Jim Gullo's Blog

People love the pastries that we provide to each new party that comes to the Pastry Ranch. Arriving to a fresh, homemade baked good is a wonderful welcoming treat that we’re happy to provide, and almost every comment we receive on the Airbnb and HomeAway reviews mentions the pastries.

What do we make, and how do we decide to make them? Well, that’s a little tougher to explain. Jim is an avid baker with a love for trying new things and exploring cookbooks. Invariably he’s drawn to French farmhouse cooking and baking, with a little bit of a Parisian patisserie thrown in. Frequently, what he decides to make for new guests depends on what’s in the house, what he’s been reading lately, a technique he’d like to try, or a combination of all of the above.

So in recent weeks our guests have arrived to creampuffs. A lemon tart that, shockingly, uses the entire lemon, rind and all, ground to a pulp in the blender and then balanced with sugar and cream and eggs. It is nothing short of sensational for lemon lovers. Chocolate tarts with a chocolate-graham cracker crust, just for the fun of smushing those crumbly crumbs into the tart pans and getting them to set (no easy task). Strawberry tarts utilizing the incredible fruit that appears at Oregon farmers markets in the late spring and only lasts for a few weeks. And Kris’s banana bread when she gets in the mood.

We haven’t begun to take requests yet, but if people tell us ahead of time that they’re gluten free or have other special needs, we try to accommodate. And then we start thinking about clafoutis, custards, flans, teacakes made with almond flour and chocolate . . . uh oh, I feel a bake coming on.

We’ve had a gorgeous spring and early summer in McMinnville and at the house. Flowers are blooming in the garden beds, and the clematis in our outdoor breakfast nook just popped into full bloom last week. And we’re thrilled with our newest addition, two blueberry plants in the side yard that Kris planted that are already beginning to burst with fruit. The strawberries from last year are popping out juicy, ripe, red fruits that our guests are welcome to pick, and the blueberries are right behind them. We know from experience that summer may bring too much heat and sun to keep our grass green and our flowers from wilting. But right now the ranch is absolutely gorgeous.

Anybody else watch The Great British Baking Show? It’s fair to say that all activity ceases at our home the minute Netflix is fired up and a load of affable, decent, eminently talented Brits start sifting the old whole wheat and creaming Mrs. Butterfat. The season we recently watched (I think it was number two in the U.S.) where Frances, Ruby and Kimberley had it out was right up there for high drama and excitement with last year’s World Series.

As a consequence, we have not only started to say, “Scrummy!” like Mary Berry, but went searching for square-jawed Paul Hollywood’s propers, and learned through his website that he is a celebrity Brit baker with lots of background in high-end hotel kitchens. And one of the things on his website that intrigued us was a recipe for Danish.

Surprisingly (“Shocking!” Sue and Mel would pipe up, and I do wish they’d just shut up), we had never made Danish at the Pastry Ranch. Beats me why; maybe just because we’ve already been more concerned with things French. Anyway, this looked fun and easy, and now, a month later, after three Danish experiences that have made us roll around on the floor, moaning with delight, they are officially part of our repertoire, and we suspect will have a starring role for a long, long time.

Here’s the recipe from Paul Hollywood’s website; we won’t bother to rewrite it here, because we’re lazy and would rather eat Danish than transcribe them. Suffice it to say that you make a brioche-like yeast dough (I especially like the part about putting the yeast on one side of the flour in your mixing bowl, and the sugar and salt on the other before giving it the hook) with warmed milk and a couple of eggs, and a butter block that we will all remember fondly from making croissants. Unlike most yeasted products, you never bulk proof this dough, but wrap it up quick and get it into the fridge so it won’t puff up. The only time it properly rises is just before you egg-wash and bake it. You make a butter block, the same as with croissants (putting a nice, high-fat European butter into a large ziplock bag, and then bashing and rolling it into a square with a rolling pin is a fun technique for getting the right shape), and then laminate it like a croissant dough, making three turns over three hours before resting it overnight.

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After that, it was straight to YouTube for tutorials on shaping Danish pastries (there are a million videos, and nearly that many shapes), making a little sweetened cheese for a filling, experimenting with fruit or jam on top of that, and off we went. The result the first time around were these slightly homely, if delicious pastries — one with apples poached with honey, another with gingered pears, a third with raisins. Eating these fresh and warm out of the oven, where they puffed up and made a soft, buttery roll with the creamy filling and tart dollop of fruit on top, is almost as wonderful as popping off to England, or Denmark for that matter, and making droll comments with the locals over tea.

Or you could just watch another season of the Great British Baking Show. They never argue with each other! They’re never mean or cutting, like American bakers would be. They just want to bake something nice and get along. We love them for that. Thanks, Paul Hollywood. Thanks, bakers. Look for more of these Danish at the Pastry Ranch this summer. If we don’t eat them all first, I mean.

The flowers and trees are blooming, the grass in the yard is lush and green, the temps are hitting the high-60s, and we’re having a glorious spring here in Oregon. It’s so beautiful that we’re inspired to bake chocolate cakes with toasted coconut. Come and visit us soon at the Pastry Ranch.

Add a new contender for the top spot in your personal “Where Have You Been All My Life, My Lovely Pastry?” list. Last month the NYT highlighted regional Canadian foods, and this one made the follicles on the back of our neck stand up and sing The Lumberjack Song. Their recipe for Canadian Butter Tarts follows below, with an embellishment or two by us at The Pastry Ranch that may not play in purist Winnepeg, but tough, we think ours are better.

We’ve been looking for a distinctive Canadian pastry for some years now. Nanaimo Bars leave us a little cold with what is invariably way too much sugar and sweetness, and Tim Horton’s doughnuts, although outstanding, are in the end just . . . doughnuts (if there could be such a thing as just a donut). Neither one has successfully crossed the border into our recipe collections as yet, although we’re always willing to try.

But these tarts are far more than a dollop of sweetness, and rise to the complexity and artistry of true pastry (fit for a Pastryologist) because of the light, flaky, crisp pastry cup that they start with. They not only taste great, but they SOUND great, given the fortuitous choice of naming them after the relatively minor ingredient of butter. These would better be called Brown Sugar Tarts, or even mini-Sugar Pies given their predominant flavor and ingredient. Sugar Pies were once a staple of every home baker’s repertoire, but are now cruelly forgotten thanks to our generational fear of sugar.

Anyway, call it what you want, but I guarantee that these will become a shining example of your Pastryology genius and repertoire. We first brought them to a birthday party for Chris Hennessy, where they were roundly scarfed by the adults in the room, and now they greet our guests at the Pastry Ranch . . . if we can keep ourselves from eating them all when they’re fresh out of the oven. And that’s a big If.

(This is very similar to the tart pastry we make for Parisian Flan, and very simply done in the food processor. After cooling and resting, it comes back to the rolling board as a very sturdy, golden dough that holds together under the rolling pin and is very easy to work).

1 1/2 C flour (AP is fine)

pinch of sea salt

1/2 C (one stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1/4 C ice water

1 egg yolk

1 t white vinegar (optional, but it keeps the dough from turning brown)

Place the flour and salt into your food processor, pulse to combine, add the butter and pulse until fully incorporated. You could also do this by hand in a large bowl, using your fingertips to fully incorporate the butter into the flour. In a separate bowl, combine the ice water, yolk and vinegar, stir it up, and then with the processor running, pour it into the flour mixture just until it clumps up into a mass. (If you do it by hand, make a well in the center of the flour, pour in the mixed-together liquid and use a long-tined fork to gather it together into a mass of dough.) Remove to plastic wrap, shape into a disc, wrap it up tight and let it sit in the fridge for at least a half-hour.

When you’re ready to bake, heat oven to 425 and grease or spray a dozen regular-sized muffin tins. On a floured work surface and with a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to a large rectangle that is about 1/4″ thick. Use a round cutter or a glass to cut 4-inch circles out of the dough, cutting as many as you can before gathering the scraps and re-rolling and cutting until you have a dozen disks of dough. Fit them into the muffin tins, pressing them against the bottoms and sides and crimping the tops; try to fill the muffin cups entirely, with the top of your dough forming a rim at the top of the muffin cup.

1/4 C raisins (note: You could be jeered and reviled in certain parts of Canada for adding raisins to your tart. We like them. Our Ranch, our tart. Go back to Moosejaw if you don’t like them, eh?)

1/4 C rum (dark or light)

1/4 C chopped walnuts (optional; we personally like the crunch they bring; see note on Moosejaw, above)

1 C packed brown sugar (dark or light)

1/2 t sea salt

1/4 C (half a stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temp

1 t Vanilla

1 large egg

Heat up the rum on the stove to near-boiling and drop the raisins into the pan to plump them up. Add hot water to the rum to cover the raisins. Let them soak for a few minutes and then drain and drop 7-8 raisins into each pastry-lined muffin cup. Drop a few pieces of walnut into the cups, too.

In a mixing bowl, mush together the brown sugar, salt, butter, vanilla and egg with your hand. Don’t use a food processor or hand mixer because it will add too much air to the mixture. Just pinch it together with your fingers until everything is combined. Enjoy the sandy sensation of gooey brown sugar, and then for goodness sakes, wash your hands.

Drop a tablespoon of the sugar mixture into each cup, until they’re about half-full. Don’t overfill! This stuff will puff up dramatically. Bake for 13-15 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the filling has puffed up. Remove to a cooling rack and leave the tarts in the muffin tins until completely cool. After a few minutes, use a sharp paring knife to loosen the tarts and cut through any sugar that is sticking them to the tins, and then let cool completely in the tins before removing the tarts.

Thanks, Canada; we owe you one.

This month our cheerful little town in the Willamette Valley gets down to the business of hospitality with the first city-wide promotion of the year to make it even more fun to come here (if that’s even possible, I mean, short of having pastry tastings on every corner). The TASTE MCMINNVILLE month got underway today with discounted wine tastings at the city’s many tasting rooms, breweries and distilleries; passport tours that wind up making you eligible for prizes when you collect enough stamps at tasting rooms; and special menus and discounts on food at a number of our fine restaurants. A sweepstakes prize drawing offers a stay later in the year at the being-built-as-we-speak Atticus Hotel, air tickets on Alaska Airlines, and passes to the Bounty of the County food event. Details are on the Visit McMinnville site, and the promotion runs through the end of February.[image error]

You could, for example, follow an afternoon of knocking back Pinot Gris and Elton Vineyard Pinot Noir at Willamette Valley Vineyards with oysters and gumbo at the Gem Restaurant next door, and save money on both. Or sample Robert Brittan’s excellent Brittan Vineyards Chardonnay from the McMinnville AVA hills and then stroll down to the Golden Valley Brewpub in time for happy hour and Peter Kircher’s fine pork schnitzel. Or maybe it would be an afternoon wrapped around R. Stuart & Co’s gorgeous sparkling wine followed by steak frites at Bistro Maison. And profiteroles, of course. Or maybe all three, you thrill-seeker. The possibilities are endless, and delicious.

All of which is awesome, and another good reason to book several nights with us at the Pastry Ranch, but here’s an irresistible kicker: The ReachNow car rental agency of Portland has partnered with Visit McMinnville to offer discounted BMWs and MINIs for $50/day as part of the Taste McMinnville promo, which means that you can not only eat, sip, quaff and slug in style, but hop into a truly cool ride in between. Details on how to do this are also on the Visit McMinnville site, and if you drive your slick ride past the Pastry Ranch, we will bow and genuflect in awe and admiration.[image error]

If we weren’t elbow-deep in new pastry recipe testing, we’d be tempted to do this promotion ourselves, putting our own cars to shame in the process.

Have fun out there.

BAKING CLASSES AT THE PASTRY RANCH!

Learn to make your first breads, pies and cakes, or go big and learn how to make exotic French pastries and truly memorable desserts. Classes are for 1-6 people and taught at The Pastry Ranch in McMinnville, Oregon, for house guests or private parties.

$120.00

It’s time to bake! We are happy to announce that we are now booking Baking & Pastry Classes at the Pastry Ranch, led by owner/head baker Jim Gullo. Jim is an experienced baker with a wide repertoire of classic American and French recipes and techniques to share with you. He has worked in professional kitchens and brings professional standards and tips to improve your baking game. Largely self-taught in the pastry arts, Jim has traveled extensively in Europe and loves to explore new recipes and techniques, from classic French patisserie to the treats featured on the British Baking Show or Cake Boss!

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE? We can tailor classes to any level, whether you’d like to craft your very first loaf of bread or apple pie, try out some new cookie recipes, puddings and flans, or scones and muffins, or whip up a lovely cake. Move it up a notch to fancier fare like French tarts, croissants, baguettes, Danish pastry with yeasted dough, decorated layer cakes or dacquoise, or unusual and delicious olive oil or yogurt cakes. Or really go big with [image error]souffles, meringues, sticky toffee pudding, Brioche, fondant cakes, or lavish, show-stopping pastries like Gateau St. Honore, Buche de Noel, and Trianon Chocolate Mousse Cake!

Maybe you have a FAVORITE FAMILY RECIPE from Grandma’s collection that you’d like to learn how to add to your repertoire, or want to try the latest cake or dessert creation in a cookbook or magazine. We can figure it out together and make it your own.

Classes are held for small groups of 1-6 people at THE PASTRY RANCH, utilizing our roomy kitchen that is fully equipped with all of the whisks, mixers, pans and molds and cookie sheets that we need to spread out and have fun baking. Classes are private to PASTRY RANCH guests when in-house, or open to the public when the Ranch is available.

COST: $60/hour, with a 2-hour minimum for groups of 1-4, with $25/person additional for up to 2 additional bakers. A 4-hour session is discounted to $200. Times are flexible depending on your schedule, and can be staggered throughout a day or throughout your stay at the house. Included are all ingredients and utensils to make 2-4 items of your choice (depending on complexity and time it takes to make, proof and finish things), and you keep the finished products. We will agree in advance on a menu of what you’d like to bake.

Let’s make something new! Let’s bake something delicious!

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Look what happened all of a sudden in our front yard at The Pastry Ranch last week. Glorious fall colors have come to wine country, beginning with our trees and spreading to the acres and acres of vineyards whose fruit has been picked and put away and whose vines are now finishing their annual jobs by shedding their precious leaves. It’s a beautiful time to be here. (And we have dates available at the house, by the way, in November and December). Check out the calendar at Airbnb.

All of which reminds us of a famous rhyme (Shakespeare, I’m pretty sure):

“Spring has sprung.

Fall has fell.

Winter’s here.

And it’s colder than usual.”

Bake on, y’all.

Plums are falling off the trees, Ruben “Swede” Dong brought us a bag of ripe pears that he picked this weekend, and our apple tree is about three weeks away from providing lots of reasons to make lots of pies and tarts.

In short, we will soon be mixing up a great deal of dough, rolling it out and filling it with all kinds of goodness. And as alert pastryologist Cathryn Davis pointed out, we need to up our crust game, as seen in this delightful video.

Happy crusting, y’all.