Fall Is Here So Try This Savory Gallette

It's not as easy as it once was to celebrate the coming of autumn. For the last four years each fall we have had wildland fires, smoke, evacuations, power outages, heat, and a general sense of dread. This year you can add the pandemic to that!

Still, one thing that doesn't change is my desire to bake delicious things. I grew butternut squash this year. I also actually harvested and shelled some walnuts from our trees. They are both elements of this yummy galette. The other elements include roasted garlic, caramelized onion, fresh thyme, and (non-dairy) ricotta cheese, as well as a store-bought pie crust dough. Together they create the perfect fall dish for sharing with friends and neighbors as we did yesterday evening once the air had cooled and the smoke had mostly disappeared. We had good air quality for the first time in days! That meant we could sit outside on our neighbor's deck, socially distanced, of course, and enjoy this savory galette, plus AM's delicious guacamole and G's fresh strawberry margaritas. AM had watermelon wheat beer with hers. We were able to really see their two new kittens Remy and Emil, catch up on things and generally enjoy the lovely evening.

The way I approached this recipe, which is a variation of one I found in the Press Democrat, our regional newspaper, was to split up the prep of the filling ingredients. First I prepared the squash, peeling it, cutting it up, removing the seeds, then dicing it fairly small so that it would roast to a nice soft consistency before getting too brown or hard on the outside. The whole head of garlic that flavors the cheese was roasted at the same time, then later when the head had cooled, the inside roasted cloves were removed and mashed up. I folded them into the cheese to mellow and then stopped for lunch.

Later in the day I made the caramelized onions since they require a lot of attention and stirring. It's worth it because you really taste the onions in this tart. Don't try to hurry them...they need long, slow cooking. While they were cooking I chopped the walnuts. Now all the elements were ready.

The easiest part if putting it all together. While the oven (and a baking stone!) preheated, I rolled out the dough a bit more, then carefully transferred the dough to a piece of baking parchment placed on a baking peel. The cheese was spread over the bottom, some walnuts sprinkled over that, the onions spread over the cheese and walnuts, then the squash was spread over it all. I gently folded up the dough over the squash, pleating it as needed, then sprinkled some walnuts over the exposed squash. After brushing the dough with non-dairy creamer, I sprinkled a few more chopped walnuts over the dough, then slid the galette, still on the parchment paper, onto the preheated baking stone. This way you get a crisp, cooked bottom.

This galette can be vegan if you use a vegan pie crust and non-dairy ricotta and milk.

This is an awesome blending of flavors and textures. Do try this yourself. It's the season after all.

Butternut Squash Galette with Roasted Garlic, Caramelized Onions and Walnuts
A variation of a recipe in the Press Democrat newspaper, Sept. 30, 2020

Makes 4-6 servings

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 large head garlic, whole and unpeeled, top cut off
1 large yellow onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh ricotta (I used a non-dairy Kite Hill ricotta)
1 dough for one crust pie (I used Pillsbury ReadyCrust - half the package)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped, divided
1 tablespoon milk (I used soy creamer)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, placing a baking stone on the middle rack. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and cut another piece of parchment paper at least 10-inches in all directions and place on a bread paddle or a rimless cookie sheet. If you don't have a baking stone, put the parchment on a pizza pan or another baking sheet.

Here are some photos of the prep on the squash.

peeled & seeds removed

diced

In a large bowl, or in a clean, large, plastic produce bag place the prepared butternut squash and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Toss in the bowl or close the bag and shake vigorously to coat the squash with the oil. Add the thyme, salt and pepper and combine with the squash. Spread the squash, in a single layer if possible, onto one of the prepared baking sheets. Add the prepared head of garlic at one corner, and place in the oven. Bake until squash and garlic are tender. (Check at 20 minutes. If squash is tender but garlic isn't, remove the squash to a bowl to cook and continue cooking the garlic.) Total cooking time is about 25 minutes. Removed pan from oven and let squash and garlic cool. Set aside.

whole garlic head, prepped

While the squash and garlic are roasting, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saute' pan over medium-high heat. Add prepared onions and a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown and soften. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until onions are very soft and deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Set aside. If the dough is still in the refrigerator, remove now to warm just a bit.

caramelized onions and the walnuts

When the garlic has cooled, peel the cloves and put in a small bowl. Mash with the back of a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the ricotta.

cheese and garlic layer

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until at least 10 inches in diameter. Carefully transfer the dough circle to the parchment paper on the bread paddle or pizza pan or baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to spread the ricotta mixture over the center of the dough, leaving a 2-3-inch outer edge uncovered. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts over the ricotta. Put the cooled caramelized onions on top and spread over the cheese and walnuts. Top with the cooled butternut squash, spreading the squash out to completely cover the onions and cheese.

walnut layer

onion layer

   squash layer

Fold the edges of the dough toward the center of the galette, pleating as you go. Sprinkle most of the walnuts in the center where there is no dough, then brush the dough with the milk using a pastry brush, and sprinkle the dough with the rest of the walnuts.

baking on stone

Bake in the preheated oven. If using the bread paddle or rimless cookie sheet and baking stone, slide the parchment and galette onto the baking stone. If not using the baking stone, place the sheet pan with the galette into the oven. Bake until crust is golden brown. Check at 20 minutes, but this usually takes about 25-30 minutes. Cool on a rack. Carefully transfer to a serving platter and garnish, if desired, with more fresh thyme. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

#inktober Third Prompt

Today's prompt is bulky. Not an easy one for me to figure out, but I eventually decided that my gardening boots seem very bulky to me, as opposed to my usual shoes which tend to be lightweight and fairly sleek.

I used Japanese ink and water for the shading and a fine-point pen for the drawing. Probably should have used a thicker paper. Need to work some on my shading, but you can tell that these are a pair of boots. 

Wisp

 

Cup of tea? Cup of joe? The wisp of steam rising off the hot liquid can be mesmerizing.

Inktober day #2 - gray cardstock, white and black ink markers.

Inktober Try On

Last year at this time I saw that there were artists doing a month of ink drawings for something called Inktober. There are a set of prompts for each day but beyond that it's up to the artist. After seeing many lovely works of art in ink throughout the year on Facebook, I decided to try on the concept of a daily ink drawing. I may not be very good and I may not actually do one every day, but it's been a long time since I did much drawing (as opposed to painting) and even longer since I did any all in ink, so don't expect too much.

I was reading a great book today called Italian Lessons by Peter Pezzelli and in it the main character from Italy was telling an American recent college grad that in Italy and much of Europe people take the safe way because "otherwise the risk of failing and looking bad is too great - and to look bad is the worst thing that can happen to you when you are Italian." He then goes on to say that it's not the same in America and that we are willing to fail. So I guess I'm very much American in this challenge.

Don't worry, I'll still be posting recipes and picture of delicious food!

The first prompt for October 2020 in Inktober is Fish. Above at the top of the post is my drawing, done with a fine point pen and a wider permanent black marker (Sharpie).

Fig and Pear Pie for Fall

It has been pretty smoky here this week since the wildfires began in Napa over the weekend and quickly spread east towards Santa Rosa, with the smoke and ash being blown by strong winds all the way to the coast. Our local volunteer fire department sent two crews and engines the day before the fires started because CalFire was prestaging since there was a high likelihood of fire over the weekend due to very dry conditions and high winds blowing from the interior toward the coast. Yesterday they sent another crew and fire engine since the fire grew and is not at all contained. Fortunately for Santa Rosa and everything to the west, the winds changed late yesterday afternoon and are now blowing from the coast towards the east. There was also some fog which should help firefighters. Since we have had one or more wildfires in Sonoma Co. every year since the major Tubbs fire in 2017, all of this has become old hat. We all have go bags at the ready and alternate power sources (at least flashlights) because our power company often cuts power to avoid causing fires when the conditions are ripe for new fires. Last year we had to evacuate to San Francisco, but so far this year we have stayed at home; a blessing.

So what do you do when it's hot outside and the air is filled with smoke? If you are lucky, you can turn on an air conditioner to filter the air. That means that it's cool enough in the house to bake a pie. Baking takes my mind off of the rest of it. Pretty selfish I guess, but Sweetie was quite happy to get a pie out of it.

We have very generous neighbors and friends. Of course we give them tomatoes and quince and iris starts and strawberries, so it's a two-way exchange. Recently we received delicious ripe home-grown figs and also some pears. The pears took a while to ripen (pears ripen off the tree) but there were a few ripe at the same time we received the figs, so I put both into a pie and we enjoyed it Sunday after dinner and again for breakfast on Monday.

This recipe is a variation of one from Southern Living. Theirs had only figs and the crust was in a pie pan. Ours had figs and pears and I made it in a crostata form without a pan. I shaped it on a large piece of parchment and used a bread paddle to slide the parchment onto a baking stone. Because it was flatter than a regular pie and because the baking stone was pre-heated, it cooked fairly quickly. The only this to watch out for is the filling because it is basically a custard and looks for places to run out onto the parchment. Sealing where the pie dough meets when you pleat the dough helps. Pouring the filling a little at a time into the center hold allows it to spread out to the edges and that helps, too.

Fresh Fig and Pear Pie
a variation of Fig Pie from Southern Living

dough for 1 crust pie - I used one roll from Pillsbury Ready Crust
2 tablespoons dry plain bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour plus 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons lemon juice or 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
8 ripe fresh figs, rinsed and dried, stem cut off, sliced into four and then across into eight
1-2 ripe pears, peeled and cored, chopped into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup but more is OK)
water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place one rack about 1/3 of the way up in the oven. If you have one, put a baking stone one the rack to preheat with the oven. If you don't have a baking stone, place a heavy cookie sheet or baking sheet in the oven to preheat.

Roll out the dough into a circle about 12 to 14-inches in diameter. Place on a large sheet of baking parchment. Sprinkle the dry bread crumbs in the center and out about to cover the center eight inches. Set aside.

To make the Filling: In a large bowl combine the eggs, sugar, flour, juice or vinegar, and ginger with a whisk. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Put the parchment paper with the crust dough on it on a baking peel or a cookie sheet without a rim. Place the figs in the middle of the dough circle on top of the dry bread crumbs. Place the pears on top of the figs. Gently spread the fruit out to fill the center eight inches of the dough.

Fold the extra dough up over the fruit, sealing as you go with water, so that the dough is pleated all around the fruit. Gently and slowly, pour the filling mixture into the open center, letting the filling spread out. If needed, gently unseal one of the pleats and pour some of the mixture to the side. Seal up and repeat around the pie, sealing the dough together where it meets.

Slide the parchment paper onto the preheated stone or baking sheet, keeping the pie on the parchment.

Bake, turning once about half way through, until the pastry is browned and the filling is bubbly, about 25 minutes. Check at the half way point. If the pastry is browning too quickly, tent with foil.

Remove baked pie using the baking peel or cooking sheet without a rim and slide onto a cooling rack. Cool until room temperature. Serve as is, or dust lightly with confectioners sugar.

Makes one 8-inch pie.

Garlic and Butter and Lemon and Shrimp

Shrimp Scampi is a dish I first had when I was just out of college. It used to be the kind of menu item that white tablecloth restaurants of the time almost always had on the menu. I really loved eating it but thought that it would be difficult to make well and then I moved and had little income, so shrimp, which tends to be expensive where I live, was not on my menu. Eventually I just forgot about it.

A few days ago I was in an Oliver's market in Santa Rosa. They are a local chain of markets with the best of Whole Foods but at a slightly lower price point and far less pretentious. At their meat and seafood counter I discovered that they had large shrimp that had been frozen in bags of about 1 pound. I bought one and for some reason the idea of shrimp scampi popped into my head. Still thinking that it was a difficult recipe, I looked it up on Google and found that it's actually easy. There is prep work that needs to be done before you start cooking the shrimp because it goes together very quickly (except for cooking the pasta), but the recipe itself is simple. As with any recipe that seems simple, using quality ingredients is crucial. I started with some very nice shrimp. When thawed they smelled of the sea (but not 'fishy')which is a good indicator that they were handled well before being frozen. I made sure I had good linguine, a juicy and firm lemon or two, some excellent dry white wine, good olive oil, fresh parsley and a good, firm head of garlic. The last ingredient wasn't butter, which is the best thing to use, but an excellent non-dairy butter that I usually use only as a finishing ingredient. Since this dish depends on good butter, I really needed all four tablespoons to be as close to the best butter that I could find. Having a dairy allergy is no fun sometimes.

So, timing is important for shrimp scampi. Get the water boiling for the pasta. Gather all the ingredient together and prep the shrimp (I had to peel and devein them but it was OK to leave the tail on), zest and juice the lemon, mince the garlic, mince the parsley.

First you heat up a mixture of that good butter and quality olive oil. Then you saute' the garlic in that combination of oils. Once the garlic has cooked a few minutes, you add the wine and a pinch of red pepper flakes and cook that for a few minutes, then you salt and pepper the shrimp and add them to the wine mixture, making sure they are in a single layer. After a couple of minutes, you flip them over to cook the other side. After another couple of minutes you add the lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley and stir it all together. By that time your pasta is cooked and you drain it, then add it to the shrimp mixture and toss it all with some tongs until all the pasta is coated with the butter/olive oil/garlic/ lemon/wine/parsley mixture. Quickly you put the pasta on a plate or in a shallow bowl, top with the shrimp and it's ready to serve! I think it's between 8 and 10 minutes start to finish. No wonder it used to be a popular restaurant item. Done in no time and you can charge a lot for it.

So did it live up to my memories? Yes! In fact it was better. I didn't overcook the pasta. Most restaurants in my youth did. Ditto the shrimp. I used more garlic and it was fresher. I think I should have added a touch more salt, but otherwise it was perfect and perfectly delicious. Sweetie loves shrimp and I suspect he would like me to make this every night for a week. Do try it yourself if you can get good shrimp. The recipe is a combination of about four I found online, plus the lemon zest I added on my own. Lemon zest always ups the lemon flavor, so why not?

Shrimp Scampi
Serves 2-4

1/2 lb. linguine
1 lb. large raw shrimp, rinsed, peeled and deveined (OK to leave the tail on)
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons soft salted butter or non-dairy butter substitute
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

Have all the ingredient gathered and prepared. The cooking takes about 10 minutes, start to finish.

Bring a very large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. While it's coming to a boil, prepare the shrimp and the garlic, lemon and parsley. 

Once the water is boiling, add 1 teaspoon salt and the linguine and stir to separate the pasta. Leave uncovered and boil until al dente, about 8 - 10 minutes. Have a colander ready to drain the pasta.

Wait until the pasta water returns to a boil, then begin the shrimp part of the dish.

In a large skillet, melt the butter and oil together over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute' about 3 minutes, stirring a few times. Don't let garlic burn.

Add the white wine and the red pepper flakes. cook another two minutes, stirring often. 

Salt and pepper the shrimp to taste. Add the shrimp and make sure it is in one layer in the pan. After two minutes when the cooked side is pink insteado f gray, use tongs to turn each shrimp over. Cook on the second side for another two minutes, just until it is pink. Do not overcook the shrimp.

Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and the parsley. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust seasonings if needed.

Drain the pasta (check first to make sure it is cooked al dente), then add it to the pan with the shrimp mixture. Use the tongs to gently turn the pasta over until all strands are coated with the garlic sauce.

Serve at once on large plates or in shallow bowls, placing the shrimp on top of the pasta. If desired, garnish with a drizzle of olive oil. Pass good bread to sop up the extra sauce.

Babes Bake Delicious Flatbread

Most cultures around the world have some sort of flatbread. Flatbreads are often faster than loaves and the flexible ones can be used instead of utensils to grab morsels and convey them to your mouth, usually along with some sauce or juices.

This month our wonderful Kitchen of the Month Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen has given us the challenge of making Kulchas, an Indian yeasted fluffy flatbread that is fairly easy and really delicious. She also gave us recipes for a bean dish and a chutney to go with, but I'm afraid that just making the bread was sufficient for me this month (but the recipes can be found on Aparna's post). We have been having record heat followed by over a week of smothering smoke. Much of the west coast of America is on fire and the smoke has to go somewhere.

 In August we were close to being evacuated from the fire burning near Guerneville on the Russian River but it stayed far enough away that we never had to leave home, even though our bags were packed. Some of my friends and relations were not that lucky. This is the 4th year in a row when wild fires have terrorized our area with people dying, homes and businesses burned to the ground, and millions of acres of forest lands burned, too, and we still have over two months to go before we can expect relief from regular rain. I think global warming plays a part.

Enough of my weather report. Back to bread. 

This is a delicious bread and fun to make since you cook it on a grill. I used a cast iron pan and cooked them one at a time. We had them with dinner and that included some juicy tomatoes from our garden, so I used pieces of the kulchas to sop up the tomato juices. Wonderful!

The only thing to remember about this recipe is to start it the night before you want to make the bread. I actually started it two nights before, sirred in another 1/4 cup of flour mixed with water the morning I made the bread and let that sit for a few hours before continuing with the recipe. My dough was a little too sticky, so I added another 1/2 cup flour to the final dough before letting it have the final rise.

I used a Penzey's spice I had on hand called  Charnushka from India. Then I looked at the back and it said it was nigella! It has a slight celery fragrance and was a nice addition to the bread. The leftovers reheated nicely the next evening.

Here is what Aparna wrote about the Kulchas:

"The Kulcha is a flatbread somewhat like the Naan but a bit different. A Kulcha is typically leavened with baking powder and baking soda while Naan is made with yeast. This particular Kulcha recipe, adapted from an Indian chef Ranveer Brar’s recipe, deviates from this rule as it is made with a khameer or pre-ferment which gives the Kulcha a slight tang. Khameer is an Urdu word meaning yeast. So Naans tend to be chewier while Kulchas are soft and spongier. Naans tend to be oblong in shape while Kulchas are usually round but this is more of a preference than a rule. Naanas tend to be cooked in a Tandoor while Kulchas are usually cooked on the stove top, but this isn’t a hard and fast rule either.

 The Kulcha became popular in India because of the Nizams of Hyderabad. The Nizams were 18th-through-20th-century rulers of the princely state of Hyderabad in South India. Rich and powerful, they were also famous for their cuisine.

The story goes that one Mir Qamruddin, an old courtier in Mughal court, was appointed the Deccan governor. He first went to meet his spiritual guide, the Sufi mystic Hazrat Nizamuddin Aurangabadi. Mir Qamruddin was very hungry and his spiritual guide invited him to a meal and offered him some Kulchas. Mir Qamruddin, with apologies, apparently ate seven Kulchas! Hazrat Nizamuddin prophesised that Mir Qamruddin would eventually become king and that his descendants would rule for seven generations. (Not sure why the number seven is so important. :D)

It turned out that soon after Mir Qamruddin became the Deccan governor, Delhi was attacked and the Mugal rulers were defeated. The Nizams who were governors took over in the Deccan region becoming the richest kings of the biggest kingdom in India. The Kulcha also earned its place in Nizam royal cuisine. It supposedly became a part of the royal coat of arms of Mir Qamaruddin’s Asaf Jahi dynasty and the; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">There are different types of Kulchas, though all are flat breads. One is this type that is soft and spongy. Then there is the Bread Kulcha which has the texture of bread. 

This particular Kulcha is made from a slightly looser dough than usual for flatbreads, and it tends to be a bit sticky. You can lightly dust your working surface and palms with flour to make handling the dough easier. The Kulchas are usually topped with Nigella seeds (Kalonji; you can use black sesame seeds also) and dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi) or chopped fresh coriander/ cilantro leaves before cooking."

Do give making this bread a try. To be a Buddy, contact Aparna by email by Sept. 29th with the URL of your post and a photo so she can send your Buddy Badge and include you in the round-up.

Be sure to check out the other Bread Baking Babes posts, too, to see how they experienced making this yummy flatbread. Thanks Aparna for this lovely Kulcha recipe. Sweetie wants me to make it again soon.

 KULCHA (Flat Bread)

INGREDIENTS :

For the Khameer or Pre-Ferment :

1/2 tsp instant or active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water

 For Kulcha Dough :

All of the Khameer/ Pre-ferment
1/2 tsp instant or active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp ghee (or soft unsalted butter)
More water, if needed for a soft dough

 For the Topping :

Nigella seeds or black sesame seeds
Dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi) or chopped fresh coriander leaves/ cilantro

Ghee or unsalted butter for cooking the Kulchas

 

METHOD :

For the Khameer/ Pre-ferment (previous night) :

Mix together the yeast, water, sugar and all-purpose flour till smooth in a big bowl. Cover and leave on the kitchen counter overnight to ferment.

If you want to make Kulchas for dinner, then do this early in the morning and allow it to ferment for about 8 to 10 hours depending on your ambient room temperature. A word of caution though - Kulchas can be a little heavy for dinner.

 For the Kulcha Dough (some time next morning) :

The Khameer/ pre-ferment should have risen well and will appear quite stringy. Mix in the other 1/2 tsp of yeast, all-purpose flour, yogurt, salt and a little water. Knead till you have a soft, sticky and loose dough. You don’t need a mixer for this. Your hand or a dough whisk is enough.

Add the ghee or soft butter and knead once again till well incorporated. Shape into a round and leave in the bowl. Cover loosely and let it rise till almost double in volume.  This should take between an hour and two.

Knead the dough lightly to de-gas it. Then divide into 6 equal portions. Lightly flour your working surface, if required, and roll out each portion into a circle or oblong of less than 1/4 “ thickness. Sprinkle some Nigella seeds and dried fenugreek leaves or coriander leaves/ cilantro and lightly press into the rolled out dough.

Heat a griddle or flat pan and place the rolled dough on it. Sprinkle a little water on the sides of the griddle/ pan (not on the dough) and cover. Cook the flat bread for a minute or so. Now remove the cover and cook on the other side as well. If not serving immediately, cook till here and keep aside. When ready to serve proceed further with cooking in ghee or butter as follows. 

Brush some ghee or unsalted butter on both sides and cook until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Repeat with remaining portions. Serve hot.

A Salad For A Smokey Day

Sweetie loves to cook things on the BBQ gas grill, but today the fires in Northern California, in Oregon and in Washington state sent smoke our way, so being outside for very long was unhealthy. It was even worse yesterday, so we had already cooked chicken, sliced tomatoes from the garden with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and basil, plus salt and pepper, plus some frozen veggies. I decided that for tonight we would have something healthier. Sweetie decided that cooking ahi tuna in a cast iron skillet was even better than on the grill.

There is a lovely French style restaurant in Larkspur called  Left Bank Brasserie and they make a wonderful Ahi Tuna Salad Nicoise. I decided to do my own version. I'm not fond of olives nor anchovies, so perhaps this salad can't be called Nicoise, but otherwise it has many of the elements - steamed green beans, potato chunks, hard boiled egg, avocado slices, sliced cucumber, tomato chunks (from our garden) and a lovely Dijon mustard based dressing for the crisp mixed greens. 

Sweetie sliced the tuna in thin slices and placed them around the edge of the plates. It was really delicious and fairly healthy, too. I don't think you need a recipe since except for snapping and steaming the beans and then running cold water over them the rest of the ingredients weren't really 'cooked'. I'll give you my version of the dressing and you should be good to go. If you like olives and anchovies, do include them because they make it much more authentic and delicious.

Dijon Dressing for Salads

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon minced shallot

Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously to combine. If possible, let sit for at least 1/2 hour, then shake again before dressing the salad. Use lightly...greens should be very lightly filmed with the dressing, not saturated.

Two Kinds of Gluten Free Scones

Sometimes it's just too difficult to choose which flavor of a treat to make. I wanted to make gluten free scones for my dear friend Susan who came to visit, but I couldn't decide on lemon-raspberry scones or apple-spice scones...so I made both. The raspberry-lemon one is seen above and the apple-spice-walnut one below.

Making two flavors from one recipe is a bit tricky because you make the recipe to a certain point, then divide the mixture into two bowls and continue on. Mostly it requires some prep work and mis en place so that you have all the ingredients ready to go when it's their turn.

The base is a delicious cream scone recipe. I used King Arthur Flour Gluten Free flour blend instead of all-purpose flour (and no, I don't have stock in King Arthur Flour, now called King Arthur Baking Company, nor do I receive anything free from them). I added freshly grated lemon zest to the recipe for freshness and zing, and I used dairy-free soy creamer soured with fresh lemon juice, too. For the fat part I used dairy-free stick margarine, so these are also vegan scones.

The raspberry half of the recipe was mixed together before the berries were gently folded in and the scones were shaped. The apples and spice were mixed into the flour mixture after the margarine had been cut in but before the creamer was added.

These are pretty easy...just remember to handle the mixture and then the dough very gently and as little as possible. I shaped them on parchment rounds (9-inch - another King Arthur produce) and then put the dough covered rounds right onto pizza pans to bake, but you could put them on a sheet pan, too and bake them all at once. I cut the berry scones into wedges before baking, but I cut the apple ones after baking because that dough seemed wetter.

Do you know someone who would enjoy gluten free scones? Maybe yourself? Do give these a try. They have Susan's seal of approval...and Sweetie's too.

Raspberry-Lemon Scones and Apple-Spice Walnut Scones - all Gluten Free
Adapted from a Ladies Home Journal recipe March ‘97
Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a  sheet pan or two pizza pans.

3 cups Gluten Free flour blend (I used King Arthur Baking Company blend)
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup sugar
 zest from 1 medium lemon 
½ cup (1 stick) non-dairy butter or margarine, cold 
¾ cup fresh raspberries, rinsed and dried
¾ cup fresh tart apple, cut into 1/2-inch dice (peeled or unpeeled) 
½ teaspoon cinnamon,
½ teaspoon pie spice or more cinnamon
dash cloves
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup Silk soy creamer, soured with the juice from 1 lemon


Glaze: 2 tablespoons soy creamer
2 tablespoons sanding sugar

Combine gluten free flour blend, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl add the lemon zest to the sugar and rub with your fingertips until the sugar resembles damp sand. Add the flour blend mix and stir until thoroughly combined.  

With pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter or margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Divide mixture into two bowls. Set aside both bowls.

Combine soy creamer and lemon juice, stir and let sit a minute or two to sour the creamer. 

In one of the bowls with the flour and sugar and cut in fat, add half the soured creamer and stir gently with a fork until most is moistened. Add the raspberries and very gently combine.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface or a large piece of parchment. Shape into a disc about 6-inches in diameter and 1/2-inch high. Using a floured knife, cut into eight wedges. Brush with 1 tablespoon creamer and scatter about 1 tablespoon sanding sugar over the disc. Put onto prepared baking sheet and bake in preheated oven until dark golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

In the second bowl of flour and sugar and fat, mixed, add the diced apple and the spices and mix to combine.  

Pour the rest of the soured creamer over crumb/apple mixture. Stir together with fork just until mixture comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface or a large piece of parchment. 

Gather dough gently into a disc about 6-inches in diameter and 1/2-inch high. 

Using floured knife, cut  circle into 8 wedges.Brush with 1 tablespoon creamer and scatter about 1 tablespoon sanding sugar over the disc. 

Bake 20 – 25 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and crust is dark golden brown. Cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 16 scones.

A Golden Bread With Scoring

I missed the original posting of the Bread Baking Babes because, mostly, it was too hot to bake the bread with pretty scoring patterns mid-month and the loaf that I baked earlier was just plain ugly. Since our challenge by Kitchen of the Month Elizabeth of blogging from OUR kitchen was to do some fancy scoring, I decided to try again.

It's cooler now, although unfortunately very smokey, so I baked a yeasted loaf using some pumpkin puree in it, which made the interior a lovely golden color. I found the recipe in Ken Haedrich's The Harvest Baker book. There were a lot of changes. He used delicata squash and I used roasted pumpkin from a neighbor's garden. He made his as dinner rolls, but I made on long (16 inches) batard. I used a linen cloth with both bread and rice flour for the rising and put some rice flour on the top of the loaf, too, to help show the pattern, but all the flour browned to about the same color as the crust of the loaf, so that didn't work out so well. The scoring that was deeper allowed the interior gold to show. Next time I'll score deeper if I make this bread.

This is a lovely, moist, brioche-like bread. The pumpkin mostly gives it color and a faint sweetness, but not a true pumpkin flavor. Of course there is only 1 cup of roasted pumpkin puree and over 5 cups of flour. I used bread flour instead of all-purpose because I wanted a true skin on the loaf so the scoring would go better. You can see that, especially in the middle of the loaf where the scoring looks almost like a flying bee. I also reduced the sugar to two tablespoons, eliminated the yolk, and added a cup of flour, stirred in to the yeast/water mixture, before I added any other ingredients. I find that coating the yeast with flour helps when you are also adding butter, milk and things like veg puree.

Do try making this bread, either as a loaf or loaves or as dinner rolls. It's really delicious!

Roasted Pumpkin Long Loaf
a variation of Golden Delicata Squash Dinner Rolls
by Ken Haedrich in The Harvest Baker

1 medium pumpkin
1 tablespoon olive oil, or olive oil spray, plus more for the bowl
1/3 cup lukewarm water
1 packet (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm milk (I used soy creamer)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (I used non-dairy margarine)
2 teaspoons salt
5 1/2 - 6 cups bread flour

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Cut the pumpkin in half at the middle, so there is one half with a stem and one half with the bottom of the pumpkin. Scrape and remove all seeds and stringy bits. Oil the foil/spray with olive oil spray. Put the pumpkin halves, cut side down on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the pumpkin meat is tender, about 50-60 minutes. Still in baking sheet, cool pumpkin on a wire rack. When it has cooled, scoop out the flesh and put it through a potato ricer, or press it through a fine wire mesh strainer to make a puree. You will use 1 cup of the puree. Save the rest, if any, for other uses, refrigerated.

Pour the lukewarm water into a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and stir briefly with a fork. Wait 5 minutes for the yeast to dissolve. Yeast will look a bit puffy.

Add 1 cup bread flour to the proofed yeast and water and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to combine. Add the warmed milk, sugar, butter and salt and stir again to combine. Add another two cups flour, a half cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean shower cap and set aside for 30 minutes.

If you have a stand mixer with dough hook, you can use that to add the additional bread flour until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough. If you don't have that, turn the dough out onto a well-floured clean work surface and knead the dough, adding flour as you go until the dough is soft and slightly sticky.

Coat a clean bowl or rising container with oil or spray olive oil. Form the dough into a ball and place in the container, turning the dough over to coat all with the oil. Cover with a damp tea towel or clean shower cap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1-2 hours.

Turn risen dough out of the container onto a lightly floured clean work surface and knead once or twice to get rid of excess gas. Shape into dinner rolls (18) or one or two long batards, making sure to pull the dough to the bottom a number of times so that there is a skin of stretched dough on top. Set shaped rolls or loaves on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving room between. Cover with a damp tea towel, or oiled plastic wrap and let rise to almost doubled, about 30-40 minutes. While dough is doing this, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

If doing scoring (probably not on the rolls!), chill the loaves if possible in the freezer for 10 minutes after sprinkling lightly with a mixture of flour and rice flour. Then score with a lame or very sharp knife to allow the bread to expand and to make a pattern.

Bake in the preheated oven. It will take about 30 minutes for the rolls and about 45 minutes or a little longer for loaves.

Let loaves cool until barely warm (better yet, cool completely) before cutting. Serve the rolls warm.

Makes 18 rolls or one 16-inch long loaf or two 8-inch long loaves

Fire Update

Although the Walbridge fire near Guerneville is still only about 25% contained, many of the people who had been evacuated in the area have been allowed to return home. We were never actually threatened, nor given an evacuation warning, much less told to evacuate, but we were staged by the front door, ready to pack up and leave if needed.

Thanks to those who were worried and let us know, sent good thoughts, prayed. Prayers are still needed (and good thoughts) for the firefighters who are still fighting not only this fire but others around the state.

Of course we all still have to worry about the Covid pandemic...which is still going strong in my county and many other places in the U.S. and around the world, unfortunately.

Stay safe and healthy!

Marble Loaf Magic

Sometimes things don't work out the way you have planned. While making the mid-August  layer cake, the buttercream became contaminated with grease while still in the meringue stage...which meant that it wouldn't whip up, so we started over. I saved the mixture, convinced that I could find a recipe that would work to used up that egg white and sugar mixture...with some butter added. I did find a recipe, but then it got too hot to bake and the mixture spoiled with the waiting. The thing is, I really liked the recipe that I found, so now that it is cooler, I made it anyway...starting from scratch.

As is often the case, I changed a few things, even though I'd never baked this recipe before. That's the magic part...proportions are the key in baking and if you keep the proportions, you can change the flavors to make what you like. The original cake had a white chocolate and orange or peppermint white part and a dark chocolate dark part.  I'm a big fan of coffee and chocolate flavor combined, so that's the two flavors in this marble pound cake loaf. I used some espresso powder and a tablespoon boiling water to dissolve it and mixed those into the 'vanilla' batter, along with 2 tablespoons of flour since I'd increased the moisture with that boiling water. I kept the chocolate part, but used melted chocolate chips since I was too lazy to chop up a darker chocolate. That part wasn't the best choice since it would have been a better cake with bittersweet chocolate, but it is still a tasty cake and very nice with a cup of coffee...or tea. The color contrast isn't strong with this combo, either, but it's a delicious one.

The key thing here is to allow enough time to really beat air into the butter, into the butter and sugar mixture and into the butter, sugar and egg mixture...then only beat enough to combine once you start adding flour mixture and milk. A few folds with a spatula will combine the coffee mixture with the 'vanilla' batter and the chocolate with it's batter. Light mixing once the flour goes in keeps the cake from getting tough.

The fun part is marbling. Restrain yourself when it's time to zigzag a knife through the mounded batters...less is more because then you will see...and taste...the two flavors.

You can, of course, go with a vanilla batter, a vanilla batter flavored with citrus oil, or mint or maple extract, etc. You can color a vanilla batter - chocolate and a mint green would be pretty and tasty, too.

This makes one big loaf. Top a slice with a scoop of ice cream and some syrup or topping or fruit and you have a decadent dessert.

Marble Mocha Cake

base on Double Chocolate Marble Cake in Dorie Greenspan's  Baking Chez Moi

Makes one loaf cake

2 cups (272 grams) all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon espresso powder

1 tablespoon boiling water

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons, 6 oz. 170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used non-dairy margarine)

1 cup (200 grams) sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk, at room temperature (I used soy creamer)

4 oz (113 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Stack two baking sheets or use an insulated baking sheet and on it place a 9x5-inch loaf pan that has been buttered and floured, with excess flour tapped out of it.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Mix together the espresso powder and the boiling water in a small bowl and stir until the powder dissolves. Set aside.

In a stand mixer bowl beat the butter on medium speed for 3 minutes, using the paddle attachment, or use a large bowl and a hand mixer to do the same thing. Add the sugar and beat for another 2-3 minutes. Scrape bowl and beater(s), then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for 1 minute after each addition. Don't worry if the batter curdles.

Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the vanilla. Scrape bowl and beater(s). Again on low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions and the milk in two additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until each addition is incorporated. Avoid over-mixing.

Put half the batter in another bowl. Add the reserved espresso mixture and, using a flexible spatula, combine the batter and espresso until mixture is one color.

In the remaining batter, using a flexible spatula, combine the batter and the cooled chocolate until mixture is one color.

Using a large spoon or a scoop, dollop the batters into the prepared loaf pan in a random pattern. Plunge a table knife deep into the batter at one end of the loaf pan and zig-zag the knife to the other end in 6-8 zags, no more. Don't go backwards. The fewer strokes with the knife will allow for a nice marble effect but not too much mixing.

Bake the cake for 80-90 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. At about half way, check the cake and tent with foil if the top seems to be browning too quickly.

Cool the cake on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then unmold it, then turn it right side up on the rack and cool to room temperature. Store at room temperature, wrapped well, for up to 4 days. Freeze for longer storage.

A Curious Carrot

Have been harvesting in the garden...squash for a while, beans almost finished, cucumbers almost finished and tomatoes really getting going now. A week or so ago I harvested my first carrot. Then, a few days later there were fairly tiny carrots, then I pull up a monster carrot which looked like about six carrots growing together with one top! From the soil surface it looked like one decent carrot, but once pulled you could see all the 'legs' of the other branches. Made it interesting to clean and prepare! I made roasted carrots which I tossed in a mixture of honey, sherry vinegar, dried thyme, pepper and garlic salt before roasting. They added a nice touch to the green salad we had for dinner last night. Didn't actually measure anything, so no real recipe.

Hope all is well with you, dear reader. The smoke has mostly cleared and the fire north of us is partly contained and improved weather probably means that the heroic firefighters will get it under control within a few days. Thank you for you good thoughts and prayers...they worked so far!

By the way, the tiled table under the carrots and tomatoes is one that I made with the help of a friend who showed me how to do mosaic tiling with bits of old plates and tea cups and other porcelain. It sits outside on our porch. I found the old tile for the center, the plates and mugs and things at the Recycletown at the county dump and only paid pennies. It was a fun process but I haven't made anything else since...perhaps I'll get back to it now that I have endless time...or so it sometimes seems.

We're OK

Friends and family have been contacting us because we live in Northern California and on the national news it might look like we are in danger from the wildfires currently burning in many areas of California due to lightning strikes a few days ago.

Not to worry...we are fine. The fires are at least 15 miles away from us to the north and the winds have shifted to be from the ocean (west of us) toward the east, so it is highly unlikely that the fire will come our way. The air is smoky so we are staying indoors. There is some ash filtering down but that has mostly stopped.

Do keep good thoughts for the thousands evacuated and the dozens, if not more, who have lost their homes. Normally August isn't fire season yet, but we rarely have summer thunder and lightning storms, either.

Thank you for your concern if you were worried. Sending virtual love!  Elle and Sweetie and Pi.

Family Food August 2020

Travel isn't easy during a time of pandemic, but our dear daughter, her person, and his son drove a heroic 13 hours a few weeks ago to come visit us before Raine's school started up again. We all had self-quarantined for two weeks before the visit so that we could safely hang out together. That meant that we could hug, sit close together to talk, exchange phones to look at photos, have tea together, watch Hamilton together on Disney+ (an awesome experience!), and cook and eat together. Since I had injured my knee, the time on my feet at the beginning of the visit was limited, but by the second week I was able to do quite a bit of cooking and baking with Raine. He likes to make things and really enjoyed the process, too and I enjoyed the time with him and sharing something that is important to me.

The first week we were able to have a delicious berry crisp that included raspberries from Costco as well as home-picked blackberries and strawberries. The recipe can be found HERE. Just substitute berries for the apples, omit the cinnamon in the pie filling and use 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg instead of the cinnamon. Keep the crumble topping the same and you are good to go.

We also enjoyed personal pizzas, cooked on the BBQ grill. Each person's portion was formed on a half sheet of parchment paper and then there were an array of toppings so we each could choose what we liked best. Mine had some pasta sauce, pepperoni slices, crumbles of cooked turkey Italian sausage, thinly sliced fresh tomato from our garden, and some caramelized onion, plus non-dairy ricotta. A scattering of finely sliced fresh basil from the garden finished it off. The photo is from before it was baked...it was even nicer looking baked, but I ate it all before I even thought to take a photo. So delicious! The pizza dough recipe is HERE. Add your favorite toppings and bake on a preheated pizza/bread stone at 425 or 450 degrees F. in the oven or in a BBQ with a cover.

Another fun adventure was to make Asian flavored turkey burgers during a late morning session with Chef Anne Burrell as part of Rachel Ray's Yum-O Cooking Camp. I signed Raine up weeks before they came and we all at the finished burgers for lunch right after the class finished. The Cooking Camp folks did a great job and Raine learned how to properly hold a knife and other knife skills...which he practiced over the next few days as we made other dishes for dinner. It was a free class but donations are accepted. They sent an email with recipe and lists of ingredients and tools needed in advance of the class, which was taught on Zoom. Chef Burrell is a great teacher and has a light and encouraging way about her. I hope that it is OK to include the recipe that we used. Chef Burrell came up with the recipe and it is a great one because, unlike many turkey burgers, it is moist and juicy. I really like the Asian flavors, too, although a dill pickle didn't seem to go with it as suggested. The recipe actually made five burgers, which was perfect for our group.

Asian Turkey Burgers
by Anne Burrell, Food Network as part of Rachel Ray's Yum-o Cooking Camp

Ingredients

 Extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
Kosher salt
 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds’ ground turkey (mix of light and dark turkey meat, or all dark turkey meat)
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 eight-ounce can water chestnuts, coarsely chopped (not too fine-they add GREAT texture)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sriracha (we omitted this because some of us don't enjoy heat/spice)
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, leaves finely chopped
4 burger buns (I like the seeded ones)

Optional Garnishes: 

·         4 slices American or Cheddar cheese (American melts better)

·         4 slices beefsteak tomatoes

·         4 slices red onion

·         4 leaves butter lettuce

·         ½ cup mayo mixed with 2 teaspoons sambal oelek

·         Your favorite Vlasic pickles

     Directions:

1      1) Coat a large saute' pan with olive oil and add the chopped onion. Season with salt and bring the pan to medium heat. Cook the onion until translucent and aromatic, 7-8 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool.

2      2) In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground turkey, prepared ginger, chopped water chestnuts, soy sauce, sriracha if using, chopped cilantro and the onion and garlic mixture. Wipe out the saute' pan with a paper towel and set aside to use for cooking the burgers.

3      3) Make sure that all the ingredients are well combined. Squeeze a walnut-sized portion of the mixture into a small patty to test the seasonings, and cook it in the saute' pan over medium-high heat. Taste it. Season as needed...a little more soy?, some salt or more cilantro?. Once the mixture is to your taste, form it into 4-5 patties.

4      4) Coat the saute' pan with olive oil. Cook the patties in the saute' pan over medium-high heat. It's important not to crowd the pan, so you may want to cook the patties two at a time. Cook 5-6 minutes per side. The burgers will be browned and cooked through when done. If cooking in batches, tent the cooked burgers with foil while cooking the rest.

5      5) Serve the burgers on toasted buns with toppings as desired.