Focaccia
(Note: this recipe was heavily influenced by Daniel T. DiMuzio’s focaccia recipe as seen in Bread Baking An Artisan’s Perspective)
Biga:
Bread Flour 10 oz
Water (at room temp) 6 oz
Instant Yeast ¼ tsp
Dough:
Bread Flour 1# 6.5 oz
Salt 0.6 oz
Yeast 0.2 oz
Yellow onion, minced 3 Tbsp
Biga 1#
Water (at room temp) 1# 1.5 oz
Olive Oil 3.2 oz
To Finish:
Olive Oil As needed
Rosemary leaves, chopped fine 2 Tbsp
Coarse Salt As needed
To Make the Biga, simply mix the three ingredients in a small bowl until a dry dough forms. Cover the dough and leave at room temp for about 24 hours.
To Make the Dough:
1 Combine the flour, yeast, salt, and onions in a mixing bowl and set aside.
2 Chop the biga into 1” pieces, and place in a mixing bowl. Cover with the water.
3 Squeeze the biga in the water to rehydrate for a couple of minutes, then add the flour mixture and olive oil.
4 Mix all of the ingredients together until a homogenous, wet dough forms. Do not knead, and do not add extra flour.
5 Let the dough rest covered for 15 minutes, then turn out onto an unfloured surface. Press the dough down into a flat disk, and then fold it into 3rds to form a rectangle using a bench-scraper. Fold this into 3rds to form a square, and return the dough to the covered bowl.
6 Repeat this step four more times, for a total of 5 turns and an hour and 15 minutes of rests. By the end, the dough still be moist, but more elastic.
7 Next, grease a cookie sheet with the olive oil, sprinkle with coarse salt, and stretch the dough to the size of the pan. Press various spots on the surface of the dough so that it rises evenly. Let rest until nearly doubled in size (approx 40 minutes).
8 Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
9 When the bread is ready to bake, top it with the coarse salt, rosemary, and a final sprinkling of olive oil.
10 Bake for approx. 35- 40 minutes, and then cool on a wire rack.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Dongpo Pork
Dongpo Pork
Pork Belly (preferably with rind) 1 ½#
Banana Leaves 1 ea.
Frying Oil (peanut, lard, or vegetable) 2 Tbsp
Salt as needed
Whole cane sugar or rock sugar 2 Tbsp
Star Anise 1 ea.
Scallions, chopped 2 ea.
Fresh ginger root, chopped 1 Tbsp
Rice wine (shaoxing or michiu) 1/2 cup
Soy sauce 1 cup
Water 5 cups
1 Cut the pork belly into 2- 2 ½” dice. Blanch these pieces by submerging in boiling water for 1 ½ minutes, and then in ice water for 3 minutes.
2 Lightly salt the pork cubes, then, using the oil, sear each side of the meat.
3 Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Tear strips from the banana leaf, and tie each pork cube (as you would put ribbon on a Christmas gift).
4 Place hunks of the sugar cane (or rock sugar), star anise, chopped scallions, and chopped ginger in a small casserole dish, and top with the pork cubes.
5 Deglaze the frying pan using the rice wine, water and soy sauce, and then add this mixture to the casserole dish (add just enough to cover ¾ of the pork.
6 Cover the casserole dish with foil, and vent slightly. Place in oven for 2-3 hours, or until pork is fork tender.
7 Serve the pork in a shallow bowl, and strain the braising liquid over the top of it.
Pork Belly (preferably with rind) 1 ½#
Banana Leaves 1 ea.
Frying Oil (peanut, lard, or vegetable) 2 Tbsp
Salt as needed
Whole cane sugar or rock sugar 2 Tbsp
Star Anise 1 ea.
Scallions, chopped 2 ea.
Fresh ginger root, chopped 1 Tbsp
Rice wine (shaoxing or michiu) 1/2 cup
Soy sauce 1 cup
Water 5 cups
1 Cut the pork belly into 2- 2 ½” dice. Blanch these pieces by submerging in boiling water for 1 ½ minutes, and then in ice water for 3 minutes.
2 Lightly salt the pork cubes, then, using the oil, sear each side of the meat.
3 Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Tear strips from the banana leaf, and tie each pork cube (as you would put ribbon on a Christmas gift).
4 Place hunks of the sugar cane (or rock sugar), star anise, chopped scallions, and chopped ginger in a small casserole dish, and top with the pork cubes.
5 Deglaze the frying pan using the rice wine, water and soy sauce, and then add this mixture to the casserole dish (add just enough to cover ¾ of the pork.
6 Cover the casserole dish with foil, and vent slightly. Place in oven for 2-3 hours, or until pork is fork tender.
7 Serve the pork in a shallow bowl, and strain the braising liquid over the top of it.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Curried Apple Soup
For the Curry Powder:
½ tsp hot paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp coriander
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp tumeric
½ tsp ancho-chili powder
½ tsp ground mustard
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp fenugreek
1) Combine all ingredients (should make more powder than needed).
For the Soup:
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 ea. Yellow onion (sliced thin)
3 ea. Pink Lady or Granny Smith apples
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Curry powder
3 cups Chicken stock
1 cup Heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp Brown sugar
For the Garnish:
1 tub Plain Greek Yogurt
1 reciped amount Candied Pecans
1) Peel, core, and slice the apples.
2) Sauté the sliced onions in the butter until light to golden brown.
3) Add the apples and curry powder and toss together.
4) Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
5) Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered until apples and onions are very tender (approx. 15- 20 minutes).
6) Meanwhile, heat heavy cream in a small pot.
7) When apples are tender, puree mixture using an immersion blender.
8) Add cream and brown sugar to apple mixture, and stir to combine.
9) Top each bowl of soup with yogurt and candied pecans.
For the Curry Powder:
½ tsp hot paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp coriander
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp tumeric
½ tsp ancho-chili powder
½ tsp ground mustard
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp fenugreek
1) Combine all ingredients (should make more powder than needed).
For the Soup:
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 ea. Yellow onion (sliced thin)
3 ea. Pink Lady or Granny Smith apples
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Curry powder
3 cups Chicken stock
1 cup Heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp Brown sugar
For the Garnish:
1 tub Plain Greek Yogurt
1 reciped amount Candied Pecans
1) Peel, core, and slice the apples.
2) Sauté the sliced onions in the butter until light to golden brown.
3) Add the apples and curry powder and toss together.
4) Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
5) Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered until apples and onions are very tender (approx. 15- 20 minutes).
6) Meanwhile, heat heavy cream in a small pot.
7) When apples are tender, puree mixture using an immersion blender.
8) Add cream and brown sugar to apple mixture, and stir to combine.
9) Top each bowl of soup with yogurt and candied pecans.
Doug's Cucumber Sandwiches
Doug’s Cucumber Sandwiches
White bread sliced length-wise 1 loaf
Cream cheese 1#
Lemon juice 1 ½ Tbsp
Lemon zest 2 tsp.
English cucumbers 2 ea.
1- Whip the cream cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice together in a mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Scrape sides of the bowl as needed.
2- Slice cucumbers into desired shape (I like to halve them, and then remove the seed pockets with a melon baller).
3- Spread the whipped cream cheese across the entire piece of bread, and then cover decoratively with the cucumbers.
4- Next cut out the sandwiches using either a very sharp knife or cookie cutters. Serve.
White bread sliced length-wise 1 loaf
Cream cheese 1#
Lemon juice 1 ½ Tbsp
Lemon zest 2 tsp.
English cucumbers 2 ea.
1- Whip the cream cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice together in a mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Scrape sides of the bowl as needed.
2- Slice cucumbers into desired shape (I like to halve them, and then remove the seed pockets with a melon baller).
3- Spread the whipped cream cheese across the entire piece of bread, and then cover decoratively with the cucumbers.
4- Next cut out the sandwiches using either a very sharp knife or cookie cutters. Serve.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Crumpets
Crumpets
(As modified from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible)
AP flour 11 oz (or 2 cups and 3 Tbsp)
Non-fat Powdered Milk 1.40 oz (or ¼ cup)
Instant yeast 2 tsp
Sugar 1 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Water (at room temp.) 1 ½ cups
Baking Soda ½ tsp
Water (at room temp.) ¼ cup
Clarified, unsalted butter 2 Tbsp
1) Mix the flour, milk powder, yeast, sugar, and salt together until thoroughly blended.
2) Add the first amount of water to the mixture and beat for 5 minutes.
3) Allow batter to rise until doubled (approx. 1 hour).
4) Add the baking soda and remaining water, and allow to rise until almost doubled again (approx. 30 minutes).
5) Meanwhile, preheat a griddle at medium heat, and melt clarified butter.
6) To cook, place crumpet rings on griddle, and brush the insides with the butter. Spoon in enough batter to fill each ring ½ way to the top.
7) Crumpets are ready to flip when batter appears to dry around the edges, and rings can be removed without the batter spilling over.
(As modified from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible)
AP flour 11 oz (or 2 cups and 3 Tbsp)
Non-fat Powdered Milk 1.40 oz (or ¼ cup)
Instant yeast 2 tsp
Sugar 1 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Water (at room temp.) 1 ½ cups
Baking Soda ½ tsp
Water (at room temp.) ¼ cup
Clarified, unsalted butter 2 Tbsp
1) Mix the flour, milk powder, yeast, sugar, and salt together until thoroughly blended.
2) Add the first amount of water to the mixture and beat for 5 minutes.
3) Allow batter to rise until doubled (approx. 1 hour).
4) Add the baking soda and remaining water, and allow to rise until almost doubled again (approx. 30 minutes).
5) Meanwhile, preheat a griddle at medium heat, and melt clarified butter.
6) To cook, place crumpet rings on griddle, and brush the insides with the butter. Spoon in enough batter to fill each ring ½ way to the top.
7) Crumpets are ready to flip when batter appears to dry around the edges, and rings can be removed without the batter spilling over.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Croutons
Croutons
Challah, diced 2 cups
Olive Oil 2 Tbsp
Unsalted Butter 1 Tbsp
Dried Thyme ¼ tsp
Dried Oregano ¼ tsp
Dried Basil ¼ tsp
Salt ½ tsp
Black Pepper ¼ tsp
1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, and toss until evenly coated.
3- Put seasoned bread on a sheet pan, and bake for 10-14 minutes (stirring with a wooden spoon as needed) until crusty and well browned.
4- Cool completely before using or storing.
Challah, diced 2 cups
Olive Oil 2 Tbsp
Unsalted Butter 1 Tbsp
Dried Thyme ¼ tsp
Dried Oregano ¼ tsp
Dried Basil ¼ tsp
Salt ½ tsp
Black Pepper ¼ tsp
1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, and toss until evenly coated.
3- Put seasoned bread on a sheet pan, and bake for 10-14 minutes (stirring with a wooden spoon as needed) until crusty and well browned.
4- Cool completely before using or storing.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Coq Au Vin
Coq Au Vin
Bacon or salt pork, lardons 4 oz
Mushroom caps 8 ea.
AP flour divided 3Tbsp and 3 Tbsp
Salt as needed
Black pepper as needed
Roasting hen or Capon, 8-cut 1 ea.
Onion, sliced divided 1 ea and 3 ea.
Celery, sliced 1 stalk
Carrot, sliced 1 ea.
Roma tomatoes, seeded, diced 2 ea.
Garlic cloves, crushed 2 ea.
Red wine 1 bottle (750ml)
Roasted Chicken Stock 2 cups
Thyme 1 sprig
Bay leaf 1 ea.
Butter (preferably clarified) divided ¼ cup and 3 Tbsp
1 Preheat oven to 320 degrees.
2 Brown the lardons in a dutch oven or large, oven proof frying pan. Remove and reserve.
3 Using the remaining bacon grease, brown the mushroom caps, then remove and reserve these as well.
4 In a 1 gallon zip lock bag, combine the chicken pieces, salt, pepper, and flour, and toss to combine.
5 Brown the chicken pieces in the pan in the remaining bacon grease, adding clarified butter or vegetable oil as needed, then remove and reserve.
6 Saute the one sliced onion, carrots, and celery in the remaining oil, adding more if needed.
7 Add the tomatoes and garlic to the pan and sauté for two minutes.
8 Deglaze the pan using the red wine.
9 Add the chicken back into the pan along with the chicken stock, thyme, and bay leaf, and bring all to a simmer.
10 Cover the pan and place it in the preheated oven. Cook for 2- 2 ½ hours or until chicken is tender.
11 While the chicken cooks, put a frying pan or large sauté pan over medium-low heat and add the ¼ cup of clarified butter.
12 Add the three remaining onions to this pan and saute at a barely audible simmer for 2 ½ hours, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until onions are well caramelized.
13 When chicken is completely cooked, remove it to the counter and allow to rest.
14 In another large sauté pan, melt the remaining 3 Tbsp of butter over medium heat.
15 Whisk the remaining 3 Tbsp of flour into this butter until smooth, and then cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
16 Strain the remaining braising liquid into this roux and whisk until no lumps remain.
17 Add the bacon lardons and mushroom caps to the sauce and simmer for five minutes.
18 Add the caramelized onions and chicken and stir gently until completely coated.
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