Warm Weather Grilling

Happy Halloween!

It was a great day, today!  Sunny and warm...  Perfect for an intimate gathering of three million people in Philly to see the World Series Winning Philadelphia Phillies parade down Broad Street.  I couldn't even begin to imagine being there.  But from the (hours and hours) of TV coverage, it did look as if a good time was being had by all.

A good time was being had by me, as well.  I was home by 3:45pm, and had a tri-tip roast on the grill at 4:45pm.

This was a classic 20  minute dinner.  I put the roast on the grill outside, started a pot of rice, and while both of them were cooking, watched TV coverage of the parade.  A few minutes before they were done, I steamed some broccolini.

Dinner was served.

And then the phone started ringing... more political balderdash... and the doorbell started ringing - which makes the dog go crazy.

So much for my nice, quiet night at home..... :(


Pork Chops and Lingonberries

My twice-yearly shopping at Ikea always means a couple of jars of Lingonberry Preserves.  We have almost as many flavors of jam and preserves in the 'fridge and in the cabinets as we do mustards.  I like my sweet and I like my savory.

Back home there is a small supermarket chain named Andronico's.  Great food with fairly high prices, but unsurpassed quality.  The original "you get what you pay for" type of store.  Their sandwich/deli area had the best turkey sandwich with fresh-roasted turkey, spicy mustard - and lingonberry preserves.  It was the most excellent sandwich.  they had a whole wheat french roll that was just the perfect container for the fabulous fillings.  I miss that sandwich!

But I digress...

With two jars of Lingonberry preserves (and one cloudberry and one gooseberry!) that sweet/savory taste was calling to me...  Years and years (and years) ago when I worked at the Hyatt Lake Tahoe, we had duck with a lingonberry sauce at Hugo's.  I didn't have any duck at home, but I had pork chops.  That sauce started with a classic demi-glace that I was not about to start making at home an hour before I wanted to eat, but I've done quick wine and stock reductions and figured this was a perfect time to do another!

Lingonberry Sauce

  • 2 cups red wine
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup lingonberry preserves
  • 1/2 tsp tarragon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp butter mixed with 1 tbsp flour

Put wine and both broths in a pot, boil, and reduce to 1 cup.  Stir in lingonberry preserves and tarragon.  Heat through. Thicken with flour/butter paste.  Taste for seasoning.

Really simple.  Really!

And since we were having pork chops with lingonberries, I decided we needed Pumpkin Polenta to go along with it.  Victor has been laughing at me because every year I go on a huge pumpkin kick and serve it in some fashion at least three times a week for a month or more.  This pumpkin polenta was just another in a long line of pumpkin recipes that have been appearing this year...

Pumpkin Polenta

  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2/3 cup polenta
  • salt and pepper to taste

Bring chicken broth, cream, butter, salt, pepper, and pumpkin to a boil.  Slowly stir in polenta.  Reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked. (I used a really coarse polenta that takes about 45 minutes.  Finer-grained polenta will take less time.)

I pan-fried the pork chops in a bit of olive oil, S&P.

I steamed the brussel's sprouts and then browned in a skillet with butter and a dusting of Honey Dust.

I dirtied four pans.  It was worth every one of them!


Gnocchi with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Well...  I had planned on having Pumpkin Soup two nights in a row, but Victor had other ideas...

We had a couple dozen fresh plum tomatoes that were r-i-p-e and really needed to be used, so whilst I was working away at work today, Victor made fresh sauce and homemade meatballs.

The house smelled great when I walked in!.  There was a big pot simmering on the stove with the sauce, meatballs and sweet Italian sausage.  Yum.  Gnocchi and fresh bread just topped it off.

And dessert is going to be fun, tonight!  Amanda gave me an Apple Strudel Apple from Zwalen's in Audubon.  OMG!  And out Neighbor Peg made us candied walnuts...  AND we have the homemamde cookies...

Life is good!


Pumpkin Soup

Dinner tonight was just soooo good!  Pumpkin Soup with chicken, barley, black beans... big chunks of fresh pumpkin... YUM!

It's Autumn.  I've had a pumpkin fixation for a while, now... Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, an earlier pumpkin soup... but yesterday I saw the canned pumpkin had finally arrived at work, the green chilis had finally arrived, and I was ready for more pumpkin soup!  I made three variations at work and settled on a vegetarian version to demo in a couple of weeks.  In the meantime, I brought a chicken home to make a heartier version at home.

I sauteed some onions and garlic and added the bird, covered with wine and water and let simmer a few hours.  I pulled out the bird, reduced the broth a bit more, then everything went into the 'fridge after it cooled.

Today when I got home, I made soup:

  • 4 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 cup barley, cooked separately
  • 1 sugar pumpkin, roasted
  • 2 cans pumpkin
  • 2 cans green chilis
  • 1 can black beans
  • 4 stalks celery, diced
  • cumin
  • chipotle powder
  • garlic powder
  • salt and pepper

Finally, I cubed the fresh pumpkin and added it.  I checked for seasoning and into bowls it went with a dollup of Sour Cream on top.

I cut the pumpkin in half, scooped out seeds and roasted about 40 minutes at 350°.

In my soup pot, I sauteed the celery and carrot about 5 minutes, added a splash of white wine, and then the chicken stock.  I let it simmer and then added 2 cans of pumpkin and 2 cans of green chilis, cumin, chipotle powder and garlic.  And a bit of salt and pepper.

I shredded the chicken and added to the pot.  Then the cooked barley went in... and the beans.

I made a BIG pot - enough for dinner tomorrow night, too!


Honey Dust

Amanda went to the Renaissance Faire and I got Honey Dust! And Cranberry Honey!  What Fun!  Having absolutely no idea what Honey Dust was, I had to go to the Bee Folks Website to find out more.

The website states that Honey Dust is honey, virgin cane sugar, and virgin molasses crystallized together, making a sweet powder treat.  How cool is that?  Victor immediately had some in a cup of tea.  I thought dessert.

I was in the mood for cookies - we've had cakes and pies for weeks - and decided my Everything But The Kitchen Sink Cookies were just the treat we needed.

  • 2 cubes butter
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup chopped nuts
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1 cup coconut

Cream butter and sugars until light, then add the eggs one at a time.  Add the flour and baking soda, then the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well.

Use a 1/4 cup scoop and scoop out cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet. (I always line my sheets with parchment!)  Press down slightly with damp fingers.

Bake at 350° for about 20 - 22 minutes.

In place of the sugar I added the Honey Dust!  WOW!

It definitely added a new dimension to the cookies!  As Tony the Tiger says...  They're Great!


Beef Stroganoff

About a million years ago - 1976 - I moved to Lake Tahoe.  A friend of mine, Steve Johnson, had recommended me for a job at The Old Post Office in Carnelian Bay on the North Shore.  I had known Steve for about 5 years... We managed restaurants for the same owner - me in San Francisco, and Steve across the bay in El Sobrante.  We were pretty good friends.  I even lived with his girlfriend for about a year...

Steve and Shelley broke up and he eventually ended up moving back to Tahoe - he was from the area, originally.  I quit the other restaurant, worked at a couple of other places and ended up getting laid off.  I did absolutely nothing for several months, collected unemployment, smoked a lot of pot (it was the '70's - it's what one did!) watched Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and generally enjoyed life.

So...  I got the job, moved to Tahoe, and Steve and I became roommates in a little 2br 1930's uninsulated summer cabin in Tahoe Vista.  We had a blast! He bought a little Fisher stove and burned coal to stay warm - driving down to Reno in his VW bug and hauling 600 lbs at a time back up the hill - at 10 mph up the steeper grades.)  Sweet youth.

The reason for all this history?!?  Steve made great Beef Stroganoff!  I almost always think of him when I make it.  He made a really, really simple version, browning the beef and mushrooms, adding sour cream and a dollop of mustard, and served over noodles.  That was pretty much it.   And it definitely worked for me. I would spend several hours making stuffed chicken breasts in a champagne mushroom sauce served with roasted root vegetables.  He'd whip up dinner in minutes.  Show-off!

I've played with his recipe over the years and while classic Beef Stroganoff calls for white wine and tarragon, I usually add a splash of sherry and a bit of dill.  Sometimes paprika.  Garlic.  Definitely onions...

Tonight's recipe was:

  • 1 lb beef, cut in strips
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • about 1 lb mixed mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup sherry
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp Champagne Garlic Mustard
  • flour
  • paprika
  • dill
  • salt and pepper

I cooked the onions, garlic, and mushrooms in a pat of butter about 5 minutes (they were well-cooked.)  They went into a bowl, and then I browned the beef after  rolling it in flour, paprika, salt & pepper.

After it was browned, i added the mushroom and onions and the sherry.  I cooked it down and then added the heavy cream, then the sour cream and the mustard.  Heated it all though and served over wide egg noodles.

It was yummy, with enough left over for lunch tomorrow!

So what happened to Steve, you ask?!?  He married a great gal named Diane that I worked with at the Old PO.  They moved to Truckee where Steve went to work for the Truckee Sanitation District.  We lost track of each other about 10 yerars ago.  Victor and I went up to see them and they moved not long after...

If you're reading this, Steve - drop a line!


Teatro ZinZanni and Ravioli

It's been a few years since we had dinner at Teatro ZinZanni in San Francisco, but I never tire of looking at the great (and ridiculously expensive) plates we bought afterwards in their gift shop.  Two oval and two round - they were like $45.00 a piece!  Damn, I used to make good money!  But I digress...

Billed as "Love, Chaos, and Dinner"  it is most certainly all three - especially the chaos and dinner!

Teatro ZinZanni is a bit difficult to describe.  It's like having dinner in the middle - literally - of a three-ring circus.  There is so much going on around you, in front of you, and often to you, it's difficult to remember you're also eating really good food!  Chaos, indeed.  And fun.  Acrobats and contortionists, comics, food literally flying through the air - the contraption they use to distribute dessert is unbeliveable!  It is serious fun.

So, you ask... what does Teatro ZinZanni and tonight's dinner have in common?  Absolutely nothing.  It was just a bit of a walk down Memory Lane.  And the walk just saved me $300.00.  On our last night in San Francisco next month we're staying at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero.  I just went online to buy tickets, and - alas - they are closed on Monday nights.  But... Harrington's is right down the street.  I haven't been there in quite a while.  i used to meet two of my sisters there for lunch once or twice a week about 25 years ago.  French Burgers and lots of alcohol.... I digress some more...

I like using the plates for  big pasta dinners in the winter and salads in the summer.  They're the perfect size and they really do evoke some fun memories...

So tonight they wwere filled with beef ravioli, frozen from the grocery store.  I did make the sauce, though.  Ground beef, garlic, onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, red wine, crushed tomatoes and tomato puree, and Italian Seasoning...  Pretty much the same way my mom made hers...

I heated the focaccia Victor made yesterday, and dinner was served.

And there's more cake for dessert.....


Sunday Dinner

Dinner was great!  Victor made Broccoli Soup today!  He made a huge batch because his mom was coming over and she likes broccoli soup.  We gave her a couple of containers to take home with her.

The soup recipe is fairly basic...  Fresh broccoli, broth, butter, cream, onions, and cheese.  Cook and hit it with the immersion blender.

His other treat was the homemade focaccia.  He used Lidia's Pizza Dough Recipe again, and it came out great!

And then he made dessert...  Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with a Lemon Glaze.

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 sticks butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375°.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt.

Beat together butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs until combined. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and poppy seeds and mix until just combined.

Bake about 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan about 5 minutes, then remove and cool on rack rack.

Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over warm cake.

Yum.


Sunday Breakfast

It's all Amanda's fault!  She said she was bringing sticky buns to a friend's house - and next thing you know, I was buying them for breakfast this morning!  Thank you! :)

They may be the simplest, easiest - and yummiest - breakfast treat on the market!  Just sit out on the counter overnight, and bake in the morning.

And since I was out and about at lunchtime, I stopped off at Five Guys for Bacon Cheeseburgers and fries to go.

I got 'em with "The Works" which really does mean everything under the sun.  Properly greasy with more fries than we could ever eat, it was great.  Dinner tonight is going to be Broccoli Soup with homemade focaccia.

Stay tuned.


Stuffed Baked Potatoes

I've had a hankerin' for baked potatoes for a while, now.  I don't seem to eat many during the summer months.  They're certainly easy enough to do on the grill, but.....

So I picked up some potatoes with the sole purpose of stuffing and baking.  I was thinking something creamy, cheese, mushroomy and wouldn't you know?!?  I had cheese and mushrooms - and ground beef - right in the 'fridge!

I sauteed a bit of minced onion in a dab of butter and added finely-chopped mushrooms.  After they had cooked and rendered all of their liquid, I added a bit of ground beef - maybe a quarter-pound.  I browned the beef, added a splash of sherry and some salt and pepper, and then stirred in some cotswold cheese.

I cut off the tops of the baked potatoes, and scooped out most of the potato, leaving about a 1/4 inch shell.  I then packed them with the beef and mushroom mixture and into a 400° oven they went.

In the meantime, I sliced up a bit of the flank steak from last night, and reheated a piece of yesterday's French Bread.  The bread re-heated beautifully!  I was quite pleased.

Out came the potatoes from the oven and a dollop of sour cream finished them off.

Cold flank steak, crusty bread, and stuffed baked potatoes.

Life is good.


Fresh French Bread

I brought home a ton of cheese yesterday.  It happens every time I work the cheese section in the morning.  I just go crazy.  I want everything and... well... I like cheese.  It's one of the most versatile foods in the universe.

I decided that good cheese needed good bread, so I set out this morning to make Julia Child's French Bread.  It's a bit of a long recipe...

Pain Francais (French Bread)

(From Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Volume Two by Julia Child and Simone Beck)

Recipe Quantity:
3 - baguettes (24” x 2”) or batards (16” x 3”) or
6 – short loaves, ficelles, 12 – 16” x 2” or
3 – round loaves, boules, 7 – 8” in diameter or
12 – round or oval rolls, petits pains or
1 – large round or oval loaf, pain de menage or miche; pain boulot

Recipe Time: 7 – 9 hours

Additional Information About the Recipe Flour: French bakers make plain French bread out of unbleached flour that has gluten strength of 8 to 9 per cent. Most American all-purpose flour is bleached and has slightly higher gluten content as well as being slightly finer in texture. It is easier to make bread with French flour than with American flour.

Bakers’ Oven Versus Home Ovens: Bakers’ ovens are so constructed that one slides the formed bread dough from a wooden panel right onto the hot, fire-brick oven floor, a steam injection system humidifies the oven for the first few minutes of baking. Steam allows the yeast to work a little longer in the dough and this, combined with the hot baking surface, produced an extra push of volume. In addition, steam coagulating the starch on the surface of the dough gives the crust its characteristic brown color. Although you can produce a good loaf of French bread without steam or a hot baking surface, you will a larger and handsomer loaf when you simulate professional conditions.

Stand Mixer Mixing and Kneading of French Bread Dough: French bread dough is too soft to work in the electric food processor, but the heavy-duty mixer with dough hook works perfectly. The double-hook attachment that comes with some hand held mixers and the hand-cranking bread pails are slower and less efficient, to our mind, than hand kneading. In any case, when you are using electricity, follow the steps in the recipe as outlined, including the rests; do not over-knead and for the heavy duty mixer, do not go over a moderate speed of number 3 or 4, or you risk breaking down the gluten in the dough.

Equipment Needed: Unless you plan to go into the more elaborate simulation of a baker’s oven, you need no unusual equipment for the following recipe. Here are the requirements, some of which may sound odd but will explain themselves when you read the recipe.

  • 4 to 5 quart mixing bowl with fairly vertical rather than outward slanting sides
  • a kneading surface of some sort, 1 1/2 to 2 square feet
  • a rubber spatula or either a metal scraper or a stiff wide metal spatula
  • 1 to 2 unwrinkled canvas pastry cloths or stiff linen towels upon which the dough may rise
  • a stiff piece of cardboard or plywood 18 – 20 inches long and 6 – 8 inches wide, for unmolding dough from canvas to baking sheet
  • finely ground cornmeal or pasta pulverized in an electric blender to sprinkle on unmolding board so as to prevent dough from sticking
  • the largest baking sheet that will fit in your oven
  • a razor blade or extremely sharp knife for slashing the top of the dough
  • a soft pastry brush or fine spray atomizer for moistening dough before and during baking
  • a room thermometer to verify rising temperature

Making French Bread:

Step 1: The Dough Mixture – le fraisage (or frasage)

  • 1 cake (0.6 ounce) (20grams) fresh yeast or 1 package dry active yeast
  • 1/3 cup (75ml) warm water, not over 100 degrees F/38C in a glass measure
  • 3 1/2 cup (about 1 lb) (490 gr) all purpose flour, measured by scooping dry measure cups into flour and sweeping off excess
  • 2 1/4 tsp (12 gr) salt
  • 1 1/4 cups (280 - 300ml) tepid water at 70 – 74 degrees/21 - 23C

Both Methods: Stir the yeast in the 1/3 cup warm water and let liquefy completely while measuring flour into mixing bowl. When yeast has liquefied, pour it into the flour along with the salt and the rest of the water.

Hand Method: Stir and cut the liquids into the flour with a rubber spatula, pressing firmly to form a dough and making sure that all the bits of flour and unmassed pieces are gathered in. Turn dough out onto kneading surface, scraping bowl clean. Dough will be soft and sticky.

Stand Mixer: Combine the ingredients using the dough hook.

Both Methods: Turn dough out onto kneading surface, scraping bowl clean. Dough will be soft and sticky. Let the dough rest for 2 – 3 minutes while you wash and dry the bowl (and the dough hook if using a stand mixer).

Step 2: Kneading – petrissage
The flour will have absorbed the liquid during this short rest, and the dough will have a little more cohesion for the kneading that is about to begin. Use one hand only for kneading and keep the other clean to hold a pastry scrapper, to dip out extra flour, to answer the telephone, and so forth. Your object in kneading is to render the dough perfectly smooth and to work it sufficiently so that all the gluten molecules are moistened and joined together into an interlocking web. You cannot see this happen, of course, but you can feel it because the dough will become elastic and will retract into shape when you push it out.

Hand Method: Start kneading by lifting the near edge of the dough, using a pastry scraper or stiff wide spatula to help you if necessary, and flipping the dough over onto itself. Scrape dough off the surface and slap it down; lift edge and flip it over again, repeating the movement rapidly.

In 2 -3 minutes the dough should have enough body so that you can give it a quick forward push with the heel of your hand as you flip it over.

Continue to knead rapidly and vigorously in this way. If the dough remains too sticky, knead in a sprinkling of flour. The whole kneading process will take 5 – 10 minutes, depending on how expert you become.

Shortly after this point, the dough should have developed enough elasticity so it draws back into shape when pushed, indicating the gluten molecules have united and are under tension like a thin web of rubber; the dough should also begin to clean itself off the kneading surface, although it will stick to your fingers if you hold a pinch of dough for more than a second or two.

Stand Mixer: Knead.

Both Methods: Let dough rest for 3 – 4 minutes. Knead by hand for a minute. The surface should now look smooth; the dough will be less sticky but will still remain soft. It is now ready for its first rise.

Step 3: First Rising – pointage premier temps (3-5 hours at around 70 degrees)
You now have approximately 3 cups of dough that is to rise to 3 1/2 times its original volume, or to about 10 1/2 cups. Wash and fill the mixing bowl with 10 1/2 cups of tepid water (70 – 80 degrees) and make a mark to indicate that level on the outside of the bowl. Note, that the bowl should have fairly upright sides; if they are too outward slanting, the dough will have difficulty in rising. Pour out the water, dry the bowl, and place the dough in it (Mary and Sara Note: Very lightly grease the bowl with butter or kitchen spray as well to prevent the risen dough from sticking to the bowl).

Slip the bowl into a large plastic bag or cover with plastic, and top with a folded bath towel. Set on a wooden surface, marble or stone are too cold. Or on a folded towel or pillow, and let rise free from drafts anyplace where the temperature is around 70 degrees. If the room is too hot, set bowl in water and keep renewing water to maintain around 70 degrees. Dough should take at least 3 – 4 hours to rise to 10 1/2 cups. If temperature is lower than 70 degrees, it will simply take longer.
When fully risen, the dough will be humped into a slight dome, showing that the yeast is still active; it will be light and spongy when pressed. There will usually be some big bubbly blisters on the surface, and if you are using a glass bowl you will see bubbles through the glass.

Step 4: Deflating and Second Rising – rupture; pointage deuxieme temps (1 1/2 to 2 hours at around 70 degrees)
The dough is now ready to be deflated, which will release the yeast engendered gases and redistribute the yeast cells so that the dough will rise again and continue the fermentation process.

With a rubber spatula, dislodge dough from inside of bowl and turn out onto a lightly floured surface, scraping bowl clean. If dough seems damp and sweaty, sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour.

Lightly flour the palms of your hands and flatten the dough firmly but not too roughly into a circle, deflating any gas bubbles by pinching them.

Lift a corner of the near side and flip it down on the far side.

Do the same with the left side, then the right side. Finally, lift the near side and tuck it just under the edge of the far side. The mass of dough will look like a rounded cushion.

Slip the sides of your hands under the dough and return it to the bowl. Cover and let rise again, this time to not quite triple, but again until it is dome shaped and light and spongy when touched.

Step 5: Cutting and resting dough before forming loaves

Loosen dough all around inside of bowl and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Because of its two long rises, the dough will have much more body. If it seems damp and sweaty, sprinkle lightly with flour.

Making clean, sure cuts with a large knife or a bench scraper, divide the dough into:

  • 3 equal pieces for long loaves (baguettes or batards) or small round loaves (boules only)
  • 5 – 6 equal pieces for long thin loaves (ficelles)
  • 10 – 12 equal pieces for small oval rolls (petits pains, tire-bouchons) or small round rolls (petits pains, champignons)
  • 2 equal pieces for medium round loaves (pain de menage or miche only)
  • If you making one large round loaf (pain de menage, miche, or pain boulot), you will not cut the dough at all and just need to follow the directions below.

After you have cut each piece, lift one end and flip it over onto the opposite end to fold the dough into two; place dough at far side of kneading surface. Cover loosely with a sheet of plastic and let rest for 5 minutes before forming. This relaxes the gluten enough for shaping but not long enough for dough to begin rising again.

While the dough is resting, prepare the rising surface; smooth the canvas or linen towelling on a large tray or baking sheet, and rub flour thoroughly into the entire surface of the cloth to prevent the dough from sticking

Step 6: Forming the loaves – la tourne; la mise en forme des patons

Because French bread stands free in the oven and is not baked in a pan, it has to be formed in such a way that the tension of the coagulated gluten cloak on the surface will hold the dough in shape.

For Long Loaves - The Batard: (Baguettes are typically much too long for home ovens but the shaping method is the same)

After the 3 pieces of dough have rested 5 minutes, form one piece at a time, keeping the remaining ones covered.

Working rapidly, turn the dough upside down on a lightly floured kneading surface and pat it firmly but not too roughly into an 8 to 10 inch oval with the lightly floured palms of your hands. Deflate any gas bubbles in the dough by pinching them.

Fold the dough in half lengthwise by bringing the far edge down over the near edge.

Being sure that the working surface is always lightly floured so the dough will not stick and tear, which would break the lightly coagulated gluten cloak that is being formed, seal the edges of the dough together, your hands extended, thumbs out at right angles and touching.

Roll the dough a quarter turn forward so the seal is on top.

Flatten the dough again into an oval with the palms of your hands.

Press a trench along the central length of the oval with the side of one hand.

Fold in half again lengthwise.

This time seal the edges together with the heel of one hand, and roll the dough a quarter of a turn toward you so the seal is on the bottom.

Now, by rolling the dough back and forth with the palms of your hands, you will lengthen it into a sausage shape. Start in the middle, placing your right palm on the dough, and your left palm on top of your right hand.

Roll the dough forward and backward rapidly, gradually sliding your hands towards the two ends as the dough lengthens.

Deflate any gas blisters on the surface by pinching them. Repeat the rolling movement rapidly several times until the dough is 16 inches long, or whatever length will fit on your baking sheet. During the extension rolls, keep circumference of dough as even as possible and try to start each roll with the sealed side of the dough down, twisting the rope of dough to straighten the line of seal as necessary. If seal disappears, as it sometimes does with all purpose flour, do not worry.

Place the shaped piece of dough, sealed side up, at one end of the flour rubbed canvas, leaving a free end of canvas 3 to 4 inches wide.

The top will crust slightly as the dough rises; it is turned over for baking so the soft, smooth underside will be uppermost.

Pinch a ridge 2 1/2 to 3 inches high in the canvas to make a trough, and a place for the next piece. Cover dough with plastic while you are forming the rest of the loaves.

After all the pieces of dough are in place, brace the two sides of the canvas with long rolling pins, baking sheets or books, if the dough seems very soft and wants to spread out. Cover the dough loosely with flour rubbed dish towel or canvas, and a sheet of plastic. Proceed immediately to the final rising, next step.

For Long Thin Loaves – Fincelles: Follow the steps above but making thinner sausage shapes about 1/2 inch in diameter. When they have risen, slash as with the Batard.

For Oval Rolls – Petits Pains, Tire-Bouchons: Form like batards, but you will probably not have to lengthen them at all after the two foldings and sealings. Place rolls on a floured canvas about 2 – 4” apart and cover with plastic to rise. When they have risen, make either 2 parallel slashes or a single slash going from one end to the other.

For Small, Medium, or Large Round Loaves – Pain de Menage, Miches, Boules: The object here is to force the cloak of coagulated gluten to hold the ball of dough in shape: the first movement will make cushion; the second will seal and round the ball, establishing surface tension.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface.

Lift the left side of the dough with the side of your left hand and bring it down almost to the right side.

Scoop up the right side and push it back almost to the left side. Turn the dough a quarter turn clockwise and repeat the movement 8 – 10 times. The movement gradually smooths the bottom of the dough and establishes the necessary surface tension; think of the surface of the dough as if it were a fine sheet of rubber you were stretching in every direction.

Turn the dough smooth side up and begin rotating it between the palms of your hands, tucking a bit of the dough under the ball as you rotate it. In a dozen turns you should have a neatly shaped ball with a little pucker of dough, le cle, underneath where all the edges have joined together.

Place the dough pucker side up in a flour-rubbed canvas; seal the pucker by pinching with your fingers. Flour lightly, cover loosely and let rise to almost triple its size. After unmolding upside down on the baking sheet, slash with either a long central slash, two long central slashes that cross at right angles, or a semi-circular slash around half the circumference.

For Small Round Rolls – Petits Pains, Champignons: The principles are the same here as for the preceding round loaves, but make the cushion shape with your fingers rather than the palms of your hands.

For the second stage, during which the ball of dough is rotated smooth side up, roll it under the palm of one hand, using your thumb and little finger to push the edges of the dough underneath and to form the pucker, where the edges join together

Place the formed ball of dough pucker side up on the flour rubbed canvas and cover loosely while forming the rest. Space the balls 2 inches apart. When risen to almost triple its size, lift gently with lightly floured fingers and place pucker side down on baking sheet. Rolls are usually too small for a cross so make either one central slash or the semi-circular cut.

For Large Oval Loaf – Pain Boulot: Follow the directions for the round loaves except instead of rotating between the balms of your hands and tucking to form a round loaf, continue to turn the dough from the right to the left, tucking a bit of each end under the oblong loaf. In a dozen turns you should have a neatly shaped oval with tow little puckers of dough, le cles, underneath where all the edges of have joined together.

Place the dough pucker sides up in a flour-rubbed canvas; seal the puckers by pinching with your fingers. Flour lightly, cover loosely and let rise to almost triple its size. After unmolding upside down on the baking sheet, slash with parallel slashes going diagonally across the top starting from the upper left and going to the lower right.

Step 7: Final Rise – l’appret - 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours at around 70 degrees

The covered dough is now to rise until almost triple in volume; look carefully at its pre-risen size so that you will be able to judge correctly. It will be light and swollen when risen, but will still feel a little springy when pressed.

It is important that the final rise take place where it is dry; if your kitchen is damp, hot, and steamy, let the bread rise in another room or dough will stick to the canvas and you will have difficulty getting it off and onto another baking sheet. It will turn into bread in the oven whatever happens, but you will have an easier time and a better loaf if you aim for ideal conditions.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees about 30 minutes before estimated baking time.

Step 8: Unmolding risen dough onto baking sheet – le demoulage.

The 3 pieces of risen dough are now to be unmolded from the canvas and arranged upside down on the baking sheet. The reason for this reversal is that the present top of the dough has crusted over during its rise; the smooth, soft underside should be uppermost in the oven so that the dough can expand and allow the loaf its final puff of volume. For the unmolding you will need a non-sticking intermediate surface such as a stiff piece of cardboard or plywood sprinkled with cornmeal or pulverized pasta.

Remove rolling pins or braces. Place the long side of the board at one side of the dough; pull the edge of the canvas to flatten it; then raise and flip the dough softly upside down onto the board.

Dough is now lying along one edge of the unmolding board: rest this edge on the right side of a lightly buttered baking sheet. Gently dislodge dough onto baking sheet, keeping same side of the dough uppermost: this is the soft smooth side, which was underneath while dough rose on canvas. If necessary run sides of hands lightly down the length of the dough to straighten it. Unmold the next piece of dough the same way, placing it to the left of the first, leaving a 3 inch space. Unmold the final piece near the left side of the sheet.

Step 9: Slashing top of the dough – la coupe.

The top of each piece of dough is now to be slashed in several places. This opens the covering cloak of gluten and allows a bulge of dough underneath to swell up through the cuts during the first 10 minutes of baking, making decorative patterns in the crust. These are done with a blade that cuts almost horizontally into the dough to a depth of less than half an inch. Start the cut at the middle of the blade, drawing toward you in a swift clean sweep. This is not quite as easy as it sounds, and you will probably make ragged cuts at first; never mind, you will improve with practice. Use an ordinary razor blade and slide one side of it into a cork for safety; or buy a barbers straight razor at a cutlery store.

For a 16 to 18 inch loaf make 3 slashes. Note that those at the two ends go straight down the loaf but are slightly off centre, while the middle slash is at a slight angle between the two. Make the first cut at the far end, then the middle cut, and finally the third. Remember that the blade should lie almost parallel to the surface of the dough.

Step 10: Baking – about 25 minutes; oven preheated to 450 degrees (230 degrees C).

As soon as the dough has been slashed, moisten the surface either by painting with a soft brush dipped in cold water, or with a fine spray atomizer, and slide the baking sheet onto rack in upper third of preheated oven. Rapidly paint or spray dough with cold water after 3 minutes, again in 3 minutes, and a final time 3 minutes later. Moistening the dough at this point helps the crust to brown and allows the yeast action to continue in the dough a little longer. The bread should be done in about 25 minutes; the crust will be crisp, and the bread will make a hollow sound when thumped.

If you want the crust to shine, paint lightly with a brush dipped in cold water as soon as you slide the baking sheet out of oven.

Step 11: Cooling – 2 to 3 hours.

Cool the bread on a rack or set it upright in a basket or large bowl so that air can circulate freely around each piece. Although bread is always exciting to eat fresh from the oven, it will have a much better taste when the inside is thoroughly cool and has composed itself.

Step 12: Storing French bread

Because it contains no fats or preservatives of any kind, French bread is at its best when eaten the day it is baked. It will keep for a day or two longer, wrapped airtight and refrigerated, but it will keep best if you freeze it – let the loaves cool first, then wrap airtight. To thaw, unwrap and place on a baking sheet in a cold oven; heat the oven to 400 degrees. In about 20 minutes the crust will be hot and crisp, and the bread thawed. The French, of course, never heat French bread except possibly on Monday, the baker’s holiday, when the bread is a day old.

Step 13: Canvas housekeeping

After each bread session, if you have used canvas, brush it thoroughly to remove all traces of flour and hang it out to dry before putting away. Otherwise the canvas could become mouldy and ruin your next batch of dough.

The Simulated Bakers’ Oven

Baking in the ordinary way, as described in the preceding recipe, produces an acceptable loaf of bread but does not nearly approach the glory you can achieve when you turn your home oven into a baker’s oven. Merely providing yourself with the proper amount of steam, if you can do nothing else, will vastly improve the crust, the color, the slash patterns, and the volume of your bread; steam is only a matter of plopping a heated brick or stone into a pan of water in the bottom of the oven. The second provision is a hot surface upon which the naked dough can bake; this gives that added push of volume that improves both the appearance and the slash patterns. When you have the hot baking surface, you will then also need a paddle or board upon which you can transfer dough from canvas to hot baking surface. For the complete set up here is you should have, and any building-supply store stocks these items.

For the hot baking surface: Metal will not do as a hot baking surface because it burns the bottom of the dough. The most practical and easily obtainable substance is ordinary red floor tiles 1/4” thick. They come in various sizes such as 6 x 6, 6 x 3, and you only need enough to line the surface of an oven rack. Look them up under Tiles in your Directory, and ask for “quarry tiles” their official name.

For unmolding the risen dough from its canvas: A piece of 3/16 inch plywood about 20 inches wide.

For sliding the dough onto the hot tiles: When you are doing 3 long loaves, you must slide them together onto the hot tiles; to do so you unmold them one at a time with one board and arrange them side by side on the second board, which takes place on the baker’s paddle, la pelle. Buy a piece of plywood slightly longer but 2 inches narrower than your oven rack.

To prevent dough from sticking to unmolding and sliding boards: White cornmeal or small dried pasta pulverized in the electric blender until it is the consistency of table salt. This is called fleurage.

The steam contraption: Something that you can heat to sizzling hot on top of the stove and then slide into a pan of water in the oven to make a great burst of steam: a brick, a solid 10lb rock, piece of cast iron or other metal. A 9 x 12 inch roasting pan 2 inches deep to hold an inch of water and the hot brick.

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Okay.  Did you get all that?!?

Julia did make this sound a bit more complex that it actually is.  On the other hand, I've made a few (thousand) loaves of bread in my time and am not intimidated by long sets of instructions.  It's only bread.  The ingredients are still relatively inexpensive.  The very worst thing that could happen is it wouldn't be as good as Julia's.  Oh well.

But... not to worry.  The bread was every bit as good as Julia would have baked, and I know she would have enjoyed a slice or two.

Now... getting back to that cheese...

I did mention I went a little crazy with the cheeses...  We had:

  • Triple Cream Brie
  • Saint Andre
  • 3 kinds of chevere (plain, 4 pepper, and garlic and herb)
  • 3-year-aged Cheddar
  • Cotswold (A double Glouster with onions and chives)
  • Blue Castello

And I grilled a flank steak and served thin slices of steak with the cheeses and bread.  Tres fabu!

Oh.  And while I was waiting for dough to rise this morning, I made the first Pumpkin Pies of the season!

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
  • 1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
  • 1 unbaked 10" pie shell
  • Whipped cream

Preheat oven to 425°. Beat eggs, sugar, and spices in large bowl. Add pumpkin amd mix well. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into pie shell. Bake at 425°  for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Top with whipped cream before serving.

I topped mine with a ginger whipped cream.

I shall not be eating anything more today.


Sausage Calzone - Victor Style

I came home from work yesterday to the most wonderful aromas wafting through the house!  Victor was making calzones!  What a treat!

He used Lidia's pizza dough recipe:

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1 tsp. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, and more as needed
1-1/2 tsp. salt
Olive oil

Preparation:

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water (110 to 115 degrees) and let stand until dissolved. Toss the flour and salt together and stir into the dissolved yeast, using a wooden spoon or your fingers, until you have a stiff dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead 5 to 10 minutes, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn the dough to coat all sides with oil, and cover with a damp cloth. Set the bowl in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in volume, about 1-1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and divide dough into number of portions called for in the recipe. Place the dough balls on a lightly oiled baking sheet and cover with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly against the dough. Refrigerate until the dough is roughly doubled in bulk. This can take from 12 to 24 hours.

The filling was pure Victor...  Fresh tomato sauce, Italian sausages, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, locatelli...

I tried eating it by hand, but after the first few bites it was eveident that a knife and fork were going to be needed.   The filling was sliding down to the bottom and I was eating really good, crispy crust - but not a lot of filling.

And that's one of the best things about the dough recipe - it does make a crispy crust.

Victor's mom just came over for her Sunday visit and we gave her one to take home.  That leaves one to split for lunch.

And right now I'm baking Pumpkin Pies and making Julia Child's French bread.....

We're going to eat well today!