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February 26, 2008
Experiments with another No-Knead Bread: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
There's always a new one, isn't there? No sooner have you mastered Bittman's No-Knead Bread and played around with jars of starter for your own Sourdough than another intriguing bread recipe comes along. I discovered this one through the NZ FoodLovers Forum, found the recipe, and discovered the book that it comes from - Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë Francois - here.
Last Monday I mixed up the dough, cooked my first loaf on Tuesday evening and ate nearly half of the misshapen bread warm out of the oven. There was another, slightly larger, loaf cooked on Saturday and I made some little bread rolls to be filled with one-egg French Omelettes for supper today. Over time the flavour develops more of a sour tang - once I make more space in my fridge (there's still a very useful jar of sourdough starter in there!) I'm looking forward to keeping some dough for a longer time and seeing how it progresses.
As usual, I've played around with the recipe. I had some of Shipton Mill's textured, seed-speckled Organic Three Malt and Sunflower Flour in the house so used it in combination with some strong flour and it worked well. Next time I'll try to restrain myself and actually follow their instructions. I don't have a pizza stone, though, so I just bake the bread on the tray it has been relaxing on for the last 40 minutes. Still haven't gotten around to slashing it before baking either! I've written up the recipe with my own adaptations below but I I think there just might be a book purchase coming up...
Watch Zoë and Jeff demonstrate their Five Minute Bread technique here and read more on on Zoë's own blog at Zoë Bakes.
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Plain flour - 6½ cups (I used 3 cups of the Organic Three Malt and Sunflower Flour and 3½ cups strong flour. Why? Because it was the only other flour I had in the house!)
Dried yeast - 1½ tablespoons
Salt - 1½ tablespoons
Water - 3 cups, at room temperature
In a large bowl that will fit into your fridge, combine the flour, yeast and salt. Pour in the room temperature water then, with a clean hand, mix thoroughly.
Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise at room temperature until it starts collapsing back on itself. This should take between 2 and 5 hours but, with a cold house in wintertime, it may take up to 7 hours.
The dough is now ready to use. You can refrigerate it for up to 14 days, covering the bowl loosely with clingfilm, or bake it straightaway.
To bake: sprinkle the dough with flour and use a serrated knife to carve off enough for a loaf. The original recipe says to take a 1lb or grapefruit-sized piece each of four times. I used my dough in three bakings. However much you use, re-cover the remainder of the dough and put back into the fridge.
Sprinkle flour on your worktop and either more flour or cornmeal on the baking tray that you are going to use. Quickly shape the piece of dough into a smooth ball. If it doesn't, don't worry about it. It won't actually make a difference to the taste.
Place the dough on the prepared baking tray and allow to rest, without covering, for 40 minutes.
Twenty minutes before you want to bake it, preheat your oven. The original recipe that I saw specified 450˚F - I use a fan oven which I set to 210˚C.
Dust the dough with flour, sprinkle gently with a little water and put into the oven. Check after 30 minutes. The loaf may need to be turned over and cooked for another 10 minutes. Cool on a wire baking tray, if you can resist!
Posted by Caroline at 9:06 PM | Comments (10)
February 25, 2008
Racing time: Roasted Squash and Puy Lentil Salad
It's not exactly salad time yet but, when a gloriously sunny Sunday coincided with the local point-to-point races and the family coming round for a pre-race lunch, I couldn't resist poking out an old bag of puy lentils (still working my way through two kitchen's-worth of ingredients!) to combine with the last of our Ushiki Kuri squash.
This squash variety is due to become a garden staple - we had a fantastic yield last autumn, they stored well and the skin is thin enough to be eaten, all good things from a small garden patch. I decided to give the squash a Moroccan accent, roasting it with a sprinkling of Ras el Hanout. The current blend that I am using is a sweetly aromatic sachet that I got while in Morocco, and contains, amongst other spices, black and white peppers, cloves, maniguette or grains of paradise, ginger and rose petals. You can find numerous recipes for Ras el Hanout online (including this one from Greg Malouf) or, for this recipe, you can use a mixture of spices that you find appealing - cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne pepper would do it for me.
I served the roasted squash on a bed of warm lentils, which I tossed in a chilli-spiked, citrus dressing, alongside a large empty-out-the-fridge-and-garden Tortilla, or Spanish Omelette, filled with potatoes, leeks, broccoli and bacon. Then it was off to the races - although some people were luckier with their betting than others!
Roasted Squash and Puy Lentil Salad
Squash - 1 small Ushiki Kuri or Butternut Squash, peeled if necessary
Olive oil - 1 tablespoon
Ras el Hanout - 1-2 teaspoons
Puy Lentils - 250g
Bay leaves - 1, either fresh or dried
Orange - 1, juiced and zested
Lemon - ½, juiced
Olive oil - 125mls
Red chilli - 1, deseeded and sliced thinly
Garlic - 1 clove, crushed
Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Cut the squash into segments, place in a bowl, sprinkle with the olive oil and Ras al Hanout and toss until well coated. Spread out on a baking tray, pointed ends upright, and roast for approximately 35 minutes, until tender.
Meanwhile, place the lentils in a saucepan with a bay leaf, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes until cooked through. They should be tender but still have some bite and retain their shape. While they are cooking, whisk the orange juice and zest, lemon juice, olive oil, chilli and garlic together. Season to taste and toss with the drained lentils while they are still warm.
Pile the lentils high on a serving plate and place the roasted squash on top. Serve while still warm.
Serves 4.
Posted by Caroline at 7:06 PM | Comments (0)
February 21, 2008
Leeks from the garden
The veggie garden is looking a little sad at this stage in the year. Just a few scraggly kale plants, as-yet-unformed purple sprouting broccoli - but we still have some leeks, when we remember to cook them! We've recently been having a cold snap so I've been making lots of soups and, one day when I happened to remember that we still had to use up the leeks in the garden and actually had some potatoes in the house, I made a version of Clothilde's minimalist Leek and Potato Soup, which she in turn had adapted from Sophie Brissaud's recipe. As I was just after a stock-making session, I used chicken stock as well as water in the soup for more depth of flavour, and finished it off with dollops of ever-present yoghurt. This is very much an approximation of the recipe - I just didn't want to get out the weighing scales!
Minimalist Leek and Potato Soup
Leeks - 4, freshly pulled from your garden, preferably!
Potatoes - 4 medium sized floury potatoes. I used Roosters
Chicken Stock - 2 cups (or just substitute water)
Fine sea salt, freshly ground pepper
Natural yoghurt, to serve
Clean, trim and thinly slice the leeks, keeping the green parts separate. Peel and dice the potatoes. Place the white parts of the leeks and the diced potatoes with the chicken stock and two cups of water into a heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, season, cover and cook for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are beginning to disintegrate and the leeks are soft.
Using a stick blender - the simplest option! - or liquidiser, blend the soup until smooth. Season to taste and heat until simmering again. Add the thinly sliced green parts of the leek, cover and remove from the heat. After five minutes, ladle it into bowls and serve with a little natural yoghurt swirled through the soup.
Serves 4.
Posted by Caroline at 8:27 AM | Comments (0)
February 19, 2008
Baking and breadmaking on Mooney
I was on RTÉ Radio 1's Mooney programme yesterday talking about baking and breadmaking - if you're interested, you can listen here (I'm on after the 4pm news!) and here are some links to recipes that I either mentioned, or intended on mentioning, during the show.
My ever-popular Chocolate Brownies
Choc Chip Cranberry Cookies
Lemon & Pistachio Yoghurt Cake
And, for those breadmakers out there, here is a recipe for a simple Brown Soda Bread and - if you're getting more adventurous! - you could try Mark Bittman's No Knead Bread or even experiment with some Sourdough Bread.
Posted by Caroline at 11:06 AM | Comments (3)
February 17, 2008
Valentine's Night - delayed
Due to a car battery failure, our Valentine's treat got put on hold until Saturday night but the fondue was definitely worth waiting for. I didn't make the traditional Gruyere/Emmental fondue but I did put together a variation of Myrtle Allen's Ballymaloe Cheese Fondue, using local Hegarty's Farmhouse Cheddar, a few splashes of Fern Bay Sauvignon Blanc, some garlic and parsley. We dipped cubes of sourdough bread, which had been crisped up in a hot oven, pieces of rosemary flatbread from work, dried apricots, some thinly sliced Gubbeen chorizo and salami, cutting the richness with a few cherry tomatoes, gherkins (my latest foodie love!) and a green salad from West Cork. So simple and so good - I'm a fondue convert.
The following day we were around at my Clonmel-based Cousin's for brunch (yummy muffins!), waxing lyrical about our new fondue set and making her pull an almost forgotten old Christmas present from the back of the cupboard. Don't forget to use it, Ruth!
Simple Irish Cheese Fondue
Well flavoured Irish cheddar cheese - 200g, grated or finely chopped
White wine - 3 tablespoons
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
Parsley - 2 teaspoons
Put all the ingredients into a heavy based saucepan over a low heat and, stirring regularly, heat until melted and bubbling.
Either serve at the table in the saucepan - you may have to reheat it half way through - or transfer to a fondue pot over a low heat and serve with cubes of bread, pieces of toasted flatbread, dried apricots, thinly sliced salami, cherry tomatoes, gherkins and a green salad.
Serves 2 - although extra cheese and white wine can also be added half way through if you feel like you need a little extra! And make sure you heat up the fondue pot to crisp up any tasty little remnants at the end.
Posted by Caroline at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)
February 14, 2008
Valentine's Night Fondue
Happy Valentine's Day! Be you romantic or not, there's just no way of avoiding it. But you can make it easier on yourself. After hearing too many tales of horrendous evenings in restaurants from my waitress sister, I've always avoided restaurants on Valentine's Night in favour of preparing something at home. I'm working all day today so there's not going to be time to prepare any three course meals when I come home tonight - but I've got something even better.
After coveting one since I lived in New Zealand, and further inspired by an article in the New York Times, I recent invested in a fondue pot and tonight's the night that it will make its debut on our table. It's not a huge leap from last year's Baked Vacherin Mont d'Or Valentine's dinner, actually! Once we've made Melissa Clarke's Classic Fondue, she's got plenty of variations on that theme, or we could go Irish and turn to the Myrtle Allen-devised Ballymaloe Cheese Fondue. Whatever you choose to do, enjoy your own Valentine's celebration.
Posted by Caroline at 8:15 AM | Comments (2)
February 13, 2008
Guerrilla Gourmet: Kevin Thornton
Kevin Thornton's Guerrilla Gourmet evening at the Rock of Cashel is now online here for any fellow television-less fans of the show.
Posted by Caroline at 8:11 PM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2008
Chocolate Orange Bread and Butter Pudding
Sunday was family dinner day. One of the advantages of living in the countryside in North Cork is getting to spend more time with my family - and getting to try out lots of new recipes on them! This time round I decided to go with something very simple - Roast Chicken with Garlic and Lemon. "That doesn't sound like you at all," the Little Sister said suspiciously when I was talking to her on the phone that morning. "What's the catch?" The last time she was around we were talking about serving her rabbit from the back garden so her reserve wasn't entirely unwarranted, although unnecessary on this occasion. A good chicken needs no disguising. I just pushed some lemon thyme under the skin on the breast, tucked a few cloves of garlic and half a lemon inside the cavity and landed it in the oven, serving it with roasted carrots and peppers (livened up with a few chillies) and potatoes. There was supposed to be a side dish of Buttered Leeks as well - our leeks, grown from a bundle of seedlings that a friendly neighbour left on the doorstep last summer, flourished in the garden all winter - but, between breakfast in bed and flat tyres we forgot to pull them.
The pièce de résistance - I had to do something new after all - was desert. I had a long-frozen brioche that I was intent on using for Bread and Butter Pudding so, that morning, I smeared the layers with marmalade and soaked them in a chocolate custard. This pudding is a little like the Greg Malouf one that I made in New Zealand, but it is definitely easier to find decent marmalade nearby than good quality Turkish Delight. Due to my mother forgetting to bring cream, we ate and very much enjoyed this with copious amounts of natural yoghurt, I'm currently in love with the organic Glenilen brand that we stock in the shop and there's always plenty of it in the house. Better than cream, any day!
Chocolate Orange Bread and Butter Pudding
Good quality dark chocolate - 150g, broken into pieces
Cream - 210ml
Milk - 440ml
Caster sugar - 120g
Butter - 50g, cubed, plus extra to butter the baking dish
Eggs - 4
Stale brioche or good quality white bread - approximately 500g, sliced and de-crusted
Chunky Seville marmalade - 2-3 tablespoons
Flaked almonds - 50g, chopped
Put the dark chocolate, cream, milk, caster sugar and butter into a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Allow the sugar, butter and chocolate to slowly melt, without stirring, then mix well.
Meanwhile, spread the slices of brioche or bread with the marmalade. Butter the base and sides of a deep baking dish well and fill with layers of the brioche.
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. When the chocolate mixture has melted pour it slowly, whisking all the time, over the eggs to make a light custard. Pour it over the brioche, soaking everything well, cover loosely and allow to stand for an hour at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top of the pudding and cook for 35 minutes until set and the almonds have started to brown.
Serves 8.
Posted by Caroline at 1:22 PM | Comments (7)
February 8, 2008
"There's more to a meal than steak..."
A quote from one of satisfied customer's at Denis Cotter's Guerrilla Gourmet evening, when he cooked a vegetarian meal for adamant beef-eaters at Bandon Mart. Watch the whole programme and access recipes online at the RTÉ Guerrilla Gourmet website - note: the programmes are only available for 21 days after broadcast.
Read a short review of Denis Cotter's beautifully realised Wild Garlic, Gooseberries...and Me here, as well as an older cookbook and Café Paradiso review.
Posted by Caroline at 11:31 AM | Comments (2)
February 6, 2008
Waitangi Day
If you're in New Zealand at the moment, you're probably celebrating Waitangi Day on the beach or with a picnic. You could do something similar in Ireland but you wouldn't last long on a wind- and rain-swept beach and picnics really need to be at home in front of the fire! This wintery weather lends itself very much to warming soups so, after chancing on some lovely sweet potatoes in Fermoy's last remaining veg shop, I decided that it was time to make Meg's Spicy Lentil and Kumara Soup - kumara is a Maori sweet potato that we eat a lot of when we are in New Zealand but can't get in Ireland. The sweet potatoes that I picked up weren't a bad substitute, though, I'll definitely be back to get some more to make more kumara recipes. Now, time to make some Anzac Biscuits for a real Kiwi treat - although I guess I should really be making a Pavalova!
Posted by Caroline at 12:57 PM | Comments (3)
February 5, 2008
Blog Awards 2008
Congratulations to all those who are on the longlist for the Best Food and Wine Blog 2008 - it's great to see so many old favourites there, including Val's Kitchen, Italian Foodies, Ice Cream Ireland, Martin Dwyer, The Humble Housewife and Eat Drink Live. There are also plenty of new blogs, reminding me that it's definitely time to do some work on my blog roll!
Best Food and Wine Blog Longlist 2008
The 2008 Irish Blog Awards will take place on 1st March at the Alexander Hotel in Dublin. Keep up to date at the award blog here.
Posted by Caroline at 10:56 AM | Comments (5)
February 4, 2008
Pancake Tuesday
Don't forget Pancake Tuesday tomorrow! I'm looking forward to trying out a new product from Sowan's Organics - two organic pancake mixes, one with unbleached white flour and a spelt variation, which I'm particularly interested in. Both come fortified with organic vanilla, a great addition to savoury dishes - when I'm making Nic's Buttermilk Pancakes, I flavour them with some vanilla extract before adding the crispy bacon and maple syrup. If you have to buy a mix, best stick with something organic but, if you're interested in making your own pancakes, you'll find my standard recipe here with a useful dish for Pancake Tuesday - Ricotta and Spinach Pancake Bake. For more ideas check out Greatfood.ie's pancake special.
Update February 06, 2008
Sowan's Organic Spelt Pancakes were a winner, filling and flavoursome, if a little too sweet for my taste for using with ricotta and spinach, although I still think that they would work well with crispy bacon and maple syrup.
Posted by Caroline at 7:45 PM | Comments (2)
