Onion & Cheese Bread

I knew as soon as I saw something called "Onion and Swiss Rye Bread" on this month's Kitchen Play menu I would have no choice but to participate in this amazing contest brought to us by the National Onion Association. What really appealed to me about this recipe, is it seemed like I could recreate it using things I always have in the house. Onions, some kind of Swiss cheese, whole wheat flour, yeast. All I have to do is make sure I get a few extra onions to caramelize. Easy, right?

Yeah, well. Not so fast. Turns out, for a household of only two people, we go through about a pound of onions every day. I am not exaggerating when I say that I actually went out and bought "extra onions" on four separate occasions, each time thinking, "now these are for the bread." But then I wanted to make guacamole. And roast a chicken. Cook an omelet. Whisk up a little salad dressing. Turns out everything we eat in this family begins with onions. The lesson here? Buy in bulk and buy often. This bread is worth it.

Onion & Cheese Bread (adapted from Cookistry)

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
  
• 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1/2 cup caramelized onions
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Olive oil

In a large bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir to combine and let proof for about 5 minutes.

Add flour, gluten, cheese, and onions. Work with wooden spoon until the dough is elastic. It should come together fairly quickly, though the dough will be quite wet and sticky. Incorporate salt and butter.

Form dough into a ball, drizzle olive oil in your bowl and rotate the dough a few times until fully coated with oil. Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Flour your work surface and knead the dough just enough to get it formed into a ball. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and evenly press the dough into the pan. Let rise again for about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees until the top is golden, about 40 minutes. Cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then let cool on rack completely.

Blackberry Crumble Pie

In my second year of boarding school, on the coldest day of the coldest spring Northern Michigan had to offer, I sat on the floor of my dorm room eating a mediocre cherry pie with my bare hands. No, I was not a burgeoning competitive eater. Nor was this part of a misty-eyed break-up montage. I was suffering from a severe lack of pie, and the summery warmth it provides.

Let's face it, pie is the best dessert. It's simply the most delicious taste in the whole world. I eat it on my birthday instead of cake. And at my wedding, well, let's just say I hope the structural integrity of the crumble is somehow better than its name suggests.

And, yes, I know I'd be a better person if everything I ate was locally sourced and seasonally appropriate. My life could be a satisfying series of soft-focus sepia-toned facebook albums. In the winter, I'd make swiss chard soup in vintage crockery. In the spring, I'd roast asparagus with homegrown herbs. And in the summer, there'd be self-brewed beer and handspun picnic blankets. But, folks, blackberries are available only a couple months a year. And without them, there is no blackberry pie. And without that, there really isn't much reason to do anything at all.

So before you ride off on your European bike to the artisanal cheese shop, allow me to make a case for frozen berries in April.

Though they're far from being the ideal berry, glowing in little baskets at your weekend farmer's market, the frozen ones are really the next best thing. Think about it this way, frozen berries were plucked from the vine in their succulent prime and quickly preserved to provide you with year round tastiness. So, grab your re-usable grocery bag, head to Whole Foods, buy yourself the biggest bag of organic blackberries imaginable, and pat yourself on the back. Job well done. You don't have to feel bad about the impact to the environment or your gylcemic index. Utilizing oats, agave, and whole wheat flour, this probably comes out to just 180 calories/serving. Unless your serving is the size of a pie pan. In that case, be civilized. Use a fork.

Blackberry Crumble Pie

For the topping:

• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
  
• 1/4 cup (half stick) butter, melted

For the filling:

• 4 cups frozen blackberries
  
• 1/4 cup agave syrup
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour

Heat oven to 350. Toss fruit with agave, flour, cornstarch, and lemon juice and zest. When fruit is coated, pour into ungreased pie dish.

Combine oats, flour, sugar, and baking powder in medium bowl. Pour in egg and mix until combined. Topping will be somewhat dry and crumbly.

Sprinkle topping evenly over berries, then drizzle with melted butter. Bake about 40 minutes, or until topping is toasted and fruit is bubbling and tender.