Num! The only bad thing I have to say about this is that the frosting is a little sweet. I don't know how to tone it down, but I'd like it to be more glaze and less a layer of sugar on top of my cake. The cake itself is moist, tangy, light, and just right to eat in a nice little wedge for a snack. Or, you know, breakfast.
Notes: Used whey from ricotta as a buttermilk sub and it worked fine, again. Baked in a 9-inch cake pan, not a skillet, but it would be fun to use a skillet :) Browned butter... is as awesome as I thought it would be. The cake ends up flecked with lovely little bits of lemon zest and cornmeal and browned butter bits, and it looks very appealing as well as tasting delicious! The recipe needs just about 1 normal-sized lemon.
Cakecakecake
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil
Made one serving of this and it was good. Not sure it's worth the extra pot/work. But good!
Pastatime!
Pastatime!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Crusty Bread
A two-rise "artisan" loaf... just came out of the oven and I'm going to bed! Will update with the end result tomorrow. For now, the process:
Notes: I just did a third of it because I wanted just one loaf, which worked out beautifully, and I did a quarter of the flour as whole wheat. A glug of olive oil, yes. Measurements were a little difficult on this one, especially figuring out what to do with the yeast--I think mine is what they refer to as fast action, but I'm not really sure; I did about a teaspoon and a half, or 5g, of dry active yeast (for 1/3 recipe). I really just need to get a bread book, all these different breads with different advice are too confusing. Kneaded just about 10 minutes, marginally passed the windowpane test. Rose just fine, an hour each time, plus the 15-minute pre-bake rise and just over 30 minutes in the oven. The process is easy, it's actually very similar to the whole wheat loaf I made a few weeks ago so see how they compare? I also did their strangely complicated loaf formation and I think I'll just stick to boules from now on, unless the result is obviously impacted in some way. I must say it came out very pretty, with the flour and the nice slices on top. Yay for bread, that's what I say.
UPDATE: results! This was possibly the best loaf I have made yet. The bread was soft and had a lovely crust; I guess the pouring-water-in steam bath idea works after all! It didn't last super long, though, I guess it's unreasonable to expect it to last more than a week. It was just the right kind of crustiness for eating with a meal. Highly recommended.
Crusty Bread
Notes: I just did a third of it because I wanted just one loaf, which worked out beautifully, and I did a quarter of the flour as whole wheat. A glug of olive oil, yes. Measurements were a little difficult on this one, especially figuring out what to do with the yeast--I think mine is what they refer to as fast action, but I'm not really sure; I did about a teaspoon and a half, or 5g, of dry active yeast (for 1/3 recipe). I really just need to get a bread book, all these different breads with different advice are too confusing. Kneaded just about 10 minutes, marginally passed the windowpane test. Rose just fine, an hour each time, plus the 15-minute pre-bake rise and just over 30 minutes in the oven. The process is easy, it's actually very similar to the whole wheat loaf I made a few weeks ago so see how they compare? I also did their strangely complicated loaf formation and I think I'll just stick to boules from now on, unless the result is obviously impacted in some way. I must say it came out very pretty, with the flour and the nice slices on top. Yay for bread, that's what I say.
UPDATE: results! This was possibly the best loaf I have made yet. The bread was soft and had a lovely crust; I guess the pouring-water-in steam bath idea works after all! It didn't last super long, though, I guess it's unreasonable to expect it to last more than a week. It was just the right kind of crustiness for eating with a meal. Highly recommended.
Crusty Bread
Friday, February 25, 2011
Olive Oil Rosemary Bread
This was, in a word, not good. The lack of salt was an absolute killer. It was soft, the texture was good, but the fussiness of the baguettes plus the absolutely not good taste was not a winner. I thought they would be crusty and they weren't; I only had a little bit of fresh rosemary so I used some dried, which was also a mistake, better to just leave it out. All whole wheat flour is possibly not a good idea? Need to do some experiments with this. There have to be better all whole-wheat loaves out there.
Breadtime!
Breadtime!
Meyer Lemon Curd
This was a second attempt at lemon curd! I had a whole bunch of Meyer lemons this time, but honestly they were all pretty tart like regular lemons :( Still, this came out beautifully. It was lighter than my last version, more of a cream than a thicker, more pasty thing, probably because of the smaller proportion of eggs. A little less lemony, too. Anyway, as I suspected, lemon curd is pretty much awesome however it comes out.
Process: zest+sugar in double boiler, whisk in lemon juice and eggs, whisk over boiler until thickened, take off heat, strain out zest, stir in butter, chill. CONSUME.
Curd
Process: zest+sugar in double boiler, whisk in lemon juice and eggs, whisk over boiler until thickened, take off heat, strain out zest, stir in butter, chill. CONSUME.
Curd
Meyer Lemon Pull-Apart Bread
To be honest, this made me sad. Because it was so beautiful in the pictures, and it was such a work of art with all those layers, and working that zest/sugar mixture was making me absolutely drool. AND I DIDN'T BAKE IT LONG ENOUGH, SO THE MIDDLE WAS GOOPY DOUGH = GIANT BOO. Gave this to Allie to take up to Tahoe for the weekend--I hope she continues to bake it and it rights itself, but I have grave doubts that will happen :(
If this had gone according to plan, though, I think it would have been marvelous. It had all the makings of greatness. I was just impatient. It was fun to pull it apart and the pieces that were done were delish... :(
Notes: I made the dough several hours ahead, then assembled the loaf the night before breakfast. Don't be a dumbass and cut the strips the wrong way! It was fine but why not just do it right, huh? It's a lot of zesty mixture but it's good and worth it, don't be afraid. Just be aware that if you do it this way you will need a long time to rise in the morning--an hour was not even close to sufficient. And baking time will be long, (although I suspect their oven is low) so even though it's a pain in the ass just find a thermometer, and tent that sucker if/when it starts to brown too early. As for the icing, I'd use it but make sure the cream cheese is soft and spreadable before stirring in the juice/powdered sugar--I didn't and it ended up looking like cottage cheese. Not appetizing. All around, basically a bringing-breakfast failure. Lemon curd to the rescue!
To bread
If this had gone according to plan, though, I think it would have been marvelous. It had all the makings of greatness. I was just impatient. It was fun to pull it apart and the pieces that were done were delish... :(
Notes: I made the dough several hours ahead, then assembled the loaf the night before breakfast. Don't be a dumbass and cut the strips the wrong way! It was fine but why not just do it right, huh? It's a lot of zesty mixture but it's good and worth it, don't be afraid. Just be aware that if you do it this way you will need a long time to rise in the morning--an hour was not even close to sufficient. And baking time will be long, (although I suspect their oven is low) so even though it's a pain in the ass just find a thermometer, and tent that sucker if/when it starts to brown too early. As for the icing, I'd use it but make sure the cream cheese is soft and spreadable before stirring in the juice/powdered sugar--I didn't and it ended up looking like cottage cheese. Not appetizing. All around, basically a bringing-breakfast failure. Lemon curd to the rescue!
To bread
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Leek and Mushroom Risotto
A first attempt at risotto. It was pretty good--the flavors were all there--but the process left the textures a little off. I love risotto and view this as a recipe that can be improved to perfection! (Also the parmesan on top is an absolute dream, do not omit this.) Even half made too much, so I fried up little breadcrumb-covered patties the next day and the answer to that is YES.
Notes: Halved this and it was sort of difficult, because I used a big pot. It doesn't need a big pot. Even quarter it if it's just for yourself, cause leftovers while good are not an everyday sort of thing.
Technique to try next time: add in mushrooms/leeks at the end rather than leaving them in the whole time, they'll be crisper. Do the wine first. Toast the rice for a few minutes in the pan before adding liquid; and don't have the heat turned up so high. This is going to take some refinement, I can see that...
To creaminess
Notes: Halved this and it was sort of difficult, because I used a big pot. It doesn't need a big pot. Even quarter it if it's just for yourself, cause leftovers while good are not an everyday sort of thing.
Technique to try next time: add in mushrooms/leeks at the end rather than leaving them in the whole time, they'll be crisper. Do the wine first. Toast the rice for a few minutes in the pan before adding liquid; and don't have the heat turned up so high. This is going to take some refinement, I can see that...
To creaminess
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sweet Tart Dough
Dorie Greenspan's sweet pastry dough for tarts. Can't be beat, and couldn't be easier. Whir the dough together in the food processer, then press into the tart pan, freeze for half an hour, and bake.
Chocolate variety in the "Bonne Idee" is also perfection. Just sub in a little cocoa powder.
TO FIND: "Around My French Table," by Dorie Greenspan, pg. 500.
Chocolate variety in the "Bonne Idee" is also perfection. Just sub in a little cocoa powder.
TO FIND: "Around My French Table," by Dorie Greenspan, pg. 500.
Double Chocolate and Banana Tart
Made this alongside Dorie's lemon cream tart. Very intense and very delicious. Chocolate ganache over caramelized bananas in a chocolate tart shell, topped by more bananas. Yes please. I didn't do the apricot jam glaze because Roxy was obviously feeling very hesitant about it, but I'd do it next time.
Notes: none really. It's a lot of moving pieces but none are really very complicated. Just do the shell first and give it time; it has to be ready by the time the ganache is made. Use Dorie's recipe for a chocolate tart shell, it was perfect.
TO FIND: "Around My French Table," by Dorie Greenspan, pg. 468.
Notes: none really. It's a lot of moving pieces but none are really very complicated. Just do the shell first and give it time; it has to be ready by the time the ganache is made. Use Dorie's recipe for a chocolate tart shell, it was perfect.
TO FIND: "Around My French Table," by Dorie Greenspan, pg. 468.
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake
My first introduction to Dorie's new book, and quite a lovely one. I prefer my chocolate cakes to be intense and dense, but this was as good a mousse cake as I've ever had. I was impatient and rushing, and the textural contrast that was supposed to happen didn't really materialize; but that doesn't mean it wasn't good. Also, get a springform pan, nincompoop!
TO FIND: "Around My French Table," by Dorie Greenspan, pg. 446.
TO FIND: "Around My French Table," by Dorie Greenspan, pg. 446.
Salmon and Tomatoes En Papillote
This is quite simply one of the most beautiful dishes I've ever put together, in all its glorious simplicity. Roxanne and I did it for one of our Sunday cooking days, and I thought it was just magnificent. We used tinfoil but for an elegant presentation use parchment. I got lovely fresh salmon fillets and all the things layered in there--colors and textures--was a sight for sore winter eyes, especially since most of what I eat is singular veggies or soups or mashes of some kind. Man. I just can't get over how pretty it was. Of course, it also tasted just wonderful. Thanks, Dorie.
TO FIND: "Around My French Table," by Dorie Greenspan, pg. 302.
TO FIND: "Around My French Table," by Dorie Greenspan, pg. 302.
Swiss Chard Pancakes
Made these for dinner tonight looking for a way to use up some Swiss chard; frankly, I think I would have been better off steaming or sauteeing it. These were kind of heavy and tasteless. That sounds harsher than I'd like it to, I guess; it's not that they were terrible. But I don't think I'd make them specifically again, although I have some in the freezer and I guess I'll see how I feel about them upon reheating.
General pancake notes: adjust the heat carefully. On our stove at Idyllwild, medium is really plenty high. Spread out the batter so they're thinner, it's much better that way. Topped with sour cream, these were a perfectly passable meal.
TO FIND: "Around My French Table," by Dorie Greenspan, pg. 350.
General pancake notes: adjust the heat carefully. On our stove at Idyllwild, medium is really plenty high. Spread out the batter so they're thinner, it's much better that way. Topped with sour cream, these were a perfectly passable meal.
TO FIND: "Around My French Table," by Dorie Greenspan, pg. 350.
Leek and Gruyere Souffle
Made last summer as a souffle-conquering exercise. Turned out good, but a little watery; I can't help but think there is more flavor to be extracted here. This does reheat well, though it doesn't re-puff. Falls FAST after being taken out of the oven, but Mom and Sam didn't mind so much. I dunno, this is fun, but it doesn't show off leeks to their best potential, which is kind of a shame.
TO FIND: "Cooking from the Farmer's Market", by Williams-Sonoma, pg. 142.
TO FIND: "Cooking from the Farmer's Market", by Williams-Sonoma, pg. 142.
Zucchini-Feta Pancakes
I can't remember if I made these exact ones or not--I think I may have found a recipe for just straight-up zucchini pancakes online, but why not add some cheese? In any case, these look like they're not too heavy with oil, a nice light way to have dinner. Top with sour cream, yum.
TO FIND: "Cooking from the Farmer's Market", by Williams-Sonoma, pg. 110.
TO FIND: "Cooking from the Farmer's Market", by Williams-Sonoma, pg. 110.
Baked Zucchini and Tomato Tian
Made this last summer at home, and boy was it good. Just a lovely way to simply enjoy the flavors of the season, and so beautiful on the table in those layers. Basically, saute some onions, put them on the bottom of a baking dish, and layer tomato and zucchini on top; bake until bubbling. Gorgeous.
TO FIND: "Cooking from the Farmer's Market", by Williams-Sonoma, pg. 110.
TO FIND: "Cooking from the Farmer's Market", by Williams-Sonoma, pg. 110.
Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese
One of the first things I cooked last summer at home; this was in regular rotation, everyone loved it. Fresh herbs are best, if dried they're a little crunchy/chewy bit that's not entirely welcome; perhaps think about infusing olive oil if there isn't an option. Plus fun urine times if you eat it a bunch! An absolutely delicious way to eat this is next to the sauteed beet greens; just a little olive oil and minced garlic, and toss those puppies in there till they're wilted. (Just try to dry them fully before popping them in the pan, otherwise the oil will splatter). The flavors complement each other beautifully.
TO FIND: "Cooking from the Farmer's Market", by Williams-Sonoma, pg. 89
TO FIND: "Cooking from the Farmer's Market", by Williams-Sonoma, pg. 89
Mushroom Bolognese
This is a veggie version of bolognese pasta sauce. It's good; it's hearty and chunky, which I like. It's a good staple to have around for a quick meal. I wouldn't say that it's rapturous, but it really is a good recipe and something I was more than happy to eat for a while. It's easy, too. And frankly it's just fun to make your own pasta sauce and put it in that store-bought jar.
Notes: none that I can remember, I made it a while ago. Pretty easy as I recall.
Saucetime
Notes: none that I can remember, I made it a while ago. Pretty easy as I recall.
Saucetime
Mushroom Bourguinon
A veggie version of my beloved Boeuf Bourguinon. Although it's probably best if you don't think of it that way, and think of it instead as a think, hearty mushroom stew that can be served over egg noodles or mashed potatoes or just scooped up with some thick bread (or over polenta?). Definitely got better with time, and makes a lot so there's plenty to freeze.
Notes: I had 1 lb white button and 1 lb shiitake, which was fine though kind of a waste of shiitakes. Forgot to add the flour (ie make a roux to thicken it) at the right time, so I just made one separately and added it; this may have contributed to needing all of the cornstarch at the end, but in any case it was fine. Go easy on the pepper, I overdid it this time, but as always be generous with the salt. I kind of liked it with the potatoes, especially in terms of leftovers, but they could definitely be taken out, and pearl onions would have been nice to add in any case.
Bottom line: this was just comforting and I liked it more and more as the week went on. A keeper.
Mushroom Bourguinon
Notes: I had 1 lb white button and 1 lb shiitake, which was fine though kind of a waste of shiitakes. Forgot to add the flour (ie make a roux to thicken it) at the right time, so I just made one separately and added it; this may have contributed to needing all of the cornstarch at the end, but in any case it was fine. Go easy on the pepper, I overdid it this time, but as always be generous with the salt. I kind of liked it with the potatoes, especially in terms of leftovers, but they could definitely be taken out, and pearl onions would have been nice to add in any case.
Bottom line: this was just comforting and I liked it more and more as the week went on. A keeper.
Mushroom Bourguinon
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Okay so I love Orangette and am pretty much willing to do whatever she says, which is why I made these cookies. Also they sounded really appealing to me. And I confess that at first I was disappointed; the batch I made straightaway (or maybe even the next morning) was not that exciting, and tasted like dry whole wheat rather than a cookie. But oh, the wonders of the fridge; after 36 hours or so, the batch I made was exquisitely good, deep and nutty and I absolutely could not stop eating them. I need to figure out a way to suspend this flavor so they can be freezer cookies and I can eat them all the time. I was too afraid to try last time, because I wanted to eat them so badly. These are from Kim Boyce's Good to the Grain, which looks fascinating and great--so this is a mental note to myself to check it out.
Notes: White whole wheat flour is definitely the way to go here. I chopped the chocolate myself, which is quickly becoming my favorite way to make chocolate chip cookies; the little bits made them beautiful as well as spreading out that lovely chocolate flavor. Good straight from the oven or at room temp with tea or milk. Age the dough, preferably at least 48 hours, for the love of all that is good and holy. You won't regret it.
Sing a song of wheat and chocolate
Notes: White whole wheat flour is definitely the way to go here. I chopped the chocolate myself, which is quickly becoming my favorite way to make chocolate chip cookies; the little bits made them beautiful as well as spreading out that lovely chocolate flavor. Good straight from the oven or at room temp with tea or milk. Age the dough, preferably at least 48 hours, for the love of all that is good and holy. You won't regret it.
Sing a song of wheat and chocolate
Soft Snickerdoodles
A really good solid recipe for snickerdoodles. What I like about it is that they're very soft and flat and you can just cram it right into your mouth and it tastes like all the things you want it to taste like: cinnamon and sugar and vanilla and butter. Just right at any time. I don't really like the more craggy sugar cookie style, where they're harder or even more chewy. These melt in your mouth. These are a staple. And they couldn't be easier.
Notes: none! This makes about 40 good-sized cookies. Oh, and you don't need nearly that much cinnamon-sugar, half it and you'll be fine, although you can always eat the rest on toast :)
Doodlysnicker
Notes: none! This makes about 40 good-sized cookies. Oh, and you don't need nearly that much cinnamon-sugar, half it and you'll be fine, although you can always eat the rest on toast :)
Doodlysnicker
Meyer Lemon Cake Cookies
These are basically little flat cakey things with a powdered sugar icing on top. If that doesn't sound terribly appealing, that's because it isn't. I dunno, just not my style of cookie; I mean I won't turn them down with a mug of tea, but it's not what I'd pick given a choice. I did these because of all the lemon cookies I looked at I thought they would ship the best, and they probably will, they just don't taste that great; the lemon flavor is not nearly as strong as I wanted it to be. Try a lemon cream cheese frosting and a more sugar cookie-like base next time.
Notes: Cookies don't taste of lemon at all, even though I doubled the lemon juice involved. I doctored up the icing to be more lemony, skipping water and adding lemon juice, but it was still way too sweet. Corn syrup helps to keep it the right consistency.
Lemon Cookies
Notes: Cookies don't taste of lemon at all, even though I doubled the lemon juice involved. I doctored up the icing to be more lemony, skipping water and adding lemon juice, but it was still way too sweet. Corn syrup helps to keep it the right consistency.
Lemon Cookies
Sweet and Salty Brownies
These are just as good as I was expecting them to be; that is to say, AMAZING. Dense and fudgy and, yes, sweet and salty. Not really so much of a pain in the butt, especially compared to the cake of the same name!, and totally worth it. Totally totally. And so pretty, especially with the flakes of sea salt and chunky sugar on top.
Notes: Didn't have a 9x13 so I made it in an 8x8 and an 8x6, which worked out fine but left fewer inside brownies without crusts, and also made the caramel situation a bit more complicated. A bigger pan is better, that's all I'm sayin'. Both the caramel and the batter came together pretty easily; assembly was another story.
Listen carefully: don't. overdo. the. caramel. It's not worth the trouble. There will be extra, so just save it an eat it on ice cream or something--is that really such a terrible outcome? Don't put too much brownie on the bottom layer, you want to make sure to have enough for the top (this trouble was exacerbated by the two pans). Drizzle the caramel pretty much in the middle, and don't worry about having a solid layer. Leave a good inch or more at the edges before dropping on the top layer; the caramel will spread out once brownie is on top, and it's really best if there's no caramel touching the edges. It doesn't burn exactly, but it gets hard and chewy and it's just not what you're looking for. The batter is thick and doesn't spread easily, so drop it on in small bits, and start at the edges to prevent caramel from spreading too much.
Took me almost an hour to bake these. Not sure if that's because I'm a moron and I lined the whole pan with parchment paper instead of just the bottom--uh hello doofus--or what, but especially since I used the smaller pans it was very confusing. Also could have had something to do with the caramel leaking out. I got 28 3-4 bite brownies out of this, and they're so intense that I wouldn't have wanted them bigger. And apparently they freeze well, although I wouldn't know. *wipes mouth*
Despite mishaps and confusion, these are a chocolatey caramely bomb of goodness. Eat 'em up.
Brownies Ho
Notes: Didn't have a 9x13 so I made it in an 8x8 and an 8x6, which worked out fine but left fewer inside brownies without crusts, and also made the caramel situation a bit more complicated. A bigger pan is better, that's all I'm sayin'. Both the caramel and the batter came together pretty easily; assembly was another story.
Listen carefully: don't. overdo. the. caramel. It's not worth the trouble. There will be extra, so just save it an eat it on ice cream or something--is that really such a terrible outcome? Don't put too much brownie on the bottom layer, you want to make sure to have enough for the top (this trouble was exacerbated by the two pans). Drizzle the caramel pretty much in the middle, and don't worry about having a solid layer. Leave a good inch or more at the edges before dropping on the top layer; the caramel will spread out once brownie is on top, and it's really best if there's no caramel touching the edges. It doesn't burn exactly, but it gets hard and chewy and it's just not what you're looking for. The batter is thick and doesn't spread easily, so drop it on in small bits, and start at the edges to prevent caramel from spreading too much.
Took me almost an hour to bake these. Not sure if that's because I'm a moron and I lined the whole pan with parchment paper instead of just the bottom--uh hello doofus--or what, but especially since I used the smaller pans it was very confusing. Also could have had something to do with the caramel leaking out. I got 28 3-4 bite brownies out of this, and they're so intense that I wouldn't have wanted them bigger. And apparently they freeze well, although I wouldn't know. *wipes mouth*
Despite mishaps and confusion, these are a chocolatey caramely bomb of goodness. Eat 'em up.
Brownies Ho
Homemade Oreos
NOM! Made these because I was dying to and also for care packages for Greta and Sam. Very fun. They do taste suprisingly like Oreos; next time try the similar Malted Milk sandwich cookies and the Salt & Pepper sandwich cookies from Baked, both available on the Serious Eats website, the filling is very similar. Please GOD eat them with a glass of milk. SO GOOD and it's true, they are awesomely and strangely similar to Oreos.
Notes: Used my Penzey's natural cocoa rather than Dutch process and added 3/8 tsp of baking soda to compensate, didn't detect any problems. 1 cup of sugar was plenty. The cookies are cutest (and therefore best and most enjoyable) when they are actually oreo-sized, which is a shockingly small amount of cookie dough. It says to use "a rounded teaspoon", and they'll come out about right if you use a little less than a teaspoon, rounded, rather than a round ball protruding from the teaspoon measure. You don't really need to use that much filling, it should be thin; I definitely had some leftover filling, but not enough to decrease the recipe significantly, just undershoot a little bit. The recipe made almost 30 cookies and some were monsters, so if this isn't for a crowd half of it would be just fine, thank you, and it's not an ideal candidate for freezing.
In sum: a fun project!
Homemade Oreos
Notes: Used my Penzey's natural cocoa rather than Dutch process and added 3/8 tsp of baking soda to compensate, didn't detect any problems. 1 cup of sugar was plenty. The cookies are cutest (and therefore best and most enjoyable) when they are actually oreo-sized, which is a shockingly small amount of cookie dough. It says to use "a rounded teaspoon", and they'll come out about right if you use a little less than a teaspoon, rounded, rather than a round ball protruding from the teaspoon measure. You don't really need to use that much filling, it should be thin; I definitely had some leftover filling, but not enough to decrease the recipe significantly, just undershoot a little bit. The recipe made almost 30 cookies and some were monsters, so if this isn't for a crowd half of it would be just fine, thank you, and it's not an ideal candidate for freezing.
In sum: a fun project!
Homemade Oreos
Whole Wheat Bread
Another attempt at making a basic, everyday sort of bread. The best so far, I think--nice and substantial, and kept for a full week wrapped in a plastic bag on the counter without drying out. Not a terribly interesting bread, and not crusty or anything, but good as a basic bread. Ate it with hummus, and with mushroom bourguinon, and as eggs in a hole, etc, and it was perfectly serviceable, soft and moist with a nice crumb. I'd like to find a way to up the proportion of wheat flour in my bread, though--I'm getting a little concerned about how much white flour I eat, especially with all the baking.
Notes: Ended up kneading a lot longer and adding, I think, more flour than was called for. Mixed everything in Cleo and then turned out to hand-knead; kneaded one loaf probably 10 minutes, the other 15, before the windowpane test was remotely passable. I'm not sure it made any difference, they were basically indistinguishable after baking. Not sure if this is why, but despite cutting the cute little x in the top, the bottom bust out pretty seriously on both loaves. The OP's loaves look like they have a better crust than mine--I'm going to have to experiment with the whole steam bath thing. Very nice that the rising time is only 15 minutes; total, this took less than two hours.
Try freezing one of the loaves next time before baking. I was lucky to have guests to help me eat up both in one week.
Whole Wheat Bread
Notes: Ended up kneading a lot longer and adding, I think, more flour than was called for. Mixed everything in Cleo and then turned out to hand-knead; kneaded one loaf probably 10 minutes, the other 15, before the windowpane test was remotely passable. I'm not sure it made any difference, they were basically indistinguishable after baking. Not sure if this is why, but despite cutting the cute little x in the top, the bottom bust out pretty seriously on both loaves. The OP's loaves look like they have a better crust than mine--I'm going to have to experiment with the whole steam bath thing. Very nice that the rising time is only 15 minutes; total, this took less than two hours.
Try freezing one of the loaves next time before baking. I was lucky to have guests to help me eat up both in one week.
Whole Wheat Bread
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Cream Scones
These little beauties are a lovely plain scone recipe (I skipped the currants entirely and was pleased about it) that can be eaten at any time, and are lovely with a cup of tea. They are not dense, but rather almost biscuity, and come together quickly and easily. They have a nice light flavor and texture. Heat them before eating, or just freeze them and then pop them in the oven when you want one; it's quick and they're so good this way. Eat up.
Notes: I didn't have quite enough heavy cream and subbed in a little bit of milk, but I'd do all heavy cream next time; why not? Doing this in a cake pan, cutting into triangles with bench scraper, worked beautifully.
These may or may not have seduced a boy. We'll see.
UPDATE: Yup.
Spread some lemon curd or honey or chocolate ganache or jam or really just about anything on this and MUNCH.
Notes: I didn't have quite enough heavy cream and subbed in a little bit of milk, but I'd do all heavy cream next time; why not? Doing this in a cake pan, cutting into triangles with bench scraper, worked beautifully.
These may or may not have seduced a boy. We'll see.
UPDATE: Yup.
Spread some lemon curd or honey or chocolate ganache or jam or really just about anything on this and MUNCH.
No-Knead Bread
Been hearing a lot about this puppy, decided to give it a shot; questions remain, but a good basic starting point. This halved version of the recipe was a good amount; half of that was a good-sized loaf, and the rest could be refrigerated until next time, which I'd like to try for flavor anyways.
Rising: This straight up did not rise the way it was supposed to. Not sure if I should have left it for longer (Mark Bittman's recipe would suggest yes), if my yeast is funky, if it wasn't warm enough out in the kitchen, or what. Not sure. So yeah, it was pretty flat, but it still tasted good! The slashes made little to no difference as far as I could tell, which I have to believe is a result of the non-rise.
Shaping: This is very, very wet, and I did not shape it as well as I wanted to. LOTS of flour should be used during this step, and don't let that dough be the boss of you! I suspect if I had been more aggressive in pulling it around to be the shape I wanted, it would have risen better.
Crust/baking: I put it on a cookie sheet, on cornmeal, and it came out fine. As Budget Bytes suggested I brushed it with water and the crust was good, but soft and not beautifully artisan--try the steam on the pan next time.
Frankly, I don't understand the aversion to kneading--it's fun and it feels good!--but this is an interesting method with reasonably good results, and one that I definitely want to experiment with, especially since it uses AP flour. Try her no-knead ciabatta also, although it requires whole wheat and bread flour.
Breadtime
No-knead ciabatta
Rising: This straight up did not rise the way it was supposed to. Not sure if I should have left it for longer (Mark Bittman's recipe would suggest yes), if my yeast is funky, if it wasn't warm enough out in the kitchen, or what. Not sure. So yeah, it was pretty flat, but it still tasted good! The slashes made little to no difference as far as I could tell, which I have to believe is a result of the non-rise.
Shaping: This is very, very wet, and I did not shape it as well as I wanted to. LOTS of flour should be used during this step, and don't let that dough be the boss of you! I suspect if I had been more aggressive in pulling it around to be the shape I wanted, it would have risen better.
Crust/baking: I put it on a cookie sheet, on cornmeal, and it came out fine. As Budget Bytes suggested I brushed it with water and the crust was good, but soft and not beautifully artisan--try the steam on the pan next time.
Frankly, I don't understand the aversion to kneading--it's fun and it feels good!--but this is an interesting method with reasonably good results, and one that I definitely want to experiment with, especially since it uses AP flour. Try her no-knead ciabatta also, although it requires whole wheat and bread flour.
Breadtime
No-knead ciabatta
Lemon curd
I used rough estimates from several different recipes to make this little beauty, based on what I had and what I felt like using, and it turned out perfectly. I imagine that some variation on this theme would be permittable, as it all comes together in a smooth, luscious, why-yes-I-will-gladly-eat-the-whole-jar now sort of way. Any of the flavors being more pronounced would not be the most terrible thing. My tweaks, which sadly I did not really record faithfully, produced about a Bonne Maman jam jar-sized batch. NOM.
Notes: My curd didn't thicken up like it said it would on the stove; just use the temperature and it'll be fine, it thickens when chilled (and when butter is added!). I whisked in butter after straining the zest (which you should definitely do) and that worked nicely. Be sure to continuously whisk this puppy on the stove--for real. It doesn't take long. Vaguely, I remember using 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, several tsp of lemon zest, 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks, and a stick of butter. Maybe. But I've been doing a lot of baking with lemons recently, so who knows?
These are all for reference, with various amounts and directions; the basic recipe is simple though, so just familiarize yourself again with these.
Eat it with a spoon, you won't regret it.
This is approximately the method I used, zest added with other ingredients not at the end.
For reference.
More sugar, less lemon; not crazy about that idea!
More.
Notes: My curd didn't thicken up like it said it would on the stove; just use the temperature and it'll be fine, it thickens when chilled (and when butter is added!). I whisked in butter after straining the zest (which you should definitely do) and that worked nicely. Be sure to continuously whisk this puppy on the stove--for real. It doesn't take long. Vaguely, I remember using 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, several tsp of lemon zest, 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks, and a stick of butter. Maybe. But I've been doing a lot of baking with lemons recently, so who knows?
These are all for reference, with various amounts and directions; the basic recipe is simple though, so just familiarize yourself again with these.
Eat it with a spoon, you won't regret it.
This is approximately the method I used, zest added with other ingredients not at the end.
For reference.
More sugar, less lemon; not crazy about that idea!
More.
Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake
Let me tell you something. This was A PRODUCTION. And unlike everyone who has praised this cake to high heaven, I'm not totally convinced; I wasn't absolutely blown away, especially given the amount of work it was and my expectations for a salty, caramely, chocolate deliciousness bomb.! It certainly didn't send me into fits, nothing too unusual or difficult, just a lot of moving pieces (and definitely a serious clean-up job). But I think a large part of that has to do with refrigeration. If it had been at room temp, I think it would have been absolutely divine. To be honest, though, I'm not sure it beats my standby marvelous chocolate cake, blogged below, and that's a lot less work and fuss!
Notes: many! Let's take them one by one.
Cake: This cake is nice and nondescript; with all the other things going on, it wasn't really the star player, but it's not like it was a fussy recipe or anything. Your basic chocolate cake, and only uses cocoa powder which is kind of nice. I had 3 9" pans so I used them, sue me. A thicker layer would have been better, I can't deny it, but the thought of baking 3 8" cakes in succession just kind of wore me out. Definitely freeze for a while before frosting. I only did for an hour or two, I think. See Assembly notes.
Salted Caramel: I overdid this a little teensy bit and it was just slightly burned, but still tasted delicious, just be sure to watch it closely. I actually would have liked to have more of it for the cake; I didn't end up tasting it really at all in the finished product, which was really a bummer. Maybe 1.5 it, reserving extra for drizzling :)
Whipped Caramel Ganache Frosting: This was really an outrageous amount of frosting, I have no idea why anyone would need so much of it. I probably used 2/3 of it and that was too much. I'd 3/4 it at the very least, especially if smaller cakes are used! Sheesh. Wasted some of my precious Valhrona that I carried in my suitcase all the way from France on extra frosting that I ended up throwing away :(. This didn't really taste like caramel at all, even before its time in the fridge, but that's not to say it wasn't delicious. Consistency is the biggest issue here. It was lovely and light before its time in the fridge, and I guess I thought it would stay that way, but no dice; in the fridge for 30 min or so, I could rewhip to a good texture and frost. More than that and it was too hard, although I don't know what would happen if you let it come to room temp and rewhipped.
Assembly: ah, assembly. A challenge, to be sure. From start to finish, this took me something like 5 hours, which makes doing it the day of difficult, but sadly that's what I'm going to have to recommend for maximum tastiness. So here's my final breakdown: the caramel can definitely be made ahead with no problems. I'd imagine the cake could be made the previous day, frozen, and left at room temp for a while to defrost the day of, or to be safer it should be made day-of and just frozen for half an hour or so. But the frosting should be made, chilled for just a bit, and then spread on the cake, which should be served very soon afterwards.
FINAL INSTRUCTIONS: Caramel day-ahead, refrigerated.
Day-of: Bake cake, trim, put in freezer while making frosting. Make frosting, put in fridge for 20 min; take out cake to return to semi-room temp; take out caramel. Wait for frosting to chill; take out and re-whip. Pipe a rim of frosting onto bottom layers, fill with caramel, and plop those babies on top of each other! Frost cake, top with sea salt, serve soon afterwards, hopefully without needing to refrigerate finished cake.
CAAAAAAKE.
Notes: many! Let's take them one by one.
Cake: This cake is nice and nondescript; with all the other things going on, it wasn't really the star player, but it's not like it was a fussy recipe or anything. Your basic chocolate cake, and only uses cocoa powder which is kind of nice. I had 3 9" pans so I used them, sue me. A thicker layer would have been better, I can't deny it, but the thought of baking 3 8" cakes in succession just kind of wore me out. Definitely freeze for a while before frosting. I only did for an hour or two, I think. See Assembly notes.
Salted Caramel: I overdid this a little teensy bit and it was just slightly burned, but still tasted delicious, just be sure to watch it closely. I actually would have liked to have more of it for the cake; I didn't end up tasting it really at all in the finished product, which was really a bummer. Maybe 1.5 it, reserving extra for drizzling :)
Whipped Caramel Ganache Frosting: This was really an outrageous amount of frosting, I have no idea why anyone would need so much of it. I probably used 2/3 of it and that was too much. I'd 3/4 it at the very least, especially if smaller cakes are used! Sheesh. Wasted some of my precious Valhrona that I carried in my suitcase all the way from France on extra frosting that I ended up throwing away :(. This didn't really taste like caramel at all, even before its time in the fridge, but that's not to say it wasn't delicious. Consistency is the biggest issue here. It was lovely and light before its time in the fridge, and I guess I thought it would stay that way, but no dice; in the fridge for 30 min or so, I could rewhip to a good texture and frost. More than that and it was too hard, although I don't know what would happen if you let it come to room temp and rewhipped.
Assembly: ah, assembly. A challenge, to be sure. From start to finish, this took me something like 5 hours, which makes doing it the day of difficult, but sadly that's what I'm going to have to recommend for maximum tastiness. So here's my final breakdown: the caramel can definitely be made ahead with no problems. I'd imagine the cake could be made the previous day, frozen, and left at room temp for a while to defrost the day of, or to be safer it should be made day-of and just frozen for half an hour or so. But the frosting should be made, chilled for just a bit, and then spread on the cake, which should be served very soon afterwards.
FINAL INSTRUCTIONS: Caramel day-ahead, refrigerated.
Day-of: Bake cake, trim, put in freezer while making frosting. Make frosting, put in fridge for 20 min; take out cake to return to semi-room temp; take out caramel. Wait for frosting to chill; take out and re-whip. Pipe a rim of frosting onto bottom layers, fill with caramel, and plop those babies on top of each other! Frost cake, top with sea salt, serve soon afterwards, hopefully without needing to refrigerate finished cake.
CAAAAAAKE.
Dorie's French Lemon Cream Tart
Do. Want.
This is absolutely delicious. Here at the house we only have 11" tart pans, so I 1.5'd both the filling and the crust; the crust amount was just right, but made WAY too much filling. I'd stick to 1 next time. It's kind of hard to eat the filling on its own because it's so light and sweet, so making lots of extra is kind of a waste, sadly. Served with fresh berries on top, this was a winner. It's very light and refreshing; I did this along with Dorie's heavier chocolate-banana tart and the contrast between the two was nice, I think. It's not intensely lemony (although I was just slightly under the amount of zest and juice required, I think it was good this way), more a light lemon cream as the recipe describes.
Notes: make sure to chill the lemon cream long enough before serving, both in the container and in the tart shell. I didn't have enough time and it was not at all set, which was fine taste-wise but not a great presentation. Don't be afraid to whip it in the blender for a while, I think this probably contributed to texture issues since even after a few days in the fridge it wasn't exactly set. I ended up using various citruses because I ran out of lemon, and it was delicious, don't be afraid to do this again. Next time I'd like to put a pretty little candied lemon slice on top :) As for the shell, just press it right into the pan, spreading out the clumps before pressing to decrease the amount of force needed.
Yum yum, in my tum!
Such a good little tart.
This is absolutely delicious. Here at the house we only have 11" tart pans, so I 1.5'd both the filling and the crust; the crust amount was just right, but made WAY too much filling. I'd stick to 1 next time. It's kind of hard to eat the filling on its own because it's so light and sweet, so making lots of extra is kind of a waste, sadly. Served with fresh berries on top, this was a winner. It's very light and refreshing; I did this along with Dorie's heavier chocolate-banana tart and the contrast between the two was nice, I think. It's not intensely lemony (although I was just slightly under the amount of zest and juice required, I think it was good this way), more a light lemon cream as the recipe describes.
Notes: make sure to chill the lemon cream long enough before serving, both in the container and in the tart shell. I didn't have enough time and it was not at all set, which was fine taste-wise but not a great presentation. Don't be afraid to whip it in the blender for a while, I think this probably contributed to texture issues since even after a few days in the fridge it wasn't exactly set. I ended up using various citruses because I ran out of lemon, and it was delicious, don't be afraid to do this again. Next time I'd like to put a pretty little candied lemon slice on top :) As for the shell, just press it right into the pan, spreading out the clumps before pressing to decrease the amount of force needed.
Yum yum, in my tum!
Such a good little tart.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Corn Chowder
This soup is not terribly complex but makes for a marvelous winter comforting soup, thick and delicious. I substituted with what I had on hand and it worked out just great.
Notes: I added a tb of olive oil instead of bacon. Don't let the mirepoix get browned, especially the onions, just soft. My mirepoix was pretty chunky and I liked it that way, made the soup have a nice texture. I used canned corn, 1 15 oz can, and subbed the corn juice plus enough water to get to 2 cups for the veggie stock; it was good but I can see how veggie stock might be even better. I also used 1/2 c heavy cream plus 1 1/2 c milk rather than half and half, and this was a good level of creaminess so I think I'd do that again. One big Yukon rather than fingerling potatoes, can't imagine there'd be a difference. More salt and pepper are necessary than you think.
I expect to get about 4 meals out of this, less than most soups, so maybe double it and freeze some; it's supposed to freeze well and I can see enjoying this for a few months, on and off, during the winter season.
Corn Chowder
Notes: I added a tb of olive oil instead of bacon. Don't let the mirepoix get browned, especially the onions, just soft. My mirepoix was pretty chunky and I liked it that way, made the soup have a nice texture. I used canned corn, 1 15 oz can, and subbed the corn juice plus enough water to get to 2 cups for the veggie stock; it was good but I can see how veggie stock might be even better. I also used 1/2 c heavy cream plus 1 1/2 c milk rather than half and half, and this was a good level of creaminess so I think I'd do that again. One big Yukon rather than fingerling potatoes, can't imagine there'd be a difference. More salt and pepper are necessary than you think.
I expect to get about 4 meals out of this, less than most soups, so maybe double it and freeze some; it's supposed to freeze well and I can see enjoying this for a few months, on and off, during the winter season.
Corn Chowder
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