Northshore Magazine

November 2014

Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.

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227 Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.* In a smaller bowl, toss a quarter of the butter with approximately a quarter of the flour mixture and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Add the remaining butter to the mixer bowl and chill in the refrigerator at the same time. Remove the mixer bowl from the refrigerator and place on the mixer with the paddle. Mix on medium-low speed until the butter is very small and the whole thing looks a little crumbly. Add the butter and flour from the freezer and mix on the same speed until the frozen butter is the size of small peas. With the mixer running, pour in the cold buttermilk and allow the dough to come together. Gather the dough together, wrap it in plastic and chill it for at least 30 minutes or overnight. The dough can also be kept frozen for one week. * By hand method: Follow the two bowl method above, but work each butter mixture separately with your hands or a pastry cutter, then drizzle in the buttermilk a little at a time. Another recent North Shore transplant from New York, pastry chef Jennifer Cobb was enlisted by the Burlington steak house, The Bancroft— the latest farm-to-table establishment by the Webber Restaurant Group—to create exquisite desserts. Cobb has a great understanding of farm-to-table cooking. After she learned her craft at the French Culinary Institute (today known as the International Cu- linary Center), she worked for famed restauranteur and father of the farm-to-table movement Peter Hoffman in his two New York restau- rants, Back Forty and Back Forty West. She was also a pastry sous chef at Mas (farmhouse), a tiny 60-seat prix fixe restaurant, which made Zagat's top 10 restaurant list for New York City. "We source much of our produce from Gibbet Hill Farm in Groton, which is also owned by the Webber Restaurant Group," she notes. One of her favorite dishes to make is the apple and cranberry pot pie. "You can bake it in a single- serving dish or a large skillet," she says. "I love using New England fall flavors in my desserts—you can taste the season in every bite." 1 1/2 c. cranberries, dried 1/3 c. dark rum 8-12 med. apples such as Macoun, Cortland, Empire, or a mix 2 sticks cold butter, cubed 2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. salt 2 tbsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, grated or ground 3 tbsp. granulated sugar 3 tbsp. light brown sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch 1 recipe of Buttermilk Pie Dough 1 egg plus 1 tbs. water 1 tbsp. sugar 1/3 c. ( 3 fluid ounces ) low-fat buttermilk, cold The Bancroft's Apple-Cranberry "Pot Pie" (adapted for home use) Equipment: One 9˝ or 10˝ cast-iron skillet Preheat the oven to 375°F. Take the chilled pie dough out to soften slightly. Combine the cranberries and rum in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a low simmer to soften the fruit and allow it to absorb most of the rum, about 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside to cool. Pour the lemon juice in a large bowl. Peel, core, and chop the apples to approximately 1/2" diced and place the apples directly in the lemon juice and toss to coat as you go—should be about 8 to 9 cups total, depending on the size of the apples. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, sugars, and salt and mix well to incorporate. Toss in the cranberry-rum mixture and let macerate while you roll out the dough. Unwrap the disc of slightly-softened dough. Flour a large surface and roll the dough into a round about 1/16" thick. Set aside. Toss the cornstarch with the apple mixture and pour it all into the cast-iron skillet—mound it up high; some of it will shrink in baking. Roll the dough up on the rolling pin and then unroll over the filling, tucking the excess around the filling on the inside edge of the skillet, trim if necessary. Cut vents in the center of the dough in whatever pattern you like. Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl and brush the egg wash over the dough with a pastry brush. Bake on a cookie sheet ( to catch any drips and juices ) in the middle of the oven for 15 to 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Enjoy warm with cinnamon ice cream for dessert ( or cold from the refrigerator in the middle of the night ). Buttermilk Pie Dough Jennifer Cobb The Bancroft the-bancroft.com

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