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March 28, 2008
Carrottes a la Melinda
a.k.a. Melinda's Carrots, a.k.a. Carrie's Carrots, borrowed from her friend Melinda :)
Melinda first shared this recipe with me when we were all living in Cairo and she joined us for Thanksgiving. This was the way her mum used to prepare carrots in Belgium. I've served it to loads of friends and family and always with rave reviews.
3 pounds of carrots, sliced like pennies
1 stick of butter - melted slowly over low heat
1 medium onion, diced fine and sauteed in the above butter
3-4 hefty sprigs of fresh thyme
Add the carrots and the thyme to the sauteed onion. Cover and simmer until soft, al dente. Add two tablespoons white sugar and a generous pinch of salt and continue simmering a few more minutes.
Remove the vegetables and reduce the butter sauce, adding a bit of cornstarch if desired. Serve as a gravy alongside the carrots.
your host for this episode : carrie; 10:43 PM | Comments (0)
March 25, 2008
Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake
Adapted from the Bread Bible.
The recipe says it freezes well but it didn't have a chance to! 8 adults and 2 kids polished off nearly the whole thing during our family's ad hoc Progressive Dinner on Resurrection Day, save a generous piece I ate for breakfast the next day.
4 cups peeled, cored, coarsely chopped tart cooking apples (I used Northern Spy, sliced and frozen in quart bags last fall)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon (mine came from Egypt)
3 cups flour
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (mine came from Mexico)
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice (i used tropicana grovestand)
1. Preheat oven to 375F, grease and flour a 10 tube pan or bundt pan.
2. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, and then the apples. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. In ye' olde kitchen aide, beat the eggs, oil, and vanilla until thick and creamy, about 2 minutes on high with the whisk attachment.
5. Add the dry ingredients with the orange juice and beat just until moistened, but thoroughly blended. Do not overmix but htere should be no lumps or dry spots.
6. Spoon a third of the batter into the pan. Cover evenly with half the apples and another third of the batter. Use a spatula to smooth the batter over the apples to cover completely. Repeat with the remaining apples and batter, ending with a smooth layer of batter.
7. Bake 60 minutes at 375F, then cover with foil and bake another 15 minutes, until it tests dry in the center. I used a rose-mold bundt pan, and that was a mistake. The tops of the petals (the bottom of the pan) got dried out and burned and i had to shave them off, so it looked a bit squeehaw. But it didn't affect the taste.
8. Cool on a wire rack for an hour or so then remove from the pan to a serving plate and cool completely before serving.
your host for this episode : carrie; 04:44 PM | Comments (1)
March 16, 2008
March Madness
No, we are not becoming NCAA basket ball fans, we have enough madness in March without trying to keep track of collegiate sports.
We started the month engaging in Snow Sports with Mom and Dad Heeres.
3 feet or more of base on nice groomed trails, good and cold so things didn't get too sloppy (read as high of 9 degrees F, and lows around -19).
Seven days later almost all of the snow was gone (at least in Grand Rapids) and a nice frost was about all that remained of the bitter cold of a week earlier.
And it was time to get back to the long neglected Brick Oven.
One day closer to baking our bread in a traditional wood fired oven...
Next weekend we get to celebrate with my Sister and her family the finalization of the adoption of their third daughter.
Maybe we can get a little more work on the oven snuck in there before it gets to April.
your host for this episode : dan; 08:52 PM | Comments (2)
Cranberry Almond Oat Scones
I've been told I could run some pretty stiff competition to the Wealthy Street Bakery with these gems. It's a combination of a few different recipes so I think this really is a Fuller House original. Bon appetit!
Ingredients for 18-21 scones.
3 C. flour
2 C. old-fashioned or quick oats
1 C. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 C. butter, cut into small pieces
1 roll almond paste (see recipe below), chilled
1 (12-oz.) pkg. whole cranberries, washed and drained (or dried, chopped, and soaked in orange juice)
8 ozs. plain yogurt
2 eggs
1 t. almond extract
2 T. melted butter
almonds or big sugar for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease (or parchment line) 2 cookie sheets.
Combine flour, oats, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and butter. Mix with your pastry cutter/mixer until the butter is very small and ingredients are well mixed.
Using the large hole side of a box grater, grate the almond paste directly into the flour and toss. Take care to toss a few times throughout the grating of the almond paste, as the it will clump back together if you wait till the end!
In a food processor, coarsely chop the cranberries and add to the flour mixture. Toss again.
Stir in yogurt, eggs and almond extract until well mixed and the thick batter comes together in a ball.
Pat out to about ¾” thick. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Cut into wedges using pastry knife and transfer to cookie sheets.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the tops are light brown.
Makes 18-21 scones.
Almond Paste
1 cup ground almonds
½ cup confectioners sugar
2 T unsalted butter, softened
1 extra large egg white, slightly whisked
½ teaspoon almond or vanilla extract (pure of course)
Pulse almonds in food processor briefly. Add sugar, then butter, then egg white and extract. Store tightly sealed in refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. Let come to room temperature again before using.
your host for this episode : carrie; 09:38 AM | Comments (0)
Savory Cheesecake with Sauteed Onions and Pear
Yes, really. Cheesecake with Onions. Love it.
Here's how it came to pass. Last fall, or summer was it?, at a Potluck Friday extravaganza, Meg brought this scrumptious cheesecake appetizer. She had some extra cream cheese hanging around and she got creative. My mouth has watered ever since whenever I think about it. And, as I have been threatening for years to make a cheesecake (never had the patience before now), I finally broke down and did it. Dan requested my first cheesecake to be savory - not such a dessert guy doncha know?
So, as I've never actually made a cheesecake before, I had no idea what the texture should be so I didn't dare to just start throwing things together "until it looked right" like I usually do. So I googled "savory cheesecake" and chose the entry by Alton Brown. Our friend the Good Doctor Faber is a big fan of Alton Brown and has shared some of the episodes with us. I trust the Fabers, so I trust Alton Brown. But I don't like his idea of putting smoked trout in anything. Not a fan of the fish. So I poked around and figured out how to make the onion-pear mixture and voila. The result was stupendous. Here's the recipe (modified from Alton's b/c my spring-form is larger than he called for).
Turns out the patience is needed more for the onions than for the cheesecake. But now I know.
Start with the onions. They take a long time.
Thinly slice 4 medium onions (and 4 shallots, if you have some laying around). On low heat melt 4Tbsp of butter and toss in the onions. I like to use a cast iron skillet and a wooden paddle. You can walk away from them and let them cook down if you leave it on low, and they will caramelize nicely if you just stir them every few minutes, between beatings on the Kitchen Aid. It'll seriously take about an hour.
In ye' olde Kitchen Aid, blend:
2 pounds cream cheese (4 bricks)
4 T corn starch
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 oz sour cream (I used low-fat b/c that's what was in the house)
Then add 2 eggs, one at a time and beat the snot out 'em.
That's your savory cheese cake. Transfer the mixture to a greased 10-inch spring form pan.
(or for a 9" use 3 bricks of cream cheese, 3T corn starch, 1 tsp salt, and 4oz sour cream, still 2 eggs. Alton made a crust out of 1 1/2 cups crushed bagel chips, 3 oz butter, and one egg white baked at 350F for 8 minutes, but I left the crust right off and it was just fine.)
It's probably time to tend to the onions. Dice up a whole pear, or throw in a handful of dried pear slices if you don't have access to fresh pears, and add that to the mix. Measure a 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1T white wine vinegar, and add that to your onions. It will all cook down nicely and become a jelly with your onions.
I spooned about half the mixture onto the cheesecake and used a knife to cut-in the onions so they were all through it. The other half I used as a garnish on the plate when I served it.
Bake one hour at 250F. Then turn the oven off, don't open the door, and leave it in for another hour. Remove it from the oven and cool on a rack for 4 hours. Then either serve it or refrigerate it.
To serve it, I used half at a time - so it thrilled people at two parties! Place four 1/8th's on a platter, points in, with crackers alternating between the slices. Put a little pile of the onion/pear in the middle and voila. Yummeronous. The black pepper-poppy seed crackers went the quickest, but any little water cracker will do. Just don't try it with corn chips. That didn't go so well!
your host for this episode : carrie; 09:05 AM | Comments (1)
French Bread - Pain Ordinaire
I've been meaning to put this one up for a while. Sorry Andrea!
If you like bread, this is an important recipe to master because it lends itself to a great variety of shapes and can be the basis for hardrolls, flatbreads, and filled breads. The depth and character of pain ordinaire is based upon the purity of its ingredients and a long rising time, which develops the dough's flavor. Be warned, however, to start this at least four hours ahead of the time you want to eat it!
Ingredients to make three long baguettes or round boules
2 cups warm water (105-115 F)
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup wheat germ
about 6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1. In a large bowl using a wire whisk, pour in the warm water and sprinkle the yeast and then the sugar over the surface. Whisk gently just until combined. Let stand at room temperature until dissolved and foamy (about ten minutes).
2. Add the wheat germ, 1 and 1/2 cups of the flour, and the salt. Beat hard until smooth, about three minutes. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a shaggy dough that clears the sides of the bowl is formed. You will have to switch to a wooden spoon at some point in this process, usually around the 4 1/2 cup mark. I find it easiest to measure out the flour before hand, so as not to lose track of where I am! And you might only use 5 cups of flour, depending on the weather.
3. Once all of the dough starts to stick and hold together, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead with clean, dry, floured hands until soft, silky, and resilient, about 5-8 minutes. Dust with flour as needed, one tablespoon at a time to prevent it from sticking to the counter or your hands.
4. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Turn it once in order to coat it entirely with the grease, and cover with plastic wrap. The bowl should be big enough that the dough comes roughly a third to a half the way up the sides. Let it rise in a cool area until tripled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If you have time, punch down the dough and allow it to rise again for another hour. The dough may also rise in the refrigerator overnight.
5. Gently deflate the dough. Turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Grease or parchment-line a baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal if available. Divide your dough into three portions of roughly equal size. Knead in more flour now if it seems too sticky.
For boules, shape it into tight round balls. For baguettes, flatten each portion out into a large rectangle and roll up tightly with your thumbs to form the long sausage shape, then roll back and forth with your palms to adjust the length. Pinch the seams together with your thumb and forefinger and then place the loaves four inches apart on the baking sheet(s), seam side down.
6. Cover the loaves loosely with plastic wrap and a light towel and let rise until puffy and doubled, about 30-40 minutes. Preheat a baking stone at 450F for at least 20 minutes. If desired, beat one egg with 2 teaspoons of water for a glaze. Slash the tops of the loaves diagonally no more than 1/4 inch deep and brush the entire surface with the glaze. Spray a mist of water into the oven (or toss a few ice cubes onto the floor of a gas oven) to crisp the crust. Turn the thermostat to 400F and bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, or until crusty and the loaves sound hollow when tapped with your finger.
7. Because it's made with no oil or preservatives, Baguette does not keep well, so enjoy it immediately, or use within 12-24 hours. And don't get discouraged if the first batch (or six) is a flop!!!!
your host for this episode : carrie; 08:59 AM | Comments (0)
March 03, 2008
i'm back... safe if not entirely sound
i just got back into the office and opened an email from the intern i visited in Sierra Leone. my response back to her seems like a good post, so here it is, with some minor edits for explanation for you all:
i did get lots of rest over the weekend, but no bread was made. i think that was a pipe dream... i didn't have that kind of energy! Saturday was just above freezing here and the sun was shining beautifully, so it was melting all the snow! but Blue sky, instead of the thick humidity like in freetown. it felt good to be "cold" for a change :)
the trip was, well, a Trip! Sonnoh, the guy who watched my bags for me at the helipad between the time we bought the ticket at 6pm and check-in at 11pm, tried chatting me up while i was waiting to board. we actually took off at something like 12:34 (midnight:34), having to wait for the air maroc manager to get there before we could take off... he was running late and some of the lebanese were getting irate. it was kind of funny! there's lots of lebanese living in freetown, some have been there since the '50s.
then in line at the airport, a german guy started talking with me, asked if it was ok that we sit together "because there can be some really strange people on these flights"... yeah, like him. it was free seating and we did in fact manage to get a row of 3 to ourselves. but i didn't sleep but maybe 20 minutes. i was afraid to let my eyes close as i'd gotten a nasty bite from who knows what at the helipad that swelled way up and was turning my hand and even scalp (?!) tingly. it was just by my elbow, and ended up the size of a quarter and twice as thick. didn't have full feeling back until i was on the ground in casa actually! crazy. i was actually thankful to have the blond german sitting nearby b/c whenever he walked away the guys in the airport were trying to get my attention too, and i just didn't have the energy for it!
i had a few hours in the airport in casa - friends there had other things to do, which was ok. i got some delicious coffee and finished the bananas i'd bought the day before en route from kabala to freetown. it took about an hour to actually board b/c for flights to europe or america they board you on a bus and take you over to another part of the airport (probably the old terminal?) for the extra screening. they opened everybody's carry on and gave everybody a pat down. i ended up with two seats to myself by a window and saw the casa coastline And cape cod as we came over the US. i think i managed to sleep 3 hours on that flight.
when i got into jfk, i had to collect my bags (as usual) and then waited about 20 minutes for the air maroc guy to come b/c the rip on the front got much bigger and another one started as well. so he started a damaged bag claim for me, and i have to send some things in to complete it.
when i finally got to terminal 4 to check in with continental, they kindly informed me that my flight had been canceled and i'd been rescheduled through laguardia. um, what? so my should-have-been 2 hours to get lunch and sit and rest suddenly became time to stand on the curb (in below freezing temperatures) waiting for the transfer bus. i ended up running through the laguardia terminal - actually twice, because when i got to security they told me that the bottle of liqueur that i bought in casa duty free would have to be confiscated or the bag would have to be checked. at that point it was 5 minutes to take off! i ran back up to the counter, explained what was going on, and one of the ladies from the desk ended up running with my bag through security (where they had to scan it again and tried to say again that it couldn't go) and to the flight b/c the truck had already left with the last of the checked bags. i ended up running from the security point, carrying my coat and my handbag. the counter clerk carrying my carry-on was ahead of me because i had to wait for my shoes to clear the x-ray scanner. i was running at full tilt through the terminal to my gate, which was naturally at the far end of the terminal. i was dodging travelers and people in other gates were cheering me on, saying "Go! Go! Go!" i got to the gate just as they were about to close the door, and they held it open for me (praise jesus!!). when i got on the plane there was somebody in my seat. i said "aw just nevermind i'll just sit back there". i collapsed in a seat and just started weeping.
my bag really did make it and all was ok, but so much for calling my mom from the airport to wish her a happy birthday!
i had some time in cleveland to get a sandwich, right as the shop was closing down for the night, and then a couple minutes to sit at the gate waiting for the crew to come from their inbound flight. so we were late taking off, and late getting in to GR, but it was So Good to finally be in. dan was watching the flight tracker which told him i was gonna land at 10:20 and we actually landed at 10:05, so he wasn't there waiting for me... oh well. i collapsed into bed at 11 and i don't think i've Ever Slept So well.
i heard from melissa that the power and water has been out most of the time since i left. too funny that i missed it. i'm Really glad there was water for a shower for me though before i took off... is that selfish of me? whew! i would've been Ripe!
the last 43 hours of the trip consisted of 7 hours in a car, 14 hours of flying, 1 1/2 hours transferring from jfk to laguardia, 11 hours waiting in airports or at the helipad, and less than 8 hours in freetown to rest, shop, sightsee, eat, and shower.
it is Good to be home.
your host for this episode : carrie; 07:57 AM | Comments (2)