Farmer Cheese And Thyme Pie Food

BROWN BUTTER CORNBREAD WITH FARMER CHEESE AND THYME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, oil, egg, sugar and baking soda. Gently fold wet ingredients into dry ones until just combined. Fold in corn, cheese and thyme.
• Melt butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, tilting pan to coat bottom and sides completely. Cook butter 2 to 3 minutes, until it starts to color and smell nutty. Scrape batter into skillet; smooth surface with a rubber spatula.
• Bake until bread is golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

ALL-BUTTER DOUBLE PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Use a bench scraper to cut butter into ½-inch cubes. (If butter begins to "sweat," dust with flour.) In a large, flat-bottomed bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter cubes and toss to coat with the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour; do not smash or smear the butter. Scrape butter off the pastry blender during the mixing process and continue mixing. (If butter is softening too fast, put the bowl in the refrigerator until butter firms up, 2-5 minutes.) Continue cutting, working quickly, until butter is broken down and looks like a coarse crumble with only a few larger pieces.
• Combine vinegar with water and ice; you'll use 10-12 tablespoons of this liquid in the pie dough. Begin by sprinkling 4 tablespoons of liquid over the flour mixture; use a bench scraper or your hands to incorporate until the mixture begins to come together. Sprinkle in 4 more tablespoons of liquid and continue the mixing process. Squeeze a fistful of dough: if it holds, like wet sand, it's ready. If it falls apart, add 1-2 more tablespoons of liquid at a time, squeezing the dough to check if it holds. Bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of liquid as necessary; dough will look shaggy. Knead in the bowl just until incorporated.
• Turn dough onto a work surface and use a bench scraper to divide dough into two equal pieces. (Note: If you're making the Blueberry Slab Pie, do not divide the dough; shape it into one large, flat disk.) Shape into flat disks and wrap in plastic; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen up to 1 month, tightly wrapped. (Note: If you're making the Peach Skillet Pie, stop here; you'll begin that lesson with two chilled disks of dough.)
• Generously grease pie dish with softened butter. Dust a work surface and a rolling pin with flour. Place one chilled pie disk on the work surface and lightly dust it with flour. (Reserve the other disk to use as a top crust for the Salted Caramel Apple Pie or Peach Skillet Pie, or to line a tart pan for the Farmer Cheese and Thyme Pie.)Roll dough by starting at the center and lightly pressing down with the rolling pin to flatten slightly. Rotate the dough and repeat, pressing down so it's evenly flattened all around, about ⅛-inch thick. Then roll outward to make a circle, rotating the dough a quarter-turn at a time to keep it even. (If dough is softening too fast, chill in the refrigerator until firm, 2-5 minutes.) Roll the dough until it's about 2-3 inches larger than the pie dish, all the way around. Use a pizza wheel to trim away the rough edges. (Save the scraps to make crust cookies!)
• Overturn pie dish onto the center of the dough circle, then remove and place it right side up on your work surface. Use the light indentation created by the rim as a guide for gently positioning dough into the center of the dish. (If dough is softening too fast, put it back into the refrigerator until it firms up, 2-5 minutes.) Fit dough gently into dish, being careful not to stretch it. Begin crimping the edge by using your fingers to roll the dough firmly so it rests on top of the rim. Crimp by using your index finger and thumb on one hand to squeeze a letter "C" into the dough rim. (Lightly flour your fingers if the dough is sticking.) Repeat, crimping the entire pie and making sure the final fluted crust sits directly on top of the pan's rim. Chill until it is ready to be filled and baked.

FARMER'S PIE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, brown and crumble sausage for about 5 minutes.
• Add onion and continue cooking until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes; drain.
• Remove from heat; add cheese, broccoli, rice, tomato, and olives; stir well.
• Pour into pie crust.
• In a bowl, combine eggs, cream, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme; mix well.
• Pour over sausage mixture.
• Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake 30-35 minutes or until golden and firm.

CHERRY TOMATO AND HERBED FARMER CHEESE GALETTE

Steps:

• Whisk your flour & salt together in a medium bowl. Add your cold, cubed butter and toss in the flour to coat. Then, squish each piece between two fingers to create flat little "shingles" of butter. You can crumble some of the butter more so you're left with large flat pieces and pea-sized chunks as well.
• Whisk two tablespoons of ice water and your egg yolk together. Make a well in the center of your flour and pour in the egg mixture. Toss together with your hands and gently press/squeeze the dough together until it starts to come together (don't knead or you'll overwork it). If still a bit dry, add an additional tablespoon of ice water. You want it to be somewhat crumbly, but generally hold together.
• Tightly wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Once it's chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a large square. Fold it in half one way, and then fold in half again (helps create layers). Roll it out into a square and do the folds again, adding more flour as needed. Wrap tightly in plastic again and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before using (up to 3 days in the fridge).
• Prep a quarter or half sheet pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Cut your cherry tomatoes in half, place them in a strainer set over a bowl, and toss them with the 1/2 teaspoon of salt to help coax out any excess juices. Just set them off to the side to drain until needed.
• In a small bowl, mash together your farmer cheese with the chopped rosemary and thyme. Set aside. Also whisk your large egg for the egg wash in a small bowl and set aside.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out your galette dough into a rough 9x13in. rectangle about a 1/4in. thick (a 10-12in. circle works too). Gently lay this into your quarter or half sheet pan with parchment. If your dough seems a little sticky after rolling out, place in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm back up before continuing.
• Spread your farmer cheese mixture into an even layer on top of the dough, leaving a good 2-3in. border around the outside. Place your cherry tomatoes, flat side down, on top of the farmer cheese (you can overlap the tomatoes as needed).
• Fold your outside border of dough overtop the tomatoes to form the crust. Just fold one side over, work clockwise, overlapping the corners as you go. Brush the crust generously with your egg wash, making sure to lift and get underneath the overlapping folds, pressing down to help seal them.
• Drizzle your olive oil over the tomatoes, sprinkle some chopped thyme over the crust, and place a few rosemary springs atop the tomatoes (you can tuck some under the crust at the edges too, see images above for how I did it).
• with the rack in the middle position, bake the galette at 400°F for 45-50 minutes or until desired browning. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before serving. Best enjoyed same day, but could keep for a couple days stored in the fridge in an airtight container.