Seeded Whole Grain Scones with Tahini

My dad used to buy chunks of halva (a dense sesame candy) from the middle eastern market in our neighborhood and I always turned my nose up at the sight of it. I wasn't a kid who shied away from strong flavors (hello, pickled garlic), but the flavor of halva was too much for my little palate to handle and I shied away from pretty much anything containing sesame seeds for a long time. Thankfully, I grew out of whatever bothered me about their flavor and now I am a huge sesame and tahini fan.

These hearty and wholesome tahini-enhanced scones contain a bit of sugar to balance all of the whole grain seediness and the slight bitter edge of the sesame paste, but it's not enough to make them truly sweet. I liked them best on the day they were baked slathered with butter and the tiniest drizzle of honey.

p.s. that cool cactus tea towel is by Amelie Mancini

Seeded Whole Grain Scones with Tahini

yield 12, 2-inch scones

The brand of tahini I used was quite liquid, if your tahini is closer to the texture of peanut or almond butter, add a couple of extra tablespoons of buttermilk. The dough should be soft but hold together after all of the liquid has been incorporated. It should also be said that these 100% whole grain scones are quite dense. If you prefer a lighter scone, substitute 1 cup of all purpose flour for either of the whole grain flours.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup rye flour

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons assorted seeds (sesame, chia, flax, pepitas, whatever you like)

2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated shortening

4 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup tahini, room temperature

Preheat oven to 375º and line a sheet pan with parchment paper

Combine the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and 4 tablespoons of the seeds in a large bowl. Use your fingers or a pastry blender to cut the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients. Combine the buttermilk and tahini in a measuring cup and whisk well to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the buttermilk mixture. Stir gently until just combined. If the mixture seems dry, add more buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat it out until it is about 1 1/2-inches thick then use a floured 2-inch biscuit cutter to cut as many rounds as possible and set them on the baking sheet. Gather the scraps, pat them together, and cut as many rounds as possible. Brush the tops of the scones with water or milk and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of seeds. Press gently to make sure the seeds adhere to the scones. Bake until golden brown 20-25 minutes. Serve warm and fresh with butter and honey.

Rhubarb Custard Crumb Pie

Rhubarb is another one of the foods that I've come to love and appreciate a bit later in life. Growing up, we had a huge rhubarb plant that grew by the side of our house, but I can't remember ever eating any of it. I always just admired it's huge leaves and rosy stalks. If you look back in the Apt. 2B archives you may notice last year around this time I had it pretty hot and heavy for the Barb (what, you don't have nicknames for your favorite produce)?



When I was in Seattle a few months ago visiting family my mom had to restrain me from "borrowing" a few stalks from a neighborhood plant when I realized the one that used to grow in our yard was long, long gone. Don't worry, I'd never actually take anyone's produce without asking, but I admit to being temporarily blinded by my rhubarb lust. It's a good thing that rhubarb season was gearing into full swing by the time I got back to New York.



So, I picked up a few pounds of the Barb at the Greenmarket and used half for this tart and the other half for this creamy and crunchy custard pie that I will definitely be making again as more fruit comes into season. Although, my mom just told me about the strawberry tart with rhubarb glaze she's been making this Spring so that may just have to be next...

Are you a rhubarb lover too?

More rhubarb recipes from this blog can be found HERE.
More rhubarb recipes from BBC Good Food can be found HERE.

Have a great weekend everyone!


Rhubarb Custard Crumb Pie


For the Rye Pastry
adapted from Kim Boyce's, Good to the Grain
yield, pastry for 1 large rustic tart or a single crust pie

I won't lie, the rye pastry takes a bit of work to put together but man is it good. It's my new favorite base for fruit desserts, but feel free to sub in your favorite pie crust here if you aren't feeling the rye.

4.5 ounces rye flour
4.5 ounces all purpose flour
1/8 ounce salt
1/2 ounce sugar
6 ounces cold butter cut into chunks
4 ounces ice water (may need a little less or more than this)
1t apple cider vinegar

1. In a large bowl, mix the flours, salt and sugar together. Add in the butter and quickly rub it into the flour mixture with your fingers. You want the butter to break up into small pieces the size of peas to lima beans.
2. Combine the water and apple cider vinegar in a measuring sup. Make a well in the flour/butter mixture and slowly stream the water into the dough while mixing gently. Mix until the water is evenly distributed and the dough holds together when you squeeze it. It will look dry, and that's okay, just as long as it holds together when you squeeze it. If it is too dry, add a bit more water.
3. Dump the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, gather the wrap tightly around the dough and refrigerate it for at least an hour or overnight.
4. After it has chilled, unwrap the dough and place it onto a lightly floured board. Pat the dough into a rough square, then roll it into an 8'' x 11'' rectangle. The dough will be a bit rough and crumbly and that's okay! With the long side of the dough facing you, gently fold the dough into thirds. Then turn the dough so the seam is at the top and parallel to your body. Repeat this process 2 more times then wrap the dough in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days before using.
5. Preheat your oven to 375º. Roll the crust out into a 13'' circle about 1/4'' thick. Line a 9'' pie pan with the dough and crimp the edges in a decorative pattern. If the dough seems at all soft, pop it into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes then proceed.
6. Line the crust with a sheet of parchment paper and fill it with pie weights. I use beans or rice as pie weights. Slide it into the oven and bake until the edges begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Then remove the weights and bake until all of the pastry is golden brown and no longer raw, 15-20 more minutes. Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the filling.

For the Filling
I turned to the fine folks at BBC Good Food for this recipe because I heard that Brits knew what they were doing when it came to rhubarb. They called this pie an irresistible combination of two classic puds and they were right!

12 ounces rhubarb, diced into 1/4''-1/2'' cubes
3.5 ounces sugar
1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk
.25 ounces or 1T flour
1/2 vanilla bean scraped or 1T vanilla extract
9.5 ounces heavy cream
pinch salt

For the Crumb Topping
adapted from BBC Good Food

For the pie pictured I used leftover crumb topping from this recipe that I had stored in the freezer, but here is a quick and easy formula for a crumb topping that will also work great.

2 ounces melted butter
2 ounces brown sugar
2 ounces oats (or combination of oats and chopped nuts)
pinch salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and set aside until needed.

To Assemble and Bake the Pie

1. Add the rhubarb and half of the sugar to a medium skillet. Warm the mixture over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour the mixture into a bowl to cool while you prepare the custard.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg and egg yolk, remaining sugar, vanilla or vanilla bean seeds, salt, and flour. Then whisk in the cream with any juices that have accumulated in the rhubarb bowl.
3. Spoon the diced rhubarb into the prepared crust and gently pour the custard over the top. Bake at 400º for 15-20 minutes or until the custard has just barely begun to set.
4. Remove the pie from the oven and turn up the heat to 425º. Gently spread your crumble over the top, slide the pie back into the oven and bake until the custard has set and the topping has browned, about 15 minutes. The custard may have risen and cracked a bit in the oven, but that's okay, it will settle back down as it cools. Serve warm, no accompaniment necessary, but ice cream is always nice with pie, isn't it?

Soft Rye Pretzels

I think working with sweets all day has finally caught up with me because all I want to eat these days are salty, vinegary, spicy foods. When I flipped through my new favorite, Good to the Grain, these rye pretzels sprinkled with coarse salt immediately caught my eye. I used my favorite Maldon sea salt to finish off these burnished, dark golden beauties and I highly suggest you do the same. The combination of crunchy salt, crisp-chewy pretzel, and spicy mustard just can't be beat.

For the Dough 

1 package (2 1/4t) active dry yeast
1T honey
1 c rye flour
2 1/2 c all purpose flour
1T kosher salt

Bath
1/2 c baking soda

To Finish
Maldon, or other coarse salt for sprinkling

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1 1/2 cups of warm water, add honey, then stir in the flours and salt.
2. Dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead in up to 1/2c of all purpose flour until the dough is tacky, soft, and supple or about 10 min.
3. Brush a clean bowl with melted butter (I used oil so these pretzels would be vegan), place the dough in the bowl and cover with a towel until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
4. While the dough is rising, heat your oven to 450 degrees and oil or butter 2 baking sheets.
5. Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured board and divide it into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a thin log with tapered edges about 17 inches long. You can find a great diagram to help you form the pretzels here.
6. Place the shaped pretzels on the oiled baking sheets and let them rise for 15-20 min.
7. Meanwhile, fill your biggest, widest pot with water. Once the pretzels are proofed and the water is boiling, add the baking soda. Be careful, the water will bubble rapidly when you add the soda.
8. To poach the pretzels, gently place them in the boiling water and cook for 30 seconds on each side. Pat off any excess water and transfer back to the baking sheets. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt.
9. Bake for 15-18 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through baking. The pretzels should be very dark in color.
10. Transfer to a rack to cool and eat warm, with mustard. Then try not to have another, I dare you.