butter, use grater insert in food
processor. Keeping the butter and completed pie dough as cold as possible is
crucial when making a flakey crust.
Incorporate butter into the dry ingredients and shortening mix quickly,
leaving small chunks of butter between 1/8- and ¼-inch intact. Add ice water. Mix into a workable dough, adding
additional water or flour if necessary, and refrigerate for a half hour, or up
to three days.
blackbird fresh apple pie
yield: 1 9-inch double
crust pie
Ingredients:
1
batch chilled flaky pie dough
3
lbs. Gala or Mc Intosh apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2
c. sugar
1
or 2 tbsp. cinnamon (depending on personal preference)
3
tbsp. cornstarch
1/4
stick (1 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1
egg (for egg wash)
sanding
sugar
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350
degrees. Thoroughly mix apples,
sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and butter in mixing bowl. Roll out half the cold dough and fit
into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan.
Add apple filling to unbaked pie shell. Press down on filling to make it more compact (this will
keep the top of the crust from producing a gap between the crust and the
filling when the apples cook down during baking). Roll out the other half of the dough and put on top of the
pie. The best way to seal the top
of the pie is to brush water around the perimeter of the bottom crust and press
edges with a fork. Pierce the top
with a knife in a few places to allow the filling to vent. Brush with beaten egg wash and dust
with sanding sugar. Bake pie for 1
hour. You will know the pie is
baked if you can hear the filling boiling.
blackbird extra trick pumpkin pie
Pie filling
ingredients:
3
eggs
23
oz. canned pumpkin
1/2
c. (6 oz.) of evaporated milk
1
can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
3/4
c. granulated sugar
3/4
tsp. cinnamon
3/4
tsp. allspice
1/4
tsp. ground cloves
1/4
tsp. ground dry ginger
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350
degrees. Roll out and place half
of a flaky piecrust recipe into a 9-inch pie pan. Form crust around the perimeter of the pie pan and brush on
egg wash. Place pie weights inside
of raw shell, or improvise by using parchment and dry beans or rice (if the
crust is not weighed down, it may slide down the sides of the pan or puff up in
the middle, making the crust unusable).
Blind-bake crust for 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat eggs with whisk. Add pumpkin, both milks and sugar and mix with a hand or stand mixer. Incorporate spices and complete mixing for about a minute or two.
Add filling to pie shell and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the center of the filling is set. It is best to rotate pie once or twice when baking to promote even browning.
blackbird bakery
24 Washington St.
Valparaiso, IN 46383
(219) 476-7025
blackbird café
114 E. Lincolnway
Valparaiso, IN 46383
(219) 548-2811
