tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-272818562024-03-13T06:19:00.653-04:00Madam Chow's KitchenMadam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.comBlogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-4491226340413831922009-05-12T09:05:00.000-04:002009-05-13T11:20:41.915-04:00Madam Chow's Kitchen Has Moved!<span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Please come visit me at <a href="http://www.mzkitchen.com/">http://www.mzkitchen.com</a></span></span>.Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-79392149518544312842008-03-30T11:18:00.000-04:002009-05-13T11:19:42.973-04:00The Daring Dakers Tackle a Perfect Party CakeI, however, won't be able to join them this month, but I urge you all to check out the <a href="http://www.daringbakersblogroll.blogspot.com/">Daring Bakers’</a> blogroll for the latest lovely creation, Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake. This month's hostess was Morven, of <a href="http://www.foodartandrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/">Food Art and Random Thoughts<span style="text-decoration: underline;">.</span></a><br /><br />I'll be back next month. Meanwhile, I'm getting used to my new website, how to use Wordpress, and recovering from weeding, raking, trimming, and laying down new mulch.Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-9759627977624535122008-03-25T08:21:00.010-04:002008-03-25T09:49:12.711-04:00Jam Session<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibO6SAeLjhporG9zd3gak5wczbnOpWNfncivvqXBLNIzHK21a4XQl74pO35NEhcYZnRsUGdGNOEaLBKzScX9Hh6rRd7KgSY3ewca-u5Ejz6ycwVI5Z2kSacNUtD5XYvnXnKt0oBw/s1600-h/Food+355.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibO6SAeLjhporG9zd3gak5wczbnOpWNfncivvqXBLNIzHK21a4XQl74pO35NEhcYZnRsUGdGNOEaLBKzScX9Hh6rRd7KgSY3ewca-u5Ejz6ycwVI5Z2kSacNUtD5XYvnXnKt0oBw/s400/Food+355.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181654872810780050" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Preserved Meyer Lemons</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>No Tuesdays with Dorie for me today, but I'll be back next week for Gooey Chocolate Cakes! Be sure to check out the ever-growing <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">blogroll</a> to find your way to Dorie bloggers and this week's creation, Caramel-Topped flan. I am taking a break this week because I simply cannot spend three hours per day at the gym. Not even for flan.<br /><br />What I did do with my time the past couple of weekends was to tackle two culinary projects that used up the huge amount of citrus stored in my refrigerator: Meyer lemons, blood oranges, and Seville oranges. I turned to the recipes that I had bookmarked at Elise's site, Simply Recipes.<br /><br />First up: <a href="http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001815how_to_make_preserved_lemons.php">Preserved Meyer Lemons</a>. I followed Elise's recipe exactly, and everything is looking good! Meyer lemons are so precious, I couldn't bear the thought of having to discard any before I could <a href="http://mzkitchen.blogspot.com/search?q=lemon+meringue">bake with them some more</a>, so I decided to preserve them. They will turn up in a Moroccan tagine in the near future. Or a <a href="http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/007194smoked_salmon_and_gruyere_grilled_cheese_sandwich.php">Smoked Salmon and Gruyere grilled cheese sandwich</a>. Mmmm.<br /><br />Next: <a href="http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/004317seville_orange_marmalade.php">Seville and Blood Orange Marmalade</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZgq7LErDDH8Yc-LEODsBY7Rpm5q89tMqrGqcToiiewjWzHw2JfrveoWXcg7gxS-gwSAgtk6r_tgGBFB7YF-kkC8hNcT8GHn1XERTq1aMExVhkYtiihF8OAZVp0NTHqm06j89ng/s1600-h/Food+395.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZgq7LErDDH8Yc-LEODsBY7Rpm5q89tMqrGqcToiiewjWzHw2JfrveoWXcg7gxS-gwSAgtk6r_tgGBFB7YF-kkC8hNcT8GHn1XERTq1aMExVhkYtiihF8OAZVp0NTHqm06j89ng/s400/Food+395.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181655787638814114" border="0" /></a>Elise's recipe calls for four cups of Seville orange juice, and I had enough oranges to yield 2 3/4 cups, so I made up the difference with the juice of Blood oranges (thus, the dark color of the marmalade). I used one regular lemon, 8 cups of sugar, and threw in one plus one-half vanilla beans for good measure, inspired by a <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/231586">Meyer Lemon and Vanilla Bean marmalade recipe</a> that I found in Bon Appetit.<br /><br />I grew up eating things that most American kids in the 60s and 70s were not eating, in part because we traveled so much, but also because my father was an immigrant, and my mother was a <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbkuJQNQVXFiyjdpMOgbGFsmnIEhkCnLyLbP4BTRhzf3eTBkcZCG_GfMtSK58MfRtf6QVCy_-DArHuXPCkjIPADmSEt21RLQqruld-tONzJEN0r50RPqoWFxkrmxwyeNCTYPpVg/s1600-h/Food+387.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbkuJQNQVXFiyjdpMOgbGFsmnIEhkCnLyLbP4BTRhzf3eTBkcZCG_GfMtSK58MfRtf6QVCy_-DArHuXPCkjIPADmSEt21RLQqruld-tONzJEN0r50RPqoWFxkrmxwyeNCTYPpVg/s200/Food+387.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181659674584217010" border="0" /></a>fabulous cook who rarely resorted to prepared foods. One of the things we had in our house was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dundee-Orange-Marmalade/dp/B00061KXV4">Dundee orange marmalade</a>, not Welch's grape jelly (a very rare treat), so I developed a fondness for the sharp bitter tang of this orange jam, and have yearned to make some for myself. Through <a href="http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2008/01/as_orange_as_it_gets.html">Rose Levy Beranbaum</a>, I discovered a <a href="http://www.ripetoyou.com/">mail order source</a> for Seville oranges, and took the plunge. I can't tell you how proud I was to have a piece of toast for breakfast, spread thinly with my jewel-toned creation!<br /><br />Elise's instructions are fabulous, especially the "wrinkle" test to determine when the marmalade is done. It took a <span style="font-style: italic;">lot</span> longer to set up than I had expected, but<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1e6PS2ZuXVssqDH3mFDFnVgW1cZUpEp3dfY4oRU_jHeUN2CL_6jBsrylj9JiPATEGxzn3mrTWWAaULR4KMtw7I1hdZGMKAumIZBIxALznZDAKLsQPyd7U2Uu3OlYXSCWRwnTVQ/s1600-h/Food+388.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1e6PS2ZuXVssqDH3mFDFnVgW1cZUpEp3dfY4oRU_jHeUN2CL_6jBsrylj9JiPATEGxzn3mrTWWAaULR4KMtw7I1hdZGMKAumIZBIxALznZDAKLsQPyd7U2Uu3OlYXSCWRwnTVQ/s200/Food+388.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181662492082763202" border="0" /></a> I'm so glad that I didn't give in to temptation and pull the whole batch off the flame before the jam was ready. The recipe doesn't call for the addition of any pectin, but relies on the naturally occurring pectin in the seeds and membranes of the fruit (photo of pectin bag to the right), a technique that I had never used before, so I was a bit nervous about having 12 cups of orange soup on my hands. Nevertheless, I girded my loins and stuck it out - Elise's recipe works! Woo-hoo!<br /><br />I have quite a few Blood orange rinds sitting in the fridge, and I'm just itching to make <a href="http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000289candied_citrus_peel.php">candied orange peel</a>. I'd better get started - I have to make those Gooey Chocolate Cakes for next week's Tuesdays with Dorie!Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-71325714528640823872008-03-24T13:01:00.009-04:002008-03-24T13:33:55.634-04:00The Great Carrot Caper<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzayWOUn0ufqeyO4zk-q3-Jh1V9RH4N90WuH8Wul5pnGJArd8D4hPJGi6N3Bu9YuX-ak8KKQ1hmDYV6EK9tmltbhxcsODuOzxhlFTDfi28jj-2TBcRzhQE2gFCHj5nzCg0fmZdQ/s1600-h/Food+129.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzayWOUn0ufqeyO4zk-q3-Jh1V9RH4N90WuH8Wul5pnGJArd8D4hPJGi6N3Bu9YuX-ak8KKQ1hmDYV6EK9tmltbhxcsODuOzxhlFTDfi28jj-2TBcRzhQE2gFCHj5nzCg0fmZdQ/s400/Food+129.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181355719748679010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Carrot? What carrot? I haven't seen any carrot!"</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-Bsf4hhe_fQKOujPi5tieKQVhtq0kqMuUJyGY_EDZnqsu8IGhmG759UFdodwqFNxcwoF4-HL79_FuzHgHb472G2fIOAAKucdq1EVI0KvZ0eiuGERdhITfXoC3hrLCA2CaxUZ5g/s1600-h/Food+128.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-Bsf4hhe_fQKOujPi5tieKQVhtq0kqMuUJyGY_EDZnqsu8IGhmG759UFdodwqFNxcwoF4-HL79_FuzHgHb472G2fIOAAKucdq1EVI0KvZ0eiuGERdhITfXoC3hrLCA2CaxUZ5g/s400/Food+128.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181356020396389746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Oh, THIS carrot. I just found it laying around."<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_nUOguTlOrwyAYeY_WBfOoLDIySX7j-2AoLm5cJj7OmMBIcXYqJcL3cdWG2zH7FqODjbWdH-Y2UuVP_719FLmdolljwMYMZ5MxLdB4tJUCNJ9XxZEd9DreglsIadu6eAz_4o2DA/s1600-h/Food+126.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_nUOguTlOrwyAYeY_WBfOoLDIySX7j-2AoLm5cJj7OmMBIcXYqJcL3cdWG2zH7FqODjbWdH-Y2UuVP_719FLmdolljwMYMZ5MxLdB4tJUCNJ9XxZEd9DreglsIadu6eAz_4o2DA/s400/Food+126.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181356449893119362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"It sure does smell interesting."</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDtN-J1wlhoFi6jPdBdCFTunVRx8zJKAwt2SiIg0P4biSFf9QT4Lh-TLzLHdpM1t6HGvPFV1dpghV-HjzjSZ4t6sX2dY2h5vFeFIO_XswhYEutopzTFRVjAQyRUfboCJN6GdAZw/s1600-h/Food+125.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDtN-J1wlhoFi6jPdBdCFTunVRx8zJKAwt2SiIg0P4biSFf9QT4Lh-TLzLHdpM1t6HGvPFV1dpghV-HjzjSZ4t6sX2dY2h5vFeFIO_XswhYEutopzTFRVjAQyRUfboCJN6GdAZw/s400/Food+125.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181355354676458802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Hey! Where did you get that?! I want some, too!"</span></div>Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-33283854609474472042008-03-20T11:06:00.009-04:002008-03-20T14:33:28.675-04:00I Finally Make Soda Bread<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqv2JneGl54CeXcyKhU_k9uYESBMuHbLo08jm0lLo9q_u8mov1lXuHYTF1fw3tM8X-Z7o-M_d65sla6N34_qDkERWLrXH_Yz2_Zxre0ytuO8gDf-shPtyUDIoz5b2Xyn8Z9KDswA/s1600-h/Food+387.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqv2JneGl54CeXcyKhU_k9uYESBMuHbLo08jm0lLo9q_u8mov1lXuHYTF1fw3tM8X-Z7o-M_d65sla6N34_qDkERWLrXH_Yz2_Zxre0ytuO8gDf-shPtyUDIoz5b2Xyn8Z9KDswA/s400/Food+387.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179841211200894242" border="0" /></a>I love Irish Soda Bread, but had never made it until this week. Now, I know that the Irish American version full of raisins and other goodies is supposed to bears little resemblance to its original ancestor, <a href="http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/004338irish_soda_bread.php">although some say it does</a>, and I don't care. It's really good, even with the dang raisins, which I leave in for Master Chow.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJidBnqXt0Cf2Avse8Im1EJFbzNFTYWXzXxWixsCZ8yw7NtO4YLmxY2w-w1WBTgkd_bS1uaKpQUrmCpPw3M5r7DMTcYCjAhBmjoWF-8He_qY-GXeZA0cDRkr5Oftxo7Lf_ebMbxw/s1600-h/Food+388.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJidBnqXt0Cf2Avse8Im1EJFbzNFTYWXzXxWixsCZ8yw7NtO4YLmxY2w-w1WBTgkd_bS1uaKpQUrmCpPw3M5r7DMTcYCjAhBmjoWF-8He_qY-GXeZA0cDRkr5Oftxo7Lf_ebMbxw/s400/Food+388.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179840794589066514" border="0" /></a>I used the recipe that I found at the New York Times via <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/03/blasphemous-bread/">Smitten Kitchen</a>, and altered it slightly by substituting white whole wheat flour for some of the AP flour, plumping the raisins, eliminating the caraway seeds, and by adding 1/2 teaspoon of lemon oil to the batter. Quick, easy, moist, and delicious, especially with butter. And it gave me a chance to bake in my 12 inch cast iron skillet!<br /><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Skillet Irish Soda Bread</b><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Adapted slightly from a recipe in the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/dining/141arex.html">New York Times 3/14/07</a></span></p> <p>Time: 1 1/2 hours</p> <p>Butter for greasing pan plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted<br />2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour<br />1 cup <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?select=C79&byCategory=C126&id=3311">white whole wheat flour</a><br />2/3 cup sugar<br />1 tablespoon baking powder<br />1 1/2 teaspoons salt<br />1 teaspoon baking soda<br />1 3/4 cups buttermilk<br />2 eggs, well beaten<br />1/2 teaspoon <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?id=1061">lemon oil</a> (this is stronger than lemon extract)<br />1 1/2 cups raisins or currants (plump them in boiling water for about 5 minutes, drain, then pat dry before using)<br /></p>1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch oven-proof skillet (Note: if you have a 12 inch skillet, like I do, you can use that and it will cook more quickly and yield a thinner loaf) and line with parchment or waxed paper. <p>2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, lemon oil, and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in the raisins or currants.</p> <p>3. Pour batter into skillet. Brush top with remaining butter. Bake until golden and firm to touch, about 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes before slicing.</p> <p>Yield: 1 10-inch loaf.</p>Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-3644937710014671202008-03-17T07:07:00.005-04:002008-03-18T07:55:56.503-04:00Tuesdays with Dorie - Raisin Brioche Snails<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GhRx9x2HFA9ppTHbASwRLiViyHPEh8c0pcIN6UII_lpdPRKpV5hyphenhyphen4i0Gsfp9pTQU7MxMF5lQnRfMml8IaWjlPJBTdc0M9C3qoRLRB7ciUpFjeWD4FHvp6NMrjY6m9ID-wAMGlw/s1600-h/Food+379.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GhRx9x2HFA9ppTHbASwRLiViyHPEh8c0pcIN6UII_lpdPRKpV5hyphenhyphen4i0Gsfp9pTQU7MxMF5lQnRfMml8IaWjlPJBTdc0M9C3qoRLRB7ciUpFjeWD4FHvp6NMrjY6m9ID-wAMGlw/s400/Food+379.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178759952614448738" border="0" /></a>Buttery brioche. Rich pastry cream. Cinnamon. What's not to like?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDizhWEc1jLEL8K7khLgbkZrTA-N0RFasnWCXZTofj957TD5QZdGjuwWF0_6U-cJlv-4oPXErB_9MqaXNtYLd6MXupzAa2VpFsT23A2T5VNke8SZi5AeYGBWODWPo72ETMU0zRw/s1600-h/Food+366.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDizhWEc1jLEL8K7khLgbkZrTA-N0RFasnWCXZTofj957TD5QZdGjuwWF0_6U-cJlv-4oPXErB_9MqaXNtYLd6MXupzAa2VpFsT23A2T5VNke8SZi5AeYGBWODWPo72ETMU0zRw/s200/Food+366.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178758410721189426" border="0" /></a>Peabody, of <a href="http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/">Culinary Concoctions by Peabody</a>, selected Dorie Greenspan's Raisin Brioche Snails for this week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a> (check out the link for the entire blogroll). And these tasty little morsels seemed to get better the longer they sat around!<br /><br />First let me say that I am <span style="font-style: italic;">mightily</span> impressed by all those bakers who made this dough by hand. It took me about 20 minutes of kneading with the Kitchen Aid to produce the brioche, while pressing on the mixer to keep it from dancing off the counter top!<br /><br />I baked only half of the rolls, and froze the other half for later. A few more thoughts: next time I make this, I'm going to infuse the warm milk with half a vanilla bean pod, as it would have benefited from a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSBzrAOV8GeEhd7q3abQKy1KBtBWBR-SfwBbGnAlUYIjx1mKuU4VCRJzyjMPcqzk1uRB2dN_4tki4amQxt-d5p-dH-AjNPWlave1ExHmsBid86pOhFiI61z1BoamQKeYELhb4nQ/s1600-h/Food+372.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSBzrAOV8GeEhd7q3abQKy1KBtBWBR-SfwBbGnAlUYIjx1mKuU4VCRJzyjMPcqzk1uRB2dN_4tki4amQxt-d5p-dH-AjNPWlave1ExHmsBid86pOhFiI61z1BoamQKeYELhb4nQ/s200/Food+372.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178758556750077506" border="0" /></a> stronger vanilla flavor. I am not a big raisin fan, and will use something else in the future, but flaming the raisins in rum (WOW!) was so much fun, and really gave them a lot of flavor. Note to self: rum-soaked raisins taste a whole lot better than plain old raisins.<br /><br />Finally, when I made the glaze, I added a few drops of orange oil to the mixture to give it a bit more zing, and I'm glad I did. If you don't have orange oil, add some finely grated orange zest, starting with about a 1/2 teaspoon (for a full batch of glaze) and increase the amount to taste. Personally, I like a strong citrus flavor.<br /><br />For the original recipe, check out <a href="http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2008/03/18/fear-factor/">Peabody's blog</a>, or Dorie's book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618443363?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0618443363">Baking: From My Home to Yours.</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0618443363" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Below is my adaptation of the recipe.<br /><div id="filecontent"><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div id="yiv1410311491"><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Brioche Raisin Snails<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Adapted slightly from a recipe in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618443363?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0618443363">Baking: From My Home to Yours</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0618443363" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><p>1 cup moist, plump raisins<br />3 tablespoons dark rum<br />1 1/2 teaspoons sugar<br />Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />1/2 recipe for Golden Brioche Loaves, chilled and ready to shape (make the full recipe and cut the dough in half after refrigerating overnight)<br />1 recipe Pastry Cream<br /></p> <p>For The Optional Glaze</p> <p>1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted<br />About 1/2 teaspoon milk<br />2-3 drops orange oil, or 1/2 t. finely grated orange zest</p> <p>Getting Ready: Line one large or two smaller baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. </p> <p>If you want tips on how to flambe safely, see <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_2098434_flamb.html">here</a> and <a href="http://whatscookingamerica.net/flambe.htm">here</a>. Put the raisins in a small saucepan, cover them with hot water and let them steep for about 4 minutes, until they are plumped. Drain the raisins, return them to the saucepan and, stirring constantly, warm them over low heat. DO NOT WALK AWAY. The raisins heat up rather quickly, and you can burn them in an instant.<br /></p><p>Be sure you have the pan lid ready, and clear your cooking area of all flammable materials. When the raisins are very hot, pull the pan from the heat and pour the rum over the raisins. Standing back, ignite the rum. Stir until the flames go out, then cover and set aside. (The raisins and rum an be kept in a covered jar for up to 1 day.) If things look like they're getting out of control, clamp the lid on the pan.<br /></p> <p> Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.</p> <p> On a flour dusted surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 inches wide and 16 inches long, with a short end toward you. Spread the pastry cream across the dough, leaving 1-inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Scatter the raisins over the pastry cream and sprinkle the raisins and cream with the cinnamon sugar. Starting wit the side nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can. (At this point, you can wrap the dough airtight and freeze it up to 2 months. Or, if you do not want to make the full recipe, use as much of the dough as you'd like and freeze the remainder.)</p> <p> With a serrated knife, using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends if they're ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into rounds a scant 1 inch thick. Put the snails on the lined baking sheet(s), flat side down, leaving some puff space between them. </p> <p> Lightly cover the snails with plastic wrap and set the baking sheet(s) in a warm place until the snails have doubles in volume--they'll be puffy and soft--about 1 hour and 30 minutes.</p> <p>Getting Ready To Bake: When the snails have almost fully risen, preheat the oven: depending on the number of baking sheets you have, either center a rack in the oven or position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.</p> <p> Remove the wax paper, and bake the snails for about 25 minutes (rotate the sheets if you're using two, from top to bottom and front to back after 15 minutes), or until they are puffed and richly browned. Using a metal spatula, transfer the snails onto a cooling rack.</p> <p>If You Want To Glaze The Snails: Put a piece of wax paper under the rack of warm rolls to act as a drip catcher. Put the confectioners' sugar into a small bowl, and stir in a teaspoon of water. Keep adding water drop by drop until you have an icing that falls from the tip of a spoon. Add the vanilla extract, then drizzle the icing over the hot snails.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Golden Brioche Loaves</p> <p>2 packets active dry yeast<br />1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water<br />1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk<br />3 3/3 cups all-purpose flour<br />2 teaspoons salt<br />3 large eggs, at room temperature<br />1/4 cup sugar<br />3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm</p>To Make The Brioche: Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit into the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can-- this will help keep you, the counter and your kitchen floor from being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (yes, you can peek to see how you're doing), then remove the towel, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point, you'll have a fairly dry, shaggy mess. <p> Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2-tablespoon-size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You'll have a dough that is very soft, almost like batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.</p> <p> Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (or wash out the mixer bowl and use it), cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the warmth of your room.</p> <p> Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap to the bowl. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the uncovered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight.</p> <p> The next day, butter and flour two 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch pans.</p> <p> Pull the dough from the fridge and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cut each piece of the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3 1/2 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in the bottom of each pan. Put the pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, cover the pans lightly with wax paper and leave the loaves at room temperature until the dough almost fills the pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Again, rising time with depend on how warm the room is.)</p> <p>Getting Ready To Bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.</p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">To Make the Glaze</span>: Add the zest or orange oil to the powdered sugar. Mix the milk into the powdered sugar drop by drop, until you have a consistency that you can drizzle onto the rolls.</p> <p> Bake the loaves until they are well risen and deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans and turn the loaves out onto the racks. Invert again and cool for at least 1 hour. </p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pastry Cream</span><br /></p> <p>1 cup whole milk<br />3 large egg yolks<br />1/4 cup sugar<br />3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted<br />3/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract<br />2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature</p> <p>Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.</p> <p> Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk-- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.</p> <p> Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are full incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold.</p> </div> </div>Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-23287567527284614572008-03-13T10:57:00.006-04:002008-03-14T09:00:41.597-04:00Luscious Lime Cookies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEify0qru8hN9SBZN0L0hJkDvWKAHb4qMjxyInK0lxa_VVIYSKpDGF3XZrttj-uM11ZyEcU1U8w7Vyh7U9rnyU-HIsuRzyGKjCsuhL9Wd5Hj05TknJHD8pFFCx5tXGrLgPu80iqcNw/s1600-h/Food+238.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEify0qru8hN9SBZN0L0hJkDvWKAHb4qMjxyInK0lxa_VVIYSKpDGF3XZrttj-uM11ZyEcU1U8w7Vyh7U9rnyU-HIsuRzyGKjCsuhL9Wd5Hj05TknJHD8pFFCx5tXGrLgPu80iqcNw/s400/Food+238.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177240844156689938" border="0" /></a>Looking for something to make with the abundance of limes that flood the markets in the winter months? Look no further - here is a recipe for lime cookies, courtesy of Carole Walter, that actually <span style="font-style: italic;">taste like lime</span>! Imagine that!<br /><br />I am a big fan of citrus, so when I was looking for something to bake with all my limes, and happened across this recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0609609696?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0609609696">Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets,</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0609609696" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> I decided to give it a try. Carole Walter builds the lime flavor via three sources: lime juice, lime zest, and lime oil. Needless to say, these refrigerator cookies have a lime taste that <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieuDfe9yz9OLQja4PljM9g-0KUJtKkPe5dqKJwampw6ZY7x4cGSoBxgKAM0OHOIVc7guiBcsumOnmkhES3YuAx7WBlSlgZAFFoH9vmY0RypXOUtjV1Tc5LWL_ZZUDpbg0bat8Hhw/s1600-h/Food+142.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieuDfe9yz9OLQja4PljM9g-0KUJtKkPe5dqKJwampw6ZY7x4cGSoBxgKAM0OHOIVc7guiBcsumOnmkhES3YuAx7WBlSlgZAFFoH9vmY0RypXOUtjV1Tc5LWL_ZZUDpbg0bat8Hhw/s200/Food+142.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177581207429996066" border="0" /></a>actually comes through. And they are so easy to make: roll them into a log, slice, and bake. This is great if, like me, cookies are not your most favorite thing to bake, but you sure like to eat them.<br /><br />I adapted the cookies slightly by using ground almonds instead of pistachios. The cookies are crisp along the outside, and tender and slightly chewy towards the middle, with a pronounced but not overwhelming lime flavor.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>"Pistachio" Lime Thins</u></span><br /><span><u><u><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Adapted slightly from a recipe by Carole Walter<br /><br /></span></u></u></span><div style="text-align: left;">2 cups all purpose flour, spooned in and leveled<br />1/2 t. baking powder<br />1/2 t. salt<br />1/4 t. baking powder<br />3/4 cup unsalted butter, slightly firm<br />1 T. freshly grated lime zest<br />1/2 t <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/landing.jsp?go=DetailDefault&id=1053">lime oil</a><br />1 1/2 cups sugar<br />4 large egg yolks<br />1 T. fresh lime juice<br />1 t. pure vanilla extract<br />1 cup finely chopped, toasted almonds, unsalted<br />1 large egg white, lightly beaten with 2 teaspoons of water (this is an egg wash that you should prepare just before you are ready to bake the cookies)<br /><br />Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.<br /><br />In a large bowl of a stand mixer, mix the butter, lime zest, and lime oil on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar in a steady stream and mix until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks, then the lime juice and vanilla, mixing well for about 1 minute and scraping down the bowl as needed.<br /><br />Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in two additions until almost combined. Remove bowl and finish mixing by hand. Don't overdo it, or you will have tough cookies.<br /><br />Shape the dough into a mound, and divide into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a six inch log, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. I just made two long logs. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably overnight. You can freeze the dough for up to 3 months at this point.<br /><br />When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F, and butter a cookie sheet, or line with parchment paper or a Silpat.<br /><br />Remove logs from the refrigerator. Brush each one with the egg wash, then roll in the chopped almonds. Using a serrated knife, slice the logs into 1/4-inch thick segments, either straight across or on a diagonal. Turn the log every two to three cuts, to keep it from flattening out. Place the cookies two inches apart on a cookie sheet.<br /><br />Bake 8-9 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. To ensure even browning, you may want to rotate the pan half way through (I only bake one pan at a time when I make cookies, due to the vagaries of my oven.) Let stand for 2-3 minutes before loosening from the pan with a thin metal spatula. If you use a thick spatula, you may break the cookies!<br /><br />Freeze, or store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three weeks.<br /><br />Makes about 3 dozen cookies.<br /></div></div>Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-15034568343386651552008-03-13T09:37:00.007-04:002008-03-13T10:39:22.452-04:00Hey! Somebody Likes My Blog!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlO_U83dp5pUrn4kzsiHz8f38FQm9eAkft3jg5_sZYSQMCwVD1r4UT6DpSJXdw9EghT_JJDer-PeImoSAYy-swTBAuedrDcnWudNZiEYWAvF0qGZPKQnsTYylDCt2RKsO3tM9Ocw/s1600-h/excellentblog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlO_U83dp5pUrn4kzsiHz8f38FQm9eAkft3jg5_sZYSQMCwVD1r4UT6DpSJXdw9EghT_JJDer-PeImoSAYy-swTBAuedrDcnWudNZiEYWAvF0qGZPKQnsTYylDCt2RKsO3tM9Ocw/s320/excellentblog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177220782364450306" border="0" /></a>Erin of <a href="http://dinneranddessert.wordpress.com/2008/03/12/my-blog-got-an-award/">Dinner and Dessert</a> has passed along the “E is for Excellent” award to me! Thank you so much, Erin! I started reading her blog, and discovered many others, through the <a href="http://daringbakersblogroll.blogspot.com/">Daring Bakers</a> and <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie.</a><br /><br />When I started blogging, my primary purpose was to keep track of my cooking experiments, and to motivate myself to actually use my voluminous cookbook collection. Much to my surprise, it worked, and I've enjoyed blogging about food, and reading all of your blogs almost every day. When I don't get a chance to go on line and see what everyone is up to, I feel like something is missing.<br /><br />I'm passing this award on to <a href="http://cookbookcatchall.blogspot.com/">Cookbook Catchall</a>, Kathy at a <a href="http://apassionforfood.blogspot.com/">Passion for Food</a>, <a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/">Joy the Baker</a>, and Breadchick Mary at the <a href="http://www.breadchick.com/">Sour Dough</a>, great blogs, all!Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-1854795240357416092008-03-11T07:34:00.014-04:002008-03-11T08:08:49.739-04:00Tuesdays with Dorie - Russian Grandmother's Apple Pie Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JX5jCgP3dv862OujZ8HQC9qSVNpgtCqZJP9DnlVoiFusJdV53m7ermgpqEybU2SYkEcc08Sow7Cekp8Ya0ZKS1Z07iLkNIw5RR3JvobIXTAkQOqzm-9CuSAxNxDqrUS1-fRmcw/s1600-h/Food+374.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JX5jCgP3dv862OujZ8HQC9qSVNpgtCqZJP9DnlVoiFusJdV53m7ermgpqEybU2SYkEcc08Sow7Cekp8Ya0ZKS1Z07iLkNIw5RR3JvobIXTAkQOqzm-9CuSAxNxDqrUS1-fRmcw/s400/Food+374.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176453602421136866" border="0" /></a>What a littl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL2itWvhHWXTZK4BeqhdH3MTt4d6-IWChr0CrF1UExIAKpVi9W0-kdOkQ46U8fGWAMC4XK6tr5ZeCgXLxOp8HCueOm8KvszcniQCZ53ryUvj7CFOaTfWqPW3dAmXj9Yew67NbRmA/s1600-h/Food+380.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL2itWvhHWXTZK4BeqhdH3MTt4d6-IWChr0CrF1UExIAKpVi9W0-kdOkQ46U8fGWAMC4XK6tr5ZeCgXLxOp8HCueOm8KvszcniQCZ53ryUvj7CFOaTfWqPW3dAmXj9Yew67NbRmA/s200/Food+380.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176453795694665202" border="0" /></a>e marvel this is! At first I thought, "this is just a pie!" Well, it is, but with an amazing, puffy crust. Nothing competes with the flavor of the apples. It's not rocket science to bake (although after the <a href="http://mzkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/02/tuesdays-with-dorie-sour-cream-pecan.html">pecan biscuits</a>, who am I to talk?) And it ended up tasting like an old-fashioned, homey, lovely little dessert.<br /><br />I <span style="font-style: italic;">love</span> the crust - very soft and pliable, which allowed it to conform to the filling, thereby eliminating that pie "gap" that often occurs between the filling and top crust when you make an apple pie. I made some adaptations to the recipe: (1) cut it in half, and baked it<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRhzEvy2Ve44cAYwAo5Zyu90axPWk_5x6BcEA5tNLgMue39fqfS5x4ULmh6-RDjnT6xQTwgq9wI7vBXMXBJw_x32qQSOyen7Kyu-0n2esCR_6szBwgmFpNPm_YHVCRozUmV4UVA/s1600-h/Food+357.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRhzEvy2Ve44cAYwAo5Zyu90axPWk_5x6BcEA5tNLgMue39fqfS5x4ULmh6-RDjnT6xQTwgq9wI7vBXMXBJw_x32qQSOyen7Kyu-0n2esCR_6szBwgmFpNPm_YHVCRozUmV4UVA/s200/Food+357.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176450604533964210" border="0" /></a> in a disposable 8-inch square pan, (2) used 4 Granny Smith apples and one Fuji, half the amount of raisins, all the sugar and cinnamon, and (3) added the zest of half a lemon to the crust. Then I mounded the filling over the bottom crust, and the pie/cake for about 35 minutes. The smell that filled the house was fantastic. I<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsysgojohzyckR7UqkiNOr_7h9TI-huX9ATl1vcP0UeN6y2BgAIlUovKTBPyHbQHUux3YPgeGjwluTFotjXXL8l9gSErB44wbyzz7l5_rtGz55sZKj6xut7Kkn478kqTjqOTPkw/s1600-h/Food+364.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsysgojohzyckR7UqkiNOr_7h9TI-huX9ATl1vcP0UeN6y2BgAIlUovKTBPyHbQHUux3YPgeGjwluTFotjXXL8l9gSErB44wbyzz7l5_rtGz55sZKj6xut7Kkn478kqTjqOTPkw/s200/Food+364.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176449432007892370" border="0" /></a> should mention that I rolled out the soft and sticky crust between two sheets of plastic wrap, after making it in my food processor.<br /><br />Dorie says to let the cake cool to "warm" or "room temperature." Riiiiight. In my book, that was about five minutes, and then I dug in. Did I mention that I was baking this at 9:30 at night? Mmmm. It was only through sheer force of will that I stopped myself to take photos of my soon-to-be-gutted little wonder. If you look closely, underneath the crisp surface of the crust, the texture is a bit "cakey." Maybe that's where the name comes from.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVMgfREXc8JQeEvIqlMJyOoE9Xs9TJ9NYa6pt1jiNzrgElsINEancI7HAh3HDqQYBdlleUKUiGtvZC_dTUaAqBeRmggiU3EK4wKBbqAlHu_sFQYdIZZen2F8j9TaUPoQMtGgXYQ/s1600-h/Food+371.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVMgfREXc8JQeEvIqlMJyOoE9Xs9TJ9NYa6pt1jiNzrgElsINEancI7HAh3HDqQYBdlleUKUiGtvZC_dTUaAqBeRmggiU3EK4wKBbqAlHu_sFQYdIZZen2F8j9TaUPoQMtGgXYQ/s320/Food+371.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176451918793956802" border="0" /></a>Thanks to <a href="http://burnedbits.blogspot.com/">Natalie of Burned Bits</a> for this week's selection, and you can find the <a href="http://burnedbits.blogspot.com/2008/03/twd-russian-grandmothers-apple-pie-cake.html">original recipe</a> over at her blog. I agree with Natalie that this would be even better with some ice cream or some cream. Next week, <a href="http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/">Peabody</a> has chosen Brioche Raisin Snails! And be sure to check out the <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a> blogroll to see everyone else's creations!Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-19489418730392125652008-03-10T12:21:00.003-04:002008-03-13T11:57:55.688-04:00Daisy Helps Me Out in the Kitchen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cQjgh7tTzDVvcghT2IkbxDQ3QpGmWlKy7DEdOeH6HUopU0rCNo4ockf57h-1FuJeGRTwzLfhCDueZl8rggR5D7fOcklJ6vLs3XKKEiT87BzhJa-32swUphfrbC8rwBtJcxjiug/s1600-h/Food+315.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cQjgh7tTzDVvcghT2IkbxDQ3QpGmWlKy7DEdOeH6HUopU0rCNo4ockf57h-1FuJeGRTwzLfhCDueZl8rggR5D7fOcklJ6vLs3XKKEiT87BzhJa-32swUphfrbC8rwBtJcxjiug/s400/Food+315.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176149364117757282" border="0" /></a>She's reviewing the <a href="http://mzkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/02/daring-bakers-julia-childs-french-bread.html">Daring Baker's French Bread Challenge</a> for me. And this was pre-bath: I don't usually keep the pups on the kitchen counter!Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-482797275240833562008-03-06T12:25:00.010-05:002008-03-07T14:23:38.377-05:00I Tackle My Culinary Mt. Everest: Homemade Strudel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDES1wL2xS2fAyG-JksKrJCPW6V-AlTToV1UjUUazmVxxfx4WfG2VildzqWI-H6-xO0CFPZOeNtpuv7aGJ3lqSLTWbSEDsc0-70f_HDdzqAK1Hhhw7sqS4EoGoKzB9Z37_Ac_O9Q/s1600-h/Food+299.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDES1wL2xS2fAyG-JksKrJCPW6V-AlTToV1UjUUazmVxxfx4WfG2VildzqWI-H6-xO0CFPZOeNtpuv7aGJ3lqSLTWbSEDsc0-70f_HDdzqAK1Hhhw7sqS4EoGoKzB9Z37_Ac_O9Q/s400/Food+299.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174688266037522626" border="0" /></a>Sorry the photo above isn't too good - the others mysteriously disappeared from my hard drive. After shelling out $600 last year to "repair" our desktop, we are coming to terms with the sad reality that we are going to have to replace it. The good news? We are going Mac!<br /><br />Now, about the strudel. Pulling my own strudel dough has mesmerized me for years, the way <a href="http://tartelette.blogspot.com/2008/02/hot-macarons-for-my-hot-tamale.html">making</a> <a href="http://tartelette.blogspot.com/2007/06/pink-tagada-macarons.html">macarons</a> has affected other <a href="http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/10/the-macaron-c-1.html">bloggers</a>. I read a ton of cookbooks, and even watched videos on You Tube (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCYm1VQDXTQ&feature=related">this one</a> is humorous and instructive). The night before I made the dough, I dreamed all night that I was making strudel. I practically worked myself into a tizzy. Finally, I turned to Carole Walter's fabulous book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307237559?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0307237559">Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More: 200 Anytime Treats and Special Sweets for Morning to Midnight.</a><br /><br />Unlike Ivonne, of <a href="http://creampuffsinvenice.ca/2007/11/29/do-you-hear-what-i-hear/">Cream Puffs in Venice,</a> I did not have much luck pulling the dough, despite my best efforts (but I'm not giving up!). Instead of a twenty-inch strudel, I ended up with a ten-inch stump:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqCOW8BAxLoYhVyoutPBaxmXcTYc8m1oK9IK2vs4J2ZSUYikJssctA2_RSeacJXvSFb_G0mEKAzxQ5zf6TUKoXqhzwDatS9EWw86AlgTqBN7oTDj4o0u8Us5n5C4eG3rLjeD3rg/s1600-h/Food+293.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqCOW8BAxLoYhVyoutPBaxmXcTYc8m1oK9IK2vs4J2ZSUYikJssctA2_RSeacJXvSFb_G0mEKAzxQ5zf6TUKoXqhzwDatS9EWw86AlgTqBN7oTDj4o0u8Us5n5C4eG3rLjeD3rg/s320/Food+293.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174682854378729634" border="0" /></a>Note the filling explosion on the bottom, left.<br /><br />This little strudel endeavor triggered the <a href="http://mzkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/02/madam-chow-tries-to-regain-her-baking.html">loss of my baking mojo</a>, much to my dismay. I tore the dough repeatedly, and finally decided to stop while I had <span style="font-style: italic;">something</span> left in which to roll up the tasty filling. And tasty it was, folks: a cherry cheese filling from Ms. Walter's book, a filling that I made using sour cherries that I had <a href="http://mzkitchen.blogspot.com/search?q=cherry">pitted and frozen last year</a>. I was eating the stuff with a spoon, and had to restrain myself. Luckily, the horizontally challenged strudel was too short to accommodate all the cheese filling, so I was able to eat that for breakfast the next day. What's a few thousand calories among bakers?<br /><br />Needless to say, I'm going to tackle this again, but with a different dough recipe the next time. If any of you are interested in making your own dough, here are some books that have recipes and instructions: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SZS2G6?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000SZS2G6">A Baker's Tour: Nick Malgieri's Favorite Baking Recipes from Around the World;</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000SZS2G6" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764572814?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0764572814">A Baker's Odyssey, includes DVD: Celebrating Time-Honored Recipes from America's Rich Immigrant Heritage;</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0764572814" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767918487?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0767918487">A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking;</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0767918487" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0609604538?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0609604538">Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague;</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0609604538" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1552859096?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1552859096">Indulge: 100 Perfect Desserts;</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1552859096" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618515224?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0618515224">Desserts by the Yard: From Brooklyn to Beverly Hills: Recipes from the Sweetest Life Ever.</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0618515224" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-6036812198481682482008-03-05T07:21:00.005-05:002008-03-13T11:58:22.014-04:00Where in the World . . .?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwL5afzPLB-iX38A5wPJci6MGAbx9djIkKx8CcKqqJsg4r8wz54RHpLD7UwdhqTh9XK_zcfazqVAHF18aLWeP-SQpn5y_-DoLDd9e1pBqvQVa3x8gSqVSp4eCqT7svZGlwnQPwIQ/s1600-h/Food+339.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwL5afzPLB-iX38A5wPJci6MGAbx9djIkKx8CcKqqJsg4r8wz54RHpLD7UwdhqTh9XK_zcfazqVAHF18aLWeP-SQpn5y_-DoLDd9e1pBqvQVa3x8gSqVSp4eCqT7svZGlwnQPwIQ/s400/Food+339.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174231981596897410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Where have you been, Mama?"<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I've been out of town on business since last week, so I'll be posting later today and responding to everyone's kind comments. It's good to be home!<br /></div></div>Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-78239997125569979652008-02-29T04:05:00.000-05:002008-02-29T04:04:47.233-05:00The Daring Bakers: Julia Child's French Bread<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRZ4p6hjXSz9Wp9AIozHYuy2S-VhtJZbMblKxLwCzgGCkZVCrLGTTcOuuutX9A_6pqkpRfTUGOJl1oCNAbAlVgnQ6j-IsDbubxuqzqcCwsv26qzc0kSRxulfKU0IdBMV2FV-VFA/s1600-h/Food+325.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170916355944331138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRZ4p6hjXSz9Wp9AIozHYuy2S-VhtJZbMblKxLwCzgGCkZVCrLGTTcOuuutX9A_6pqkpRfTUGOJl1oCNAbAlVgnQ6j-IsDbubxuqzqcCwsv26qzc0kSRxulfKU0IdBMV2FV-VFA/s400/Food+325.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The bread was darker than it appears in the photo</span></span></div>Photo above is the "glamour shot": the culinary equivalent of having a photographer shooting you from the neck up, after a makeup artist has made you look your best. Below, a photo of the whole enchilada:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDB-pos4PHBKy3lu9X0o9AIQS7tsd8Hdxrnq3kc4YptfhXG0BvXacrlq1nGFEDPt4DYpxhlYWTPWByi1TFtXQdovSjVWQUPi5o-bHD5PZLhYiKZAa9gyI5inD9siycdzPDiaWng/s1600-h/Food+326.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170916768261191570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDB-pos4PHBKy3lu9X0o9AIQS7tsd8Hdxrnq3kc4YptfhXG0BvXacrlq1nGFEDPt4DYpxhlYWTPWByi1TFtXQdovSjVWQUPi5o-bHD5PZLhYiKZAa9gyI5inD9siycdzPDiaWng/s320/Food+326.jpg" border="0" /></a>Short and squat. Note the odd bulges - the dough kind of "exploded" out the sides! From <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312362919?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0312362919">some reading that I've done</a>, this could be the result of the dough sticking to something during proofing (my batard did), not letting the loaves rest long enough after final shaping, or not slashing the them deeply enough.<br /><br />First, let me thank Breadchick Mary (<a href="http://breadchick.com/">The Sour Dough</a>) and Sara (<a href="http://iliketocook.blogspot.com/">I Like to Cook</a>) for selecting this wonderful classic recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375413405?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0375413405">Mastering The Art of French Cooking,</a><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0375413405" width="1" border="0" />and for typing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPoK7Ax7Irn5IB1FYN2o9YfEPMBNUcqY1KlxDnvxA7apqC6sFtZFRXFLiVL3KDtNHypxhoyZFnbIbY2q7FiYmGhYKOoPCNMjYeTKSuEg5KRdTRHGqAtnhGm0iXwT-4QNK10eijw/s1600-h/Food+319.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170921346696329138" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPoK7Ax7Irn5IB1FYN2o9YfEPMBNUcqY1KlxDnvxA7apqC6sFtZFRXFLiVL3KDtNHypxhoyZFnbIbY2q7FiYmGhYKOoPCNMjYeTKSuEg5KRdTRHGqAtnhGm0iXwT-4QNK10eijw/s200/Food+319.jpg" border="0" /></a> out <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">sixteen pages</span> of instructions! You can find the original recipe <a href="http://breadchick.com/?p=336">here</a>, and I encourage you to check out the <a href="http://daringbakersblogroll.blogspot.com/">Daring Bakers blogroll</a> to see how everyone else did.<br /><br />I loved this challenge because it really pushed me outside my comfort zone. In other words, it truly was a challenge! I had never made French bread before (I think my mom and I may have made it once when I was very young), and I learned so much from the problems that I encountered and the techniques that I learned with this bread,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GEeuqi9AWLDAsv5wlIgW3-Uq6BZw_RUYs5myOVeZI1dDuRjwifmZ6Z_WP55PgfRS6WR57w4gpu5D563tGTTl-EymLfl1fwbtAInLe3espXkDuxyeHQMZXuwJQstkRigj3GBptw/s1600-h/Food+318.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170921209257375650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GEeuqi9AWLDAsv5wlIgW3-Uq6BZw_RUYs5myOVeZI1dDuRjwifmZ6Z_WP55PgfRS6WR57w4gpu5D563tGTTl-EymLfl1fwbtAInLe3espXkDuxyeHQMZXuwJQstkRigj3GBptw/s200/Food+318.jpg" border="0" /></a> that I was able to tackle the <a href="http://mzkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/02/madam-chow-tries-to-regain-her-baking.html">Bread Baking Babe's Royal Crown's Tortano</a>.<br /><br />My house is pretty cold - we keep it at 59 degrees F. If I close the doors of my kitchen, I can get it up to the low 70s in there. This is supposed to be a great environment for bread baking. In retrospect, however, I may have made the kitchen warmer than I thought, leading to me over-proofing the dough.<br /><br />I weighed my ingredients (using King Arthur Unbleached AP flour), mixed them together, then decided to knead by hand (e-GADS). That last step took about 20 minutes. If you ever want to get into bodybuilding, exercise your upper body by hand kneading dough. I wasn't sure when to stop, and may have overdone it, so I have a question for you more experienced bread bakers: <span style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)">can you overknead dough?<br /><br /></span>The first rise took three hours, but the "dome" looked a little flat. At the time, I almost let the dough proof longer because I thought it had not yet formed that puffy dome. Now, I think it may have formed the dome, and was starting to flatten out.<br /><br />The second<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUL_GUgw7UUhwAbwNKEaRLJN8Qd0Uuw-814JSCdBaCqZQ7c_FuFQ1frTA4Rf0BkN22LTu5ivNyIc4aSRqq6QF7XJNVra64-S9dHr3ELpj7_4sULkqG8WlvI0xrmaicP_1Zxm5dw/s1600-h/Food+321.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170923326676252626" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUL_GUgw7UUhwAbwNKEaRLJN8Qd0Uuw-814JSCdBaCqZQ7c_FuFQ1frTA4Rf0BkN22LTu5ivNyIc4aSRqq6QF7XJNVra64-S9dHr3ELpj7_4sULkqG8WlvI0xrmaicP_1Zxm5dw/s200/Food+321.jpg" border="0" /></a> rise took only one hour. After I shaped the loaves, they barely rose at all; a couple of Daring Bakers noted that may be a sign that the yeast has run out of food. The loaves had also developed a strong yeasty smell, and I had only enough dough for two loaves!<br /><br />I baked them on a baking stone, sprayed them with water, and had a pan of steaming water on the floor of the oven.<br /><br />Though oddly shaped (the round bread reminded me of the movie <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0078748/">"Alien,"</a> for some reason). The crust was crisp, and the bread actually had body, unlike a lot of supermarket French breads that are very fluffy inside. And the flavor was very nice; the loaves actually tasted like a mild sourdough.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tMiNAJlgc2kXKyo4D7II-Jvunrqlvbw8oRIsoiOOzlkbRG1qaHCIFHye9QDlKrf1_JzJMnMbelUvFkp4Cto9nQUfa7bWPih09dFrAVDuO9dtr-FGhZQIpTnszuvlMzEEk9SMdw/s1600-h/Food+331.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170922497747564482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tMiNAJlgc2kXKyo4D7II-Jvunrqlvbw8oRIsoiOOzlkbRG1qaHCIFHye9QDlKrf1_JzJMnMbelUvFkp4Cto9nQUfa7bWPih09dFrAVDuO9dtr-FGhZQIpTnszuvlMzEEk9SMdw/s320/Food+331.jpg" border="0" /></a>I learned so much from this Challenge, that I'm already applying it to other breads. I plan to tackle this recipe again in the future, but this time I will knead by machine, get an idea of what the dough should feel like, and watch the proofing. Many thanks to Mary and Sara.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)">Some additional info</span>: (1) For those of you who may be interested in a <a href="http://steambreadmaker.com/">fancier steam contraption</a> for your oven, see <a href="http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2006/12/a_great_new_steaming_device.html">this post</a> by Rosy Levy Beranbaum. (2) In his book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393050556?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0393050556">Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe's Best Artisan Bakers,</a><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0393050556" width="1" border="0" /> Daniel Leader recommends <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?select=C74&byCategory=C90&id=3323"></a><a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?id=3323">King Arthur Organic AP flour</a> as the one that most closely emulates French 55-type flour (I didn't use this, I used AP flour per the recipe, so I can't vouch for it). But while perusing the website, I discovered that King Arthur now carries a <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?select=C74&byCategory=C90&id=3334">French-style flour<span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"></span></a>. Woo-hoo!Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-79350754199268010862008-02-26T07:47:00.004-05:002008-02-27T08:31:24.612-05:00Tuesdays with Dorie: Sour Cream Pecan Biscuits<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJm0l2b3_-fH_hyFDSr1Hj-z80Illfu3P3hfBLYVUi_i_ZO27j6motGybCLJyxsdRJsHs4Kvf1fAu3GObySpdeHiCnJ14byOE9pdvQAURbxii2DAC77qTwMKcoGeh-qKgxbD22Yw/s1600-h/Food+351.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170693533041014642" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJm0l2b3_-fH_hyFDSr1Hj-z80Illfu3P3hfBLYVUi_i_ZO27j6motGybCLJyxsdRJsHs4Kvf1fAu3GObySpdeHiCnJ14byOE9pdvQAURbxii2DAC77qTwMKcoGeh-qKgxbD22Yw/s400/Food+351.jpg" border="0" /></a>Light and fluffy these were not. Sometimes, <a href="http://mzkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/02/madam-chow-tries-to-regain-her-baking.html">a baker loses her edge</a>, and that, my friends, has been my sad tale of woe over the past week or so. Yes, I know, I had a couple recent successes, but I've had more mishaps than I care to mention. This delicious little paperweight is one of them.<br /><br /></div><div> </div>First, I must say, these biscuits/scones are good: dense, buttery, with a hint of caramel and a slight nutty taste. Did I say they were buttery? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Mmm</span>.<br /><br /><div> </div>But everything went wrong in the baking process, pretty much from beginning to end. First, my new box of light brown sugar was so hard it could have been used as a deadly weapon. Luckily, I had dark brown sugar on hand, and Master Chow and I liked it so much that I plan to use it in the future. And I will make these again - you see, folks, Master Chow has asked me to put these on the "repeat list!" That's always a good sign.<div> </div><br />Then I couldn't find my pecans, so I used walnuts.<div> </div><br />My sour cream had frozen in the refrigerator. Yes, the refrigerator.<div> </div><br />I discovered that my milk had soured, and had to use half-and-half.<div> </div><br />I think the frozen sour cream and the half-and-half altered the water ratio in the final dough, because mine did not "pull together in a soft ball," to paraphrase Dorie. It was a crumbly mess, and I had to actively knead it (something you <span style="font-style: italic;">never</span> want to do with biscuits or scones) to pull the dough together.<div> </div><br />Then I rolled it too thin - 1/4 of an inch instead of the 1/2 inch in the recipe. By that point, I thought the dough might bite me, so I cut the "biscuits" out and threw them in the oven. Now I know why some people drink in the morning. And I hadn't even had my coffee yet! <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Note to self</span>: do not attempt any baking at 7:00 a.m. without first having a cup of coffee.<div> </div><br />I finally made myself a cup of <a href="http://www.peets.com/shop/coffee_detail.asp?id=118&cid=1000132">Peet's Major Dickason's blend</a> (thank you, Dowager Chow), and sniffed <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">appreciatively</span> as the scent of baking hockey pucks, . . . er, "tender biscuits" filled the air. And they did smell wonderful! They did not rise at all during the baking process, however, something that is supposed to happen with biscuits. When you haven't had to knead them. And you use the proper ingredients. My culinary shortcomings aside, I'm curious to see the results of other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers.<br /><div><br />What I ended up with was more of a scone than a traditional American-style biscuit, but luckily I love both. Master Chow and I promptly devoured these tasty morsels (I only baked six - I froze the rest, unbaked, and then I did fifty minutes of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">cardio</span>, I'll have you know!).</div><div> </div><br /><a href="http://www.eatmedelicious.com/">Eat Me, Delicious</a> picked out this week's recipe. For the full roster of bakers, check out <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>. The recipe below reflects my adaptation of the original.<br /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u><br />Pecan Sour Cream Biscuits</u><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span>Adapted slightly from a recipe by <a href="http://www.peets.com/shop/coffee_detail.asp?id=118&cid=1000132">Dorie Greenspan</a></span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><br />(Makes about 16-20 biscuits if you use a 2 inch cutter)<br /><br />2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/3 cup cake flour)<br />1 tablespoon baking powder<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />1/4 teaspoon baking soda<br />1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar<br />5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces<br />1/2 cup cold sour cream<br />1/4 cold whole milk or buttermilk<br />1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts, preferably toasted<br /><br />Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Get out a sharp 2-inch-diameter biscuit cutter and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.<br /><br />Whisk the flour(s), baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a bow. Stir in the brown sugar, making certain there are no lumps. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers or a pastry cutter, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You'll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces the size of everything in between.<br /><br />Stir the sour cream and milk together and pour over the dry ingredients. Grab a fork and gently toss and turn the ingredients together until you've got a soft dough. Now reach into the bowl with your hands and give the dough a quick gentle kneading-- 3 or 4 turns should be just enough to bring everything together. Toss in the pecans and knead 2 to 3 times to incorporate them.<br /><br />Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Dust the top of the dough very lightly with flour, pat the dough out with your hands or toll it with a pin until it is about 1/2 inch high. Don't worry if the dough isn't completely even-- a quick, light touch is more important than accuracy.<br /><br />Use the biscuit cutter to cut out as many biscuits as you can. When you cut the biscuit, cut <span style="font-style: italic;">straight down</span> and do not "wiggle" the cutter - this compresses the dough and will keep it from rising. Try to cut the biscuits close to one another so you get the most you can out of the first round. By hand or with a small spatula, transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet. Gather together the scraps, working with them as little as possible, pat out to a 1/2-inch thickness and cut as many additional biscuits as you can; transfer these to the sheet. To firm up the butter a bit if you have worked the dough a bit too much, pop the tray in the freezer for about 10 minutes. (The biscuits can be made to this point and frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight and kept for up to 2 months. Bake without defrosting-- just add a couple more minutes to the oven time.)<br /><br />Bake the biscuits for 14-18 minutes, or until they are tall, puffed and golden brown. Mine never got tall or puffed, but there's always a second chance!<br /></div>Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-61980976786657317722008-02-24T16:28:00.021-05:002008-02-25T16:22:43.143-05:00Madam Chow Tries to Regain Her Baking Mojo: I Take On the Royal Crown's Tortano<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFvMJhxCcC3irQZ2cSFuvXve9lArLa2Kqs-jswFV6bBnIK1OL42w69v3zz2_pYOZwZlxEOYIJxA60IeM_PguVkmgh5BDOaPlJCboKsBKeocBGPOFYfONMnjOYxqA8NM4Mn-BzLw/s1600-h/Food+362.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170672865658386274" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFvMJhxCcC3irQZ2cSFuvXve9lArLa2Kqs-jswFV6bBnIK1OL42w69v3zz2_pYOZwZlxEOYIJxA60IeM_PguVkmgh5BDOaPlJCboKsBKeocBGPOFYfONMnjOYxqA8NM4Mn-BzLw/s400/Food+362.jpg" border="0" /></a>Last week, the Bread Baking Babes <a href="http://breadchick.com/?p=331">posted</a> about a bread that they had banded together to bake,<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1579651178?tag=mrschowskitc-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1579651178&adid=1WH088NAZGTBVPXDV4YA&"> Maggie Glezer's Royal Crown's Tortano</a>, and invited everyone to join in this week, and give the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUblQKySeQUXLwFmJy2pphX2BfZNg_xmSjAam0b73JuGGgFLyHm74ZdJl6YhgHY720hptr5UGqMu8OtbzpAyn65XFYpXcZR4g1FvuWUfNJ7FkxGDk74DgjKSVvKb9Nv89grpbxXg/s1600-h/Food+366.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170670391757223762" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUblQKySeQUXLwFmJy2pphX2BfZNg_xmSjAam0b73JuGGgFLyHm74ZdJl6YhgHY720hptr5UGqMu8OtbzpAyn65XFYpXcZR4g1FvuWUfNJ7FkxGDk74DgjKSVvKb9Nv89grpbxXg/s200/Food+366.jpg" border="0" /></a> bread a try. Well, I did it, and I'm glad I did - this was new baking territory for me. Over the past couple of weeks, I've felt like I lost my baking mojo (more on that in future posts), so tackling a recipe that turned out neither deformed nor with the consistency of a hockey puck was a major victory. Losing <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aQ8JDE7DPUEFwV_BTzHQjbnoa5wNH02a3AcXgv_rY5jfRBSmxk2dC58rCdHb4eGzeB0d4l8vESwLHehlooCUa5hOT9kRQTfm7o6JxJntO4gu0hFaCt_-P2uKvZ7lus6US6hnOQ/s1600-h/BBBuddies_tortano_00roze.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aQ8JDE7DPUEFwV_BTzHQjbnoa5wNH02a3AcXgv_rY5jfRBSmxk2dC58rCdHb4eGzeB0d4l8vESwLHehlooCUa5hOT9kRQTfm7o6JxJntO4gu0hFaCt_-P2uKvZ7lus6US6hnOQ/s200/BBBuddies_tortano_00roze.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170994721917614050" border="0" /></a>one's mojo when there are many other things going on - over which one has little or no control - is a sad thing, indeed.<br /><br />So I dragged my woebegone rear end into the kitchen. Master Chow immediately perked up when he saw that I was in baking mode. A kind man, he doesn't care that much about appearance or texture; taste is king in his book. Luckily, most of my failed baking experiments still actually taste good. But I digress.<br /><br />Here is my pre-ferment, which I started the night before. After four hours, nothing seemed to have happened, but about 13 hours later, I had this (trust me, this is a lot bigger than the blob of dough I started with):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMoVAmIhJTYM6tIOHT9COq-xA8dykQvX71IBTiFXqRndW84ZxbOD-dNuz_tuhAgcQOznEGIstNor4mnRSCsLHkbpA-7Pv4hMFvqrT9z5m48z_mAsM4z_rmAs2fMPeR0_7GnKGxg/s1600-h/Food+337.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170666109674829506" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMoVAmIhJTYM6tIOHT9COq-xA8dykQvX71IBTiFXqRndW84ZxbOD-dNuz_tuhAgcQOznEGIstNor4mnRSCsLHkbpA-7Pv4hMFvqrT9z5m48z_mAsM4z_rmAs2fMPeR0_7GnKGxg/s320/Food+337.jpg" border="0" /></a>This is what the dough looked like when I started kneading it:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7KuSY_P1Nn7xTt4Xh5lBsUkvGImnEg38n58PC74Rry8mFoRrDuFtx3LRYvguDmC8pgzKCKNtj9Q42ytnV64TaJED9001xBWEIqH8x0W30rHA2e3hMTIlLStMQuLuHsSNrFa_JQ/s1600-h/Food+344.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170666547761493714" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7KuSY_P1Nn7xTt4Xh5lBsUkvGImnEg38n58PC74Rry8mFoRrDuFtx3LRYvguDmC8pgzKCKNtj9Q42ytnV64TaJED9001xBWEIqH8x0W30rHA2e3hMTIlLStMQuLuHsSNrFa_JQ/s320/Food+344.jpg" border="0" /></a>About 20 minutes later, I had this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcgySowRDr7zmmbECUUePUx5GFwZlfZ_GSUyKdHzbvEt6ncreyUYv1UGsVOLngbyT-jJ4_Fp2KGJfwwMAIhmb7ki595IIcCbQDPLd0U0Rw5P1m-ks7Xj0EaTBgf1z43miwLkLwg/s1600-h/Food+345.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170667252136130290" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcgySowRDr7zmmbECUUePUx5GFwZlfZ_GSUyKdHzbvEt6ncreyUYv1UGsVOLngbyT-jJ4_Fp2KGJfwwMAIhmb7ki595IIcCbQDPLd0U0Rw5P1m-ks7Xj0EaTBgf1z43miwLkLwg/s320/Food+345.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://breadchick.com/?p=331">Breadchick's photos</a> were very helpful in determining when the dough was ready. Thank you, Breadchick Mary!<br /><br />Here is my fourth turn of the dough (by this time it was very smooth and silky, but still a bit sticky):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnIL8sPezmE9Ask2uagG1sw_O1kfP-wDPKO-jRy2SrtsS86uOmXShGVLu_wwHKSMOQf9cBKL64qUPV6tJT3CbMwZgPGZmu5aHaOZh8VoaNncidiQqzgG5f0HLfJZSV8AHGpwVBg/s1600-h/Food+356.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170668179849066242" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnIL8sPezmE9Ask2uagG1sw_O1kfP-wDPKO-jRy2SrtsS86uOmXShGVLu_wwHKSMOQf9cBKL64qUPV6tJT3CbMwZgPGZmu5aHaOZh8VoaNncidiQqzgG5f0HLfJZSV8AHGpwVBg/s320/Food+356.jpg" border="0" /></a>At some point in the process, my sous chefs gave me some moral support:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5l6Ab6JCik3H3zSeNeu-hNriSGMqh5xkFqPmXp5zF4qE2Jw1cwAcevcQwbg-ThdLSxD4jmG0omBh0csiey-wtJ_GvLdZc5BOrkrDCVKOXApnt0kZkgcQXhT-dQaaFZ0A50zU9Pw/s1600-h/Food+338.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170668501971613458" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5l6Ab6JCik3H3zSeNeu-hNriSGMqh5xkFqPmXp5zF4qE2Jw1cwAcevcQwbg-ThdLSxD4jmG0omBh0csiey-wtJ_GvLdZc5BOrkrDCVKOXApnt0kZkgcQXhT-dQaaFZ0A50zU9Pw/s320/Food+338.jpg" border="0" /></a>Shaping the dough: I stuck a cereal bowl in the middle to help keep the hole open!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEZeqkf1SUO1Wsli3JlDpo8Ww45OXm-9W7bX8XbJZEzZBsuefPrh7wA5cBbTQbcbV8njZDIhxBMwInvg7VPvByjNmIOW4mugLs6eJ9TnjwE5s85O_BB575yuF7f4buFP_gbakKw/s1600-h/Food+358.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170669180576446242" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEZeqkf1SUO1Wsli3JlDpo8Ww45OXm-9W7bX8XbJZEzZBsuefPrh7wA5cBbTQbcbV8njZDIhxBMwInvg7VPvByjNmIOW4mugLs6eJ9TnjwE5s85O_BB575yuF7f4buFP_gbakKw/s320/Food+358.jpg" border="0" /></a>After I slashed the dough, I baked it for 50 minutes on a baking stone (I preheated the oven with the stone in it for over an hour - another Breadchick tip from a Daring Baker challenge), but it wasn't brown enough (according to what the other Baking Babes had posted), so I baked it for an extra 10 minutes. Voila!:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXsTnuwtjEcOUsiKf8UqRPDzmo1OCJHnuiKCvCxVVPQ50NvHMjOAlq1urw4ilIxb_NJrPVKa-8YXjYSFM8mr6xhSyXV72DhhB0qnQ9vpZN6nj7_BHndsiUAcIv3a94p6je1JZGQ/s1600-h/Food+363.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170670159828989746" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXsTnuwtjEcOUsiKf8UqRPDzmo1OCJHnuiKCvCxVVPQ50NvHMjOAlq1urw4ilIxb_NJrPVKa-8YXjYSFM8mr6xhSyXV72DhhB0qnQ9vpZN6nj7_BHndsiUAcIv3a94p6je1JZGQ/s200/Food+363.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgpexz56t5OxFaLa7XpFGLOL6pwKo1cgO8mxyeiJstaeMFySBLxzHECeN8MP3WvOqCA_grPTqZfc-hkz7mTXSCT1e_bmrxRd0ZvOmysRpAl44AU9b3R8DIUbT8qTvlJGBaN7O6w/s1600-h/Food+364.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170670275793106754" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgpexz56t5OxFaLa7XpFGLOL6pwKo1cgO8mxyeiJstaeMFySBLxzHECeN8MP3WvOqCA_grPTqZfc-hkz7mTXSCT1e_bmrxRd0ZvOmysRpAl44AU9b3R8DIUbT8qTvlJGBaN7O6w/s200/Food+364.jpg" border="0" /></a>I'm not really sure if this turned out right, but I'm happy with it. The crust was amazing - crisp, hard, but not too thick. The interior of the bread was firm, pocketed with holes, and mild in flavor.<br /><br />I feel a bit more cheerful, and I took a step toward getting my baking mojo back! For the recipe, as well as a list of the Bread Baking Babes and their creations, check out <a href="http://breadchick.com/?p=331">The Sour Dough</a> and <a href="http://bakemyday.blogspot.com/">Bake My Day</a>.Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-41991417702624550032008-02-22T09:34:00.008-05:002008-03-13T11:58:56.951-04:00Addictive Rugelach<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtkOIhcd0M8Befo5tdQqHTmmkvmkijO8i1IlCUyvQ9bZc1B0Oe_MVG4sjuDQsY43qr5VKIekIieAan1vlG1J_vzO4Gg6s4OJmW_4KvT6w0inyDEXhpamM8JBxpk6biC7_J5FwSw/s1600-h/Food+304.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169814284516046514" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtkOIhcd0M8Befo5tdQqHTmmkvmkijO8i1IlCUyvQ9bZc1B0Oe_MVG4sjuDQsY43qr5VKIekIieAan1vlG1J_vzO4Gg6s4OJmW_4KvT6w0inyDEXhpamM8JBxpk6biC7_J5FwSw/s400/Food+304.jpg" border="0" /></a>I'd never made rugelach before, but I was determined to do it because I just love them. Unfortunately, the ones that I can buy always taste rancid to me, so I haven't bothered to purchase any for years.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6vjb95Wi8EmFXiN2o5J1MDzxG9N4yvGv9RbmyLqLnYpK3p5mzBUguV4YRBHso__3RODGaivXG8KGAD4mcL8gIBskUyrWmJx2Kw6s0eSARvvilRu30J_9EpcwvwpnAycis7OcsQ/s1600-h/Food+306.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169814009638139538" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6vjb95Wi8EmFXiN2o5J1MDzxG9N4yvGv9RbmyLqLnYpK3p5mzBUguV4YRBHso__3RODGaivXG8KGAD4mcL8gIBskUyrWmJx2Kw6s0eSARvvilRu30J_9EpcwvwpnAycis7OcsQ/s200/Food+306.jpg" border="0" /></a>After a bit of research, I discovered that most rugelach recipes are pretty much the same: a cream cheese (or, in some cases, a sour cream) dough, and a tasty filling. I turned, yet again, to Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, for her rugelach recipe because her instructions allowed me to make small batches at a time, for personal consumption and gift-giving.<br /><br />I must say, these little gems were a hit. Master Chow and I couldn't stop popping them into our mouths. Some of the other recipes that I found excluded the jam to prevent "oozing," but I love that, so I left it in. The pastry was flavorful and rich, but complemented rather than competed with the filling.<br /><br />I have enough dough in the freezer for two more batches, and I'm trying to drum up an excuse to bake them, in between all my other baking projects. Isn't there a national rugelach day that I can celebrate?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOInlB6Ck6tcnQNf2cHIeHWp3xNtWJCSTmL_pv0pIyJyO9fTXwa65CU456fO2YBbJFb6Slg2euhtTrCA9fCLTyl_mA4ZAD8vNtpzlQU2xutY4gkRFGK3-iGx-zDrdAgxzi-Efiw/s1600-h/Food+305.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169814138487158434" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOInlB6Ck6tcnQNf2cHIeHWp3xNtWJCSTmL_pv0pIyJyO9fTXwa65CU456fO2YBbJFb6Slg2euhtTrCA9fCLTyl_mA4ZAD8vNtpzlQU2xutY4gkRFGK3-iGx-zDrdAgxzi-Efiw/s320/Food+305.jpg" border="0" /></a> <u><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rugelach</span></u><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Adapted from a recipe by <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_31111,00.html">Ina Garten</a> in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0609606441?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0609606441">Barefoot Contessa Parties! Ideas and Recipes for Easy Parties That Are Really Fun</a><img style="border: medium none ; margin: 0px;" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0609606441" border="0" height="1" width="1" /></span><br /></div><span class="bodytext"><br />8 ounces cream cheese, at <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">room temperature</span><br />1/2-pound (two sticks) unsalted butter, at <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">room temperature</span><br />1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 9 tablespoons<br />1/4 teaspoon salt<br />1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />2 cups all-purpose flour<br />1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed<br />1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon<br />3/4 cup raisins, chopped<br />1 cup walnuts, finely chopped<br />1/2 cup of your favorite preserves, pureed in a food processor ( I used a peach-apricot preserve)<br />1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash</span><span class="bodytext"><br /><br />If your butter and cream cheese are not at room temperature, don't even attempt this - they will not combine properly to form the pastry. If they are, you can make this either in your food processor or stand mixer. For the mixer: Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. For the food processor: </span><span class="bodytext">Pulse the cream cheese and butter until light. Add </span><span class="bodytext">the 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla, and pulse a few times . Add the flour and pulse until just combined.</span><span class="bodytext"><br /><br />Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, flatten them, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour. At this point, you can also freeze the dough for future use.<br /><p>To make the filling, combine 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the raisins, and walnuts. </p><p>On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. For each dough ball: Leave a one inch to two inch circle bare in the middle of the dough, and spread the rest of the dough with 2 tablespoons apricot preserves and sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of the filling. The reason for that bare spot in the middle is because when you roll up the rugelach, the filling will ooze toward the middle, and you don't really need to put anything in there. You can always set the lid from a bottle in the middle of your dough and work around that, using the lid as a guide. </p><p>Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges—cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. You can also use a pastry cutter to do this, which will give the pastries a decorative border (see photos above).</p><p>Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes, or put in the freezer for about 10-12 minutes. </p><p>Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. </p><p>Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool. Devour. </p></span>Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-42830727282014232762008-02-21T12:53:00.003-05:002008-02-21T12:58:08.147-05:00Something to Make Your Heart Sing!Two <span style="font-style: italic;">wonderful<span style="font-style: italic;"> videos that will make your day! </span></span><span><span>The first, a dolphin and dog playing - watch the dog's tail wagging!:<br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cfOLgRGbxP8&rel=1&border=0"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cfOLgRGbxP8&rel=1&border=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />The second: two little otters hold hands, but be sure to watch what happens at around 0:56. Via <a href="http://tammybruce.com/2008/02/now_to_what_really.php">Tammy Bruce</a>.<br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/epUk3T2Kfno&rel=1&border=0"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/epUk3T2Kfno&rel=1&border=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /></span></span>Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-21510372499661755002008-02-19T14:19:00.007-05:002008-02-25T16:23:24.879-05:00Tuesdays with Dorie - Almost Fudge Gateau<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAj41yJqDvtuZ1Oo2GrgdtB91S3N1uVLDePy-s1-Ze2yj2rrgElSviVeTmklXjC1D6W0BXG0-wDIirWZWG3DUqFpM40UtA3uAxGQhDmvB68OZ6szqJWDE_w_pFuLpjjKol9RxBcw/s1600-h/Food+317.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAj41yJqDvtuZ1Oo2GrgdtB91S3N1uVLDePy-s1-Ze2yj2rrgElSviVeTmklXjC1D6W0BXG0-wDIirWZWG3DUqFpM40UtA3uAxGQhDmvB68OZ6szqJWDE_w_pFuLpjjKol9RxBcw/s400/Food+317.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168773519450945154" border="0" /></a>For this week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>, we have a low-fat dessert. GOTCHA! No, not really. Nine ounces of chocolate? Five eggs? Butter? Low fat in my dreams! <a href="http://crazydeliciousfood.wordpress.com/">Crazy Delicious</a> chose this week's baked goodie, Almost Fudge Gateau.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIlcyJFk0bsTkmE8X4rKJdFEqizgYP1PeQ2ECU5SipG2kTaDWdHGT3_2T32wB_GKo2Q_YJFx9sdNc9runsTEWyVjWCFQWp7HYn8Mvk_WPMvd-KsxQ_wXKxjN-NR7sz6cTHme65w/s1600-h/Food+310.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIlcyJFk0bsTkmE8X4rKJdFEqizgYP1PeQ2ECU5SipG2kTaDWdHGT3_2T32wB_GKo2Q_YJFx9sdNc9runsTEWyVjWCFQWp7HYn8Mvk_WPMvd-KsxQ_wXKxjN-NR7sz6cTHme65w/s200/Food+310.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168773261752907378" border="0" /></a>The smell of this over-sized brownie wafted through the house while it baked, and it was very easy to put together. No tempering eggs, you just plop the egg yolks, one at a time, into the warm chocolate batter and mix thoroughly before adding the whipped egg whites. My gateau was done in exactly 35 minutes (probably could have baked it for 30 minutes), but then I had to wait until it cooled to give it a taste. I decided against the "optional chocolate glaze," which would have required four more ounces of chocolate. I felt less guilty with a light dusting of confectioner's sugar.<br /><br />Now, the taste: the chocolate flavor obviously dominates here, so don't skimp, and use a good one. I found some 70% bittersweet chocolate from King Arthur Flour in my alarmingly large chocolate stash, so I used that. The texture is something between a fudgy and a cakey brownie, not quite either one, but it has the best qualities of each. The cake is moist and rich, but not too heavy, and not as dense as a fudgy brownie. With some lightly sweetened whipped cream, this would make an elegant dessert for a dinner party, and you can put it together in a little over an hour.<br /><br />For more creations, check out the <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll</a>! For the recipe, see <a href="http://crazydeliciousfood.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/twd-almost-fudge-gateau/">here</a>. Next week: Pecan Sour Cream Biscuits!<br /><br />Update: Master Chow just had a piece, declared it "delicious," and asked me to put in on the "repeat" list. We have a winner!!!Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-45548373194626149562008-02-18T11:59:00.012-05:002008-02-28T15:38:53.192-05:00Challah Reverie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAYXlZN9hg-s1Jf4vWIUj4xRdYaa8zlfR4EAaQ7M9AYnDaGRlP8QQXOtvJCUxRntGj2nPEpDKW1fofYXI25dcErGb2yC6Lk-JaeAmMYJXr2dbpggpxg2Ehzi17U31cmKkm2wbHQ/s1600-h/Food+291.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAYXlZN9hg-s1Jf4vWIUj4xRdYaa8zlfR4EAaQ7M9AYnDaGRlP8QQXOtvJCUxRntGj2nPEpDKW1fofYXI25dcErGb2yC6Lk-JaeAmMYJXr2dbpggpxg2Ehzi17U31cmKkm2wbHQ/s400/Food+291.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168367752415655506" border="0" /></a>I had wanted to make challah for years, but did not get around to it until recently, inspired by some of you food bloggers out there! While I am not a big fan of plain challah for eating (then again, I'm not a connoisseur), it is one of the <span style="font-style: italic;">best</span> breads you can use for french toast or bread pudding.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80GCpSSY67bYfNkjoPMw4bCzos23qpAoleNK6PQQZ5cvVmACS4NjzzR4c12yYaTTgunRK3ojApg_wJ6O4vUYUjcckcFbhPXGF1vA3EC3mn9MVAjSybJpqtQ7n9wjUXlnKRqNQaA/s1600-h/Food+282.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80GCpSSY67bYfNkjoPMw4bCzos23qpAoleNK6PQQZ5cvVmACS4NjzzR4c12yYaTTgunRK3ojApg_wJ6O4vUYUjcckcFbhPXGF1vA3EC3mn9MVAjSybJpqtQ7n9wjUXlnKRqNQaA/s200/Food+282.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168367267084351026" border="0" /></a>As I've mentioned before, the <a href="http://mzkitchen.blogspot.com/2007/11/daring-bakers-tender-potato-bread.html">Daring Bakers potato bread challenge</a> inspired me to return to bread-baking after a hiatus of many years. What was I waiting for? Why not tackle a bread that has few equals in beauty, and that has such a rich history?<br /><br />So, on a recent lazy afternoon, the kind where you just want to curl up with a good book and take a nap, I wandered into the kitchen with <a href="http://mzkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/02/happiness-is-warm-lap.html#links">my two sous chefs</a>, and<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-sr0o1EsDqyIulf4PFIOG4swU8GSQPn9WsJiTVnm1ECcP6x97yqHISS73-7D4CdyTYt7or3hT4JzzEDNVH3Gbxhanw1QIfbvkz130M8SziOoMYdqXf4xhxu9lCt3B9BDy5zfdQ/s1600-h/Food+288.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-sr0o1EsDqyIulf4PFIOG4swU8GSQPn9WsJiTVnm1ECcP6x97yqHISS73-7D4CdyTYt7or3hT4JzzEDNVH3Gbxhanw1QIfbvkz130M8SziOoMYdqXf4xhxu9lCt3B9BDy5zfdQ/s200/Food+288.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168373761074902626" border="0" /></a> made Sweet Vanilla Challah from Beth Hensperger's book,<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811845265?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0811845265">The Bread Bible: 300 Favorite Recipes.</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0811845265" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> I'm not going to write out the recipe here because I did not adapt it in any way, but you can find a <a href="http://www.bakingandbooks.com/2007/04/09/t-minus-20-hours/">comparable recipe</a> over at Ari's blog, one of my favorites, <a href="http://www.bakingandbooks.com/">Baking and Books</a>. In fact, Ari says that Hensperger's recipe was a source of inspiration for her Honey-Vanilla Challah.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcArjjSRV9b1qqOyNOVzRcb2IKu5mCVaXH_EeAOYGGOmAmsNyqTBewLjXvCHDSx8Ecv2t9P8BVsotDMKSvrN5Um9cstW4OfsyGGM62VgpuWhGsoJFLyy6Vtb3qT1UvGnzYq26a_g/s1600-h/Food+290.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcArjjSRV9b1qqOyNOVzRcb2IKu5mCVaXH_EeAOYGGOmAmsNyqTBewLjXvCHDSx8Ecv2t9P8BVsotDMKSvrN5Um9cstW4OfsyGGM62VgpuWhGsoJFLyy6Vtb3qT1UvGnzYq26a_g/s200/Food+290.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168367103875593762" border="0" /></a>This had to be the easiest, most peaceful bread baking experience I've ever had. Everything went smoothly. Shaping the dough was a breeze, and it puffed up - magically- in the oven, resulting in two gorgeous bronzed loaves of bread. We ate one (it tasted like . . . challah!), and I froze the other one to make <a href="http://mzkitchen.blogspot.com/2007/01/amaretto-bread-pudding.html">Amaretto Bread Pudding</a> in the near future.<br /><br />This was so much fun, I'm diving into challah research, to see what other recipes and shapes I can play with. For me, the whole experience typified what I love best about baking: the peace, the challenge, and the feast for all the senses. <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Note</span>: for more on making challah, and braiding instructions, see <a href="http://www.secretofchallah.com/50708/Braiding-Instructions">here</a> and <a href="http://www.expertvillage.com/video-series/1324_challah-bread.htm">here</a>.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span>Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-6471404371957507282008-02-14T16:32:00.004-05:002008-02-14T16:47:33.588-05:00Happy Valentine's Day!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE904F4kfweNv4xaUuY-dtCbotz5QFPZVUmXlsCO43r7BQCGr_PLCELR8TClO7WIdnSpuSsywUPpc2Ar9ROdrny_Y-oVupvcC5aDDxXrjCn90lqusXNYT-_xOW6vrKO_P2RpCSqA/s1600-h/Food+308.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE904F4kfweNv4xaUuY-dtCbotz5QFPZVUmXlsCO43r7BQCGr_PLCELR8TClO7WIdnSpuSsywUPpc2Ar9ROdrny_Y-oVupvcC5aDDxXrjCn90lqusXNYT-_xOW6vrKO_P2RpCSqA/s400/Food+308.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166952071065351682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Spice Cookie Heart, from a recipe by <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/240669">Dorie Greenspan in Bon Appetit</a></span></span><br /></div>To my Valentine, Master Chow, the finest person I have ever known. I love you with all my heart. I've been blessed, and I know it. (And a heartfelt thank you to the dear Dowager Chow, my mother-in-law, who gave me the gorgeous copper cookie cutter with which to make the spice cookies!)Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-23498064053667861572008-02-13T15:19:00.003-05:002008-02-16T09:38:09.210-05:00A Marbled Coffee Cake, and the Truth of Julia Child's Words<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxstvXBwOIQOyh3F_uZPgN4Ogs6hpRn4319ffK-3aF8PNQko5wHQQQ5lVQS3pe-h2H5DxlyXfLgf_Ukq8oap8Md7Tv3s9TMPMs7hvt504ZK0ID7ivdzYxpcvsMgSA0m6YfJ4pTfQ/s1600-h/Food+251.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160623140789417250" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxstvXBwOIQOyh3F_uZPgN4Ogs6hpRn4319ffK-3aF8PNQko5wHQQQ5lVQS3pe-h2H5DxlyXfLgf_Ukq8oap8Md7Tv3s9TMPMs7hvt504ZK0ID7ivdzYxpcvsMgSA0m6YfJ4pTfQ/s400/Food+251.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sour Cream Black and White Coffee Cake</span></span><br /></div><div>Like many of you, two of the reasons I started this blog were to give me the incentive to use my many cookbooks, and to document what I do. The good news: it's working! The bad news: I've had to increase my cardio workouts at the gym.<br /><br />One of the items that I decided to bake is a Sour Cream Black and White Coffee Cake from Carol Walter's fabulous new book <span style="text-decoration: underline;">, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307237559?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0307237559">Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More: 200 Anytime Treats and Special Sweets for Morning to Midnight.</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0307237559" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> This is quickly becoming one of the favorite cookbooks in my embarrassingly large collection. I'm not going to write out the recipe - the directions to get the swirl pattern are quite lengthy, and I'd rather spend my time cooking!<br /><br />When I notified <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNU7r57BDFGBVHask-gjh-F8af2SkKPbeVOuCWLn5rdEIHNE4HL-vAS-BumbaubwFbkolyY-LA1VjG4DssQtu67F69vVq2AYDHPl1C2VpyBqm-qUbs91HB_tq0C3rUhLUhtC20A/s1600-h/Food+250.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNU7r57BDFGBVHask-gjh-F8af2SkKPbeVOuCWLn5rdEIHNE4HL-vAS-BumbaubwFbkolyY-LA1VjG4DssQtu67F69vVq2AYDHPl1C2VpyBqm-qUbs91HB_tq0C3rUhLUhtC20A/s200/Food+250.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165826235583018482" border="0" /></a>Master Chow that I had just just baked the aforementioned coffee cake, a look of mixed joy and horror crossed his face: he loves coffee cake, but he squeaked: "What! Before my reunion?!" You see, he has a Major Reunion coming up this June, he's looking fit, and he doesn't want to blow up into a blimp before then. "Master Chow," I said patiently, "it's <span style="font-style: italic;">February.</span> You don't really expect me to stop baking for the next five months, do you?" He promptly realized the futility of any such argument. He and I tasted a little piece, and he took the rest to work. A happy compromise!<br /><br />I learned a couple things from this recipe: do <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> substitute low fat ingredients, even it that's all you have on hand. The recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate, but I highly recommend you use semisweet - the cake is not overly sweet, and really benefits from a slightly sweeter chocolate. Now, you ask, how did I discover that? Why, I burned my first batch of chocolate, that's how! I tasted a wee part that hadn't turned into charcoal, and promptly realized that I need to use a sweeter chocolate, so I did. But that's another story. For those of you who have never burned chocolate, and might be tempted to use it anyway - don't. I learned that many years ago, the hard, nasty-tasting way. Ugh.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8kAQfEMxBHe-CoRBlhJOTtWRUQdBRIW1iLixCF95xXXVgNwi3-TzMJQWwJbbowN9Xel2ywEY5zw-jFrl3fDdytjt1vfznXUW6rr_mnFOtxVyMZlJbA_Lwa_3SWOf75CWdgdFiQ/s1600-h/Food+254.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8kAQfEMxBHe-CoRBlhJOTtWRUQdBRIW1iLixCF95xXXVgNwi3-TzMJQWwJbbowN9Xel2ywEY5zw-jFrl3fDdytjt1vfznXUW6rr_mnFOtxVyMZlJbA_Lwa_3SWOf75CWdgdFiQ/s200/Food+254.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165825995064849890" border="0" /></a>Now, the interesting thing is that, even though I loved the taste of the cake, it was a bit drier than I would have liked, because I used low fat sour cream (all I had on hand). As it sat out in my husband's office, he said it became even drier. And you know what? Folks told him that it was the best or one of the best coffee cakes that they had ever had! They also said that the chocolate was "really good," so use a good one if you decide to make something like this - it makes a difference.<br /><br />All this made me realize, once again, how little most people cook, and that their access to baked goods is usually limited to Aisle 4 in the grocery store. Good eggs, fresh butter, and premium chocolate make a difference.<br /><br />I recently heard that Julia Child once said that "people have forgotten what food is supposed to taste like." So true. And that's one of the reasons I cook so much - I love the idea of keeping a tradition of "real food" alive, even if a cake comes out a little drier than expected.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Update</span>: there was a typo in the recipe - it called for 11 1/2 teaspoons (!) of baking powder, when it should be 1 1/2 teaspoons!<br /><div></div></div>Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-44014434165146630082008-02-12T13:28:00.001-05:002008-02-25T16:24:06.841-05:00Tuesdays with Dorie<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618443363?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0618443363"><img border="0" src="2123CZVC6NL._AA_SL160_.jpg"></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0618443363" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /><br /><br />A group of food bloggers has come together to bake something each week from Dorie Greenspan's wonderful book. If you want to see their latest creation, go check out the <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">blogroll</a>!Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-44662706431304876242008-02-11T11:06:00.001-05:002008-03-17T13:55:12.815-04:00Cinnamon Cake Donuts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzNS5PHHdaspUG79FEH3aci2PP3EoN6JJtqvBvrH2YRhGfa4Ts-GWyyRWwwUQc-0FUvXbnvT32Pzj_CmIiwbsqFTKvQFNauGtkdspmqVVyeQbySa-mLrQ3xATus9VIen1U6g4m9Q/s1600-h/Food+308.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzNS5PHHdaspUG79FEH3aci2PP3EoN6JJtqvBvrH2YRhGfa4Ts-GWyyRWwwUQc-0FUvXbnvT32Pzj_CmIiwbsqFTKvQFNauGtkdspmqVVyeQbySa-mLrQ3xATus9VIen1U6g4m9Q/s400/Food+308.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165756983530337746" border="0" /></a><a href="http://tartelette.blogspot.com/">Tartelette</a> and <a href="http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/">Peabody</a> are hosting a <a href="http://tartelette.blogspot.com/2008/01/time-to-make-doughnuts_15.html">donut blogging event</a> on February 13, which gave me the perfect excuse to use up a big jug of oil that I had purchased last year so I could make . . . donuts. Only I didn't make them. I was too busy baking a ridiculous amount of cookies for Christmas.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-9Te4macrw78n5euK_ek-9Yubpnfp8IkI0zBCyWif-UUR80mbWcwtSMQlkx0T7XtmctfW5Ff2zrxn_zTu1WwyZ7Gnl86tuqFL1gi4soetwu3LLRFQIZe1b2MD0ZMz-NG0C0vMQ/s1600-h/Food+305.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-9Te4macrw78n5euK_ek-9Yubpnfp8IkI0zBCyWif-UUR80mbWcwtSMQlkx0T7XtmctfW5Ff2zrxn_zTu1WwyZ7Gnl86tuqFL1gi4soetwu3LLRFQIZe1b2MD0ZMz-NG0C0vMQ/s200/Food+305.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165755390097470882" border="0" /></a>After consulting with Master Chow, I decided to make cake donuts, because they are his favorite. I found a recipe that, surprisingly, required no yeast, in Beatrice Ojakangas' book,<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0816644373?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0816644373">Great Old Fashioned American Desserts</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mrschowskitc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0816644373" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />.<br /><br />This time, I told myself, I'm going to get everything ready. I'm going to be organized, efficient. No goof-ups. And then I discovered that I was OUT of all-purpose flour. Yes, a Daring Baker, out of flour. I have about ten different types in my freezer, but you do not make cake donuts with garbanzo flour. Or barley flour. So I had to resort to my bread flour. Therefore, I can now tell you not to use bread flour for donuts - they still taste great, but they sure are heavy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZ0Z1uqu7q1fmzNjmdjFVo4_l_gFlEIqNowXoqjA_0tiTwjtf01wq8uscYEGOeLQ-bBN8AvuWSQ7XxyQReyb823RfaupshWqgyol352TlCchT2BjNKI41uBylUWypov2iqOfylA/s1600-h/Food+312.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZ0Z1uqu7q1fmzNjmdjFVo4_l_gFlEIqNowXoqjA_0tiTwjtf01wq8uscYEGOeLQ-bBN8AvuWSQ7XxyQReyb823RfaupshWqgyol352TlCchT2BjNKI41uBylUWypov2iqOfylA/s320/Food+312.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165756837501449666" border="0" /></a>I made a couple other changes to the recipe: I increased the amount of nutmeg from 1/4 t. to a 1/2 t., and instead of vanilla extract, I added a full teaspoon of <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?id=3171">Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor</a>, which gave the donuts that unique bakery flavor.<br /><br />It's hard to go wrong with fried dough - people the world over just love this combination, so I encourage you to give a donut recipe a try!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cake Doughnuts</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Adapted from a recipe in </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0816644373?ie=UTF8&tag=mrschowskitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0816644373">Great Old Fashioned American Desserts</a><br />Makes about 16-20 donuts<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />1 1/2 t. baking powder<br />1/2 t. baking soda<br />1/4 t. salt<br />1/4 t. nutmeg<br />1/2 c. buttermilk<br />2 T. vegetable oil<br />1 t. <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?id=3171">Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor<br /></a>1 egg, slightly beaten<br />vegetable oil for frying<br />cinnamon and sugar, or powdered sugar, for dusting<br /></div></div><br />In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except the ingredients that you will use to dust the donuts). Combine the wet ingredients (except the oil for frying) in a large measuring cup. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Knead dough briefly until it loses its stickiness. I found it helpful to refrigerate the dough for an hour before rolling and cutting, but the recipe doesn't require you to do so.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xnIO-UvfW-kbpmEsClanKiNPd1WUBJQVRhH4oMyg4sn2JDsKsFD2EtyFSmbU1AqX8OAT3b-KLDVou3A4B6HRwSnPIYh416jm37XRXlrhjGA3syBXavd8s-hH_mRO_NNpsXbzMg/s1600-h/Food+314.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xnIO-UvfW-kbpmEsClanKiNPd1WUBJQVRhH4oMyg4sn2JDsKsFD2EtyFSmbU1AqX8OAT3b-KLDVou3A4B6HRwSnPIYh416jm37XRXlrhjGA3syBXavd8s-hH_mRO_NNpsXbzMg/s200/Food+314.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165755261248451986" border="0" /></a><br />Make sure you have 2 to 3 inches deep of oil in a heavy pan. Preheat the frying oil to 375 F. Roll out the dough about 1/2 inch thick, and cut out with a floured donut cutter. Be sure to make that center hole big enough, or it will close up when you fry the donut. Carefully transfer the donuts, just a few at a time, to the hot oil. Fry them for about a minute on each side, until a deep golden brown. Set aside to drain, then dust in cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.<br /><br />P.S. You can find Beatrice Ojakangas' book for a great price over at <a href="http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-11669-great-old-fash-amer-dessert.aspx">Jessica's Biscuit</a>.Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-82004908782237574622008-02-07T15:39:00.000-05:002008-02-11T13:30:27.240-05:00Cooking Tips from Rose<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheHO7AVwA0r8OCvfvC01lTeWNGEdKtE_L-2jwsD9kTvyC0PnvbsAiqC5pU9TiRbGIykeSnNK2wmTIlxXbKgmS1ldGlT_kcN-KVlBN4kuTfVSjtIor7CdZBEuKOpyHLK3nEi2IZNA/s1600-h/Food+065.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164341285387630082" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheHO7AVwA0r8OCvfvC01lTeWNGEdKtE_L-2jwsD9kTvyC0PnvbsAiqC5pU9TiRbGIykeSnNK2wmTIlxXbKgmS1ldGlT_kcN-KVlBN4kuTfVSjtIor7CdZBEuKOpyHLK3nEi2IZNA/s320/Food+065.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>Head on over to <a href="http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2008/01/as_orange_as_it_gets.html">Rose Levy Beranbaum's blog</a> for her wonderful citrus curd recipe, plus a <a href="http://www.ripetoyou.com/">source</a> for those bitter Seville oranges with which to make marmalade (I've already ordered some, and plan on using <a href="http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/004317seville_orange_marmalade.php">Elise's recipe</a> to make a large batch). Rose notes that "Seville orange are also known as bitter oranges because they have an acidity level of about that of lemon. They offer the true orange flavor of a sourball candy and will give you the consistency of a perfect lemon curd, unlike that of other oranges which don’t thicken adequately." Rose also shares this fantastic curd-making tip: "if you beat the butter into the eggs and sugar before adding the juice it protects the yolks from curdling at all so you get 0 residue!"</div>Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27281856.post-44344993452520838382008-02-05T13:38:00.000-05:002008-02-05T14:01:35.767-05:00Summer in February - A Light, Refreshing Slaw<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2iZ6EhYOR0dLW7gcejqr8l92Y1BMbgjbiyJwsZjmqLfUaUzBbEpj3Q5BEeXDap0pxzIoRlnBDtARlPFMsF7a4ROzKi4YeGDm6WmQCg71pZKO1fnQiHaXq9Jc0P_dAMXuDRTSvQ/s1600-h/Food+249.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160622801487000850" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2iZ6EhYOR0dLW7gcejqr8l92Y1BMbgjbiyJwsZjmqLfUaUzBbEpj3Q5BEeXDap0pxzIoRlnBDtARlPFMsF7a4ROzKi4YeGDm6WmQCg71pZKO1fnQiHaXq9Jc0P_dAMXuDRTSvQ/s400/Food+249.jpg" border="0" /></a>Feeling overloaded and bloated from all the baked goods and sweets that have been making frequent appearances in my life ever since Thanksgiving, I felt the need for something light, refreshing, and healthy. So, I pulled out my July 2007 issue of Bon Appetit, and decided to whip up a batch of <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/238803">Cabbage and Corn Slaw with Cilantro</a>.<br /><br />One of the things that appealed to me about this recipe was its lack of mayonnaise. I wanted something that I could fill up on, and not have an iota of guilt over what I had just eaten. I had all of the ingredients on hand, except frozen orange juice, and coleslaw mix. So, I shredded up my own cabbage mix, and used <a href="http://dole.com/Products/Products_Detail.jsp?CatGroupID=6&ID=332">Dole brand Pineapple-Orange-Banana frozen juice concentrate</a>. Believe it or not, it tasted great!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cabbage and Corn Slaw with Cilantro</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Adapted from a recipe by Pam Anderson in <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/238803">Bon Appetit, July 2007</a></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"></span> <p style="font-family: times new roman; font-weight: bold;" class="meta_info"> </p><p style="font-family: times new roman; font-weight: bold;" class="source" id="mag_info"> </p> 1/3 cup frozen pine-orange-banana juice concentrate, thawed<br />2 T. fresh lime juice<br />1/3 cup <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">unseasoned</span> rice vinegar (<span style="font-style: italic;">this can be rather hard to find - this is rice vinegar that does not contain sugar. If you can find only seasoned rice vinegar, increase the lime juice to taste</span>)<br />1/3 cup olive oil<br />1/2 head of purple cabbage (about 8 oz.), shredded<br />1/2 head green cabbage (about 8 oz.), shredded<br />2 large carrots, grated<br />2 cups of frozen corn<br />1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, cored, cut into thin strips<br />6 medium green onions, thinly sliced<br />1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro<br />kosher salt and pepper to taste<br /><br /> Whisk orange juice concentrate, lime juice, rice vinegar, and olive oil in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate<i>.</i><br /><br />Combine cabbage, corn kernels, carrots, red bell pepper strips, sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand 15 minutes for flavors to blend. Toss again and serve.<br /><div></div></div>Madam Chowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17279653921054862976noreply@blogger.com3