Thursday, February 28, 2008
Baking Together in the Land of St. Honore'
“Mother, you would not believe the pastry shops in the city, with row upon row of the most beautiful, small cakes and slices, dressed up fancy like they were runway models with piped whipped cream, chocolate curls, glazed fruits and more. The macarons are lined up and in a rainbow of colors. It is hard to choose what to try, they are all so precious. My favorite shop was the bread shop. There were wonderful round loaves, like bowling balls, all golden crusted,
and long thin leaves, shorter thin loaves, loaves with nuts or olives or herbs worked into the dough, and braided breads, too. My favorite was the simple pain francaise, made with just flour and water, yeast and salt. Would you like me to make you some French Bread to share?”
The mother smiled. This was the daughter who used to have nothing to do with the kitchen. “Yes, I’d love to learn how to make it, too.”
So they scrubbed the counter and gathered their simple ingredients. The yeast was proofing and they were measuring the flour when the mother asked, “Why do you like this bread if it is so simple?”
“Well, I suppose it is because it is the essence of bread. The long rising times gives it a surprising depth of flavor. The interior is moist and has a good crumb when it is done right. It is also interesting that how you turn the dough while shaping it determines if it will hold itself in a nice narrow loaf. Probably the best part is the crust…especially if you mist it many times when it starts baking. It is crispy yet chewy and not hard.” Then she thought some more and decided that “the absolute best part is how it makes your kitchen smell…there is nothing like the smell of fresh baked French Bread.”
Later, after they had mixed the dough and given it it’s long rises, shaped it and set it to rise again in the floured linen, then used a bread board with a long handle to slide the loaves onto the baking pan, they put the loaves into the oven and waited for that great fragrance.
The mother put the tea kettle on again and made a fresh pot of tea. Knowing that there would be a few hours wait to let the baked bread cool before they could eat it, she knew that she better have something to put in her mouth in the meantime. Soon the kitchen was filled with that wonderful smell of baking bread.
At last the loaves were cool enough. Butter and jam were at hand, but the first bite was of unadorned French Bread. It was perfect. The daughter smiled at her mother and knew that this would be the first of many times that they would bake this bread together. The mother smiled at her daughter and was glad in her heart that her daughter had come home from her travels with a recipe for such wonderful bread and not a tattoo or a sudden fiancĂ©e. She also didn’t tell her that she had baked the same Julia Child French Bread recipe as a much younger mother…better to let her daughter think it was new. They raised their tea cups and saluted each other, then each had another bite of bread.
Come join me in touring the many, many sites of the Daring Bakers this February as they show you their experiences with this wonderful, moist, fragrant, crusty and utterly delicious French Bread using a recipe by the amazing Julia Child. You’ll wish that you were in the Land of St. Honore’ yourself. For the Daring Baker Blogroll, click here.
The recipe can be found at the bottom of this post, picked this month for us by the lovely and talented Mary (Breadchick) of The Sour Dough and beautiful and skilled Sara of I Like to Cook.
Here is the recipe:
Julia Child’s classic of all classic recipes for French Bread. Bon Appetit!
Pain Francais (French Bread)
(From Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Volume Two by Julia Child and Simone Beck)
Daring Bakers Challenge #16: February 2008
Recipe Quantity:
3 - baguettes (24” x 2”) or batards (16” x 3”) or
6 – short loaves, ficelles, 12 – 16” x 2” or
3 – round loaves, boules, 7 – 8” in diameter or
12 – round or oval rolls, petits pains or
1 – large round or oval loaf, pain de menage or miche; pain boulot
Recipe Time: 7 – 9 hours
Additional Information About the Recipe Flour: French bakers make plain French bread out of unbleached flour that has gluten strength of 8 to 9 per cent. Most American all-purpose flour is bleached and has slightly higher gluten content as well as being slightly finer in texture. It is easier to make bread with French flour than with American flour.
Bakers’ Oven Versus Home Ovens: Bakers’ ovens are so constructed that one slides the formed bread dough from a wooden panel right onto the hot, fire-brick oven floor, a steam injection system humidifies the oven for the first few minutes of baking. Steam allows the yeast to work a little longer in the dough and this, combined with the hot baking surface, produced an extra push of volume. In addition, steam coagulating the starch on the surface of the dough gives the crust its characteristic brown color. Although you can produce a good loaf of French bread without steam or a hot baking surface, you will a larger and handsomer loaf when you simulate professional conditions.
Stand Mixer Mixing and Kneading of French Bread Dough: French bread dough is too soft to work in the electric food processor, but the heavy-duty mixer with dough hook works perfectly. The double-hook attachment that comes with some hand held mixers and the hand-cranking bread pails are slower and less efficient, to our mind, than hand kneading. In any case, when you are using electricity, follow the steps in the recipe as outlined, including the rests; do not over-knead and for the heavy duty mixer, do not go over a moderate speed of number 3 or 4, or you risk breaking down the gluten in the dough.
Equipment Needed: Unless you plan to go into the more elaborate simulation of a baker’s oven, you need no unusual equipment for the following recipe. Here are the requirements, some of which may sound odd but will explain themselves when you read the recipe.
• 4 to 5 quart mixing bowl with fairly vertical rather than outward slanting sides
• a kneading surface of some sort, 1 1/2 to 2 square feet
• a rubber spatula or either a metal scraper or a stiff wide metal spatula
• 1 to 2 unwrinkled canvas pastry cloths or stiff linen towels upon which the dough may rise
• a stiff piece of cardboard or plywood 18 – 20 inches long and 6 – 8 inches wide, for unmolding dough from canvas to baking sheet
• finely ground cornmeal or pasta pulverized in an electric blender to sprinkle on unmolding board so as to prevent dough from sticking
• the largest baking sheet that will fit in your oven
• a razor blade or extremely sharp knife for slashing the top of the dough
• a soft pastry brush or fine spray atomizer for moistening dough before and during baking
• a room thermometer to verify rising temperature
Making French Bread:
Step 1: The Dough Mixture – le fraisage (or frasage)
1 cake (0.6 ounce) (20grams) fresh yeast or 1 package dry active yeast
1/3 cup (75ml) warm water, not over 100 degrees F/38C in a glass measure
3 1/2 cup (about 1 lb) (490 gr) all purpose flour, measured by scooping
dry measure cups into flour and sweeping off excess
2 1/4 tsp (12 gr) salt
1 1/4 cups (280 - 300ml) tepid water @ 70 – 74 degrees/21 - 23C
Both Methods: Stir the yeast in the 1/3 cup warm water and let liquefy completely while measuring flour into mixing bowl. When yeast has liquefied, pour it into the flour along with the salt and the rest of the water.
Hand Method: Stir and cut the liquids into the flour with a rubber spatula, pressing firmly to form a dough and making sure that all the bits of flour and unmassed pieces are gathered in. Turn dough out onto kneading surface, scraping bowl clean. Dough will be soft and sticky.
Stand Mixer: Using the dough hook attachment on the speed the mixer manufacturer recommends for dough hook use or the lowest setting if there is no recommendation, slowly work all the ingredients together until a dough ball is formed, stopping the mixer and scrapping the bits of flour and chunks of dough off the bottom of the bowl and pressing them into the dough ball. Continue to mix the dough on a low speed until all the bits of flour and loose chunks of dough have formed a solid dough ball.
Both Methods: Turn dough out onto kneading surface, scraping bowl clean. Dough will be soft and sticky. Let the dough rest for 2 – 3 minutes while you wash and dry the bowl (and the dough hook if using a stand mixer).
Step 2: Kneading – petrissage
The flour will have absorbed the liquid during this short rest, and the dough will have a little more cohesion for the kneading that is about to begin. Use one hand only for kneading and keep the other clean to hold a pastry scrapper, to dip out extra flour, to answer the telephone, and so forth. Your object in kneading is to render the dough perfectly smooth and to work it sufficiently so that all the gluten molecules are moistened and joined together into an interlocking web. You cannot see this happen, of course, but you can feel it because the dough will become elastic and will retract into shape when you push it out.
Hand Method: Start kneading by lifting the near edge of the dough, using a pastry scraper or stiff wide spatula to help you if necessary, and flipping the dough over onto itself. Scrape dough off the surface and slap it down; lift edge and flip it over again, repeating the movement rapidly.
In 2 -3 minutes the dough should have enough body so that you can give it a quick forward push with the heel of your hand as you flip it over.
Continue to knead rapidly and vigorously in this way. If the dough remains too sticky, knead in a sprinkling of flour. The whole kneading process will take 5 – 10 minutes, depending on how expert you become.
Shortly after this point, the dough should have developed enough elasticity so it draws back into shape when pushed, indicating the gluten molecules have united and are under tension like a thin web of rubber; the dough should also begin to clean itself off the kneading surface, although it will stick to your fingers if you hold a pinch of dough for more than a second or two.
Stand Mixer: Place dough back into the bowl and using the dough hook attachment at the recommended speed (low), knead the dough for about 5 – 7 minutes. At about the 5 minute mark, stop the mixer and push at the dough with your fingertips. If it springs back quickly, you have kneaded the dough enough. If it doesn’t spring back continue to knead, stopping the mixer and retesting every 2 minutes. If the dough sticks to your fingers, toss a sprinkling of flour onto the dough and continue to knead. The dough should be light and springy when it is ready.
Both Methods: Let dough rest for 3 – 4 minutes. Knead by hand for a minute. The surface should now look smooth; the dough will be less sticky but will still remain soft. It is now ready for its first rise.
Step 3: First Rising – pointage premier temps (3-5 hours at around 70 degrees)
You now have approximately 3 cups of dough that is to rise to 3 1/2 times its original volume, or to about 10 1/2 cups. Wash and fill the mixing bowl with 10 1/2 cups of tepid water (70 – 80 degrees) and make a mark to indicate that level on the outside of the bowl. Note, that the bowl should have fairly upright sides; if they are too outward slanting, the dough will have difficulty in rising. Pour out the water, dry the bowl, and place the dough in it Slip the bowl into a large plastic bag or cover with plastic, and top with a folded bath towel. Set on a wooden surface, marble or stone are too cold. Or on a folded towel or pillow, and let rise free from drafts anyplace where the temperature is around 70 degrees. If the room is too hot, set bowl in water and keep renewing water to maintain around 70 degrees. Dough should take at least 3 – 4 hours to rise to 10 1/2 cups. If temperature is lower than 70 degrees, it will simply take longer.
When fully risen, the dough will be humped into a slight dome, showing that the yeast is still active; it will be light and spongy when pressed. There will usually be some big bubbly blisters on the surface, and if you are using a glass bowl you will see bubbles through the glass.
Step 4: Deflating and Second Rising – rupture; pointage deuxieme temps (1 1/2 to 2 hours at around 70 degrees)
The dough is now ready to be deflated, which will release the yeast engendered gases and redistribute the yeast cells so that the dough will rise again and continue the fermentation process.
With a rubber spatula, dislodge dough from inside of bowl and turn out onto a lightly floured surface, scraping bowl clean. If dough seems damp and sweaty, sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour.
Lightly flour the palms of your hands and flatten the dough firmly but not too roughly into a circle, deflating any gas bubbles by pinching them.
Lift a corner of the near side and flip it down on the far side.
Do the same with the left side, then the right side. Finally, lift the near side and tuck it just under the edge of the far side. The mass of dough will look like a rounded cushion.
Slip the sides of your hands under the dough and return it to the bowl. Cover and let rise again, this time to not quite triple, but again until it is dome shaped and light and spongy when touched.
Step 5: Cutting and resting dough before forming loaves
Loosen dough all around inside of bowl and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Because of its two long rises, the dough will have much more body. If it seems damp and sweaty, sprinkle lightly with flour.
Making clean, sure cuts with a large knife or a bench scraper, divide the dough into:
• 3 equal pieces for long loaves (baguettes or batards) or small round loaves (boules only)
• 5 – 6 equal pieces for long thin loaves (ficelles)
• 10 – 12 equal pieces for small oval rolls (petits pains, tire-bouchons) or small round rolls (petits pains, champignons)
• 2 equal pieces for medium round loaves (pain de menage or miche only)
• If you making one large round loaf (pain de menage, miche, or pain boulot), you will not cut the dough at all and just need to follow the directions below.
After you have cut each piece, lift one end and flip it over onto the opposite end to fold the dough into two;
Place dough at far side of kneading surface. Cover loosely with a sheet of plastic and let rest for 5 minutes before forming. This relaxes the gluten enough for shaping but not long enough for dough to begin rising again.
While the dough is resting, prepare the rising surface; smooth the canvas or linen towelling on a large tray or baking sheet, and rub flour thoroughly into the entire surface of the cloth to prevent the dough from sticking
Step 6: Forming the loaves – la tourne; la mise en forme des patons
Because French bread stands free in the oven and is not baked in a pan, it has to be formed in such a way that the tension of the coagulated gluten cloak on the surface will hold the dough in shape.
For Long Loaves - The Batard: (Baguettes are typically much too long for home ovens but the shaping method is the same)
After the 3 pieces of dough have rested 5 minutes, form one piece at a time, keeping the remaining ones covered.
Working rapidly, turn the dough upside down on a lightly floured kneading surface and pat it firmly but not too roughly into an 8 to 10 inch oval with the lightly floured palms of your hands. Deflate any gas bubbles in the dough by pinching them.
Fold the dough in half lengthwise by bringing the far edge down over the near edge.
Being sure that the working surface is always lightly floured so the dough will not stick and tear, which would break the lightly coagulated gluten cloak that is being formed, seal the edges of the dough together, your hands extended, thumbs out at right angles and touching.
Roll the dough a quarter turn forward so the seal is on top.
Flatten the dough again into an oval with the palms of your hands.
Press a trench along the central length of the oval with the side of one hand.
Fold in half again lengthwise.
This time seal the edges together with the heel of one hand, and roll the dough a quarter of a turn toward you so the seal is on the bottom.
Now, by rolling the dough back and forth with the palms of your hands, you will lengthen it into a sausage shape. Start in the middle, placing your right palm on the dough, and your left palm on top of your right hand.
Roll the dough forward and backward rapidly, gradually sliding your hands towards the two ends as the dough lengthens.
Deflate any gas blisters on the surface by pinching them. Repeat the rolling movement rapidly several times until the dough is 16 inches long, or whatever length will fit on your baking sheet. During the extension rolls, keep circumference of dough as even as possible and try to start each roll with the sealed side of the dough down, twisting the rope of dough to straighten the line of seal as necessary. If seal disappears, as it sometimes does with all purpose flour, do not worry.
Place the shaped piece of dough, sealed side up, at one end of the flour rubbed canvas, leaving a free end of canvas 3 to 4 inches wide.
The top will crust slightly as the dough rises; it is turned over for baking so the soft, smooth underside will be uppermost.
Pinch a ridge 2 1/2 to 3 inches high in the canvas to make a trough, and a place for the next piece. Cover dough with plastic while you are forming the rest of the loaves.
After all the pieces of dough are in place, brace the two sides of the canvas with long rolling pins, baking sheets or books, if the dough seems very soft and wants to spread out. Cover the dough loosely with flour rubbed dish towel or canvas, and a sheet of plastic. Proceed immediately to the final rising, next step.
For Long Thin Loaves – Fincelles: Follow the steps above but making thinner sausage shapes about 1/2 inch in diameter. When they have risen, slash as with the Batard.
For Oval Rolls – Petits Pains, Tire-Bouchons: Form like batards, but you will probably not have to lengthen them at all after the two foldings and sealings. Place rolls on a floured canvas about 2 – 4” apart and cover with plastic to rise. When they have risen, make either 2 parallel slashes or a single slash going from one end to the other.
For Small, Medium, or Large Round Loaves – Pain de Menage, Miches, Boules: The object here is to force the cloak of coagulated gluten to hold the ball of dough in shape: the first movement will make cushion; the second will seal and round the ball, establishing surface tension.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface.
Lift the left side of the dough with the side of your left hand and bring it down almost to the right side.
Scoop up the right side and push it back almost to the left side. Turn the dough a quarter turn clockwise and repeat the movement 8 – 10 times. The movement gradually smooths the bottom of the dough and establishes the necessary surface tension; think of the surface of the dough as if it were a fine sheet of rubber you were stretching in every direction.
Turn the dough smooth side up and begin rotating it between the palms of your hands, tucking a bit of the dough under the ball as you rotate it. In a dozen turns you should have a neatly shaped ball with a little pucker of dough, le cle, underneath where all the edges have joined together.
Place the dough pucker side up in a flour-rubbed canvas; seal the pucker by pinching with your fingers. Flour lightly, cover loosely and let rise to almost triple its size. After unmolding upside down on the baking sheet, slash with either a long central slash, two long central slashes that cross at right angles, or a semi-circular slash around half the circumference.
For Small Round Rolls – Petits Pains, Champignons: The principles are the same here as for the preceding round loaves, but make the cushion shape with your fingers rather than the palms of your hands.
For the second stage, during which the ball of dough is rotated smooth side up, roll it under the palm of one hand, using your thumb and little finger to push the edges of the dough underneath and to form the pucker, where the edges join together
Place the formed ball of dough pucker side up on the flour rubbed canvas and cover loosely while forming the rest. Space the balls 2 inches apart. When risen to almost triple its size, lift gently with lightly floured fingers and place pucker side down on baking sheet. Rolls are usually too small for a cross so make either one central slash or the semi-circular cut.
For Large Oval Loaf – Pain Boulot: Follow the directions for the round loaves except instead of rotating between the balms of your hands and tucking to form a round loaf, continue to turn the dough from the right to the left, tucking a bit of each end under the oblong loaf. In a dozen turns you should have a neatly shaped oval with tow little puckers of dough, le cles, underneath where all the edges of have joined together.
Place the dough pucker sides up in a flour-rubbed canvas; seal the puckers by pinching with your fingers. Flour lightly, cover loosely and let rise to almost triple its size. After unmolding upside down on the baking sheet, slash with parallel slashes going diagonally across the top starting from the upper left and going to the lower right.
Step 7: Final Rise – l’appret - 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours at around 70 degreesThe covered dough is now to rise until almost triple in volume; look carefully at its pre-risen size so that you will be able to judge correctly. It will be light and swollen when risen, but will still feel a little springy when pressed.
It is important that the final rise take place where it is dry; if your kitchen is damp, hot, and steamy, let the bread rise in another room or dough will stick to the canvas and you will have difficulty getting it off and onto another baking sheet. It will turn into bread in the oven whatever happens, but you will have an easier time and a better loaf if you aim for ideal conditions.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees about 30 minutes before estimated baking time.
Step 8: Unmolding risen dough onto baking sheet – le demoulage.
The 3 pieces of risen dough are now to be unmolded from the canvas and arranged upside down on the baking sheet. The reason for this reversal is that the present top of the dough has crusted over during its rise; the smooth, soft underside should be uppermost in the oven so that the dough can expand and allow the loaf its final puff of volume. For the unmolding you will need a non-sticking intermediate surface such as a stiff piece of cardboard or plywood sprinkled with cornmeal or pulverized pasta.
Remove rolling pins or braces. Place the long side of the board at one side of the dough; pull the edge of the canvas to flatten it; then raise and flip the dough softly upside down onto the board.
Dough is now lying along one edge of the unmolding board: rest this edge on the right side of a lightly buttered baking sheet. Gently dislodge dough onto baking sheet, keeping same side of the dough uppermost: this is the soft smooth side, which was underneath while dough rose on canvas. If necessary run sides of hands lightly down the length of the dough to straighten it. Unmold the next piece of dough the same way, placing it to the left of the first, leaving a 3 inch space. Unmold the final piece near the left side of the sheet.
Step 9: Slashing top of the dough – la coupe.
The top of each piece of dough is now to be slashed in several places. This opens the covering cloak of gluten and allows a bulge of dough underneath to swell up through the cuts during the first 10 minutes of baking, making decorative patterns in the crust. These are done with a blade that cuts almost horizontally into the dough to a depth of less than half an inch. Start the cut at the middle of the blade, drawing toward you in a swift clean sweep. This is not quite as easy as it sounds, and you will probably make ragged cuts at first; never mind, you will improve with practice. Use an ordinary razor blade and slide one side of it into a cork for safety; or buy a barbers straight razor at a cutlery store.
For a 16 to 18 inch loaf make 3 slashes. Note that those at the two ends go straight down the loaf but are slightly off centre, while the middle slash is at a slight angle between the two. Make the first cut at the far end, then the middle cut, and finally the third. Remember that the blade should lie almost parallel to the surface of the dough.
Step 10: Baking – about 25 minutes; oven preheated to 450 degrees (230 degrees C).
As soon as the dough has been slashed, moisten the surface either by painting with a soft brush dipped in cold water, or with a fine spray atomizer, and slide the baking sheet onto rack in upper third of preheated oven. Rapidly paint or spray dough with cold water after 3 minutes, again in 3 minutes, and a final time 3 minutes later. Moistening the dough at this point helps the crust to brown and allows the yeast action to continue in the dough a little longer. The bread should be done in about 25 minutes; the crust will be crisp, and the bread will make a hollow sound when thumped.
If you want the crust to shine, paint lightly with a brush dipped in cold water as soon as you slide the baking sheet out of oven.
Step 11: Cooling – 2 to 3 hours.
Cool the bread on a rack or set it upright in a basket or large bowl so that air can circulate freely around each piece. Although bread is always exciting to eat fresh from the oven, it will have a much better taste when the inside is thoroughly cool and has composed itself.
Step 12: Storing French bread
Because it contains no fats or preservatives of any kind, French bread is at its best when eaten the day it is baked. It will keep for a day or two longer, wrapped airtight and refrigerated, but it will keep best if you freeze it – let the loaves cool first, then wrap airtight. To thaw, unwrap and place on a baking sheet in a cold oven; heat the oven to 400 degrees. In about 20 minutes the crust will be hot and crisp, and the bread thawed. The French, of course, never heat French bread except possibly on Monday, the baker’s holiday, when the bread is a day old.
Step 13: Canvas housekeeping
After each bread session, if you have used canvas, brush it thoroughly to remove all traces of flour and hang it out to dry before putting away. Otherwise the canvas could become mouldy and ruin your next batch of dough.
The Simulated Bakers’ Oven
Baking in the ordinary way, as described in the preceding recipe, produces an acceptable loaf of bread but does not nearly approach the glory you can achieve when you turn your home oven into a baker’s oven. Merely providing yourself with the proper amount of steam, if you can do nothing else, will vastly improve the crust, the color, the slash patterns, and the volume of your bread; steam is only a matter of plopping a heated brick or stone into a pan of water in the bottom of the oven. The second provision is a hot surface upon which the naked dough can bake; this gives that added push of volume that improves both the appearance and the slash patterns. When you have the hot baking surface, you will then also need a paddle or board upon which you can transfer dough from canvas to hot baking surface. For the complete set up here is you should have, and any building-supply store stocks these items.
For the hot baking surface: Metal will not do as a hot baking surface because it burns the bottom of the dough. The most practical and easily obtainable substance is ordinary red floor tiles 1/4” thick. They come in various sizes such as 6 x 6, 6 x 3, and you only need enough to line the surface of an oven rack. Look them up under Tiles in your Directory, and ask for “quarry tiles” their official name.
For unmolding the risen dough from its canvas: A piece of 3/16 inch plywood about 20 inches wide.
For sliding the dough onto the hot tiles: When you are doing 3 long loaves, you must slide them together onto the hot tiles; to do so you unmold them one at a time with one board and arrange them side by side on the second board, which takes place on the baker’s paddle, la pelle. Buy a piece of plywood slightly longer but 2 inches narrower than your oven rack.
To prevent dough from sticking to unmolding and sliding boards: White cornmeal or small dried pasta pulverized in the electric blender until it is the consistency of table salt. This is called fleurage.
The steam contraption: Something that you can heat to sizzling hot on top of the stove and then slide into a pan of water in the oven to make a great burst of steam: a brick, a solid 10lb rock, piece of cast iron or other metal. A 9 x 12 inch roasting pan 2 inches deep to hold an inch of water and the hot brick.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Long, Slender and Orange
A colorful, fresh tasting first-course or side dish
4 long slender carrots (about 9 oz.), peeled (although I didn’t peel mine and it was fine)
½ onion, finely chopped
¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 tablespoon, packed, finely grated lemon zest
1 large or 2 small red bell peppers, cored and seeded, flesh cut lengthwise into ¼ inch strips
1 ½ cups snow peas, any tough strings removed, each cut in two pieces
8 oz. linguine
2.3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
Run vegetable peeler down length of each carrot, shaving into ribbons. (I found that turning the carrot a quarter turn after a couple of passes with the vegetable peeler kept the ribbons narrow.) Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add lemon peel and onions; stir 1 minute. Add carrots; stir 1 minute. Add bell peppers. Saute’ until just tender, about 4-5 minutes. Spread the snow pea pieces over the hot carrot and pepper mixture. Reduce heat to low and cover. Let sit for 1-2 minutes until peas are bright green, but still crunchy.
Meanwhile cook pasta in medium pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to the bite. Drain, reserving ½ cup cooking liquid.
In the microwave, heat the lemon juice for 50 seconds at half power.
Add drained pasta, ¼ cup reserved cooking liquid, cheese, and the hot lemon juice to the skillet. Toss until sauce coast pasta and vegetables, adding more cooking liquid id too dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4-6 first-course servings
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Snack Points
This one is a variation of one I saw sometiime in the past two months, but don't remember where. I apologise to the author in advance. Should have written down who created it, but didn't even write down the recipe. Why? Because it is so simple.
In my version, I used egg substitute, right from the carton, to act as paste for the little seeds on the snack points. I think in the original it was either an egg white wash or an egg yolk wash. With any of them, the seeds stick to the tortilla and they get golden when they bake and those are good things.
I used a flour tortilla made with olive oil, (zero trans fats) which are pretty tasty all by themselves. With the addition of the flax seeds (do I get extra points for including popular flax seeds?), poppy seeds, and sesame seeds, they taste delicious.
The dip is made from black beans (another one of those foods we are supposed to eat more of to stay healthy), some shredded cheddar cheese (a food to stay away from in quantity, so I guess that balances the beans or something). On top I put diced avocado, non-fat sour cream dabs for zing, and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper for even more zing. If I'd had tomatoes, they would have been included, but, sadly, it is far from tomato season, so best to skip them.
Warm beans and cheese, cool avocado and sour cream, some heat from the cayenne and the crisp, seedy snack points all add up to an addictive and relatively healthy snack.
How's our team doing? The dip is gone. I'll get some more...
Snack Points
For each dozen points:
1 flour tortilla
1/4 teaspoon egg substitute, egg white, beaten, or egg yolks, beaten
Sprinkle (about 1/8 teaspoon) flax seed
Sprinkle (about 1/16 teaspoon) poppy seed
Sprinkle (about 1/8 teaspoon) sesame seed
Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.
Lay tortilla on the work surface - a cutting board works well. Using a pastry bursh, brush the egg wash (whichever kind) over the tortilla, all the way out to the edges. Sprinkle at once with the seeds.
Cut the tortilla in half, cut those halves in half, then cut each quarter in three. Place the snack points on a baking sheet lined with parchment, leaving room around them. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the points are crisp and just golden. Don't overbake or the seeds might burn.
Bean Dip with Avocado
1 14 oz can black beans, drained
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pit removed, diced
1/3 cup non-fat sour cream
Ground cayenne pepper to taste
In a microwave safe shallow bowl or plate, place the drained beans. Mash them well with a fork. Spread the mashed beans out into a thin layer and sprinkle the cheese evenly over. Top the dish with waxed paper or vented plastic wrap. Microwave on half power, a minute at a time, until beans are hot and cheese is melted. Immediately top with the avocado dice, distributing it over the bean mixture evenly, then, using a spoon, dab on small globs of the sour cream all around the bean mixture, then sprinkle with as much cayenne as you enjoy. Serve immediately with at least two tortillas worth of snack points.
Friday, February 15, 2008
An Old Rooster Gets Drunk
Originally this dish was made by thrifty French housewives with rooster, not hen and the old bird was braised to tenderize him. Since I don't have access to old roosters, I made my Coq au Vin with chicken breast and thigh meat and a good, drinkable, red wine. This dish comes off as high end, fancy food, but really it is comfort food.
Served with some good bread to soak up the juices, and over mashed potatoes, as I did, and with a nice salad, it makes a delicious meal that is easy but is la-de-dah enough to impress guests. It's also great for a romantic meal...and then there will be leftovers.
Coq au Vin
Serves 4-6
2 Slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 lb (8 oz.) fresh muchrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil
3.5 - 4 lbs mixed skinless checken breasts (boneless) & thighs (bones OK)
1 cup dry red wine
1 - 14 oz can chicken broth or 14 oz homemade broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup whole small onions (jarred, canned, ro frozen for ease)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Heat a Dutch oven or heavy, covered pot over medium high heat. Brown the bacon, stirring occasionally. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
To the Dutch oven add chopped onion. Saute 3 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Saute another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe any remaining bits from the pan with a paper towel.
Add olive oil to pan. When hot add half the chicken, browning on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Brown the remaining chicken on both sides. Set aside.
Deglaze the pan with the red wine, then add the broth, tomato paste, small onions, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir. Return the bacon and chicken to the pan. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, about 25 minutes, until the chickne juices run clear when pierced. Remove the bay leaves and discard.
Refrigerate overnight to blend flavors (optional).
Return mixture to a simmer.
Make a roux by melting the 4 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour. Cook over low heat a few minutes to brown lightly.
Whisk the roux into the coq au vin. Stir gently around the chicken pieces as the roux thickens the gravy.
Serve in wide, shallow soup bowls, over mashed potatoes, with a sprinkle of chopped parsley over all.
Note: Leftovers are, perhaps, even better than the original serving. Bon appetit!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Hog Heaven
Recently in art class we were given the opportunity to decorate a heart shaped box for Valentine's day. I ended up with a box graced by two cute pink pigs along with a band of color and some dots in shades of green, pink and blue to go witht he illlustration of the pigs. Then I cut out the box and put it together, ready for today, Valentine's Day.
I wanted to have a little treat for him in the box and very soon decided that bacon and chocolate truffles would be just the thing.
Now I'd never made any truffles with bacon and wasn't sure if it would work, but I had to try.
The bacon flavor with the strained heavy cream is very subtle. Next time I think I'll not strain it, just make sure that the bacon is finely chopped.
Sweetie was duly impressed and we shared a Bacon Bittersweet Truffle with our coffee this morning. I also had oatmeal, so it wasn't too decadent. Just enough :)
Bacon Bittersweet Truffles
2 strips bacon, cooked crisp, cooled, crumbled
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoons maple syrup
12 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Heat the bacon and heavy cream over low heat until just simmering. Turn off heat, stir to mix well, and let steep for ½ hour. Strain the cream mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Use the bacon in the strainer for another use or discard.
In a microwave safe bowl, mix the flavored heavy cream, maple syrup, and chocolate.
Microwave on half power for 1 minute. Stir the mixture Return to the microwave.
Repeat the microwaving the same way, stirring each time after 1 minute at half power, until mixture is smooth and all the chocolate has melted.
Chill the mixture, covered with plastic wrap, at least one hour or over night.
Scoop 1 “ rounds of the mixture a onto waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate 1 hour.
Roll the balls in unsweetened cocoa (as I did) OR
dip in 1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate that has been microwaved in a bowl, 1 minute at a time at half power, until melted, but add 1 tablespoon of shortening to the chocolate before starting the microwave process. If dipping the truffles, remove from the melted chocolate with a fork, transfer to the wax paper lined cookie sheet, and let cool completely by chilling for at least ½ hour.
Note: The bacon flavor is subtle, mostly in the aftertaste. If you want a stronger bacon flavor, don’t strain the mixture. Your truffles centers will be chewier that way, but have more bacon flavor.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Two Memes and An 'Empty' Jar of Mustard
Here are the things to blog about:
1998 – Well, I was on our local School Board, Secretary of the West Sonoma County School Board Association (and charter member), working out near Occidental for an OB-GYN doctor, taking my son to the local junior college so he and his friends could take college level computer classes, even though they were sophomores and juniors in high school at the time, doing stained glass pieces for a hobby, and going on regular dates with Sweetie and regular walks with friends.
Feb. 2007 - New job and really getting into blogging. Working, baking, cooking, getting ready to start veggie seeds,
Treasurer for PEO local chapter, starting to let my hair go to gray, but decided not to after a very short while…I like it the color that my hairdresser makes it.
1. Eating way too many sweets!
Five favorite toys:
Five things about myself –
1) I’m a political junkie…love all the excitement surrounding the primaries…both parties. I even read voter pamphlets all the way through…yes, even the actual proposed law…what a concept!
2) I used to canoe a lot when I was younger and I still love the smell of rivers in the summer…water, mud, sand, all of it.
3) Before I started blogging I used to take lots of photos of landscapes and people. Now I first take photos of food, then think about taking photos of people or places.
4) I love birthdays…my birthday, your birthday, the neighbor’s birthday…you get the idea. Must be the cake that comes with birthdays, right?
5) I was ‘the artistic one’ growing up, which meant that I could invent my own system of logic, one that was acknowledged by my family…although it could be they were making fun of me…hmmm.
So for you five that I’ve tagged above, you can choose to do Lisa’s Meme or Celeste’s Meme, or both! Go wild!!
For those of you who have stayed with me this far deserve a treat, so here is how to make a great vinaigrette for a salad using an almost empty mustard jar:
Unless you really don’t like mustard in your salad dressing, an almost empty mustard jar makes the perfect vehicle for a great vinaigrette.
To the mustard jar (I like Dijon mustard) add some red wine vinegar, some herbs – fresh or dried, some olive oil and some salt and pepper. Close the jar and shake well to emulsify the contents. Open, taste, adjust seasonings and you are ready to dress your salad. The amounts of the ingredients will depend on how much mustard is left in the jar and how big the jar is, but this works really well to use up that good Dijon mustard that has some clinging to the jar that would otherwise get thrown out.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Spicy Gingerbread Makin' Like a Doughnut
Sunday, February 10, 2008
It Was So Good the First Time Around...
Turtle Fondue (With or Without the Pot)
Adapted from Perfect Recipes For Having People Over by Pam Anderson
8 oz. caramels, unwrapped
2 oz. semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
¼ cup finely chopped pecans, pre-toasted at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes until fragrant
¼ cup milk
Fresh fruit, such as apples, pears, bananas, strawberries, grapes or figs; larger fruit cut into bite sized pieces
Cubes of pound cake, pieces of shortbread cookies
Dried fruits like apricots, peaches or figs
(I added some almonds and macadamia nuts, too.)
Combine caramels, chocolate, nuts and milk in a small heavy saucepan (or a fondue pot) and heat over low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth and warm. Serve in small bowls with skewers (or fondue forks) for dipping fresh and dried fruits and pound cake. Dip cookies while holding end of the cookie.
If you have a fondue pot, use it. If you use the heavy pot, the fondue sauce retains the heat fairly well. If it starts to cool off, simply return the pot to the stove and reheat.
Serves 2 to 4.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
What Goes With Chocolate?
I tried a couple of recipes, including the pan sweet rolls that I posted in November, but the one that seemed to be the best match was bittersweet chocolate and quince jam tartlettes. The jam was not drowned out by the chocolate and the chocolate was enhanced by the quince flavor. The textures were lovely, too; crisp crust, tender and soft filling enhanced by the addition of ground almonds, and sweet, syrupy quince jam between them. If you can't find quince jam, apricot would be good, too.
A typical British sweet is Bakewell Tarts. They usually are not chocolate, but I borrowed some aspects of those little treasures, including putting jam on the bottom of the tart and pouring a batter enriched with ground almonds over the jam. I'm calling the St. George's Bittersweet and Quince Jam Tartlettes because St. George the patron saint of Britian...it seemed fitting. So the recipe is a combination of four or five recipes for Bakewell tarts, plus the addition of chocolate. You can substitute a good pie crust recipe for the ready-made pie dough for an even better tart.
St George’s Dark Chocolate & Quince Jam Tarts
1 package ready-made pie dough circles, at room temperature and unwrapped
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperture
4 oz. Scharffen Berger Semi-Sweet chocolate 962% cacao)
1 cup slivered blanched almonds
¼ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup quince jelly
¼ cup slivered blanched almonds
On a lightly floured board, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each of the pastry dough rounds slightly thinner to ¼ inch thick. Cut out 4 inch circles and re-roll the scraps to cut more circles until you have 10 circles of pastry. Line ten 3-inch fluted tart tins with the pastry rounds, pushing the pastry into the indentations of the sides. Trim any extra dough at the top of the tins by rolling a rolling pin across the top of each tart tin. Place pastry lined tins on a 11.5 x 17 inch baking sheet that has been lined with foil or a silicone mat. Chill in freezer for 30 minutes.
While tart shells are chilling, cut the unsalted butter stick into cubes and place in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on 30% power for one minute.
While butter is in microwave, chop 4 oz. of Scharffen Berger Semi-Sweet chocolate (62% cacao) finely.
Add to the microwaved butter, stir to blend, then return to microwave and continue cooking one minute at a time at 30% power, stirring after each minute, until butter and chocolate are melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
After the tart shells have chilled for 30 minutes, line each with a 4 inch baking parchment circle and fill with pie weights (dry beans work well). Blind bake in preheated 350 degree F. oven for 15 minutes, turning the baking pan holding the tart pans 180 degrees after the first 10 minutes for even cooking. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.
While the tart shells are baking and cooling, combine the cup of slivered blanched almonds and ¼ cup granulated sugar. Process in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground. Set aside.
Mix the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer until beaten, but not frothy, about 1 minute . Add the additional ¼ cup sugar and the ground almond mix. Mix another minute to blend. Set aside.
Once the tart shells are cool enough to handle, remove the pie weights and parchment circles. Stir the quince jelly with a fork to break it down to a spreadable consistency. Spread the bottoms of the tart shells with quince jelly using a total of ½ cup, divided among the tart shells. Set aside.
Into the ground nut, sugar and egg mixture, add the butter-chocolate mixture. Mix well by stirring with a spoon or flexible spatula. When thoroughly mixed, pour into the tart shells, covering the jelly and filling almost to the top. Rap a table knife against the side of each tart pan to break up any large bubbles in the filling. Sprinkle each tart with a about ½ teaspoon of slivered almonds.
Place the baking sheet with the tarts on it into the 350 degree F oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until filling rises slightly and is firm at the edges and nuts are slightly toasted. The center may still be slightly soft.
Cool on rack. Remove tarts from their pans and serve warm, room temperature, or cold.
Serves 10