Whole wheat pie crust. Soft cheese.

                 Rainy days starts autumn. Nobody wants to go out, nobody wants to dinner outside. Well maybe some wants, but I am not the one who like rain in my soup.

So what to do when it's like that? Bake. Eat. Sleep.

Whole wheat pie crust with soft cheese spread


For crust:
200 gram whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
100 gram butter
1 egg yolk
1-2 tablespoon of cold, cold water
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
pinch of pepper


For soft cheese spread:
100 ml of heavy cream (or double cream)
70 gram of gouda, grated
1-2 tablespoon of parmesan
50 gram of smooth fresh cheese
cutted green onion
pinch of nutmeg, white pepper

Preheat oven 180C

In a bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, pepper. Add cold butter and mix - you should have crumbs, not solid dough. Add yolk and start making dough with hands. Quickly - if it is too dry - add cold water.

Place in fridge for 30 minutes.

In saucepan place heavy cream and gouda - place on small heat and slowly melt the cheese. Add parmesan and cutted green onion, nutmeg and pepper. Take from the heat. Cool. Mix inside fresh cheese. If it still too runny, add more grated parmesan.

Roll crust 0,5 cm. Place into small, individual baking tins.Bake for 10 minutes or until it golden. Cool.

Place one teaspoon of spread into individual pie crust.

Plesniak ( Polish Rustic Pie with Jam filling )

                This has to be one of my favorite cakes. In my brain it has easy connection with my Grandma. She made it many times. Especially in hot august, when air was full of smell of sweet apples, worm wind was playing with our mind bringing pictures of sweet Toscany and unexpected storms are strong, quick and refreshing.

Grandma is a very good cook and wonderful baker of many pies, but among others this pie is a winner. 

White tart pastry, next level of sour jam, meringue made from sweet egg white beated until it will be stiff and topping made from "black" pastry. It is truly amazing. In many homes people would add hazelnuts or walnuts as a additional level (after jam , before meringue). I bake it and you know what? - it was very worm day today with this wind - it must mean something. I think I smelled summer...

Plesniak

3 cups of flour 

200 grams of butter

2 tablespoon + 100-120 grams of caster sugar

4 eggs (yolks and whites separated)

pinch of salt

2 tablespoon of cocoa powder ( if you can use black one, use it )

250-270 grams (one jar) of some sour jam ( i use black currant one)

optional - 2 apples (for baking I usually use some sour ones)

Preheat oven 180C/320f.

Chop cold butter with flour, 2 tablespoon of caster sugar, pinch of salt and 4 egg yolks. Quickly knead dough, it it will be too brittle or too loose - add 1 tablespoon of sour cream. 

Divide it into two parts (you can also divide into tree parts and made two layers of white pastry and one black). Add cocoa powder into one part and knead. Form the balls and cool them in a fridge for about 30 minutes. 

Now time for apples if you use them. Chop them nicely and fry a little on butter (they shouldn't be over-fried, not like form Applepie). You can add some cinnamon. Cool down.

Beat the whites stiff, adding at the end sugar. Beat until you get nice meringue, but not too stiff.

Take a baking mold (classic 24 cm * 32 cm would work) and place bright part of dough on a bottom. Spread a thick layer of jam (if you use nuts, sprinkle them onto jam). Now layer of apples. Now spread egg whites on them. End with black part of dough grated on them. Bake for 35-40 minutes.