Mini Fruit Pies

Shell:

1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, frozen and cut into small cubes

5 tablespoons icy cold water

1 tablespoon sugar 

Pinch salt

Combine ingredients in a bowl.

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it resembles bread crumbs. Form into ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a prepared 12 cup muffin pan.

Roll out pastry dough. Cut out twelve 4" circles with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a drinking glass.  Re-roll scraps and cut out strips to decorate the top with.

Line the bottom of the muffin cups with the 4" round and up the sides. Fill with a tablespoon of the fruit filling. Decorate with strips of dough (refer to picture). Brush dough with milk. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Filling:

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup homemade cranberry sauce (leftover from Thanksgiving)

1 orange, juice and zest

Combine the ingredients and add to the pastry shell.

The Truth about Fats and Oils

www.www.foodinsight.org - December 1st, 2011

The fusion of flavors in stir-fried vegetables. The creaminess of ice cream. The smooth freshness of sliced avocado. The flake in a croissant. These are the benefits of fats and oils from the consumer’s perspective. Enjoying these food experiences is often seen as a guilty pleasure, but there is actually a role for fat in the diet.

Indeed, for every gram of fat, we consume more than twice the calories than we get from an equal weight of carbohydrate or protein (1 g fat yields 9 calories; 1 g protein yields 4 calories; 1 g carbohydrate yields 4 calories). Since food is made up of varying proportions of fat, protein, and carbohydrate, reducing fat in the diet was for many years presumed to be the most efficient way to cut calories without eating less. However, consumers, health professionals, and scientists have learned that aiming to eliminate fat from the diet as a means of weight loss may not be the best solution without attention to overall caloric intake.

First of all, research comparing the effects of diets with equal amounts of calories but varying proportions of fat, carbohydrate, and protein has revealed that there are no differences in weight loss. Calorie reduction matters most, meaning that replacing fats with carbohydrates or proteins may not improve weight loss efforts if calories are held constant, or if the carbohydrate or protein substitution actually increases calories.

Second, fat is satisfying—providing a desired mouth-feel and feeling of fullness. People who do not feel satiated by the food they’ve eaten, either because the flavor was missing or the food was not filling, may be more likely to continue eating in search of those sensations, likely offsetting any caloric deficit created by removing fats from foods.

Beyond the enjoyment and satisfaction that fat adds to foods, it is a critical player in human health. The essential functions of fat in the body are not breaking news, but at times they have been forgotten. Fats—and components of or products of metabolism of fats—are found in the wall of each cell in the human body, and are particularly critical components of the brain and nervous tissue. Fats are used to make hormones that affect such bodily functions as blood pressure, blood clotting, immune function, and smooth muscle contraction. Fat-soluble nutrients, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K and the carotenoids, rely on fat for proper absorption. Protective insulation is provided by subcutaneous fat, and protective cushioning by the thin layer of fat that covers internal organs. It is no surprise, then, that 55 percent of the calories in breast milk come from fats, critical for the developing human body.

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Pan-Seared Fish with Dill Capers Bechamel

Fish:

4 fillets of firm white fish of your choice

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

1 teaspoon whole grain mustard

1 lemon, juiced (plus extra on the side)

sea salt and fresh black pepper

Dry fish with a paper towel. Combine garlic, dill, lemon juice, mustard, and one tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl and add fish.  Coat fish well with the marinade. Season with sea salt and fresh black pepper.

In a large deep-sided skillet on medium to high heat, add butter and olive oil. When hot, cook fish for three minutes on each side. Remove from heat, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with fresh dill and capers. Serve immediately with Bechamel over or on the side.

Dill Capers Bechamel:

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon unbleached white flour

1 teaspoon fresh dill

1 tablespoon capers

Sea salt and black pepper

In a medium pan, heat the butter over medium to high until it melts. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Keep over medium heat until it turns slightly darker in color (about 4 minutes). Meanwhile heat milk in a medium saucepan until just about to boil. Add to the flour mixture whisking constantly until all the milk is used up and sauce is smooth. Bring sauce to a boil and cook a further 10 minutes, whisking constantly. Mix in fresh dill and capers. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.

How Do I Know if I’m Really Eating Halibut?

www.insidescoopsf.sfgate.com - November 30th, 2011

I recently read an article in  the Boston Globe saying that about 50% of the time restaurants do not serve the same fish that is advertised on their menus. Instead, they substitute a totally different and much cheaper fish.

I wonder if the same thing is happening here in the Bay Area and if so, how can I tell?

I ask because I don’t eat much fish, but when I do, it’s usually halibut, which is expensive. Most of the time it has a sauce which obviously affects the favor which would make it hard for me to tell. Plus, I don’t want to be fiscally ripped off.

In a way, unless you’re a fish expert, you’re at the mercy of the restaurants. Names of different fish are also confusing. For example there are more than 70 varieties of Pacific Rockfish — also known as rock cod — but they’re all firm fleshed, lean and mild in flavor. Sometimes the fish is misidentified on menus and in stores as snapper.

Then there’s the case of butterfish, which is also known as black cod or sablefish. Most diners also  probably don’t know the difference between the various bass, whether it’s striped, white or black. The same goes for the various types of tuna and other fish.

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