Foodie Friday: A Good Recipe and Some Even Better News

The title says it all for today's post. First, a delectable chocolate treat from Piece of Cake: Nutella Pop Tarts. Don't those just sound delicious? I was never a huge pop tart fan, but I will eat just about anything if it has Nutella in it.

Nutella Pop Tarts

Makes 12

For the tarts:

1 batch of My Favorite Pie Crust, well-chilled (see note)

1 (13-ounce) jar Nutella

1 egg

For the glaze:

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee

1 tablespoon dark unsweetened cocoa powder (I like Valrhona)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Divide the chilled pie dough in half. Working with one half at a time (refrigerate the half you're not working with), roll the dough out to a rectangle, about 9 1/2 x 13 inches. To make for a more even rectangle, use a thin, sharp knife to trim the edges. Patch any shaggy edges together using the dough scraps. The more evenly shaped your rectangle, the easier it will be to form neat-looking tarts. Cut the dough rectangle into 12 equal squares on a grid, 4 down and 3 across. Place the squares on the baking sheets, 6 squares per sheet.

Using spoons or a small ice cream scoop, dollop 1 generous tablespoon of Nutella in the center of each dough square, spreading slightly as you go, leaving a 1/2 inch border of dough around the filling.

Repeat the dough rolling and cutting process with the second half of the dough.

In a small bowl, beat together the egg with 1 teaspoon water and a pinch of salt, whisking until the egg wash is liquified and well-blended. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the exposed border of dough around each mound of filling (set the remaining egg wash aside to brush the assembled tarts if baking them the same day). Place a second dough square on top of each tart, using your fingers to gently press the seams together. Use a fork to crimp together the two layers of dough. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (at this point, you can cover the baking sheets with plastic wrap and chill overnight).

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly brush the top and edges of each tart with the remaining egg wash. Bake until the tarts are golden brown on the top and bottom, about 35-40 minutes. Cool for 1 minute on the baking sheets, and then transfer the tarts to cooling racks.

To prepare the glaze, whisk together all the ingredients until smooth.

When the tarts are just slightly warm, spoon the glaze over them. Let the glaze dry for 15 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.

Recipe for Pie Dough

Makes enough dough for 1 double-crusted pie or 2 single, 10-inch crusts

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons sugar (see note)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon table salt)
1 cup (2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Pulse a few times to blend. Sprinkle the butter pieces over the dry ingredients. Pulse until the butter is the size of large peas.

Add 6 tablespoons of the water and pulse until the dough just begins to form a ball (you may need to add up to 2 tablespoons more of the ice water). Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gather it into a ball. Divide the dough in half, and gently pat each half into a disc. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

After you roll out the crust and place it in the desired pan, let it chill for 15-30 minutes in the refrigerator before baking to prevent shrinking.

To prebake or blind bake this crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the pie shell with parchment or aluminum foil and fill with pie weights. Bake for 25-30 minutes covered, then remove the pie weights and liner and bake until lightly golden, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

* recipe and photo via http://pieceofcakeblog.blogspot.com/

Now for the news...

It's been announced that Jamie Oliver will have a new cooking show on the Cooking Channel called Food Escapes. In the six episodes, Jamie will be "heading off the tourist track and exploring the authentic ingredients and extraordinary characters" of countries all over the world. Locations include Venice, Athens, the French Pyrenees, Andalucia, Stockholm, and Marrakesh. I can't wait!