Twin Peaks is coming back!! For those of you that are unfamiliar with this gem of a show let me catch you up. Twin Peaks is the early 90’s masterpiece created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. It centers around the murder investigation of  small town homecoming queen Laura Palmer. FBI agent Dale Cooper heads the investigation and as time goes on the focus of the show is not only to catch the killer but the other goings-on of  the strange townsfolk in Twin Peaks. The show walks the line between picturesque small town life and the sinister things that occur just below the surface. Back in the 90’s we were able to find out who killed Laura Palmer but we never found out what happened to any other the other townsfolk after the show abruptly ended.

Showtime has picked up the show and is getting ready to continue the story 25 years from where it left off. Audiences have been assured that numerous actors are returning for the reboot including  Kyle McLachlan reprising his role as  the quirky, pie loving Dale Cooper.

A few months ago I created a post for Dale Cooper’s favorite diner style cherry pie. It was delicious! However, with the revival of the show, I felt that the recipe needed a revival as well. So, this is my 2017 Double R Diner cherry pie.

Previously, I used a store bought crust because pie crust intimidates me and the fact that it seemed like a more likely ingredient for a diner pie. I decided to kick the crust up a notch this time around and make my own. If you want to use store bought for this, feel free! I did some research and came up with something I thought would taste good and still be simpler than regular pastry dough-short bread crust!

This crust was very easy to make and work with. It gave me a lot of confidence in my crust making skills. A great tip for this was to roll the dough out in between two pieces of cling film, it made it much easier to get off the counter and into the pie plate!

In addition to the crust getting revamped, the filling for this pie got an overhaul. In the previous version, I did a very simple filling but with fresh ingredients; this time, I wanted to take  the same concept and make the filling a bit more fancy. I added some vanilla and almond flavor which really gives the filling a bit more depth and pairs well with the short bread crust.

I even decorated the top of this one and drizzled some sugar on the top crust!

Overall, this pie is delicious and not very difficult. I really like the new flavors it brings as well as the different crust texture. To me, this cherry pie is not better than the previous one just different. I am hoping the same idea rings true for the restored Twin Peaks.

Twin Peaks New Double R Diner Cherry Pie:

Crust:

2 cups Flour

1/4 tsp Salt

2/3 cup Powdered Sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) Butter, cold and cut in chunks

1 Egg

1/2 Tbsp. Water

Filling:

6 cups fresh, pitted Cherries

1/2 cup White Sugar

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

4 Tbsp Corn Starch

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp Almond Extract

Egg wash:

1 egg

1 Tbsp. Milk

*Granulated sugar

1. Begin the crust. In a stand mixer place butter, flour, and sugar in mixing bowl and use the paddle attachment mix until crumbly (sorta like wet sand). You can also use your fingers for this.
2. In a separate bowl blend the egg and water together.
3. Mix the egg mixture into the dry mixture just until blended. wrap in cling film and let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Assemble the filling. Mix the cherries, sugars and cornstarch and let sit for about 30 minutes to let juices flow.
5. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken.
6. Ladle filling (fruit first!) into pie crust and then add juice until full.
7. Divide the dough in half. Rollout one half and fit over pie plate. Trim edges.
8. After filling, roll out second half and fit over pie. Trim edges. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes from any excess dough and arrange on top.
9. Cover pie with egg wash and dust with granulated sugar.
10. Bake  at 375 for 45 minutes, wrap edges of pie with foil if they brown too fast.
11. Let cool before cutting.

I am willing to admit it; I am an anime fan. I love the plot lines, the visuals, and the complexity of the characters and their relationships.  I also tend to love series’ that have an obvious food theme. Black Butler happens to have all of the things I enjoy in one series. There is an interesting plot, well developed characters and at least one delicious dish presented in every episode.

For those of you that don’t watch anime or haven’t caught this particular show it follows Ciel Phantomhive, the adolescent head of the Phantomhive family, who is tasked with solving crimes in London’s underworld. He does this with the help of his trusty butler, Sebastian. Ciel has formed a contract with Sebastian Michaelis who is really a demon that has taken on the disguise of a butler, and in exchange for his services he will eventually be allowed to consume Ciel’s soul. So, we find ourselves in this show that is a mix of  mystery, scifi and Martha Stewart.

The first dish I have attempted from this awesome show comes from episode “His Butler, Supremely Talented”, which is about betrayal and drama that happens in conjunction with a curry competition. The dish I chose has nothing to do with curry; it’s Sebastian’s  gateau au chocolat, or chocolate cake.

The Gateau au Chocolat is important because it is part of a larger theme of the series; Black Butler deals heavily in the theme of appetites. Murder, lust, power, and sweets and are just some of the appetites that belong to the characters in this series.  The food is representative of the appetites overall and Sebastian’s appetite for Ciel’s soul in particular. The cake, in addition to all the food that is served, is a subtle reminder of Sebastian’s intentions.

It is also interesting to note that Sebastian prepares all of the food for Ciel; whose soul he intends to eat.  It is almost like Sebastian is fattening a calf for slaughter. I wonder if the sweetness of the food affects the taste of the soul?

Maing this, I was a little intimidated but I was determined. I was intimidated because I have been making a lot of complicated recipes lately and I was feeling a little exhausted by another one. However, it was much more simple than I thought. The hardest part was converting the ingredients to US measurements. The final result was almost like a brownie; dense and rich with great chocolate flavor. I loved this cake and will definitely be making it again.

Sebastian’s Gateau au Chocolat

12 oz. Dark Chocolate

3/4 cup Sugar

1/3 cup Flour

2/3 Cup Butter

4 Eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch cake pan. Cut a parchment circle to fit the bottom of the pan and butter it as well.
2. Combine the chocolate, butter and sugar in the top of a double boiler placed over simmering water. Melt over medium heat, stirring until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Set the mixture aside.
3. Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate. Whisk in the flour.
4. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl just until they form firm peaks; do not overbeat.
5. Add ⅓ of the egg whites to the chocolate batter and mix vigorously. Gently fold in the remaining whites. Do this slowly and patiently. Do not over mix, but be sure that the mixture is well blended and that no streaks of white remain.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is firm and springy, 35 to 40 minutes.
7. Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before unmolding. Dust with confectioner’s sugar, if desired

I just started watching The Blacklist and I. Can’t. Stop. The writing on this show is great and I love contemplating whether or not someone is “good” or “bad” after every episode. Great suspense, great dark humor, tons of food references and it has James Spader; I can’t think of anything missing!

For those of you that are unfamiliar with this show it is about Raymond “Red” Reddington, a former Navy officer turned high-profile criminal who, after eluding capture for decades, tells the FBI that he has a list of the most dangerous criminals in the world that he has compiled over the years and is willing to inform on their operations in exchange for immunity.  However, he insists on working only with a rookie FBI agent by the name of Elizabeth Keen. Once Elizabeth starts working with Red her whole world becomes this surreal situation where the people she thought she knew are strangers and the people she is just encountering have been on the sidelines of her life for longer than she knows. The viewer has no idea who is meaning to do her harm or help her; we also have no idea regarding Red’s intentions for working only with Elizabeth.  (At least as far as I have watched it!)

Raymond Reddington spent his criminal years globetrotting around the world and has been to his fair share of exotic locales. He has also enjoyed a wide spectrum of delicious food. However, the dish I have chosen to write about in terms of this show is one that is pretty common and not exactly exotic: Beef Stroganoff. Originating in Russia and popular in almost every region of the world, Beef Stroganoff is featured in one of the most memorable scenes of The Blacklist to date.

During the first season, in the episode “The Good Samaritan Killer” Red is still looking for the leak in the FBI. He discovers that money had been transferred into an agent’s bank account and goes to investigate the banker that handled the money. The scene is set up so that the banker arrives home to find his wife drinking wine, hanging out and cooking Beef Stroganoff for Red. If that isn’t bizarre enough, when Red fails to get the information he is seeking and shoots the banker in the leg the wife reacts by screaming hysterically and insisting that they call a doctor.  Things get kicked up a notch when an exasperated Red threatens to put her in the closet if she doesn’t stop; he ends up cramming her in the closet. After Janice continues to yell from the closet an even more irritated Red tells her in a strangely non threatening way that he will shoot through the closet door if she doesn’t stop yelling. Finally, Red leaves with the information he wanted but not before yelling,  “Janice, my sincerest apologies. I’ll take a rain check on the Stroganoff. It smells delicious!” Wtf?

Obviously, the scene is memorable because of its absurdity and that is one of the reasons why it is important. It’s significant because it marks a major moment in the show where the writers realized that they could make this dark or make it dark humor; they went the humor route. The scene mirrors one from the film Taken where Liam Neeson’s character is trying to get information and the scene goes the route of dark, bloody and intense; when the same sort of scene presented itself in The Backlist we get humor. This is because Red’s character is happy, full of life and he is just as good at making friends as he is at making enemies. By utilizing Red’s personality the writers were able to reach their objective for the scene (getting the information) but in a fun and unpredictable way. The “Stroganoff Scene” actually changed the course of the show.

This scene is also significant because it hints at the lengths that Red will go to in order to tie up loose ends but also demonstrates his sense of fair play. He is a man willing to befriend the wife of his target, use lies and  persuasion in addition to violence. This man was just one small part of the equation and Red spends a great deal of energy getting the information he wants. He is able to get the information from the banker without harming Janice at all and without causing any unnecessary damage. This scene is indicative of Red’s style in these types of matters, he is thorough, efficient, and totally charming. This scene is where Red becomes the anti-hero that viewers really applaud.

I was excited to make this dish because like Janice, I already had a recipe that I have used for years that I make when “company” comes over. I wrote the recipe using round steak and that is what I actually used this time but I have previously made this with all sorts of cuts including stew beef. So use whatever you are comfortable with.

Cooking the mushrooms right in the pan after the meat has been removed allows you to deglaze the pan with the mushroom juices. This really helps blend the flavors of the dish. Adding the onions to the skillet when the mushrooms have had time to start breaking down is the key to avoiding overdone onions and underdone mushrooms. This way, they finish at the same time making the texture of the dish really great.

One key to the sauce for this dish is to let the sour cream warm up a bit on the counter before adding it to the skillet. Doing this helps to temper the sauce so its less grainy and integrates better with the other ingredients. After whisking the sauce together you add all the other components back in and it’s Stroganoff magic.

This dish is one of my favorites because it’s simple; alternatively I am loving The Blacklist because of the complexities. I am delighted that both could come together for this post. I may make another batch to eat while I binge watch the next season of The Blacklist this weekend.

Beef Stroganoff

1-1.5 pds Round steak

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 tbsp. flour

2 tbsp. oil

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 (10.5 oz.) can of cream of mushroom soup

1 cup sour cream

8oz egg noodles cooked.

1. Cut the steak into thin strips against the grain. Coat with salt, pepper and flour.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Brown the meat and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to low. Add the mushrooms and cook 1-2 minutes. Add onions and continue cooking until done.
4. Add Worcestershire sauce, soup and sour cream. Whisk together to blend, making sure you get all leftover browned bits off bottom of skillet.
5. Bring to a boil, simmer 10 minutes.
6. Add the meat back in and the egg noodles. Stir to coat. Serve.

I was Netflixing recently and happened upon Young and Hungry; based on the title, I decided to give it a try and I am glad I did. This show is very charming and food plays a large role. Right from the first episode it is evident that there is a ton of food featured in this show, (so be prepared to see it written about more than just this once). The series follows Gabi, a young broke girl that lands a gig as a personal chef to a young tech millionaire. As Gabi tries to navigate her way in this job she is surrounded by funny characters and plenty of romantic hijinks.

These hijinks start in the very first episode. Gabi is still trying to land the personal chef job when Josh agrees to hire her if she can make a dinner for his girlfriend Caroline that will make her say yes to his marriage proposal. After Caroline breaks up with Josh the same day, he feels distraught and to comfort him Gabi feeds him mashed potatoes and they drink lots of booze. Josh and Gabi end up having a one-night stand. They decide to keep it a secret, which causes her to have complicated romantic feelings for Josh.

It is after Caroline breaks up with Josh and before he sleeps with Gabi that the potatoes become significant. Josh is feeling hopeless and empty. He says that nothing will make him feel better after losing Caroline but audibly perks up at Gabi’s mention of her mashed potatoes. He starts to eat them and there is a visual change in his mood; he is less upset about his situation. Every time he gets visibly upset about the breakup Gabi literally shoves more potatoes in his mouth.  Josh ends up giving a toast to the mashed potatoes and tells Gabi about how much it made him feel better. Mashed potatoes are by culinary definition a comfort food. They are used in this episode in a very literal way to comfort Josh.

To make these I did some research and I liked the idea of using white truffle butter then I did actual truffles. I read that the butter would carry the flavor better and is much easier to deal with. I am fortunate enough to live within a reasonable distance of a huge international grocery store so I knew they would have it there. If you aren’t as fortunate, some grocery stores do carry truffle butter in their gourmet section. I am sure that a lot of specialty and gourmet stores will have it as well; you can also order it online. So, once I tracked down the white truffle aspect of the dish, it was just a matter of incorporating that into a solid mashed potatoe recipe.

I like to use Russet or Idaho potatoes for mashed potatoes because they are starchier and can hold cream and butter really well. A lot of people prefer to use Gold Yukons for mashing because they are known to make a more flavorful dish. However, they are more difficult to get smooth than the other potatoes. I wanted something that would hold the add-ins well and make a nice smooth dish so I went with my preferred potato but you can use anything you like.

I cut them up into one inch chunks and boiled them and when they were really soft, I drained them. While I was waiting for them to be done I melted the butter in a saucepan and added one cup of whole milk, half n half or cream would work here too if that’s what you have on hand.  I let that simmer and thicken a bit. I pulled it off the heat and added the truffle butter; stirring until it melted. Then I added the liquid to the poatatoes and mashed. I use a hand masher but a hand blender would also work well for this too.

I really enjoyed these potatoes! I don’t mess with my mashed potatoes very often and my family likes them pretty basic, but they really liked these! As a matter of fact, I only got this one picture of them before they started eating them!You can taste the truffles and the butter but the flavors are not overpowering. This was great comfort food on a cold winter night and the truffles make the potatoes decadent enough to make them special. Although I wasn’t eating them out of heartache they did feel indulgent and I understood why they were chosen as a high end comfort item for Josh.

Gabi’s White Truffle Mashed Potatoes:

5ish Russet or Idaho potatoes

1 cup whole milk

6 tablespoons of butter

3oz White Truffle Butter

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut potatoes into 1 inch chunks and boil. Once boiling, cover and simmer about 20-25 minutes until very soft. Drain.
2. while potatoes are simmering melt butter in separate saucepan. Add the milk and let thicken a bit. Remove from heat and add truffle butter.
3. Once truffle butter is melted add the sauce mixture to drained potatoes and then mash with a masher for chunkier potatoes or use a hand blender for smoother potatoes.
4. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, to taste.