Ingredients
1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, room temperature (add 1/4 tsp salt if you use unsalted butter)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
spice of choice - e.g. ground ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon zest
fruit for topping - e.g. berries, plums, apples
Directions
Cream the soft butter into the sugar. Add the eggs, mix well. Add flour, baking powder, mix thoroughly. It will be a pretty thick. Dollop it into a round cake pan lined with parchment (mine's 9 inches, makes for a thin-ish cake around 2 inches high). Spread it out evenly but it doesn't need to push into the edges or be perfectly flat - it will spread and puff during baking.
Dust with your spice of choice. I like a little ground ginger for warmth and mystery, personally; it goes great with blueberries, and with plums. Top with your fruit of choice in a pleasing arrangement. This cake can take a lot of fruit. I've made this with blueberries mixed with chopped rhubarb, delicious. Black plums cut into eights and arranged in a fan, also delicious. Would likely work with frozen raspberries, pears, figs, or peaches. If your fruit is on the sour side, you may want to dust the top with extra sugar. I usually don't because I like the tart pockets of cooked fruit.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 min. The batter will rise up and gorgeously enfold the fruit as it bakes. The middle has a tendency to finish baking in the last 5 minutes, so be sure the middle is fully set before you set it out to cool. Best to take it out of the pan when still warm.
The cake is substantial but not heavy and has a simplicity that really sets off fresh summer fruit. It almost has a cornmeal-like texture, despite having no cornmeal in it at all.
July 22, 2020
July 20, 2020
Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
5 tbsp butter (add 1/4 tsp salt if you use unsalted butter)
1 egg
3/4 cup sour cream (can sub yogurt but full fat sour cream is better)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (can sub zest of half a lemon)
1/2 cup sugar
Dry:
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Directions
After three tries, I think I've finally got this recipe down. I followed Smitten Kitchen's recipe to being with, but her instructions for the yogurt version came out pretty stiff and dry on my first try. The second try, I added a splash of milk to thin the batter slightly and it worked better. The third time, I only had 1/2 cup of yogurt so I put in 1/4 cup sour cream as well. That was the game changer. Full fat sour cream has about 10 times the fat as plain yogurt (14% versus 1.4%). Fat is the answer. MUCH more tender and yummy muffin. So here we go!
Melt the butter. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and combine well. The spices are up to you but I think ginger and blueberries are yummy together. Stir in the sugar as soon as you measure it in - if you leave it, it can clump up.
Dust in baking powder and baking soda. Mix. Gently fold in flour and blueberries - don't overmix here. The batter should be pretty stiff - certainly stiff enough to hold the blueberries in place. If it feels like you're mixing cement, you may need a splash of milk to thin it.
Portion the batter out into a paper-lined muffin tin. Deb of Smitten Kitchen says it makes 9 standard muffins but I get 16 little muffins (or I fill a 12-tray and stick the leftover batter into a mini loaf pan).
I always have to pry the batter out and sort of mound it up. You can go over the lip of the paper liner. It will settle a little in baking but not a lot. I try to sort of push the batter down a little to fill the bottom of the paper liner.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Tops should be toasty and a toothpick should prick clean. If you put in a mini loaf pan with extra batter, leave that in 5-10 more minutes.
These muffins are best hot out of the oven. They taste a bit scone-like and dry the next day but revive nicely in the toaster oven and taste magnificent with a smear of butter.
BC has amazing blueberries so I've been making this recipe with fresh. Deb says you can also make this recipe with frozen. She also likes to sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar for extra crunch and sweetness; I usually skip it.
5 tbsp butter (add 1/4 tsp salt if you use unsalted butter)
1 egg
3/4 cup sour cream (can sub yogurt but full fat sour cream is better)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (can sub zest of half a lemon)
1/2 cup sugar
Dry:
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Directions
After three tries, I think I've finally got this recipe down. I followed Smitten Kitchen's recipe to being with, but her instructions for the yogurt version came out pretty stiff and dry on my first try. The second try, I added a splash of milk to thin the batter slightly and it worked better. The third time, I only had 1/2 cup of yogurt so I put in 1/4 cup sour cream as well. That was the game changer. Full fat sour cream has about 10 times the fat as plain yogurt (14% versus 1.4%). Fat is the answer. MUCH more tender and yummy muffin. So here we go!
Melt the butter. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and combine well. The spices are up to you but I think ginger and blueberries are yummy together. Stir in the sugar as soon as you measure it in - if you leave it, it can clump up.
Dust in baking powder and baking soda. Mix. Gently fold in flour and blueberries - don't overmix here. The batter should be pretty stiff - certainly stiff enough to hold the blueberries in place. If it feels like you're mixing cement, you may need a splash of milk to thin it.
Portion the batter out into a paper-lined muffin tin. Deb of Smitten Kitchen says it makes 9 standard muffins but I get 16 little muffins (or I fill a 12-tray and stick the leftover batter into a mini loaf pan).
I always have to pry the batter out and sort of mound it up. You can go over the lip of the paper liner. It will settle a little in baking but not a lot. I try to sort of push the batter down a little to fill the bottom of the paper liner.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Tops should be toasty and a toothpick should prick clean. If you put in a mini loaf pan with extra batter, leave that in 5-10 more minutes.
These muffins are best hot out of the oven. They taste a bit scone-like and dry the next day but revive nicely in the toaster oven and taste magnificent with a smear of butter.
BC has amazing blueberries so I've been making this recipe with fresh. Deb says you can also make this recipe with frozen. She also likes to sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar for extra crunch and sweetness; I usually skip it.
June 28, 2020
Carnitas
Ingredients
3 lbs pork shoulder
1 onion, quartered
1 orange, quartered
4 cloves garlic
2 sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
1/2 cup white wine
[neutral oil, e.g. canola or grapeseed)
Directions
Cut the pork into chunks about 2 inches square. Season with salt and pepper. Place them snugly in the bottom of a dutch oven and nestle the garlic, onion and herbs in among the meat. Squeeze the orange juice over the meat and also tuck the orange pieces in the pot. Splash in some white wine.
(If the pork is very fatty, you will probably not need additional oil. If it's leaner, add 1/4 cup neutral cooking oil to the braising liquid.)
Simmer for 2-3 hours with the lid on, until the meat is fork tender. [Can also do this step in a 300F oven.] Remove the meat to another container and shred to desired size with forks. As you shred the meat, you can discard as much of the fattier bits as you prefer.
Remove and discard the solids (onion, orange, garlic, bay leaves) from the braising liquid . Skim the fat off. Restore the braising liquid to the shredded meat. Adjust seasoning.
Great as a filling for soft tacos, with a dollop of sour cream or avocado mash, fresh cilantro, quick pickled shallots for a little bite.
3 lbs pork shoulder
1 onion, quartered
1 orange, quartered
4 cloves garlic
2 sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
1/2 cup white wine
[neutral oil, e.g. canola or grapeseed)
Directions
Cut the pork into chunks about 2 inches square. Season with salt and pepper. Place them snugly in the bottom of a dutch oven and nestle the garlic, onion and herbs in among the meat. Squeeze the orange juice over the meat and also tuck the orange pieces in the pot. Splash in some white wine.
(If the pork is very fatty, you will probably not need additional oil. If it's leaner, add 1/4 cup neutral cooking oil to the braising liquid.)
Simmer for 2-3 hours with the lid on, until the meat is fork tender. [Can also do this step in a 300F oven.] Remove the meat to another container and shred to desired size with forks. As you shred the meat, you can discard as much of the fattier bits as you prefer.
Remove and discard the solids (onion, orange, garlic, bay leaves) from the braising liquid . Skim the fat off. Restore the braising liquid to the shredded meat. Adjust seasoning.
Great as a filling for soft tacos, with a dollop of sour cream or avocado mash, fresh cilantro, quick pickled shallots for a little bite.
June 13, 2020
Stir-Fried Spot Prawns
Ingredients
1-2 lbs live spot prawns
1/3 cup canola oil
ginger, minced
scallions, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
1 tsp sugar
Directions
If you are not squeamish, trim the antennae off the live prawns. (If you are, you can just throw them untrimmed into the wok and it'll be fine.)
Heat a large wok. Add the oil, and toast the minced ginger and scallion a bit. Add the live prawns to the hot oil. Be ready to put the lid on immediately! They will jumps some.
Give it a jostle every 10 sec. When the jumping has subsided, remove the lid. Sauté until the prawns are curled up and have changed color. Add soy sauce, cooking wine and sugar. Continue stir-frying until the prawns are cooked, approx. 10 min cooking time total.
1-2 lbs live spot prawns
1/3 cup canola oil
ginger, minced
scallions, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
1 tsp sugar
Directions
If you are not squeamish, trim the antennae off the live prawns. (If you are, you can just throw them untrimmed into the wok and it'll be fine.)
Heat a large wok. Add the oil, and toast the minced ginger and scallion a bit. Add the live prawns to the hot oil. Be ready to put the lid on immediately! They will jumps some.
Give it a jostle every 10 sec. When the jumping has subsided, remove the lid. Sauté until the prawns are curled up and have changed color. Add soy sauce, cooking wine and sugar. Continue stir-frying until the prawns are cooked, approx. 10 min cooking time total.
June 11, 2020
Banana Pancakes for one
Ingredients
1 ripe banana
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla (I swapped it out for Kahlua)
3 tbsp flour
splash of milk to thin
Directions
I used a ricer on the banana but you can also just mash it. Add baking powder and flavoring. Beat in the egg. Add flour, mix in. Thin with milk to desired consistency. (You want it to have body, but puddle out slightly when you spoon it into your skillet.)
Griddle on low in a neutral flavored oil, approx. 3 min per side, until golden brown.
Makes six palm-sized pancakes. The smaller size makes it easier to flip. I use a quarter cup measure as my scoop.
This recipe doubles easily. For larger amounts, know that there are 4 tbsp in 1/4 cup.
Variations: So I started looking at a two-ingredient pancake recipe (banana and egg) and I just couldn't bear to make pancakes without flour, which led me to this recipe. I happened to have milk today, but I also keep powdered milk on hand, which should also work. Probably also thinned out yogurt, non-dairy milks and even water could do in a pinch.
The source recipe claims that you can leave out the baking powder, but the price is some of the fluffy texture. The flour can be swapped with coconut flour for a gluten-free version. And the flavoring is entirely optional. I bet some citrus zest would be delicious too.
1 ripe banana
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla (I swapped it out for Kahlua)
3 tbsp flour
splash of milk to thin
Directions
I used a ricer on the banana but you can also just mash it. Add baking powder and flavoring. Beat in the egg. Add flour, mix in. Thin with milk to desired consistency. (You want it to have body, but puddle out slightly when you spoon it into your skillet.)
Griddle on low in a neutral flavored oil, approx. 3 min per side, until golden brown.
Makes six palm-sized pancakes. The smaller size makes it easier to flip. I use a quarter cup measure as my scoop.
This recipe doubles easily. For larger amounts, know that there are 4 tbsp in 1/4 cup.
Variations: So I started looking at a two-ingredient pancake recipe (banana and egg) and I just couldn't bear to make pancakes without flour, which led me to this recipe. I happened to have milk today, but I also keep powdered milk on hand, which should also work. Probably also thinned out yogurt, non-dairy milks and even water could do in a pinch.
The source recipe claims that you can leave out the baking powder, but the price is some of the fluffy texture. The flour can be swapped with coconut flour for a gluten-free version. And the flavoring is entirely optional. I bet some citrus zest would be delicious too.
May 10, 2020
Soy-Braised Pork Ribs
Ingredients
Pork back ribs, a full rack
Soy sauce
Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine
Brown Sugar
Fresh ginger
Directions
(Apologies in advance - this is one of my mom's loosey goosey recipes and I also cook by taste and feel.)
Parboil the pork ribs in water for 10 minutes. Discard cooking water and scrub the ribs a little, and rinse them off.
In another pot, heat about 1/3 cup soy sauce, a good glug cooking wine, 2 tbsp brown sugar, a splash of water and three fat slices of ginger. Taste the braising liquid - it should taste faintly sweet and yummy. Adjust to taste, with more water or sugar until you like the balance. (My mom says no, but optional flavorings include scallions, garlic, star anise, black peppercorns.) Place parboiled ribs in the sauce, and stir to coat. The sauce should not come anywhere near covering the ribs, but should be a thin layer on the bottom of the pot.
Simmer on low, covered, for one hour, turning the meat every 20 minutes. Add more water if it looks like the sauce is getting too low, and risks scorching. (Some liquid and fat will render from the ribs.) The ribs should part braise, part steam.
Serve with rice and greens. Don't throw out that sauce! It's great over the rice and the greens. You can also freeze it to give a head start to the next batch of ribs.
Pork back ribs, a full rack
Soy sauce
Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine
Brown Sugar
Fresh ginger
Directions
(Apologies in advance - this is one of my mom's loosey goosey recipes and I also cook by taste and feel.)
Parboil the pork ribs in water for 10 minutes. Discard cooking water and scrub the ribs a little, and rinse them off.
In another pot, heat about 1/3 cup soy sauce, a good glug cooking wine, 2 tbsp brown sugar, a splash of water and three fat slices of ginger. Taste the braising liquid - it should taste faintly sweet and yummy. Adjust to taste, with more water or sugar until you like the balance. (My mom says no, but optional flavorings include scallions, garlic, star anise, black peppercorns.) Place parboiled ribs in the sauce, and stir to coat. The sauce should not come anywhere near covering the ribs, but should be a thin layer on the bottom of the pot.
Simmer on low, covered, for one hour, turning the meat every 20 minutes. Add more water if it looks like the sauce is getting too low, and risks scorching. (Some liquid and fat will render from the ribs.) The ribs should part braise, part steam.
Serve with rice and greens. Don't throw out that sauce! It's great over the rice and the greens. You can also freeze it to give a head start to the next batch of ribs.
April 21, 2020
My Pantry Staples
Following in Smitten Kitchen's footsteps, I thought it'd be fun to do an inventory of my pantry staples. As a general rule of thumb, I think any recipe you make more than three times a year deserves a stocked ingredient. Items in square brackets are those that I often have on hand, but don't necessarily replenish right away.
RICE AND GRAINS
Thai jasmine long grain rice
Japanese short grain rice
Wild rice mix
[Brown rice]
Rolled oats (for baking, not for oatmeal)
Steel-cut oats (for oatmeal)
[Quinoa]
[Couscous]
[Millet, for congee]
PASTA AND NOODLES
Italian pasta: angelhair, spaghetti/linguine, macaroni
Rice vermicelli
Wide bean noodles (for hot pot)
Japanese somen
[Egg noodles, for tuna casserole]
FLOURS
AP flour
Bread flour (for no-knead bread)
Wheat flour (a small amount kept in the freezer; sometimes I switch to rye)
Cornmeal
[Almond meal, for chocolate fruitcake]
BEANS AND LENTILS
Canned chickpeas / garbanzo beans
Canned red beans (for chili)
Canned Tuscan white / cannellini beans (for soup)
[Lentils, green or French de puy]
MISC CANNED
Canned tuna
[Canned salmon]
Canned pumpkin puree (for pumpkin bread and thickening chili)
Canned whole plum tomatoes
Canned creamed corn
[Tomato paste]
[Canned peaches]
[Canned mandarin oranges]
BAKING
Granulated sugar
[Brown sugar]
[Muscovado sugar]
Baking powder
Baking soda
Instant yeast, sleeves of three packets (mostly for no-knead bread)
Cocoa
Powdered milk (because I don't often have fresh milk in my fridge)
Kahlua (my favorite substitute for vanilla)
OIL AND VINEGAR
Canola
Olive (regular, for cooking)
Extra-virgin olive (a fancy store here has a Persian lime flavor I love, just for salad dressings)
Butter (I only keep salted, and use it even for baking - I just omit the added salt and it's usually fine)
White vinegar in massive jugs (pickling; does double duty as dandelion killer)
Cider vinegar
[Red or white wine vinegar]
[Balsamic]
SALT, HERBS AND SPICES
Regular iodized table salt (for salting cooking water)
Fine sea salt (regular cooking; have sometimes kept fine kosher salt instead)
Seasoning salt (for steak and grilled chicken)
Whole peppercorns
Whole nutmeg
Dried thyme
Chopped fresh cilantro (in freezer)
[Loads of others but these are my go-tos. My garden has fresh mint, rosemary and bay.]
CHINESE
Soy sauce
Chinese black vinegar
Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine
Sesame oil
Cornstarch
Cow Head brand Chinese barbeque sauce
[Oyster sauce]
[Packaged fried shallots]
MISC
Better Than Bouillon, multiple flavors
[Trader Joe's sundried tomatoes in oil]
[Capers]
[Pickles and cornichons]
Dijon mustard
[Mayonaise]
Peanut butter
[Nutella]
[Marcona almonds]
Jam (a berry one)
Honey
[Molasses]
[Maple syrup]
[Ovaltine]
[Hot chocolate mix]
Tea: loose-leaf green, English breakfast, chamomile, fruity, plus misc. assortment of tea bags
Dried currants (for scones; also good in couscous)
[Alpen muesli]
Walker's shortbread
Kettle-cooked potato chips, plain / original / sea salt flavor
Instant ramen
Kraft instant mac and cheese
FREEZER
Boneless skinless chicken thighs, wrapped in packets of two
Breakfast sausage, wrapped in single portions
Thick-sliced bacon
Gyoza
Udon
Spinach
[Peas]
[Trader Joe's white corn]
Bread (sliced)
[Bagels from New York]
EGGS
I *always* have eggs. I go back and forth between white and brown, large and extra large.
* * * * *
Some weird things about my kitchen:
RICE AND GRAINS
Thai jasmine long grain rice
Japanese short grain rice
Wild rice mix
[Brown rice]
Rolled oats (for baking, not for oatmeal)
Steel-cut oats (for oatmeal)
[Quinoa]
[Couscous]
[Millet, for congee]
PASTA AND NOODLES
Italian pasta: angelhair, spaghetti/linguine, macaroni
Rice vermicelli
Wide bean noodles (for hot pot)
Japanese somen
[Egg noodles, for tuna casserole]
FLOURS
AP flour
Bread flour (for no-knead bread)
Wheat flour (a small amount kept in the freezer; sometimes I switch to rye)
Cornmeal
[Almond meal, for chocolate fruitcake]
BEANS AND LENTILS
Canned chickpeas / garbanzo beans
Canned red beans (for chili)
Canned Tuscan white / cannellini beans (for soup)
[Lentils, green or French de puy]
MISC CANNED
Canned tuna
[Canned salmon]
Canned pumpkin puree (for pumpkin bread and thickening chili)
Canned whole plum tomatoes
Canned creamed corn
[Tomato paste]
[Canned peaches]
[Canned mandarin oranges]
BAKING
Granulated sugar
[Brown sugar]
[Muscovado sugar]
Baking powder
Baking soda
Instant yeast, sleeves of three packets (mostly for no-knead bread)
Cocoa
Powdered milk (because I don't often have fresh milk in my fridge)
Kahlua (my favorite substitute for vanilla)
OIL AND VINEGAR
Canola
Olive (regular, for cooking)
Extra-virgin olive (a fancy store here has a Persian lime flavor I love, just for salad dressings)
Butter (I only keep salted, and use it even for baking - I just omit the added salt and it's usually fine)
White vinegar in massive jugs (pickling; does double duty as dandelion killer)
Cider vinegar
[Red or white wine vinegar]
[Balsamic]
SALT, HERBS AND SPICES
Regular iodized table salt (for salting cooking water)
Fine sea salt (regular cooking; have sometimes kept fine kosher salt instead)
Seasoning salt (for steak and grilled chicken)
Whole peppercorns
Whole nutmeg
Dried thyme
Chopped fresh cilantro (in freezer)
[Loads of others but these are my go-tos. My garden has fresh mint, rosemary and bay.]
CHINESE
Soy sauce
Chinese black vinegar
Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine
Sesame oil
Cornstarch
Cow Head brand Chinese barbeque sauce
[Oyster sauce]
[Packaged fried shallots]
MISC
Better Than Bouillon, multiple flavors
[Trader Joe's sundried tomatoes in oil]
[Capers]
[Pickles and cornichons]
Dijon mustard
[Mayonaise]
Peanut butter
[Nutella]
[Marcona almonds]
Jam (a berry one)
Honey
[Molasses]
[Maple syrup]
[Ovaltine]
[Hot chocolate mix]
Tea: loose-leaf green, English breakfast, chamomile, fruity, plus misc. assortment of tea bags
Dried currants (for scones; also good in couscous)
[Alpen muesli]
Walker's shortbread
Kettle-cooked potato chips, plain / original / sea salt flavor
Instant ramen
Kraft instant mac and cheese
FREEZER
Boneless skinless chicken thighs, wrapped in packets of two
Breakfast sausage, wrapped in single portions
Thick-sliced bacon
Gyoza
Udon
Spinach
[Peas]
[Trader Joe's white corn]
Bread (sliced)
[Bagels from New York]
EGGS
I *always* have eggs. I go back and forth between white and brown, large and extra large.
* * * * *
Some weird things about my kitchen:
- I almost never have fresh milk. I am not much of a milk drinker, and though I put milk in my coffee, I drink almost all my coffee at work.
- I only have crappy instant coffee. See above. At home, I drink tea.
- I don't really cook with garlic, so I rarely have it.
- I'm a wimp when it comes to spicy food, so all the red pepper flakes and hot sauces in my kitchen were purchased by my mom while she was visiting. She is a fiend for spicy food.
- I have lots of exotic spices and spice mixes. It's one of my favorite souvenirs to buy when traveling - for myself and as gifts.
- I have a very limited baking repertoire. I don't find it relaxing, and I don't do it enough to be very good at it. I also don't like icing or frosting, and never make it. I know, I'm a monster.
April 14, 2020
Roasted Beets
This is the best method I've come across for roasting beets, which are very inexpensive in the fall but somehow always expensive in restaurants.
Directions
Wrap each beet (whole and unpeeled) individually in foil. Place on a sheet and throw it in your oven at 375 F - no need to preheat. Let the oven run about half an hour after it comes up to temp. Turn the oven off but leave the beets in there until your oven cools down completely.
Keep the beets in foil until you want to use them. They will keep in the fridge for a week to ten days. When you want to use them, unwrap the foil. The beet skin should rub off easily in your hands.
What's great about this method is that, while it takes a long time, it doesn't take a lot of power or attention. In fact, you can turn off the oven and leave the house while the beets finish cooking. And because they're individually wrapped, you can have a salad of one beet every couple of days after one batch of roasting - perfect for a single person.
I really like roasted beets with a mustardy citrus vinaigrette. Goat cheese or chopped nuts go great if you have them.
Directions
Wrap each beet (whole and unpeeled) individually in foil. Place on a sheet and throw it in your oven at 375 F - no need to preheat. Let the oven run about half an hour after it comes up to temp. Turn the oven off but leave the beets in there until your oven cools down completely.
Keep the beets in foil until you want to use them. They will keep in the fridge for a week to ten days. When you want to use them, unwrap the foil. The beet skin should rub off easily in your hands.
What's great about this method is that, while it takes a long time, it doesn't take a lot of power or attention. In fact, you can turn off the oven and leave the house while the beets finish cooking. And because they're individually wrapped, you can have a salad of one beet every couple of days after one batch of roasting - perfect for a single person.
I really like roasted beets with a mustardy citrus vinaigrette. Goat cheese or chopped nuts go great if you have them.
April 12, 2020
Pickled Cherries
Adapted from Epicurious.
Ingredients
3/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
[optional: 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes]
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 lb fresh cherries, pitted and halved
Directions
Combine everything except the cherries and the rosemary in a stainless steel pan and bring to a simmer. Add cherries and rosemary, cook for 3-5 minutes.
Transfer cherries and rosemary to a 1 quart mason jar. Pour in enough pickling liquid to cover the cherries. Chill. Can keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
These pickled cherries go great with a cheese plate, or as a topping for vanilla ice-cream. I like just snacking on them too.
Ingredients
3/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
[optional: 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes]
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 lb fresh cherries, pitted and halved
Directions
Combine everything except the cherries and the rosemary in a stainless steel pan and bring to a simmer. Add cherries and rosemary, cook for 3-5 minutes.
Transfer cherries and rosemary to a 1 quart mason jar. Pour in enough pickling liquid to cover the cherries. Chill. Can keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
These pickled cherries go great with a cheese plate, or as a topping for vanilla ice-cream. I like just snacking on them too.
March 30, 2020
Cold Noodles with Peanut Sauce
There's a term for this type of recipe: assimilation foods. It's a recipe adapted to ingredients found in local grocery stores.
Recipe adapted from Luke Tsai, on Taste.
Ingredients
Noodles - whatever you have, from spaghetti to Chinese egg noodles
Toppings:
Cucumber, julienned or grated
Carrot, julienned or grated
Egg - quickly cooked into a crepe and julienned
Cooked ham, julienned
(Options: shredded cooked chicken or turkey, bell pepper, bean sprouts, water chestnut, jicama, snow peas, shredded cabbage, fresh parsley or cilantro, etc.)
Sauce (for 2-4 servings)
1/4 cup peanut butter (Luke says smooth only but I used chunky and it was fine. Tahini would be even more authentic to the original if you have it.)
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
pinch of sugar
hot water to thin
Recipe adapted from Luke Tsai, on Taste.
Ingredients
Noodles - whatever you have, from spaghetti to Chinese egg noodles
Toppings:
Cucumber, julienned or grated
Carrot, julienned or grated
Egg - quickly cooked into a crepe and julienned
Cooked ham, julienned
(Options: shredded cooked chicken or turkey, bell pepper, bean sprouts, water chestnut, jicama, snow peas, shredded cabbage, fresh parsley or cilantro, etc.)
Sauce (for 2-4 servings)
1/4 cup peanut butter (Luke says smooth only but I used chunky and it was fine. Tahini would be even more authentic to the original if you have it.)
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
pinch of sugar
hot water to thin
March 28, 2020
Homemade Irish Cream
I've resurrected Ye Olde Blogge to collect some recipes, so I have them all in one place. I've been cooking a lot since social distancing went into effect, like a lot of folks. Instead of the quick dinners, I've been going back and dusting off those time-consuming, special occasion recipes. Cooking is both therapeutic and indulgent for me, and I guess there's no time like now for a little extra of both.
Here's one from the holidays, adapted from Smitten Kitchen. No cook, so much tastier than the commercial version.
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1 small can (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup whiskey
1 tsp cocoa powder
a dash of vanilla
a dash of Kahlua
Directions
Put a spoonful of cream into the cocoa and make a paste (if you dump all the cocoa straight into the cream, it will clump up). Slowly add more cream until it's thick enough to whisk, then whisk in the rest of the cream. Then whisk in the condensed milk, whiskey and flavorings. (The vanilla and Kahlua add great complexity but can be omitted if you don't like them.)
Will last for over a month in the fridge.
Great as a holiday host/hostess gift. I like it in a post-dinner coffee, while my sister likes it on the rocks. Also makes a killer addition to French toast batter.
Here's one from the holidays, adapted from Smitten Kitchen. No cook, so much tastier than the commercial version.
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1 small can (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup whiskey
1 tsp cocoa powder
a dash of vanilla
a dash of Kahlua
Directions
Put a spoonful of cream into the cocoa and make a paste (if you dump all the cocoa straight into the cream, it will clump up). Slowly add more cream until it's thick enough to whisk, then whisk in the rest of the cream. Then whisk in the condensed milk, whiskey and flavorings. (The vanilla and Kahlua add great complexity but can be omitted if you don't like them.)
Will last for over a month in the fridge.
Great as a holiday host/hostess gift. I like it in a post-dinner coffee, while my sister likes it on the rocks. Also makes a killer addition to French toast batter.
March 27, 2020
Ricotta
This is the recipe from Molly Wizenberg's book, Delancey.
Ricotta is pretty easy to make - the only equipment you really need is cheesecloth. (If you have a candy thermometer, that's also useful but not strictly necessary.)
Ingredients
6-1/2 cups whole milk
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp salt
Directions
Put the three dairy ingredients in a heavy pot (I use my trusty yellow dutch oven) over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching. If you have a thermometer, stop stirring when it reaches 180°F. If you don't have a thermometer, I stop stirring when it starts to separate and form a floating layer of curds.
Continue to cook until the curds are clumpy and the whey is mostly clear. Take it off the heat and let set for 30 min at room temperature. Ladle curds over cheesecloth and leave it to drain until desired consistency: soft and creamy, versus a little thicker and stiffer - depends on what you want to use it for. (Don't press on it!)
Add salt. Will last for about a week, but tastes best the first three days.
Full recipe makes about a pound of cheese. Recipe can be halved successfully as well.
Uses: Excellent in lasagna, and in raspberry ricotta cake. Or spooned over toast with a grind of pepper.
Ricotta is pretty easy to make - the only equipment you really need is cheesecloth. (If you have a candy thermometer, that's also useful but not strictly necessary.)
Ingredients
6-1/2 cups whole milk
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp salt
Directions
Put the three dairy ingredients in a heavy pot (I use my trusty yellow dutch oven) over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching. If you have a thermometer, stop stirring when it reaches 180°F. If you don't have a thermometer, I stop stirring when it starts to separate and form a floating layer of curds.
Continue to cook until the curds are clumpy and the whey is mostly clear. Take it off the heat and let set for 30 min at room temperature. Ladle curds over cheesecloth and leave it to drain until desired consistency: soft and creamy, versus a little thicker and stiffer - depends on what you want to use it for. (Don't press on it!)
Add salt. Will last for about a week, but tastes best the first three days.
Full recipe makes about a pound of cheese. Recipe can be halved successfully as well.
Uses: Excellent in lasagna, and in raspberry ricotta cake. Or spooned over toast with a grind of pepper.
September 9, 2016
Maggie's Pumpkin Bread
Makes 5 mini loaves (or 2 regular loaves)
Ingredients
Butter or baking spray, for greasing the pans
2 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
2 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon (original recipe had 3 tsp cinnamon but I cut it down for my personal palate)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease 5 baby loaf pans with butter or baking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, oil, eggs, water, and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon, combining thoroughly. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes.
(To make 2 regular-size loaves, you’ll need to increase the baking time.)
Walnuts: Optional. Can sprinkle on top before baking, or toss lightly in a dash of flour and mix into the batter just before filling the loaf pans.
Ingredients
Butter or baking spray, for greasing the pans
2 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
2 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon (original recipe had 3 tsp cinnamon but I cut it down for my personal palate)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease 5 baby loaf pans with butter or baking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, oil, eggs, water, and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon, combining thoroughly. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes.
(To make 2 regular-size loaves, you’ll need to increase the baking time.)
Walnuts: Optional. Can sprinkle on top before baking, or toss lightly in a dash of flour and mix into the batter just before filling the loaf pans.
September 7, 2016
Irina's Cherry Cordial
2 lbs cherries (or berries, like blackberries or currants)*
½ lb sugar
100 mL water
½ L grain alcohol (according to Irina, it's the stuff you can get for about
$15/bottle that's 95% alcohol - yeah, you read that ABV right)
optional: lime zest, vanilla
Combine the cherries and sugar and leave for 2-3 weeks at room temperature. Agitate occasionally.
After a week, add the grain alcohol and water. Steep for 2-3 months. Lime zest and vanilla optional.
Strain and bottle, but keep the fruit - it makes for a very delicious (if dangerous) treat to serve with dessert, in cocktails, etc. The resulting liqueur is about 60% ABV. It's absolutely luscious, with a deep fruit flavor almost like port, and a syrupy, unctuous texture.
*If you want to try it with peaches or apricots, it'll be ready faster. Irina advises a minimum of 1 week for the sugar step and 2 weeks with the grain alcohol.
September 5, 2016
Chocolate Macaroons
4 oz (100g) good quality semisweet chocolate
4 egg whites
200g sugar (about ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp.)
225g (2 cups) ground almonds
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment or rice paper. Preheat oven to 350° F.
Grate chocolate. (If you have it, you can use the metal grating disc on a food processor.)
Beat egg whites in a medium bowl until stiff. (Add a tiny pinch of salt or some cream of tartar to facilitate.)
Beat in sugar gradually, continue beating until mixture is thick and glossy.
Fold in ground almonds and grated chocolate.
Drop spoonfuls of mixture onto prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each macaroon for spreading during cooking.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Do not let macaroons become too dark, or they will taste bitter.
Cool on baking sheet.
Carefully peel cooled macaroons off baking parchment or cut around each macaroon on the edible rice paper.March 8, 2015
Lightning prep
Tonight, in under an hour, I made a dinner consisting of roasted asparagus, steamed green beans, sautéed mushrooms with sherry, mesclun salad with yellow peppers and homemade Meyer lemon dressing, and an omelet. Could have used someone to do the dishes, though.
June 26, 2014
Easy Scones
Another easy bake recipe here. I stumbled onto Chinese Grandma while looking for kitchen reno ideas, and I thought I'd give her cream scone recipe a try. Home run.
I love this recipe; I've baked them three times this month! In the time it takes to preheat the oven, you can mix up the dough and form the scones. While they're baking, you can wash up. In 30 minutes total, you can have fresh baked scones and a clean kitchen too. What's not to love?
The secret to this recipe is the cream. No messing around with cold butter or melted butter. Just dump in the cream, stir, give it a few quick kneads, and it's done. They came out perfect my first try - me, the anti-baker. If I can do this, you can do it too.
Here goes:
2 cups flour (plus extra for kneading)
¼ cup sugar (plus extra for sprinkling on top)
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ cup dried fruit (I like currants; Chinese Grandma likes to mix golden raisins and dried cranberries)
1½ cups heavy cream (a.k.a. whipping cream; look for 30%+ milk fat)
Preheat the oven to 375°. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add dried fruit and cream, and mix again.
(Normally, I'd stir the dried fruit into the flour mixture to help keep it suspended, but it's really not necessary here because the dough is so thick. Those currants aren't going anywhere. And I found that the floured dried fruit don't look as nice in the finished product.
On the choice of currants: I usually have these around for my fruitcake recipe and for adding to couscous. I think the small size of the currants works well in little scones, and I think the flavor is more interesting than raisins. You can get dried currants in the bulk food section of Whole Foods.)
Dust the dough with flour and give it a few kneads until it's one big lump. It doesn't necessarily need to be a perfect, smooth ball. Chinese Grandma divides into four parts; I divide into three.
Roll and flatten each part into a thick disc, just under an inch thick. Dab a little cream on the top and sprinkle with sugar. (I use brown sugar for this part, but regular sugar would be fine too.)
Cut each disc into six pie pieces. Neater if you use a pastry cutter or chef's knife, but it'll also work to use a butter knife if you're cooking with kids (or can't be bothered to hand wash the other two things). Don't worry too much about how they look; they turn out fine after baking. Chinese Grandma has great pictures of all these steps if you're confused at all.
One batch of dough will yield 18 scones with my method, 24 with Chinese Grandma's. Either will fit on a single cookie sheet. They don't expand too much, but leave some room between pieces. You don't need to butter the sheet.
Into the oven, bake for 15 min or until golden brown. (In my electric oven, it works better if I use the top element.)
Eat!
These scones are AMAZING fresh out of the oven - crisp on the outside; tender and steamy on the inside. I usually can't help myself from scarfing down two or three. If you keep it in plastic, the scones will lose that crispness outside, but it's easily recovered with a couple of minutes in your toaster oven.
Postscript: I can't emphasize how easy and forgiving this recipe is. Case in point: I had a bit of cream left over, not enough for a full recipe, so I mixed together a half batch (to form one disc, eight slices) and baked them in the toaster oven. And they came out grand!
I love this recipe; I've baked them three times this month! In the time it takes to preheat the oven, you can mix up the dough and form the scones. While they're baking, you can wash up. In 30 minutes total, you can have fresh baked scones and a clean kitchen too. What's not to love?
The secret to this recipe is the cream. No messing around with cold butter or melted butter. Just dump in the cream, stir, give it a few quick kneads, and it's done. They came out perfect my first try - me, the anti-baker. If I can do this, you can do it too.
Here goes:
2 cups flour (plus extra for kneading)
¼ cup sugar (plus extra for sprinkling on top)
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ cup dried fruit (I like currants; Chinese Grandma likes to mix golden raisins and dried cranberries)
1½ cups heavy cream (a.k.a. whipping cream; look for 30%+ milk fat)
Preheat the oven to 375°. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add dried fruit and cream, and mix again.
(Normally, I'd stir the dried fruit into the flour mixture to help keep it suspended, but it's really not necessary here because the dough is so thick. Those currants aren't going anywhere. And I found that the floured dried fruit don't look as nice in the finished product.
On the choice of currants: I usually have these around for my fruitcake recipe and for adding to couscous. I think the small size of the currants works well in little scones, and I think the flavor is more interesting than raisins. You can get dried currants in the bulk food section of Whole Foods.)
Dust the dough with flour and give it a few kneads until it's one big lump. It doesn't necessarily need to be a perfect, smooth ball. Chinese Grandma divides into four parts; I divide into three.
Roll and flatten each part into a thick disc, just under an inch thick. Dab a little cream on the top and sprinkle with sugar. (I use brown sugar for this part, but regular sugar would be fine too.)
Cut each disc into six pie pieces. Neater if you use a pastry cutter or chef's knife, but it'll also work to use a butter knife if you're cooking with kids (or can't be bothered to hand wash the other two things). Don't worry too much about how they look; they turn out fine after baking. Chinese Grandma has great pictures of all these steps if you're confused at all.
One batch of dough will yield 18 scones with my method, 24 with Chinese Grandma's. Either will fit on a single cookie sheet. They don't expand too much, but leave some room between pieces. You don't need to butter the sheet.
Into the oven, bake for 15 min or until golden brown. (In my electric oven, it works better if I use the top element.)
Eat!
These scones are AMAZING fresh out of the oven - crisp on the outside; tender and steamy on the inside. I usually can't help myself from scarfing down two or three. If you keep it in plastic, the scones will lose that crispness outside, but it's easily recovered with a couple of minutes in your toaster oven.
Postscript: I can't emphasize how easy and forgiving this recipe is. Case in point: I had a bit of cream left over, not enough for a full recipe, so I mixed together a half batch (to form one disc, eight slices) and baked them in the toaster oven. And they came out grand!
January 1, 2013
No-Knead Bread
After Yining and Emily's successes with this bread, I decided to give it a try. Everyone who knows me knows that baking is my Waterloo but this bread is so ridiculously easy that even I turned out a great loaf my first go.
The original recipe is Jim Lahey's (Sullivan Street Bakery), made famous by Mark Bittman.
These are the four ingredients:
3 cups flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
1⅝ cups water
Simple instructions:
Mix ingredients together. Cover with saran wrap and let rise 14-20 hours. Fold down and let rise another 2 hours. Bake.
Copious instructions, with my personal tips and tweaks:
For the flour, I use 2¾ cups white bread flour and ¼ cup of whole wheat bread flour. (I tried going up to ½ cup of whole wheat, but I didn't like the texture as much.)
Make sure that the yeast is labelled fast rise, instant, or made for bread machines. I bought a strip of 3 little packets, Bakipan brand, and it works great. Note that this recipe calls for very little yeast; you can make about 8 loaves from one little packet. Yeast does get stale, so don't go crazy buying huge amounts.
Mix the salt, yeast and two flours together. Dump in the water. Stir until it's incorporated. The dough should look sort of messy and shaggy. Cover with saran wrap and stash it somewhere warmish. I keep my dough next to a heating vent. Some bloggers have suggested leaving it inside the oven with the light on (the bulb generating the tiny bit of heat required). Leave it there for 14 to 20 hours.
The next day, the dough should have grown about three times in size and now look smoother and doughier.
Give the dough a few turns to deflate it a bit, dusting the outside generously (I use wheat flour for the dusting). Note that this is not a knead, not even a punch-down - it's much gentler. Settle it back into the bowl.
Wet a paper towel and squeeze out most of the water. Drape the paper towel over the bowl (NOT touching the dough) and cover it with saran to keep the moisture in. Let it rise another 90 mins.
After 90 mins, leave the dough alone to rise another 30 mins, but set the oven to 450°. Put a Le Creuset pot with lid into the cold oven and let it gradually warm up as the oven is preheating. I've been using my 5½ quart round, and the dough doesn't quite reach all the edges. If you want a higher loaf, use a smaller pot. The original recipe says that you can use any heavy pot, cast iron, ceramic or Pyrex but I haven't tried those. Some bloggers report using the ceramic insert to a crock pot with success. Like the Le Creuset, any vessel needs to be able to withstand high heat, as well as retain it.
After the oven's preheated for 30 mins, carefully take out the now red-hot Le Creuset, set it on the stovetop, remove the lid and sprinkle a little flour in the bottom to prevent sticking. (For an extra bakery touch, use a sprinkle of cornmeal instead.) Then plop in your dough. It should sizzle when it hits the pot. Don't worry about how it looks now, it will come out of the oven looking very charmingly rustic and artisanal. Cover the pot and put it back in the oven.
The original recipe calls for baking it 30 mins covered and another 15-30 mins uncovered to brown it, but I find that it's already pretty well browned when I take the cover off and it takes only another 10 minutes, if that. Any longer and mine starts to burn. Keep a close eye on it once you uncover it, basically.
When done, it should turn out of the pot easily. Cool on a rack.
This bread has a deep, crisp crust and a great airy but chewy interior. Very hearty, very tasty. A definite crowd-pleaser. Most people I had over for my Soup Open House couldn't resist seconds and thirds, and many asked for the recipe.
It's really easy to make, but it *does* take advance planning. You have to start 1 day + 3 hours before you need the bread.
I usually mix the dough after I get home from work. If the next day is a weekday, I do the turn and second rise after work again. It's in the oven by around 8:00pm and baked by 9:00, so it would work for a late dinner. Otherwise, plan two days ahead. (If you need a quicker turnaround squeezed around a workday, you could theoretically get up at zero dark thirty for the turn, and bake it as you're getting ready for work. I am a zombie in the mornings and would almost certainly burn myself but morning people may find this workable. You are giving it a much shorter first rise, though, and it may affect the texture.)
If you mix the dough on a Friday night, do the turn and second rise around 9:00am for a lunch, or 3:00pm for a 6:00 dinner. Saturday-Sunday gives you the most flexible schedule.
The bread is most delicious freshly baked (natch). The crust will soften a bit if you keep it wrapped in plastic, but that's easily recovered in a toaster oven if you're just doing one slice, or a low temp (~250°) oven if you're doing larger chunks. This bread freezes well - just take it out to defrost for a few hours and warm it up in a low temp oven before serving.
Variations: Yining has tried adding herbs like rosemary with success. A gajillion people have baked this bread - the interwebs are full of variations, including with more exotic flours like rye or spelt. Explore at your leisure. Mark Bittman himself came up with a faster version, recipe here and commentary here, though unendorsed by Jim Lahey.
The original recipe is Jim Lahey's (Sullivan Street Bakery), made famous by Mark Bittman.
These are the four ingredients:
3 cups flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
1⅝ cups water
Simple instructions:
Mix ingredients together. Cover with saran wrap and let rise 14-20 hours. Fold down and let rise another 2 hours. Bake.
Copious instructions, with my personal tips and tweaks:
For the flour, I use 2¾ cups white bread flour and ¼ cup of whole wheat bread flour. (I tried going up to ½ cup of whole wheat, but I didn't like the texture as much.)
Make sure that the yeast is labelled fast rise, instant, or made for bread machines. I bought a strip of 3 little packets, Bakipan brand, and it works great. Note that this recipe calls for very little yeast; you can make about 8 loaves from one little packet. Yeast does get stale, so don't go crazy buying huge amounts.
Mix the salt, yeast and two flours together. Dump in the water. Stir until it's incorporated. The dough should look sort of messy and shaggy. Cover with saran wrap and stash it somewhere warmish. I keep my dough next to a heating vent. Some bloggers have suggested leaving it inside the oven with the light on (the bulb generating the tiny bit of heat required). Leave it there for 14 to 20 hours.
The next day, the dough should have grown about three times in size and now look smoother and doughier.
Give the dough a few turns to deflate it a bit, dusting the outside generously (I use wheat flour for the dusting). Note that this is not a knead, not even a punch-down - it's much gentler. Settle it back into the bowl.
Wet a paper towel and squeeze out most of the water. Drape the paper towel over the bowl (NOT touching the dough) and cover it with saran to keep the moisture in. Let it rise another 90 mins.
After 90 mins, leave the dough alone to rise another 30 mins, but set the oven to 450°. Put a Le Creuset pot with lid into the cold oven and let it gradually warm up as the oven is preheating. I've been using my 5½ quart round, and the dough doesn't quite reach all the edges. If you want a higher loaf, use a smaller pot. The original recipe says that you can use any heavy pot, cast iron, ceramic or Pyrex but I haven't tried those. Some bloggers report using the ceramic insert to a crock pot with success. Like the Le Creuset, any vessel needs to be able to withstand high heat, as well as retain it.
After the oven's preheated for 30 mins, carefully take out the now red-hot Le Creuset, set it on the stovetop, remove the lid and sprinkle a little flour in the bottom to prevent sticking. (For an extra bakery touch, use a sprinkle of cornmeal instead.) Then plop in your dough. It should sizzle when it hits the pot. Don't worry about how it looks now, it will come out of the oven looking very charmingly rustic and artisanal. Cover the pot and put it back in the oven.
The original recipe calls for baking it 30 mins covered and another 15-30 mins uncovered to brown it, but I find that it's already pretty well browned when I take the cover off and it takes only another 10 minutes, if that. Any longer and mine starts to burn. Keep a close eye on it once you uncover it, basically.
When done, it should turn out of the pot easily. Cool on a rack.
This bread has a deep, crisp crust and a great airy but chewy interior. Very hearty, very tasty. A definite crowd-pleaser. Most people I had over for my Soup Open House couldn't resist seconds and thirds, and many asked for the recipe.
It's really easy to make, but it *does* take advance planning. You have to start 1 day + 3 hours before you need the bread.
I usually mix the dough after I get home from work. If the next day is a weekday, I do the turn and second rise after work again. It's in the oven by around 8:00pm and baked by 9:00, so it would work for a late dinner. Otherwise, plan two days ahead. (If you need a quicker turnaround squeezed around a workday, you could theoretically get up at zero dark thirty for the turn, and bake it as you're getting ready for work. I am a zombie in the mornings and would almost certainly burn myself but morning people may find this workable. You are giving it a much shorter first rise, though, and it may affect the texture.)
If you mix the dough on a Friday night, do the turn and second rise around 9:00am for a lunch, or 3:00pm for a 6:00 dinner. Saturday-Sunday gives you the most flexible schedule.
Variations: Yining has tried adding herbs like rosemary with success. A gajillion people have baked this bread - the interwebs are full of variations, including with more exotic flours like rye or spelt. Explore at your leisure. Mark Bittman himself came up with a faster version, recipe here and commentary here, though unendorsed by Jim Lahey.
August 6, 2012
WD-50
Occasion: Dinner with Edward at one of my bucket list New York restaurants.
Location: WD-50 on Clinton between Stanton and Rivington (wd-50.com)
Edibles: The 9th anniversary 12-course tasting menu, fully described below.
Musings: The first thing that surprised me was the décor. The furniture is made of thick wood and the walls are painted in these saturated jewel tones. There's a vibrant emerald green wall, a rusty red one and a purple one. The light fixtures look like lava lamps. I was expecting it to look more cold and modern and surgical.
Another surprise - Wylie Dufresne is actually in the kitchen. He's there five nights a week, we're told.
I waffled for the longest time over which menu to order. The $75 5-course "best of" menu or the full $155 tasting menu? My brother supplied the winning argument of "If you're only going to come here once..." We got a very modest bottle of white to nurse throughout the meal.
First course was nigiri sushi with salsify (kneaded with hazelnut oil into a rice-like substance), trout roe, seaweed "roe" and sesame. I loved this. What a great start to the meal. Except for the piece of fish, all of the ingredients were non-standard, but together gave the strong message of sushi.
Next, lobster roe ribbons, lobster meat, charred lemon, green grapes, coriander brown butter. Really delicious and harmonious. The grapes were a nice touch and really brought out the sweetness of the lobster.
Faux pho (or pho gras). Beef and foie broth, terrine of foie gras and a puffed piece of beef tendon. My favorite course of the night. As soon as the waiter poured the broth in and the heat hit the herbs, it was like a flashing neon sign that said "PHO." The broth was insanely rich and concentrated. My own quibble about this course was that the noodles were too slippery to eat with a spoon and fork - it really need chopsticks. The puffed beef tendon, I fancifully thought, tasted like an alien cocoon.
Amaro-cured yolk, chicken confit, "peas" and carrots. The carrot was in ribbons and the "peas" were actually little spheres of cooked carrot, coated in pea powder. Ingenious. It absolutely had the texture and taste of a regular pea. I think this was supposed to be a deconstructed roast chicken dinner. The egg was a revelation. We surreptitiously checked it up on Wikipedia and it turns out that amaro is an herbaceous liqueur. The curing gave the egg yolk a very thick, velvety texture and slightly grassy flavor notes. I ate my dish with the egg smeared on everything and it was great, but my brother thought the carrot was a little bitter on its own.
Veal brisket, za'atar, plum, mustard. I thought the brisket tasted like bologna and the mustard overpowered everything. Couldn't taste the za'atar or the plum at all. Edward got more plum than I did but he also thought the mustard was too strong.
Peekytoe crab toast with saffron and kaffir lime yogurt and arare. My portion had way too much lime; my brother thought his could use more. We both thought the saffron was too strong and overpowered the crab.
Sole, black licorice pil-pil, fried green tomato and pickled fennel. The sole was made into a roulade, steamed and then flash fried. However they cooked it, it was overdone. Mine tasted very mealy. I also hated the licorice sauce - SO strong. I actually scraped it off the fish. Edward liked the sauce more than I did; he thought the different elements came together nicely but didn't stand alone very well.
Lamb sweetbreads, nasturtium buttermilk, zucchini and pistachio. This was one of those dishes that I thought was absolutely well conceived but just didn't appeal to my palate. One of my sweetbreads was way overcooked and rubbery. Edward loved it - he likes sweetbreads in general - but didn't understand why the pistachio brittle was on the plate.
Root beer ribs, caraway spaetzle, apricot chutney. The pork was marinated in root beer, deboned, formed into a roll, and then cooked sous-vide for almost 20 hours. It was pretty tasty, but here's my problem with the preparation: ribs are delicious because they're on the bone. If you cook it off the bone, you've kind of missed the point of eating ribs, no? I also hated the caraway spaetzle - it was the first thing I left on the plate entirely uneaten. Edward liked the apricot.
Jasmine custard, cucumber sorbet, honeydew and chartreuse. I put a spoonful in my mouth and immediately blurted out, "That tastes like shampoo!" The jasmine was too pungent. Edward like the sorbet a lot.
Yuzu milk ice, hazelnut crumble, strawberries and basil. This dessert was a lot of fun. The "ice-cream" was puffed in a vacuum and so it was the ice-cream equivalent of cotton candy. Very light and airy and melted as soon as it hit your tongue. My pretentious comment about this course: "It tastes like dessert you'd get on a hydroponic farm on Neptune."
S'mores with bitter cocoa ganache, frozen meringue filled with marshmallow fluff, black currant. I thought this dessert was badly balanced. The "marshmallow" was too solidly cold, there was too much of the fudge ganache and the blackcurrant brought out the bitterness of the chocolate and made it taste chemical-y. Edward disagreed with me on this one, and thought it worked overall.
Finally, there was a white chocolate truffle with goat cheese, covered with freeze-dried raspberries. Edward and I both agreed that it was tasty and unusual.
So there it is - the full tasting menu at WD-50. It was not exactly what I expected. The use of the science-y stuff was actually pretty restrained. I did feel like taste and flavor were his first priorities. I thought the seasoning got a little bit aggressive in the later courses. It wasn't all to my taste, but I was challenged and surprised.
September 24, 2011
Kashkaval
Occasion: Last stop in the tapas crawl (after a visit to Tia Pol, an old favorite)
Location: Kashkaval on 9th Ave between 55th and 56th (kashkaval.com)
Edibles: cheddar and ale fondue; some cold salads; salmon wrapped in grape leaves, donated by friendly fellow diners
Musings: I've loved this place since the first time I came here, brought by a Hell's Kitchen resident in the know. From the street it looks like a Greek deli, but there are a number of tables in the back as well as a bar area. It's close quarters - most of the tables will seat a maximum of four. There is a long table with benches that will seat one party of six to eight, which you can reserve.
The dining area is dim and cozy and comes across as very European to me. Kashkaval is open late - until 12:30am Friday and Saturday, 11pm other days of the week - making it a great option for after theatre.
The cold salads (in the case at the front of the shop) are excellent. I like the eggplant, the elephant beans, the beets. The hummus is good, if somewhat more mundane choice. They usually have a few daily specials as well.
For the hot, I usually get fondue. The Kashkaval house blend is good, as is the cheddar and ale. It's a matter of personal taste of course, but I find Swiss fondue a bit plasticky and the gorgonzola, too strong.
Yining and I were eating at the bar. The couple next to us ordered these divine-smelling salmon dolmas. I asked them how they were, and they very kindly gave us one of them to taste. I'm happy to report that they're as yummy as they smelled. I'll definitely be getting some next time I come.
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