Christmas Cookies, Part VI

As soon as I saw the recipe for these, I knew I had to make them. They sounded so unusual, and I love savory and sweet together in desserts. They come from a bakery in New York called Baked, which has a ton of unique sweets that I'm dying to try out (next baking session: spicy chipotle brownies).

Sadly, we have come to the end of my Christmas baking spree. The rest of the week I'll be posting some super-healthy curries to offset the effects of eating practically nothing but cookies for a few weeks.


Apricot-Rosemary Squares
For the rosemary dough:
1 1/2 sticks = 3/4 cup = 12 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
grated zest of half a lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 3/4 cups flour

For the apricot filling:
2 cups (230g) California dried apricots
1 1/2 cups water or white wine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brandy
pinch of salt

For the crumb topping:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup pecans or almonds, coarsely chopped
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to hang over the edge.

2. Make rosemary dough: cream butter with powdered sugar and salt. Add vanilla, lemon zest, and rosemary, then gradually add flour, mixing until the dough is smooth.

3. Transfer the dough to the baking pan and pat it flat into the bottom. Chill 30 minutes.

4. Make apricot filling: combine apricots, water, sugar, honey, brandy, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Let cool for a few minutes, stirring, then puree in a blender until smooth (I just mashed mine up with a whisk right in the pot. There is no way I'm going to wash syrupy apricot jelly out of a blender by hand).

5. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake shortbread for 20-25 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

7. Make crumb topping: mix together flour, sugar, nuts, salt, and butter until the mixture just barely starts clumping together.

8. Spread the apricot filling over shortbread, then top with crumbs. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and let cool completely, then slice. The bars can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Christmas Cookies, Part V

I'm back!

By this point you might have noticed that nearly all the cookies I make are either bars or slice-and-bakes. Why? Because spending an hour or so individually scooping and shaping drop cookies is just so tedious, that's why. However, a particularly delicious cookie can sometimes triumph over my laziness... and these peanut butter cookies definitely fall into that category.

Peanut Butter Cookies
Note: I recommend using crunchy peanut butter so you get three different levels of peanut-y goodness.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick = 1/2 cup = 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar (I left this step out)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips.

Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a criss-cross pattern, but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Exams Interrupt Life (Film at Eleven)

Since I have nearly all my exams this week it's unlikely that I'll be posting any recipes until Wednesday, but stay tuned for the rest of the Christmas cookies and some other stuff.

Here's a gratuitous picture of a steak sandwich instead:

It was amazing.

Christmas Cookies, Part IV

So. Delicious.

Picture everything you love about cheesecake. Now picture everything you love about gooey, fudgy brownies. Now put them together in one bar. I think in this case the whole is definitely more than the sum of its parts.

This is the original recipe. I one-and-a-halfed the brownie base and left the cheesecake as it was, then baked it in a 9x13. Oh, and I left out the chocolate chips. Turned out great.

Cheesecake-Swirled Brownies
Brownie batter
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Cheesecake batter
8 ounces cream cheese, well softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Plus
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Make brownie batter: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Heat butter and chocolate by placing the mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water, whisking occasionally, just until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.

Make cheesecake batter: Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula. (I found this harder than it sounds. I guess I'll have to practice some more to get a really lovely marbled effect)

Sprinkle chocolate chips over cheesecake/brownie batter swirl.

Bake brownies: Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Slicing tip: chill brownies until they’re almost frozen before cutting them. It makes it much easier to get a clean slice. I store mine in the freezer because I like my brownies icy cold when they're not hot and gooey.

Christmas Cookies, Part III

Well, candy, actually. These are super easy and pretty good, although after I made then I remembered my dislike for the whole chocolate-orange thing. Good thing I have roommates!

Orangettes
Slice ends off four oranges, score the peel from one end to the other, and remove the peels from the oranges. Slice the peels into thin strips and trim the edges.

Using a medium size pot, place the peels in boiling water and blanch them for a few minutes. Drain, rinse, and repeat twice with new water each time.

Prepare the simple syrup by combining 16 ounces water with 8 ounces sugar in a saucepan. Bring the syrup to a simmer, place the peels in the pot, and simmer for 1 hour. Once the peels have cooked, remove from pot, and place on a rack to cool and drain.

Melt 16 ounces dark chocolate over a double boiler. Dip the candied orange peels in the chocolate, remove them quickly, and let them cool on a piece of parchment paper. Store the orange peels in an airtight container.

Christmas Cookies, Part II

Honestly I'm not sure what the problem is with these, but I feel like something's missing. Maybe the espresso flavour could be more intense, or the chocolate chunks could be larger, or maybe they needed to bake longer (I forgot to set the timer). Still, they are very good and people seem to like them - they're just not perfect for me. Also let me recommend the rolling-in-the-bag technique for every roll-out cookie. It makes things so much easier.

Verdict: Not a must-bake, but try them out.

Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon boiling water
2 sticks = 1 cup = 16 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water, and set aside to cool to tepid.

2. Beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in the vanilla and espresso, then and add the flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate with a sturdy rubber spatula.

3. Using the spatula, transfer the soft, sticky dough to a gallon-size zipper-lock plastic bag. Put the bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle that’s 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.

4. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

5. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets and carefully prick each one twice with a fork, gently pushing the tines through the cookies until they hit the sheet.

6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The shortbreads will be very pale – they shouldn’t take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool.

Christmas Cookies, Part I

These are my favourites of the batch, hands down. They are adapted from the lemon-blueberries bars I made this summer, and they are as awesome now as they were then. I was worried because I realized halfway through baking that I didn't adjust the sweetness at all to counteract the tartness of the cranberries, but they don't need any extra sugar at all. I will be adapting these to fit any and all fruits and berries in the future. Definitely a must-bake!

Cranberry Orange Crumb Bars
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks/1 cup/16 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest (1 tbsp) and juice (2 tbsp) of one orange
4 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and orange zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly (kind of like pie dough - pea-sized bits are what you're looking for). Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together sugar, cornstarch and orange juice. Mix in berries, then spread mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Mushroom Tart

This tart is great, but I feel like it could be improved a bit. First of all, as great as wild mushrooms are, it would probably be just as awesome with a mixture of button and brown mushrooms. Secondly, next time I think I will put 1 1/2 or even two pounds of mushrooms in to make a more substantial filling (you can't tell from the picture, but it's pretty thin). That said, this tart was pretty delicious and I definitely recommend trying it.

Mushroom and Blue Cheese Tart
For the pastry:
1/2 recipe of Dad's pie dough

For the filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sliced green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 lb. assorted fresh wild mushrooms, brushed clean and thinly sliced*
1/2 lb. fresh button mushrooms, brushed clean and thinly sliced*
5 ounces blue cheese

1. Make the pastry, following Dad's previous instructions.

2. Preheat an oven to 400°F.

3. In a large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the green onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme and continue to cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Increase the heat to high, add mushrooms, and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid they released has completely evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

4. Fit the dough into a tart pan. Crumble the blue cheese into a bowl, add the cooled mushrooms and stir well. Spread the mixture over the dough.

5. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

* I would actually use 3/4 to 1 lb brown (cremini) mushrooms and 3/4 to 1 lb button mushrooms, to save on cost. You could throw some wild mushrooms in as well if you feel like it, but honestly I don't think it would make much of a difference

PS. Poached Egg Win! Practice makes perfect, I guess.

Poached Egg Fail

(Also: Picture Focus Fail - seriously, I think maybe one leaf in the background there is in focus.)

How exactly do you poach an egg? My attempt wasn't terrible, but I lost most of the egg white in the pot and it never really came together. Any suggestions to improve a repeat performance?

On a happier note, here is a recipe for a delicious salad dressing! Boring, yes, but I have been eating mostly leftovers and freezer food for the past week or so.

French Vinaigrette

1 1/2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 very small clove garlic or small shallot, minced
1 egg yolk, at room temperature (I always omit this)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil

Whisk everything together.

Quite to the point, isn't it?

Tomato, Sausage and Spinach Risotto

I'm sure we can all agree that risotto doesn't exactly photograph well. However, I can assure you that it tasted delicious. And while it isn't quite a one-pot meal, it does manage to squeeze in all four food groups. So I'd call that a success.

Tomato, Sausage and Spinach Risotto
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
3 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound (350 g) spicy Italian sausage, casings removed and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
About 7 cups flat-leaf spinach, chopped (I used an entire 225 g bag)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
2 tablespoons butter

In a medium saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.

Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.

Israeli Couscous, Two Ways

I love Israeli (a.k.a. pearl) couscous with a passion that I just can't summon for the regular stuff. Instead of mushy grainy slop that I can never manage to make taste edible, pearl couscous is a bowl of delightful little pasta beads with a texture that makes every dish better. This dish was pretty delicious on its own (although I'd throw another pint of tomatoes in next time), and possibly even better the next night when I bulked up the leftovers with spinach and chicken.

So without further ado, here is my reduced and adjusted recipe - I doubled the tomatoes, reduced the salt (as the olives are pretty salty already) and made various other minor adjustments. It will feed 2 as a side if you go with the original, or as a main dish if you add the spinach and chicken.

Pearl Couscous with Olives and Roasted Tomatoes
For roasted tomatoes and dressing
2 pt red grape or cherry tomatoes
2 large garlic cloves, left unpeeled
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp warm water (I used one)
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

For couscous
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup Israeli couscous
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup black olives, pitted and chopped
2 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon thyme

Roast tomatoes and make dressing:
Preheat oven to 250°F.

Halve tomatoes through stem ends and arrange, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan. Add garlic to pan and roast until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, about 1 hour.

Peel garlic and puree with oil, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup roasted tomatoes in a blender until dressing is smooth.

Make couscous: Bring broth to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and stir in couscous, then simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes.

Transfer couscous to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, dressing, roasted tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.

Spinach and Chicken Option

Cut 2-4 chicken thighs into strips and saute until cooked through. Add a generous handful of spinach when chicken is just about done and saute until limp but not slimy. Add to couscous.

Indian Fry Bread (Sopaipillas)

First off let me apologize not for not posting lately, due to vacation and work scheduling I really have not had the time.
Karin and I found these on our recent trip to the South West they are so good as either a taco shell under chile or with some honey.mmmm

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
oil for frying

Mix the dry ingredents ad water and mix, then knead until the dough is soft not sticky (adding more flour or water as nessary)
Heat about 1 inch of oil in a deep sided pan to 375 degrees.
Place in a bowl, cover and let sit for 15 minutes.
Divide into 12 equal size balls, roll out each until 5-6 inches across.
fry in oil until golden brown turning as needed.

Serve with butter, jam or honey. Or make tacos.

Ginger Fried Rice

Two photos this time instead of a lengthy description. In a word: delicious. Also, I'm pretty impressed that all three parts of this meal were done at the same time.

Ginger Fried Rice
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
4 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and dried
4 cups cooked rice
Eggs to put on top (1 per person)
2 teaspoons sesame oil (for some heat use hot sesame oil)
2 teaspoons soy sauce

In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown.

Reduce heat under skillet to medium-low and leeks. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very tender but not browned.

Raise heat to medium and add rice, sesame oil and soy sauce. For traditional fried rice scramble eggs in separate skillet and add to rice then cook, stirring well, until heated through. Otherwise, fry egg sunny side up and serve on top of rice.

Dipping Sauce (Although it's actually for drizzling on top)
1 part sesame oil
1 part soy sauce
1 part hoisin sauce

Stuffed Chicken

The easiest and most impressive meal ever. So easy that for the first time in probably a few months I actually made a proper meal with meat and potatoes and a side vegetable. Must be hibernation season.

Simply unroll your chicken thighs, spread some pesto, goat cheese, and a strip of red pepper in the middle of each, and pop in the oven at 400 F for about 20 minutes. Serve with some more pesto on top.

I served mine with some roasted potatoes (chop into halves or quarters, toss them in a roasting pan with butter on top and put in the oven at 400 F, come back in an hour and enjoy) and sauteed spinach (toss some spinach in a pan over medium with a drop of olive oil, a splash of broth and a few quartered black olives; stir for a minute or two until wilted but not soggy).

Almost Perfect

My attempt at re-creating Amato's spinach pizza. This pizza dough is pretty delicious, and I'll probably use this recipe if I have wine and honey on hand but I didn't find a huge difference between it and the last one. I doubled it because I though it wouldn't hold all the toppings, but I would just make a thin crust pizza next time. Also, I ended up picking all the charred sun-dried tomatoes off the top, so I wouldn't include those again.

New Pizza Dough Recipe

6 tablespoons warm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more water)
2 tablespoons white wine
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups flour

Whisk wine, water and yeast in a medium bowl until yeast has dissolved. Add honey, salt and olive oil and stir. Add flour and work it with a spoon or your fingers until it comes together as a dough.

Sprinkle some flour on the counter and knead the dough for a minute or two.

Lightly oil the bowl, put the dough in, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover and leave undisturbed for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size.

Dump it back on the floured counter and gently press the air out of the dough. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under the plastic wrap or towel for 20 more minutes.

Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal and preheat your oven to its top temperature. Roll out the pizza, toss on whatever topping and seasonings you like and bake.

Spinach Pizza
Baby spinach
1 small white onion, sliced thinly
1 roasted red pepper
1 pkg goat cheese (the smaller log - I don't remember the measurement)
Basil
Olive Oil
1 garlic clove, minced

Spread 1 tbsp olive oil over the pizza dough and sprinkle with garlic and approx 1-2 tbsp basil (or use pesto and omit the olive oil)

Cover with spinach. Use a ton. Don't worry if it looks like your pizza is going to collapse under the weight; it will shrink in the oven. Slice red pepper into strips and scatter over the spinach. Do the same with the goat cheese. Drizzle over with another tbsp of olive oil.

Bake at 425 F for approximately 18-20 minutes.

Chickpea Salad

I am saving my descriptions for graded writing right now, so without further ado:

Chickpea Salad with Capers and Roasted Red Peppers
2 large red peppers, roasted and skinned*
2 cans chickpeas, rinsed
1/4 cup of parsley or cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons of capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice or red wine or sherry vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Cut the peppers into half-inch wide strips and put them in a large bowl together with the chickpeas, herbs and the capers. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, salt, garlic and oil. Pour over the chickpea mixture and combine.

*To roast red peppers: preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place peppers on a foil lined baking sheet and roast for 1 hour, turning every 20 minutes to brown evenly.

Blondies

Today I have made the dangerous discovery that there is a gooey, caramel-y bar cookie that can be whipped up in no time flat and only uses a few basic ingredients. They can be made plain (if you can call it that) or stuffed chock full of extras to make them even more delicious. And judging by the fact that I made them only a few hours ago and the pan is half empty, they are 100% Roomie Approved. Not bad for about five minutes work.

Blondies
Basic Recipe:
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Butter an 8×8 pan.

Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla. Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions* (below).

Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. Cool on rack before cutting them.

Further additions, use one or a combination of:
1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey; increase the flour by one tablespoon
2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the vanilla
Top with a vanilla butter cream, chocolate ganache or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting

*I used 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, and 1/4 cup whiskey, which I might take down to 2 tbsp next time - it's a bit strong in the gooey centre bits.

Update: once the cookies cool down and solidify a bit the alcohol taste is much less strong.

Simple White Bread

This was the first bread I ever made. It's quick and easy since there's no pre-ferment, so you can make it in only a few hours.

Simple White Bread

2 cups warm tap water, about 110 degrees
2 1/2 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
5 1/4 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup flour for dusting the loaves
Cornmeal for the pans

1. To make the dough, in a 3-quart mixing bowl place water and sprinkle yeast on surface, allowing it to stand for two minutes before whisking. Add the smaller amount of flour and salt stiffing with a rubber spatula until it forms a ball. Knead the dough by hand for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, adding more flour if dough is too soft.

2. Place dough in an oiled bowl and turn dough over so top is oiled. Cover bowl and allow dough to rise at room temperature until doubled. If you wish to interrupt the process, let the dough begin to rise, then punch it down, cover it tightly and refrigerate. When you are ready to proceed, bring back to room temperature until it begins rising again.

3. Divide the dough into two parts and shape into loaves. Arrange dough seam side down, cover with plastic or a towel and let it rest of 5 minutes.

4. Dust pan with cornmeal. Place loaves seam side down on cookie sheets and dust each loaf heavily with flour. Cover and allow to rise until doubled.

5. About 30 minutes before you intend to bake the loaves, preheat oven to 500 degrees and set racks at the middle and lowest levels. Set a pan on the lowest rack to absorb some of the excess bottom heat and keep the bottom of the loaves from burning.

6. Make 3 to 4 diagonal slashes in each loaf. Immediately place loaves in oven and lower temperature to 450 degrees.

7. After loaves have baked for 20 minutes and are completely risen, lower temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking about 20 to 30 minutes longer, until bread reaches an internal temperature of about 220 degrees. Remove loaves from oven and cool on a rack.

On a Similar Note

I have been on a bit of a squash kick for the past few weeks. Here is a recipe I tried out last night - I only made one 1-pound squash, whereas the recipe calls for 3 pounds, so if you want to go with the original proportions then just double all the other ingredients.

Roast acorn squash with goat cheese and tahini dressing
1 lb acorn squash, cut into quarters
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
40 grams (approx) soft goat cheese
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, chopped
1 small garlic clove
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon tahini
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. Place squash wedges, skin side down, in a roasting pan, drizzle with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, season to taste and roast until tender 45 – 50 minutes.

For the tahini dressing, crush garlic cloves to a smooth paste in a mortar and pestle, whisk in the remaining ingredients and season to taste (I just minced mine).

Divide wedges among plates, crumble over with cheese, scatter with cilantro leaves, and drizzle the tahini dressing.

Oatmeal Chocolate Pecan Cookies

Because I needed something to snack on while studying, and because I apparently didn't get enough sweets at Thanksgiving, I made these amazing cookies.


Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cups chopped pecans
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest (optional)
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment. Beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla, and beat until well mixed, about three minutes. Stir in eggs, one at a time.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a separate bowl. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter with the mixer on low speed. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the second half. Stir in the oats, pecans, orange zest, and chocolate chips.

Drop the dough, by the tablespoon, onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on a rack. Store at room temperature in a cookie jar or other airtight container.

More Squash

I love squash, but I don't like it sweetened and I don't like it cooked down into mush. Happily this recipe is neither of those things: it's spicy and tangy, and the roasting gives it a nice crisp edge. Delicious.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile-Lime Vinaigrette
I halved the original recipe and made some adjustments. This will make 2-4 side servings, depending on how big you think a serving is.

1 (1 1/2 – to 1 3/4-lb) acorn squash
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Halve squash lengthwise, then cut off and discard stem ends. Scoop out seeds and cut squash lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide wedges. Toss squash with black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon oil in a bowl, then arrange, cut sides down, in 2 large shallow baking pans. Roast squash, switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until squash is tender and undersides of wedges are golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes.

While squash roasts, mince garlic and mash to a paste with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk in lime juice, jalapeno (to taste), cilantro, and remaining 2 tbsp oil until combined. Transfer squash, browned sides up, to a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette.

Homemade Pizza

This pizza is so easy and so good, I may never bother ordering in again. I can't wait to try this crust with other toppings (spinach, ricotta and red peppers, anyone?)

Really Simple Pizza Dough
Makes enough for one medium thin crust pizza. Double it if you like your pizza thick and bready.

1 1/2 cups flour (can replace up to half of this with whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil, stirring mixture into as close to a ball as you can. Dump all clumps and floury bits onto a lightly floured surface and knead everything into a homogeneous ball. Knead it for just a minute or two.

Lightly oil the bowl, put the dough in, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it in plastic wrap or a towel and leave it undisturbed for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size.

Dump it back on the floured counter and gently press the air out of the dough. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under the plastic wrap or towel for 20 more minutes.

Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal and preheat your oven to its top temperature. Roll out the pizza, toss on whatever topping and seasonings you like and bake.

Onion Pizza
I didn't use onion jam because I didn't have any, but i will definitely make the effort to go pick some up next time. Not only does it sound like the most delicious thing ever, but I bet it would help to stick the toppings on a little better, too.

1 fresh pizza dough
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated cheese (I used Gouda)
5-6 fresh sage leaves (I used about 1/4-1/2 tsp ground)
1/4-1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved or quartered
1-2 tablespoons onion marmalade
Salt and pepper to taste

Roll out the dough fairly thin and put it on a pizza stone sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover the dough with cheese, spread the onion all over, dribble some cream over it, season it with salt and pepper then toss on the olives, sage and some globs of onion jam.

Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes at 450ºF.

Pumpkin-Orange Bread

I'm back! Although I may have seemed to disappear off the face of the earth these past few weeks, exams are done now and I have the time to tell you all about the delicious things I've been making. Starting with this pumpkin bread:

This was one of the most aggravating recipes I have ever made, mostly because it was in metric and I don't have a scale, so I had to use the internet to convert all the measurements into cups and spoons. But also because the recipe says that it will make one 9x5 loaf of bread, and as you can see from the picture, it makes a lot more than that. So as I was adding ingredients and watching my biggest bread bowl nearly start to overflow, I was convinced that I had converted incorrectly and was going to end up with a great deal of inedible slop.

Happily when I opened the oven an hour later, I found a delicious moist bread waiting for me inside. The end.

Orange Pumpkin Loaf

1 large orange
125 grams butter (1/2 cup)
445 grams white sugar (2 ¼ cups, or 2 cups packed brown sugar)
3 eggs
410 grams canned pumpkin (I used a large can of pumpkin - possibly 425 ml)
130 ml water (1/2 cup)
415 grams all-purpose flour (3 ¼ cups)
8 grams baking soda (2 tsp)
4 grams baking powder (1 tsp)
8 grams salt (1/2 tsp)
2 grams cinnamon (1 tsp)
2 grams cloves (1 tsp)
100 grams walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease 3 9x5 inch loaf pans.

Cut a whole orange into wedges and remove seeds. In a food processor or blender, pulse the orange (peel and all) until puréed.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the pumpkin, water, and the orange purée. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir into batter just until moistened. Mix in nuts. Pour into the prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Corn Salsa

 2 Cups Frozen corn
2 tbsp Seeded minced Jalapeno Chile
1/2 cups Red Bell Pepper, Cut into small dice
2 tsp Cilantro
1/4 cups Red Onion, Cut into small dice
pinch of salt
pinch of ground Black Pepper
1 tomato, seeded cut into medium dice (about 3/4 cups)
1 small can V-8 Juice (about 1/2 cups)



In a dry fry-pan toast the corn over medium heat until lightly browned.
Mix the corn with all the other ingredients in a small bowl. Hold at room temperature for at least an hour before serving.

Best Baguettes

These baguettes are delicious. They're light and chewy, and the crust is crunchy but not tough. They're great for sandwiches or just plain with a bit of butter. I made six but they are a little small, so I think I will go for four next time I make them - these ended up being about 10-12 inches long and 2-3 inches wide.

Pain a l’Ancienne

Yields 4-6 baguettes

6 cups (27 ounces) unbleached bread flour
2¼ teaspoons salt
1¾ teaspoons instant yeast
2¼ cups plus 2 tablespoon to 3 cups ice-cold water

1. Combine the flour, salt, yeast and the lesser amount of water in a large bowl and mix until it forms a ball. The dough should be sticky and soft but it should release from the sides of the bowl. If not, sprinkle in a small amount of flour until this occurs (or add more water if the dough seems too stiff). Lightly oil the bowl and roll the dough around until it is coated with oil, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel.

2. Immediately place the bowl in the refrigerator and chill overnight, to retard fermentation.

3. The next day, check the dough to see if it has risen in the refrigerator. It will probably be partially risen but not doubled in size. Leave the bowl of dough out at room temperature for about 2 to 3 hours (or longer if necessary) to allow the dough to wake up, lose its chill, and continue fermenting.

4. When the dough has doubled from its original prerefrigerated size, sprinkle the counter with flour. Gently transfer the dough to the floured counter, degassing as little as possible. If the dough is very wet, sprinkle more flour over the top as well as under it. Roll the dough gently in the sprinkled flour to coat it thoroughly, simultaneously stretching it into a long oblong. If it is too sticky to handle, continue sprinkling flour over it. Dip a metal pastry scraper into flour to keep it from sticking to the dough, and cut the dough into 4-6 strips with the pastry scraper by pressing it down through the dough until it severs it, then dipping it again in the flour and repeating this action until you have cut down the full length of the dough. (Do not use this blade as a saw; use it as a pincer, pinching the dough cleanly with each cut.) Let the dough relax for 5 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, or 550 degrees if your oven goes this high. Place a steam pan on the bottom rack.

6. Place the baguettes on a floured sheet pan (or two) and score the dough with 3 diagonal cuts. Because the dough is sticky, you may have to dip the razor blade, serrated knife or scissors in water between each cut. You may also omit the cuts if the dough isn’t cooperating.

7. Put the pan in the oven on the middle rack. Pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan and close the door, then reduce the oven setting to 475 degrees and continue baking.

8. The bread should begin to turn golden brown within 8 or 9 minutes. If the loaves are baking unevenly at this point, rotate them 180 degrees. Continue baking 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the bread is a rich golden brown. (I baked mine for 9 minutes per side.)

9. Transfer the hot breads to a cooling rack. While these are cooling, you can bake the remaining loaves, remembering to turn the oven up to 500 degrees or higher before baking the second round.

Potato Bacon Cheddar Tart

OK I know what your thinking, Potato and cheese wrapped in a bacon crust is going to be like Grease Goulash, but you're wrong and so was I. This is actually quite good and not greasy inside at all. I watched Chef Michael Smith make the on his shoe Chef at Home and when I got his book I had to try it.

Yield: 8

Ingredients

• 2 pounds or so of room temperature bacon
• 1 minced onion
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 4 cups of grated aged cheddar
• Five or six large unpeeled baking potatoes
• A sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Carefully arrange the bacon in a radial pattern from the center of the bottom of a ten-inch, non-stick pan to the lower edge of the rim and continuing up and over it. Let the ends hang over. The slices should overlap slightly around the sides of the pan. To reduce the thickness of the bacon in the center stagger every other piece starting it two inches from the center and extending it further than the adjacent slices. With the palm of your hand, flatten the center area, leaving no gaps in the bacon. Season the bacon with pepper then sprinkle on several tablespoons of the grated cheddar.
 Slice the potatoes as thinly and uniformly as you can, about a quarter inch thick. Arrange a circular pattern of overlapping slices around the inside bottom edge of the pan. Continue arranging overlapping layers of the potatoes until the bottom is evenly covered. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Mix the onions and garlic together and sprinkle some of the mixture onto the potatoes. Continue with a layer of the grated cheese. Cover with another layer of the potato pressing it down firmly before continuing with alternate layers of the potatoes, onion mixture and cheese until the pan is full.
Continue with several more layers insetting each a bit from the edge of the pan until the top is an inch or so higher than the pan’s rim. Fold the overhanging bacon neatly up and over the top of the potatoes. Trim a small piece of parchment paper and place it in between an ovenproof lid and the bacon. This will prevent the bacon’s ends from pulling back and shrinking during cooking.



Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for at least two and a half to three hours. You’ll know it’s done when a small thin bladed knife insert easily. Pour off as much of the fat around the edges as possible. Let the tart stand for fifteen minutes then invert it onto a cutting surface. Slice into wedges and serve immediately. You may refrigerate any leftovers and reheat them later it in a microwave

One Pot Wonder

This was delicious. It's flavourful, full of vegetables and spices and, most importantly, is made in a single pot.

This recipe is halved from the original, and it makes a lot - probably enough for four people. The original recipe also called for fewer vegetables (I doubled the red pepper and probably the tomatoes as well - I'm not sure if the weight refers to before or after seeding. If before, then I doubled them), but I think it's even more healthy this way.

Also: one pot!

Arroz Con Pollo (Cuban Chicken with Rice)

Chicken
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
6 chicken thighs

Rice
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-to-large onion, chopped (I used two smallish ones)
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika, plus more to taste
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 lb. tomatoes, seeded and chopped (I estimated, and I suspect I had closer to 1 lb.)
3/4 cup (6 oz.) beer (not dark)
3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup long-grain white rice
1/4 cup drained rinsed bottled pimiento or roasted red pepper strips (optional - I left them out)

Marinate chicken: Mince and mash garlic to a paste with salt. Stir in vinegar and oregano. Toss chicken with marinade until coated and marinate, covered and chilled, at least 1 hour.

Cook chicken and rice: Cook onions, bell pepper, and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add cumin, oregano, paprika, cayenne, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Add chicken with marinade to vegetable mixture and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, 10 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, beer, broth, and rice and bring to a boil, making sure rice is submerged. [Note: Use tongs to temporarily remove the chicken from the pot, mix the rice in with the other ingredients in the pot, and then replace the chicken, pressing it into the broth a bit before going onto the next step.]

Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover pot with a tight fitting lid. Cook, stirring once or twice, until rice is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove from heat, bay leaf, scatter pimiento strips over rice, and serve.

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart

This is possibly the best thing I have ever eaten. Make it. Make it now.

Yes, there is a lot of prep work, but trust me - it's so worth it.

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart

For the pastry:
I used half of Dad's recipe.

For the filling:
1 small butternut squash (about one pound)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced in half-moons
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
3/4 cup fontina cheese, grated (I used a smoked Gouda)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 tsp ground)

1. Make pastry (I made mine ahead of time, you can do this step whenever you like).

2. Prepare squash: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Peel squash, then halve and scoop out seeds. Cut into a 1/2-inch dice. Toss pieces with olive oil and a half-teaspoon of the salt and roast on foil lined sheet for 30 minutes or until pieces are tender. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Caramelize onions: While squash is roasting, melt butter in a heavy skillet and cook onion over low heat with the remaining half-teaspoon of salt and pinch of sugar, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in cayenne.

4. Roll out pastry and fit into tart pan.

5. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Mix squash, caramelized onions, cheese and sage together and pour into tart shell. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

Meatballs

I spent the morning making meatballs for the freezer I used 5 pounds of Hamburger and made 110 but will share the recipe using one pound.

110 meatballs ready for the frezer

1 pound Hamburger
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 tsp seasoning salt (I use Lawry's)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Using your hands mix all ingredients in a bowl.
take about a golf ball size bit of the mixture and form into a ball.
If using right away fry over med heat until all sides are browned and the internal temp is at least 160 or no longer pink and the jucies run clear.
If you are making a larger batch like I did bake at 350 for 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temp is at least 160 or no longer pink and the juices run clear.
Should make around 20 balls depending on the size you make, try to make them all the same size to make the cooking more consistent.

Chickpea and Carrot Salad

Simple to make and a great healthy lunch.

2 large shallots, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
½ cup flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves, chopped (I just used a few tablespoons of dried)
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine the shallot, vinegar, garlic, and salt. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the shallots and garlic to mellow.

Add the carrot, parsley, and olive oil to the shallot mixture. Toss in the chickpeas, and season as needed with salt and pepper.

Liver Dog Treats (puppy crack)

I made these for my little helper now it is all he wants.

1 lb liver
1 1/2 cup unbleached flour
1 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup water

Boil the liver in water until no longer pink about 10 minutes.
Grind the liver using the smallest plate you can.
add all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined. (I used my mixer for this.)
roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness
use cookie cutters to cut cookies.
Bake at 250 f for about one hour until bone dry (no pun intended)

Bran Muffins

This is one of the recipes that my daughters in university always ask me to make for them.

For 12 Muffins

1 1/4 cup All-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup Bran
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt.
1 cup raisins (or other dried fruit) we like golden raisins
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (the sour cream makes a richer muffin)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients including the dried fruit.
In another bowl mix the wet ingredients together.
Stir together in the large bowl until just moistened.
Spoon into large paper lined muffin cups.
Bake in a preheated 375 f oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden and the tops are firm to the touch.

Spinach Pasta Fettuccine

I love the taste of fresh pasta one of our favorites is spinach Fettuccine.
1 3/4 cups Durum semolina  flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 tbsp Olive oil
8 oz. spinach blanched drained squeezed dry and chopped. (you can also use 5 1/2 oz of thawed frozen spinach)
put all ingredients on the bowl of the mixer and knead until thoroughly combined. let rest at least one hour.
Roll out the pasta until desired thickness #4 on my roller.

Cut and place on rack to dry separate noodles as drying before boiling.

Jerome's Granola Bars

I developed this recipe like most other people by stealing ideas from others and perfecting it to what we like and my way of cooking.
The Bars are Sweet without being overly so and very satisfying. Enjoy

1 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup butter, melted

2-3 Tbs. flax seeds

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup chopped Almonds
1 1/2 cup dried cranberries. 

4 1/2 cups oats. 

Mix by hand the- corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, flax seeds

    Mix in the Flour, baking soda, and salt Mix again and add - the Almonds and cranberries. Finally Add the oats

 

Lightly press into 12 X 17 sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 325° 30 minutes, until light brown on top. Cool 10 minutes, Cut into squares, let completely cool before removing from pan.

Traeger Lil Tex Review

I have had my Traeger Lil Tex BBQ Smoker for about two months now so I thought I would do a quick review of their product.

I managed to get mine as a demo so I did manage to get a better price than the new $1199.00 but that being said I would have no problem paying that for a grill of this quality.

As it was already assembled I can't first hand tell you about that but after reading the instructions and talking to the guy who did do the assembly it seems pretty easy.

The Traeger burns wood pellets at about $20.0 for a 20 lb bag and they are available in 10 different verities of wood flavours. I usually have about 4 different ones on hand so I have a choice depending on the meat. As far as I can tell you will be spending about the same for pellets as for propane but I have done no scientific study to back this up only my observations as to how long a bag of pellets last compared to a tank of propane.
When I was originally shopping for a smoker I found that most only let you smoke the Traeger allows you to also use it as a BBQ for this reason I wanted one of the Lil Tex models as the junior does not give enough head room to the cover to do a chicken or good size roast comfortably.

PROS.

• I find the unit easy to clean if you cover the catch plate with foil almost all of the grease ends up in the catch bucket.

• The model I have (the Elite) is controllable in 25 degree increments from smoke to 450 degrees. the standard model only has three positions but it looks like you can up grade it.

• The food does taste great with a nice smokey flavor even when not doing a smoked meal, I find this flavor lacking on the propane grill.

CONS

• it does take some time to get the grill up to temperature (about 10 minutes) so you you want to just plop a burger on and be eating in 5 minutes stay with a propane.

• when you run out of pellets i find that I have to clean out the fire box to get it to relight, or else you end up with a BBQ full of pellets.

All in all if I had my choice of buying a comparably priced Propane grill and the Traeger and could only have one it would be the Traeger. As I do have both I do find that I use the Traeger  more usually do to the family asking me to.

Here are links to the Canada site http://www.traegercanada.com/
Traeger USA http://www.traegergrills.com/

Rice Pudding

Rice boiled in milk until it all congeals - if that doesn't sound delicious then I don't know how to help you. Rice pudding is an excellent dessert (or breakfast) because it's made from whole grains, has tons of calcium and if you throw some berries or a baked apple on top you've got three food groups right there.

Rice Pudding
Makes 4 desserts or 2 meals

1/2 cup rice
4 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 bay leaf
Pinch of cinnamon, cloves, or whatever spices you like
1 tsp vanilla extract

Bring the rice, milk, sugar, bay leaf and spices to a gentle boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring frequently to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. When the pudding looks nearly done (thick texture but the grains of rice are not mushy or dissolving) add the vanilla.

Serve hot or cold with fresh fruit or berries, raisins, a baked sliced apple, or just plain.

Ciabatta Bread and more

I found a great site for Bread Information called the Artisan where you can find a wealth of information and in-depth articles on ingredients. they also have some recipes there where I found this one.

Ciabatta - Indirect Method (Biga)

(Slipper Shaped Bread)

Adapted from a recipe in a "Molina Sima" recipe booklet.

Ingredients

Starter

3/4	Tsp.	Yeast - Active Dry or 3/10 sm. Cake Yeast (5 g)
1 1/4	Cup	Water - warm (300 g)
3 3/4	Cups	Flour - unbleached all purpose (500 g)

Dough

1 1/2	Tsp.	Yeast - Active Dry or 6/10 sm. Cake Yeast (10 g)
1/2	Cup	Water - (120 ml)
775	Grams	Starter from above
1/2	Cup + 2 Tbl.	Flour - unbleached all purpose (50 g)
1/2	Tsp.	Malt (2.5 g) - [See Note Below]
1 1/2	Tsp.	Salt (7.5 g)

Note: If liquid malt is used, dissolve it in the 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons of water, before it is added to the dissolved yeast. If powdered malt is used, add it with the flour.
Procedure

Starter

Dissolve the yeast in 1 1/4 cup warm water and allow it to stand for approximately 5 -10 minutes. Add the unbleached all-purpose flour (3 3/4 cup) and mix until the flour is absorbed and a firm dough is formed. Cover the starter and allow it to remain at room temperature overnight.

Dough

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup water and allow it to stand for approximately 5-10 minutes. Combine the flour (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons), malt (1/2 teaspoon), and salt (1 1/2 teaspoons).  Place the flour mixture on the work surface (or in a large bowl), and make a well in the center.  Gradually add the dissolved yeast, and starter, mixing well between additions. Continue to mix until the dough begins to hold together. Knead the dough to a soft consistency.   Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.  The dough will feel sticky.

Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl, cover with a cotton towel (or plastic wrap), and allow it to rise at room temperature until doubled, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Turn the risen dough onto a flour dusted work surface. Divide it into two portions. Pat each portion into a rectangle approximately 4 by 8 inches long and dust each portion with flour.  Dust a piece of canvas (untreated, 100% cotton) or a proofing board (lumber core plywood) with flour. Transfer each portion to the floured canvas or proofing board. Dust each portion with flour. Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.

As the dough is rising, place a baking stone in the oven and set the temperature to 500 F. Allow the oven to heat for 30 minutes.

Turn each portion of dough onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, elongating and stretching it in the process.   Slide a baker’s peel beneath the parchment paper. Lower the oven temperature to 425 F.  Slide the parchment paper from the peel onto the baking stone. Introduce steam into the oven during the first 10 minutes of baking. Allow the dough to bake until it is a deep golden color, about 5 - 10 more minutes.

Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool on a rack.

I did have some problems (I put in 1 cup of water instead of a half) as I did get distracted my my kitchen helper.

Instead of baking it on a pan as they suggest I baked it in loaf pans as my family finds making sandwiches easier. The bread turned out well I cut it a little early and the photo does not show the texture as well as it could

 As I was Baking I received s book that I had ordered, Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day.

Where I found a recipe for Pain a l'Acncienne Focaccia on page 57. the instructions cover 3 pages so I did not reproduce them here, so go buy the book it is well worth it. 

 

I topped it with Pizza sauce I had in the freezer, Sausage, and a mixture of Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.The taste was amazing and it was very filling.