quinn's place

or what we now refer to as, “the quarantine 15.”

wow wow wow. such strange times we are living in right now. i haven’t posted a recipe or blog post since just last month, but within that short time span, the entire world has turned upside down. you don’t need another coronavirus backstory, but it’s not to be glossed over either. these are super scary, unprecedented times for the whole world and our modern history. it’s all happening and unfolding right now as i type this. and while this post is about food & cooking, it’s a huge nod to all the time we are currently spending at home (even more-so than usual), cooking, baking, and trying to maintain our sense of safety, health, comfort & sanity.

i’m feeling very, very grateful to have a safe place to quarantine with people i love and trust and feel safe with. also so lucky to have business opportunities that allow me to work from home in a certain capacity; same goes for my husband. i know that countless people don’t have the same access to work opportunities, food, and a safe sanctuary in which to quarantine, stay healthy and financially stable. i’m just feeling so grateful for what i have, and i think this process of quarantining is really opening peoples’ eyes & minds to all the things in life that actually matter; things that seemed like problems one month ago seem so trivial and unimportant now.

we are safe, happy & thriving here; i feel lucky to be able to say that, and i do not take our situation for granted.

all that to say - i continue to be head-over-heels for all-things bon appétit. here are some of the delicious recipes made under this roof during the month of march!

[disclaimer from the future, mid 2020: reading this section back of myself singing all the praises of BA is definitely cringeworthy given the very public reckoning that bon appetit has faced over the course of this year. it is safe to say that i have been thoroughly disappointed in discovering their unfair compensation practices amongst beloved staff members and phony strides toward a “diverse” and “inclusive” publication/workplace. it is a reminder to carefully examine all of the things that we think are great, and to really consider the reality of what may going on behind the scenes. this applies to many things that have been brought to light this year - as for my own interests, that includes BA, the ellen show, and many brands and people i’ve admired. it is a healthy & necessary exercise to be aware, curious, and informed of any dangerous or harmful inner-workings of large companies. i want to fully support the mission behind brands i love before blindly giving them such high praise, or funnel my dollars back into their toxic system. needless to say, all the previous content i’ve written in major support of bon appetit is a bit embarrassing now in retrospect - i won’t delete it, as it has been a part of my learning and unlearning process. it has been a part of this year’s huge cultural paradigm shift and so many incidents that have opened my eyes to many types of injustice. we all need to better examine the content that we each choose to consume and decide if it’s really worth or supporting.]

{…back to the past:}

ooomahhhgaaawwddd, i forgot about this glossy cookie dough. whoa baby. this is a top-notch cookie recipe.

i’m learning that i probably need a baking scale - my cookies are always too dense & poofy, so i’m probably using too much flour. very good cookies, though. will make again - even if its just to freeze the dough for future dough cravings snack :)

BA Brown Butter and Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

couldn’t have jumped on this recipe faster. i made these biscuits the day they released the recipe on instagram. wowweeeee, they were amazing - flaky, buttery, flavorful. i didn’t have sour cream and subbed greek yogurt and a little cream cheese - they turned out fabulously! i’ve been wanting to find a reason to make them again already, but we’ve been going a bit kooky krazy with all the carby items around here, lol. blessed be all the youtube workout videos that exist.

BA Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits

it took me longer than i’d like to admit to understand why this recipe is called “billionaire bars” - which was actually a fun little riddle once i’d had the epiphany. this is probably extremely obvious, but these bars are super richhhhhhh. get it?!? 🤪derp. i’m just slow sometimes. holy moses, these will knock your sweet cravings right outta the park. veryyyy delicious, but will give you the sugarz if you don’t move around after eating one. i can see that if you don’t care for sesame flavors or tahini, you won’t be a fan. you could get crazy and use creamy peanut butter instead of tahini in the butterscotch layer, but that would be, like, “trillionaire” bar status. i think the tahini brings in an earthiness that somewhat tones down how rich the dessert is as a whole. approve!!!!!

BA Tahini Billionaire Bars

and for the superbowl snack i never made but wanted to - queso!

this queso recipe is freaking delicious. i was inspired to randomly make it the other day because we had american cheese from some burgers we’d grilled. and it did not disappoint the squad that got to eat it pipin’ hot and ready! will absolutely make again and again.

BA Queso, Not From a Jar

simply a bon appétit adjacent, the alison roman caramelized shallot pasta:

very enjoyable and opened up our anchovy-closed minds. duh, it makes all the sense. anchovy usage as saltiness, just like using fish sauce in thai food, etc. i’d put up a hard wall against anchovies in my life because i don’t like fish, but it makes sense all broken down in this salty, shallot-y sauce!

and a bonus BA focaccia made 2 times by my friend & downstairs renter, piper! soo so soo yummy, tender, delicious golden perfection:

BA Easy No-Knead Focaccia

still one more day left in march - will i make another bon appétiter before april comes?!?! it is highly plausible.

hubba hubba yum yum.

here’s an easy peasy crowd pleaser!!!

the first thing out of pete’s mouth after one bite of a pie was, “can you make these again?” 😂

why yes, i can and i will make these again.

and you can, too!

i used ye olde trusty alison roman pie dough recipe, same as i’d used in these blueberry basil hand pies. if you really wanna speed up this process, just use store bought, pre-rolled pie dough.

you could have these assembled & baked all in about 30 minutes if you went the pre-rolled route. lightning fast hand pies!

howeva… i’d recommend going the extra mile to make the homemade pie dough because it is so so flaky and buttery and perfectomundo.

the options are endless here with pie fillings, but i was wanting a super simple and somewhat refreshing little dessert pie that would let me use up a jar of nutella that’s been lingering around here a little toooo long (aka. frequent visits to the pantry for “just one more” little spoonful of the good stuff. that costco 2-pack is dangerzone, usa).

we found that the nutella + fresh raspberries were a lovely little balance between sweet and tart, and the pie crust adds so much buttery, flaky texture.

i wouldn’t even bother adding coarse sugar to the tops of the pies. the nutella is sweet enough.

it’s a truly simple dessert!

and. how freaking cute, anyway?

hand pies are such a dream. nothing has to be perfect about them, and they’ll turn out cute to boot every time.

i made several 3-inch (the tiny pies on the plate) and 4-inch pies (pies on the table).

the 4-inch rounds are definitely easier to work with as far as filling and creasing the pies. you have to be a little careful not to overfill the 3-inch rounds.

i forsee many repeats of these little delights in our homestead.

gotta keep extra discs of frozen homemade pie dough at the ready for a hand pie emergency!!

you won’t be sorry :)

and happy valentine’s day today!

Mini Nutella & Raspberry Hand Pies

Makes (12) 4-inch hand pies, or (24) 3-inch hand pies

Total Time: Using Pre-made dough = 30 minutes // Using Homemade Dough (+ 2 hr Chill Time) = 3 hours

Ingredients:

For the Dough: (Recipe from Alison Roman’s Dining In Cookbook, “The Only PIecrust”)

*I halved the following dough recipe to make the hand pies, but having extra discs of frozen pie dough stored is convenient!
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 TB. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled & cubed
- 1 TB. apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1/4 cup ice water

For the Filling:

2/3 - 1 cup Nutella or Chocolate Hazelnut spread of choice
fresh raspberries
1 egg + 1 tsp. water - egg wash for top of crust

Instructions-

For the dough:

You can make the pie dough way in advance and keep in the freezer. Or make 1-4 days in advance and store flat rounds in plastic wrap in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. OR just use store bought pie dough!

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar & salt. Add the chilled butter cubes and toss to coat in the flour mixture, then use your hands to smash the butter between your fingers. Incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until it appears shaggy and flaky.

Combine the vinegar and the ice water and drizzle it over the flour + butter mixture. Run your fingers through the mixture to evenly distribute the water through the flour until the dough starts coming together.

On a lightly floured work surface, knead the combined dough a few times to gather up and incorporate any dry bits. It will not be smooth or shiny. Knead the shaggy mass with your palms a few more times, then pat into a flat disk about 1 inch thick. Wrap the disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Assemble the hand pies:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet with a piece of parchment.

Roll out the pie crust on a well floured surface until it is 1/8 inch thick. Use 4” or 3” cookie cutters (or just the rim of a glass) to press circles into the dough, setting each round on the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll out the dough scraps to make as many 4-inch or 3-inch rounds as you can.

For 3” round pies, place about 1 teaspoon of Nutella and 1 raspberry into the center of the round.

For 4” round pies, place about 2 teaspoons of Nutella and 2 raspberries into the center of the round.

Gently fold one edge of the dough over the filling and adhere to the other side of the dough round, keeping at least 1/4” border around the outside edge. If there’s too much Nutella to close the pocket, scoop a little bit out using a spoon. Press the edges of the dough together firmly with your fingers, then use the tines of a fork to seal it up.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water to make the egg wash. Brush the tops of the pies with the egg wash. Cut 1/4 inch vents on top for steam to escape.

Bake the 3” pies for about 14 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Bake the 4” pies for about 18 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Remove from oven and use a spatula to push away any burnt chocolate that oozed out of the pies. Transfer pies to a cooling rack. Cool at least 10 minutes before eating.

Store in a parchment lined airtight container either at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

ENJOY!