Tips on Making Pies

Posted on by

The holidays are a popular time for pies. Whether you are a pie making pro or novice, there are always useful tips to pick up here and there. Similar to breads, pies require only a few ingredients – but how you put them together makes all the difference between a remarkable pie and average one.

One thing to keep in mind is that practice does pay off. So do patience, preparation and passion. After many years, we have learned to be particular about a few details. Here are three important tips:

1.    Choose ripe seasonal fruit

2.     Take time to cut the fruit to an appropriate size

3.     Drain off any excess juices

Our collection of pie recipes in Leslie’s cookbook More from Macrina, starts with her master recipe for Flaky Pie Dough. Tasty and versatile, the Flaky Pie Dough can be used for many pie and tartlet recipes. In an effort to “modernize” the recipe, Leslie tweaked a few things. The main change was to eliminate the solid vegetable shortening in favor of palm shortening (which has no trans fats). A few years ago she also recalibrated the ratio of shortening to butter.

One tip Leslie picked up from her mom – take the scraps and brush them with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, twist, and then bake at 350 F for 10 minutes, or until the pieces are golden brown. They make a great treat.

If you do have quite a bit of pie dough left over from the first day, wrap it well in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Freezing the dough is also an option: the dough will keep, wellwrapped, for up to one month.

Lattice-top pies are the prettiest of all. If you’re looking for a challenge or something different, try making a lacelike pie top!

Inspiration through Unity: How a Bakery and Winery broke bread

Posted on by
Tim and Kelly Hightower

Tim and Kelly Hightower

One thing you will notice in all of our breads is the care and inspiration baked into each item. A favorite of these inspired bread stories is the Hightower Cellars Bread Starter, a sourdough bread starter made with skins from Sauvignon grapes and developed with our  dear friends Tim and Kelly Hightower.

In the mid 1990s, while keeping their day jobs, Tim and Kelly Hightower pursued their passion of winemaking. In Woodinville, WA, the couple’s research and determination proved successful with their inaugural release of 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon. Soon after, they moved to Benton City in Eastern Washington where they purchased acres of prime vineyard land.

Hightower's vineyards.

Hightower’s vineyards.

Macrina’s friendship with Hightower Cellars began years ago when Leslie visited their beautiful winery perched within the Red Mountain appellation hills near the Yakima Valley, three hours east of Seattle.

In 2010, these passionate, gifted winemakers proposed to Leslie a pretty quirky idea, offering cabernet sauvignon wine grapes to be used as a sour bread starter. Sourdough starters can be developed from the natural yeast found on grape skins, adding leavening and delicious flavor.

A few dashes here and there of this and that, and soon we pulled our Pane Francese from the oven. This is an Italian version of a crusty baguette: batonlike, with a light, porous crumb and a crisp, caramel-brown crust. Our Pane Francese is a beautiful, tasty creation with a story rooted in a genuine, heartfelt bond between artisan industries.

From a simple meeting sprang the creation of a bread that the Hightowers could use for tasting and Macrina could offer in our cafes. We think you, and your guests, would love the pairing of these two artisanal favorites this holiday season. Now that you know the story behind the bread, and the wine, we hope you will enjoy both at your table.

Holiday Product Demos

Posted on by

During the holidays, we love to get out and showcase some of our products that capture the spirit of the season. Whether it is answering questions on how to make our delicious stuffing at home, or just letting people taste some of our festive breads and pastries, there is a feeling in the air around the holidays that is unmistakable and we’re happy to be a part of it! We’d love for you to join us at one of our demos. We’ll have samples of our delicious Buttermilk Dinner Rolls, our Winter Pear Crown and our Holiday Porcini Stuffing Mix. Catch us throughout the area over the next 6 weeks. You’ll find us at:

Friday, November 16th

     Bainbridge Town and Country          Holiday Porcini Stuffing                     3-6pm

     Westlake Whole Foods                     Buttermilk Dinner Rolls                      3-6pm

     Proctor Metropolitan Market             Holiday Porcini Stuffing                      3-7pm

Saturday November 17th

     Sand Point Metropolitan Market       Holiday Porcini Stuffing                      3-6pm

     Shoreline Central Market                  Winter Pear Crown                             3-6pm

Sunday November 18th

     Interbay Whole Foods                     Buttermilk Dinner Rolls                       11-4pm

     Bainbridge Town and Country        Winter Pear Crown                              3-6pm

     Uptown Metropolitan Market           Holiday Porcini Stuffing                       3-6pm

Monday November 19th

     DeLaurenti Food and Wine             Buttermilk Rolls & Porcini Stuffing        3-6pm

     Lynnwood Whole Foods                 Buttermilk Dinner Rolls                         3-6pm

Tuesday November 27th

     Proctor Metropolitan Market           Winter Pear Crown                                3-7pm

Wednesday November 28th

     Admiral Metropolitan Market          Winter Pear Crown                                 3-7pm

Thursday November 29th

     Sand Point Metropolitan Market    Winter Pear Crown                                 3-7pm

Friday November 30th

     Mill Creek Central Market                                                                             3-6pm

     Kirkland Metropolitan Market        Winter Pear Crown                                 3-7pm

Sunday December 1st.

     Magnolia Metropolitan Market       Winter Pear Crown                                 3-6pm

Jim Henkens: A photographer of refined tastes

Posted on by

If you have picked up Leslie Mackie’s latest book More from Macrina, you may have spent some time gazing at the photos…and salivating for what you see. We don’t blame you! Jim Henkens is one of the Northwest’s finest fashion, food and travel photographers, and he captures our artisan loaves,chocolate ganache and coconut cream tartlets among others with delicate and natural elegance. Throughout the book, the photos exhibit a beautiful attention to detail that conveys exactly how Leslie intended each of her creations to be. You will notice the character of Macrina: a true, effortless determination to create beautiful culinary masterpieces from scratch.

Eighteen years ago, Jim began his career in photography shooting fashion in Milan. Inspired by his passions for travel, cooking, wine and gardening, Jim’s repertoire has expanded to include all of these areas with a perfectionist’s subtle tone. Throughout all of his work, Jim’s attention to detail and ability to exhibit the simplicity of a loaf of bread with depth and tastefulness is stunning.

We are thrilled and proud to display Jim’s photography as it is a perfect and precise portrayal of Macrina’s offerings, as well as the kitchen itself— not much different from your kitchen— simple, refined and with traces of flour sprinkled throughout.

During the month of November, you’ll find some of Jim’s photography from the cookbook on the walls of our Belltown café. We hope you enjoy them just as much as we do.

Leslie’s Book Signing Events

Posted on by

After a year of writing, editing and recipe testing, More from Macrina is now available for you to experience our humble bakery in your home kitchen. To celebrate the book’s release, Leslie will be at several book-signing events during the upcoming months.

Pick up your copy of the cookbook and catch her at:

The Book Larder                                                            November 5 from 6:30-8pm

Ballard Town and Country Market                                 November 8 from 3-6pm

Shoreline Central Market                                               November 9 from 3-6pm

Vashon Book Shop                                                        November 10 from 5-7pm

Poulsbo Central Market                                                 November 14 from 3-6pm

City Kitchens                                                                  November 15 from 11:30-1:30pm

Bainbridge Town and Country Market                           November 16 from 3-6pm

Elliott Bay Book Company                                              November 18 from 2-3pm

University Book Store                                                     November 28 from 7pm

Mill Creek Central Market                                              November 30 from 3-6pm

Mrs. Cook’s  University Village                                       December 1 from 11:30-1:30pm

Metropolitan Market Kirkland                                         December 6 from 4-6pm

Metropolitan Market Sand Point                                     December 7 from 4-6pm

Top Pot Bellevue                                                             December 8 from 11:30-1:30pm

Island Books                                                                    December 12 from 11:30-1:30pm

More from Macrina Cookbook Launch Party

Posted on by
Leslie's new book!

Leslie’s new book!

Last night we held a celebration for the launch of Leslie’s new cookbook, More from Macrina. It was an opportunity to gather with friends and family while honoring the Macrina community. Leslie signed cookbooks while sampling some of the delicious recipes. Favorites included the Gluten-Free Chocolate-Chocolate Melts, the Best BLT Ever and our Pane Francese with Mission Fig and Kalamata Tapenade.

Kelly and Tim Hightower from Hightower Cellars provided glasses of their Estate Blend, which is made from the same grapes that we use in the starter for our Pane Francese.

It was a great night! Leslie will be signing her new cookbook at various locations around town, beginning with our own cafes this weekend. Catch her at our Belltown Café on Saturday and our McGraw Café on Sunday. Both events start at 10am. Leslie will be signing books until 1pm. We’ll also be sampling recipes, decorating cupcakes and making cookies until 4pm. Be sure to check our blog again for more book signing updates!

The Perfect Roll for a Perfect Sandwich at Paseo

Posted on by

The Cuban RoastEvery day four of our bakers spend several hours forming, shaping and baking hundreds of our crusty, fragrant Giuseppe rolls for delivery to one of Seattle’s favorite eateries, Paseo.

Lorenzo Lorenzo (his real name – Paseo’s owner and chef) has worked for years to perfect the Cuban Roast, a sandwich made with succulent pulled pork marinated in his secret combination of spices and served with seasoned aioli, cilantro, incredibly delectable, grilled onions, and crispy romaine.

Our Giuseppe roll is the perfect roll for a robust sandwich like the Cuban Roast. The secret to a great sandwich, we think, is the bread that holds it all together, and we’re very proud that our Giuseppe roll serves as the perfect foundation for Lorenzo’s creation. Not so soft that it collapses under the weight and juices of the sandwich ingredients and not so firm that the sandwich’s ingredients spill out into your lap when you take a bite.

Lunch!Our Giuseppe roll not only holds together Lorenzo’s creation, but perfectly complements the beautiful flavors in a way that helps Paseo sell an amazing 1,500 to 1,800 Cuban Roasts every day.

We’re proud to be a part of what makes Paseo a Seattle landmark and a must-have for food lovers across the city.  We hope when you visit Paseo (and we know you will) you’ll think of Macrina with every bite of that Cuban Roast sandwich that you’re already picturing yourself eating.

Toulouse Petit – Queen Anne

Posted on by

We’ve loved Toulouse Petit ever since owner Brian Hutmacher opened his New Orleans inspired restaurant in late 2009. Voted in 2010 as one of the Ten Best Happy Hours in the Nation, the warm, airy space is the perfect setting to enjoy their Big Easy inspired menus created by Executive Chef Eric Donnelly.

Eric appreciates that Toulouse Petit is not just one of Macrina’s customers. He’s happy when he sees Leslie and Rebecca Early, our Sales Manager, in to entertain friends or to simply have a bite to eat. “It’s good to maintain those relationships,” he says. “We’ve always been a fan of the product and the people there. They’ve taken care of us.”

We’re proud to say that our breads are a delicious part of some of their signature items. They use our potato buns during Happy Hours on their sliders and our brioche is the foundation of their beloved French Toast and their decadent White Chocolate Bread pudding. Our Potato Rolls serve as the foundation for three of their most popular sandwiches. That most New Orleanian of sandwiches, the muffaletta, comes piled with hot coppa, mortadella, soppresatta, provolone, spicy olive-pepper relish and fresh herb mayonnaise. Their hamburger is a blend of prime rib eye, Painted Hills natural short ribs and skirt steak ground in house and topped with Delice de Bourgogne Triple Cream Brie and fresh herb mayonnaise. Eric is especially proud of their lamb burger. Lamb sirloin from Anderson Ranch in the Willamette Valley is ground with shallots, clove, cumin, cardamom and other spices for a delicious, juicy burger that they top with chevre. With an a accompanying salad of hot pepper jelly, arugula, Mama Lil’s peppers, cornichons and parsley, it may be one of the best kept burger secrets in the city!

 

Introducing More from Macrina – Leslie’s Newest Cookbook

Posted on by

In 2003, I published my first cookbook, Macrina Bakery & Café, with Sasquatch Books. I felt truly blessed when it became a local best seller, as many aspiring bakers and fans of Macrina took to their kitchens to recreate some of their favorite treats from our cafes.

It’s nearly 10 years later, and Macrina has grown quite a bit. I’ve since worked with my incredible colleagues within the Macrina community to come up with so many new recipes that embrace the bakery’s roots, using locally sourced ingredients and baking and cooking with love and attention to detail. So I’m very excited to announce that on October 30, we’ll be presenting More from Macrina (once again with Sasquatch Books) – a new cookbook featuring several of my favorite recipes for artisanal breads, cakes, scones, pies, muffins and brunch specials from the Macrina kitchen.

In addition to over 70 recipes, More features baking tips and suggestions from our kitchen on “must have” and “nice to have” kitchen supplies, as well as stories about the people and partnerships that have created the Macrina community, all illustrated through beautiful photography by Jim Henkens.

I’m really excited to share this book with our friends and fans, and we’ll be launching a series of events (including book signings and demos at some of our cafes, area bookstores, retailers and some of our partner’s cafes – like Top Pot Doughnuts) where I’ll be sharing a few tips to help you recreate our recipes at home, and where you’ll be able to pick up a signed copy of the book while enjoying some of my favorite Macrina treats.

While More is a cookbook, it’s also the story of Macrina’s history and community with reflections about the people and partnerships that make Macrina such a unique and wonderful place.  The book is a great resource for bakers and chefs of all skill levels, and is a ”thank you” to everyone who has supported us over the years. As we approach the publication date at the end of October, we’ll will be posting more stories about our people, our partners and events we have planned to celebrate More from Macrina. 

I expect you’ll find the book to be a great addition to your home, and I hope it will inspire you to do what we do every day at Macrina – create delicious food that will encourage you to gather with friends and family, share stories and feed your body and soul.

Stiebrs Farms Eggs

Posted on by

Are you a fan of our fabulous weekend brunch menus and our Bialy Egg Sandwiches? This June our cafes made the switch to using cage-free eggs from Stiebrs Farms in Yelm. With their amazing golden yolks, their fresh eggs look great and taste delicious. We’re very proud to be using them for all of our brunch and café pastry offerings.

Leslie first became familiar with Stiebrs Farms eggs at the grocery store. She was delighted to learn that the eggs that she bought for home use were from Yelm. It was natural to want to use them at our cafes. As eggs age, they lose both flavor and nutritional value. Stiebrs’ proximity to Seattle helps ensure that the eggs we use are as fresh as can be.

Stiebrs Farms was one of Washington’s first cage-free and organic egg producers. Jan and Zelma Stiebrs immigrated to the United States from Latvia with their two children, Anita and Jon in 1949. They made a home for themselves in Yelm and decided to start a farm with just a dozen chickens. By 1953, their hard work had paid off and the farm had enough hens to start selling their eggs door-to-door and later to businesses in Tacoma.

In 1978 Jan and Zelma retired, passing the farm to their son Jon and his wife Dianna. Along with their children, they now employ about 70 people across 800 acres of farmland. The hens all perch in community houses and are outside all day, except when the temperature is too cold.  The Stiebrs own a feed mill and produce all of their feed for the chickens on the farm, using a blend of corn, wheat, soybean meal and oyster shells which help to create a stronger eggshell.  They also employ a nutritionist to make sure that each chicken’s diet is complete. Jon is quick to point out that their source of eggs is self-sustaining; they raise all of their replacement hens.  John is very proud of the quality of his eggs and we are pleased to be using them.