The Sour Dough

Weekend Cat Blogging: Mom Went on a Sailing Trip and All I Got Was This Lousy Mouse

2009-07-11T10:38:00.003-04:00

We're hosting Weekend Cat Blogging again this weekend and, as usual, Mom is nowhere to be found because she is out in the nice bright sun hitting these stupid little white balls with a big stick at another stick that pokes out from a dumb hole far, far, far away from where she tries to hit the stupid little white ball and inventing new ways to add the phrase "G#$ D!#$ It!" to the beginning of every sentence .

Meaning, I'm left holding the bag or in this case

the catnip filled mouse she brought back for me from her vacation sailing trip and her three day business trip to Florida.

Mom had a great time on her sailing vacation across Lake Superior. She said despite the fact that the weather wasn't perfect and it was a bit cooler than they would have liked, it was really nice to be so far away from civilization that the cellphone didn't work and the only communication with the outside world was the marine radio and the AM/FM radio in the galley.

Unfortunately, Mom also had a camera malfunction. The little card that goes into her digital camera can't be found on her computer and the camera doesn't seem to know it has a 10GB memory card. She did get some pictures on the internal memory off the camera though. She needs a new digital camera if you ask me.

So, until she either figures out how to get all the great pictures of her trip off or gets some pictures from her friends, she can't show you the galley kitchen she cooked in or the big, big freighter that Mama Breadchick's next door neighbor is the steward on.

They shared adjoining locks at the Soo Locks with the neighbor's boat and Mom and the neighbor had a nice chat over the deck railings while the neighbor's boat was lowered so it could go on Lake Huron and Mom's boat was raised so it could go on Lake Superior. It was fun to see the looks on the tourists watching from the veiwing stands because compared to the big boat, Mom's 38 foot sailboat was really tiny.

Once out in Lake Superior Mom made good use of the galley but not the grill because it rained almost every day, especially when it was close to dinner time. Mom also said the oven was funny to work in because she had to bake things in shifts it was so tiny, even tinier than the one she has here!

One night Mom made a complete foil dinner in the oven

of spicy mini ground turkey meatloafs, potatoes with carrots,

and those braised greens with bacon she wrote about here. Everyone loved the turkey meatloaf because mom used cumin, smoked chipolte chile powder, and some jalapeno juice in them.

For dessert, Mom made a simple bowl of fresh berries with a splash of cointreau and demerara sugar sprinkled on top.

Another big hit on the sailboat was a polenta crusted ratatouille tart

Mom saw on her friend, Patricia's blog, Technicolor Kitchen, right before she left for her vacation. She oven roasted the veggies and served it with a big lettuce salad made with heirloom Black Seeded Simpson lettuce picked up at the farmer's market in the Soo.

The crust was a bit crumbly Mom said so she is going to play with it this week because she is making the tart on Monday to take to work all week as lunch.

Mom even baked bread a few times while on the boat, including making the BBA bagels! She did those once they made it to Isle Royale becasue the boat wasn't rocking too much and she could use a bigger oven on the boat moored next to them, a big 60' powerboat with a full kitchen. She shared some of the bagels with the people on that boat and they said they were the best bagels they had ever had except for ones they got in NYC!

Mom says she will have a catch up post for the BBA Challenge really soon because she also made the Poor Man's Brioche while on her vacation. Mom is real glad that the BBA Challenge is at your own pace because with her travel schedule the past two months, she hasn't had the time to bake once a week.

One other bread Mom made while on vacation but not on the sail boat was the Bread Baking Babes bread of the month. Not to give anything away, Mom said that she wasn't sure that her family in Michigan would like the bread but was really happy everyone LOVED it.

On one of the days while Mom was on vacation, someone in her office called her about a business trip she needed to go on the day after she got home from Michigan. They were one day out of Whitefish Bay and on deck enjoying a pocket of sunshine when someone heard a cellphone ringing. Mom said the wind was blowing just right because she had half a bar on her cellphone. The person from her office was a bit surprised that she was someplace without cellphone coverage and internet.

Mom said she was surprised her cellphone even worked! It didn't work for long because they got cut off but it must have worked long enough because when Mom got home her airline tickets and everything for her Florida trip were waiting for her.

Anyways, Mom didn't get home until 9pm on Tuesday night this past week and had to be on another airplane at 11am on Wednesday morning to go to Florida. Needless to say, this didn't make me very happy and I showed her how unhappy I was by jumping into her suitcase while she was trying to pack her bag with nice clean business clothes

and grooming myself all over her favorite brown business suit

so she could take some cat hair with her. Pretty funny of me huh?!

You can tell Mom travels a lot by all the tore off plane side baggage claim tickets on her suitcase.

Mom was even more surprised when she got back from Florida and she saw how big her tomato plants

and the rest of her garden and grown, especially the tomato plant from Tennessee which is shoulder high. She found a few tomatoes starting to grow on the Tennessee plant.

Even if the humans don't like all the rain we've had in June and July, Mom's garden sure does!

Well, I can't think of anything else you need to know about what Mom has been up to except to say she is really glad to be home for the rest of the month and excited about getting back into the kitchen to bake some more of the BBA breads she's missed and putter with a few recipes she's testing and to catch up with all her friends on the internet and in person.

She knows she owes a few of you some emails to tell you how fantastic your breads are looking and she has a post about a family restaurant in Northern Michigan that makes the best pie ever. She also wants to tell you about some new bread bakers she is really proud of and has been meaning to write about forever.

If you want to join in Weekend Cat Blogging this weekend, just leave us a link on the comments. If you want to check out what all the kitties have been up to this past week, check back on Sunday evening to visit the links left by everyone!

And now I have to nap with my new mouse

because writing this post has been exhausting....

A Daring Bakewell Tart of a Farewell

2009-06-30T15:17:00.011-04:00

This month's Daring Baker Challenge, the scrumptious Bakewell Tart

as hosted by my friend Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar, marks my twenty-second Daring Baker Challenge and the perfect way to say so long and farewell to my career as a Daring Baker.

I've been a Daring Baker since March 2007, starting with the Red Velvet Cake.

Some of the highlights of my Daring Baker sorjourn were the Gateau St. Honore

where I mastered my fear of puff pastry (and managed to burn myself for the 100th time with hot sugar), the Potato Bread challenge

where I made that really awesome wheat sheath bread from the world's stickiest dough, and my stint as co-hostess with my twin of different mother sister, Sara of I Like To Cook, where we made over 600 people spend 12+ hours in the kitchen and read twenty pages of recipe making Julia Child's French Bread.

I lived through the frustrating and infamous Martha Stewart Crepe Cake

and burning myself yet again with hot molten sugar

the bounce like rubber Mirror Cake

and the Milk Caramel Tart that landed on the floor of my car while I was transporting it.

When I was asked to join by the incomparable Lisa and Ivonne there were less than twenty Daring Bakers and most of us were located in North America. Now there are over 1,000 members world wide! I've become good friends with some of my Daring Baker Sisters and Brothers: Elle, Helen, Veron, Dharm, Jenny, Tanna, Ilva, Peabody, Brilynn, Mary, Christina, and Kelly to name but a few of the incredible people I met because I was a Daring Baker. Without this fantastic group called Daring Bakers, I would never have been exposed to so many fellow food bloggers. Thank you one and all for two and almost half fabulous years!

So, what did I think of this month's challenge, my farewell challenge, the Bakewell Tart?

Well, if it is any indication of how good it was, only the Danish Braid

was demolished by my office taste testers faster! It lasted less than 10 minutes and I could make the frangipane to eat straight from the bowl, raw eggs be damned!

Since this a traditional British tart and it is strawberry season right now both here and at Wimbledon, I decided to use a very British jam, Hartley's to spread on the bottom of the sweet shortcrust

and sprinkled slivered almonds on top the frangipane before baking the tart until golden brown.

It was so easy and quick that I'm going to be making another one of these this week while on the sailboat but I think I'll use fresh Michigan cherries and apricots for part of the filling.

Thanks Jasmine and Annemarie for a British staple that will now be a go to staple in my kitchen. It was the perfect challenge on which to go out with a bang!

To see my fellow Daring Bakers tarts you can visit some of them here.

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Bakewell Tart

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin, One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows), Bench flour (AP flour for dusting your rolling surface),250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz))jam or curd warmed for spreadability, One quantity frangipane (recipe follows),
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking. The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Jasmine’s notes:
• If you cannot have nuts, you can try substituting Victoria sponge for the frangipane. It's a pretty popular popular cake, so you shouldn't have any troubles finding one in one of your cookbooks or through a Google search.
• You can use whichever jam you wish, but if you choose something with a lot of seeds, such as raspberry or blackberry, you should sieve them out.
• The jam quantity can be anywhere from 60ml (1/4 cup) to 250ml (1cup), depending upon how “damp” and strongly flavoured your preserves are. I made it with the lesser quantity of home made strawberry jam, while Annemarie made it with the greater quantity of cherry jam; we both had fabulous results. If in doubt, just split the difference and spread 150ml (2/3cup) on the crust.
Annemarie’s notes:
• The excess shortcrust can be rolled out and cut into cookie-shapes (heck, it’s pretty darned close to a shortbread dough).

Sweet shortcrust pastry
Prep time:15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside. Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough. Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Jasmine’s notes: I make this using vanilla salt and vanilla sugar. If you wish, you can substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean, one teaspoon of vanilla paste or one teaspoon of vanilla extract for the almond extract

Frangipane
Prep time:10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour. Annemarie’s notes:
• Add another five minutes or more if you're grinding your own almonds or if you're mixing by hand (Heaven help you).

Finding My Mojo Again Just in Time for 500 Posts!

2009-06-28T16:00:00.010-04:00

It sure has been dead around here the past two weeks hasn't it?

I'm not sure what happened but somewhere between Virginia and home in Connecticut, I think my baking/cooking/blogging mojo got out of the car, decided to hitchhike back home, and got lost.

When you combine a serious case of writers/kitchen block with the crazy travel schedule of the past thirty days you get nothing coming out of the kitchen.

Or, maybe it was performance anxiety.

I've been mulling over this post for almost as long as I've not been blogging because this post marks the 500th post on The Sour Dough. I had all these grand plans to make it a special post complete with a glance back at some of my favorite posts and food I've made/baked and eaten over the past five and half years. I wanted Post 500 to be momentous.

But, instead, you are going to have to content yourself with a little tour of my back yard and deck in all its summer/spring glory

(Amazing that after two straight weeks of rain anything is still alive!)

and a peek at my birthday meal from a few weeks ago, where I made grill braised greens from part of my CSA box.

This summer, I joined a CSA and I've down scaled my garden a bit as a result. Oh, who am I kidding. I was going to downsize my garden to only include two tomato plants I brought home from Tennessee

but before I knew it, I had walked out of Russell's, where I stopped on one of my many trips back and forth between Boston and Connecticut the past three months, with a little red wagon full of flowers

(what ARE these?!)

herbs

some marigolds to plant between the chives and peppermint

and a nifty pole for my bird feeder,

that the squirrels are still trying to figure out much to LB's chagrin, as I think he enjoys meowing at squirrels on the bird feeder more than window stalking birds.

The flowers around the house are enjoying a bit of sunshine in between the rain. The snap dragons are thriving

and despite the daily drenching, a few pretty roses made a brief appearance.

A few weeks ago I turned Fortysomething (third anniversary of my 39th birthday if you must know). On the day I celebrated my birthday, I also picked up my first box from my CSA, The Hickories. It was a typical late spring box filled with lettuces, early onions, spinach and greens.

Weedhopper and I are sharing a box this year. As he and Wife of Weedhopper are expecting Jr. Weedhopper any day now and my crazy summer schedule, we both figured we would have smaller gardens (Um, yea...see above and he has just a tad smaller garden this year) and we wanted to experience a CSA.

Along with my first CSA experience, I also have been seriously into meat, curing meats, and everything meat in the kitchen all spring. First it was curing my own corned beef for St. Paddy's Day. Then it was make my own sausage. Now, it is age my own steak.

My birthday meal consisted of a fourteen day aged t-bone steak and grill braised greens.

What the heck are grill braised greens you ask?

Greens you pack in tin foil

with a pat of butter, a little sodium free or extremely low sodium powdered chicken stock, a clove of garlic and three pieces of pre-cooked bacon crumbled (I used store bought pre-cooked bacon, thick cut).

Wrap up the greens tightly, and toss on the cool side of the grill while your steak cooks.

There is no need to add any water as the moisture from the greens in the foil will be sufficient.

The result is heavenly,

I assure you.

Well, there you have it! 500th post all finished and it didn't hurt too bad now did it?

I've got two more posts this week before I take off for a much needed vacation, including a late Daring Baker's post.

I'm heading up north to sit on a dock at a rental house drinking adult libations with some friends for a few days and then we're sailing their 38' sailboat out on Lake Superior between Sault Ste. Marie and Isle Royale and back.

I'm paying my way by offering my services in the galley to avoid swabbing any decks. I've been told the oven works, there is a grill that mounts to the railing of the sailboat, and the galley has a three burner stove. It will be a good excuse to use a cookbook, Dining on Deck: Fine Foods for Sailing & Boating. I bought this cookbook many years ago in hopes of someday having just this opportunity.

I'll bet some grilled braised greens make it to the table somewhere between Rock Harbor and Paradise.

Grill Braised Greens

1 lb braising greens (Chard, beet tops, collard greens, what have you)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 packet powdered sodium free or low sodium chicken stock
1 clove of garlic, crushed
3 pieces pre-cooked bacon, cut up in little bits

Rinse and dry the greens. Trim any heavy stalks from the greens. Mix greens with bacon bits and garlic.

In large piece of foil (I use the Reynolds Non-Stick Foil when doing packages on the grill), place greens mixture. Sprinkle with chicken stock and seal foil pack.

Place over cool side of grill and cook for 15 minutes or until greens cooked through.

Weekend Cat Blogging: Mom's Daft

2009-06-14T09:09:00.008-04:00

Yes, we are hosting Weekend Cat Blogging this weekend here. But, Mom has been a bit daft in the head I'm afraid about our hosting schedule.

You see, every weekend since the middle of March, she has been running back forth between home here in Connecticut and Boston, where she is taking care of the last bit of details for Dad's estate

and arranging for the last of the furniture she doesn't want or need from our house in Cambridge to be sold at an estate sale in July. The old house was sold in May and she had to spend some time there too making sure everything is in order.

She also has been figuring out how to bring home to Connecticut Dad's big black German car.

She was going to sell it but decided that she loves it too much and wants to enjoy Summer cruising along the Sound with the sun roof open.

She has been cussing a lot lately about the RMV in Massachusetts. I don't know who the RMV is but I'm real glad I'm not him because Mom has some really nasty things to say about him.

Now, she tells me she is off for Orlando for five days. She assures me it is because she has to go to a big meeting for her work but I think she is going to play with that big mouse.

I will be really happy when she has time to stay home and bake and play string game with me.

Until then, I'll just be curled up against my scratching pole napping

or curled up the big leather chair from Dad's study that Mom strapped to the top of her car and hauled home this weekend.

It is right back where it belongs, under the window in the front room where I can sleep and dream of tuna.

Weekend Cat Blogging is 4!!

A weekly event, that started at eatstuff.net with Claire and Kiri, as a way for food bloggers to not blog about food on the weekend is now a worldwide cat blogging event. There are a few hardy food bloggers like Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums and Astrid of Paulchen's Food Blog (and the arranger of the WCB hosting schedule) who participate but mostly it is kitty bloggers, which we like just fine!

If you want to post about what all you kitties have been doing this weekend, go ahead and leave a comment. Mom will edit this post with a round up, hopefully before we have to host again!

Dinner of Champions

2009-06-11T20:58:00.002-04:00

Because sometimes a girl just has to do what a girl has to do...

Bad Blogger, "Bad" Salad

2009-06-03T18:52:00.004-04:00

I've been a really bad blogger and worse yet, a bad blog reader.

Despite my best efforts to keep up with my daily reads and so many of my friend's blogs, I've fallen way behind. My feed reader says I have over 3,000 unread posts!! I missed visiting my Daring Baker sisters and brothers blogs after the strudel posts. I haven't even scratched the crust of the Anadama and Greek Celebration posts from fellow BBA participants and sure don't go looking for Bagels or Brioche on my blog. Those two lovely breads are just going to have to wait until the end of June now.

Believe me, it hasn't been malice or lack of interest that has kept me from your blogs. Rather, I just looked at the number of days I've been home since Mama Breadchick left and discovered that I have only been home for six week days and four weekend days. Yikes. No wonder I can't find kitchen tools in my own cupboards.

Almost as bad has been my ability to answer emails from dear friends and readers. I owe so many of you answers and replies, you probably have black listed my email address. I haven't even been able to finish an outline for a bread baking class I've been asked to teach.

I promise though, I'm going to kick my butt into gear this week and try to get as caught up as I can. Starting right now...

Who knew there would be so many of you fascinated by the idea of corn bread salad. Fascinated like watching a car wreck for some of you and others leaving me comments and emails begging me for the recipe.

So, for you my pretties, I called Shirley's Home Cooking today to find out what was in their cornbread salad. They were as sweet as could be and while they didn't give me the recipe, they told me what was in their cornbread salad. A little Google action and I think I can give you a close enough recipe.

No guarantees on if you will like this but it sure is interesting...

Corn Bread Salad
(Inspired by Shirley's Home Cooking Corn Bread Salad)

1 9 x 9 pan Southern corn bread (Note: Southern corn bread uses white corn meal and no sugar vs Northen cornbread which uses yellow corn meal and sugar)
1 cup chopped white onions
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 cup sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 small jar pimentos, chopped
1/2 cup dill pickle juice
salt and pepper to taste

Crumble corn bread, divide in half and set aside in 2 bowls, one large and one medium bowl and set aside.

In the large bowl, combine 1/2 crumbled corn bread and all remaining ingredients.

Using another large clear glass bowl, put half the remaining crumbled corn bread on the bottom. Next spoon on top the cornbread mixture and smooth. Finally, sprinkle remaining crumbled cornbread on top.

Cover and let sit overnight in the fridge. Serve cold with country ham or country fried chicken dinner.

Mother's Marching Menagerie

2009-06-02T22:06:00.003-04:00

Lions, hippos, camels and bears are back

and marching to a glass of milk near you very soon.

Good Southern Cooking or How I'm becoming Paula Deen

2009-06-01T22:39:00.007-04:00

I'm home from my business trip/mini vacation to Southern Virgina and Northeastern Tennessee and as usual, I had some fantastic food while visiting. I also discovered two of the best kept secrets of Tennessee, strawberries and tomatoes.

It is the peak of the strawberry season and this morning, before departing Bristol. TN to head back home to Connecticut and LB, I stopped off the local farm stand down from the family homestead for some strawberries and tomatoes. The strawberries didn't even make it to the Pennsylvania border. Scratch that, didn't make it to Lexington, VA.

Somewhere outside of Blacksburg, I started just eating one because they were smelling so sweet, it was just too tempting. The next thing I knew, I was rummaging around the bottom of the brown bag like I was looking for that last french fry. I also had red fingers and strawberry juice stained lips; real attractive to the drive through guy at the Roanoke Starbucks, I'm sure.

Did you know that some of the best tomatoes come from Tennessee? I didn't until this trip down South. After munching on slices of the early tomatoes out on Wren's mother's back porch while we had our afternoon adult libation, I was a convert. It was late summer in my mouth. Sweet and crisp, I could have eaten one just like an apple. I liked them so much, that I had to also pick up a tomato plant yesterday to bring home and plant out back. I can't wait until August.

My trip down south also included a trip out to Hampton, TN on the North Carolina border to Shirley's Home Cooking, a family style restaurant where we feasted on just about the best fried chicken I've ever had. Seriously.

I could have eaten two whole chickens if I also hadn't "had" to have some country ham and roast beef along with some mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, green beans, soup beans, macaroni & cheese, fried apples, cole slaw, cooked cabbage, and cornbread salad (yuck).

The meal also included soft slightly sweet yeast rolls, Southern corn bread (white cornmeal and slightly salty versus yellow corn meal slightly sweet Northern corn bread), and buttermilk biscuits. The mac and cheese was runny and I'm not a big fan of cornbread salad but the soup beans (i.e. cranberry beans) were out of the world and the cooked cabbage was very good too. The fact that both of them were seasoned with bits of country ham probably had no bearing on my liking those two dishes best of all the sides.

Finally, it has only taken ten years, but I am convinced that iced tea should be served sweet with three slices of lemon and a sprig of mint and I have in my suitcase about forty hand written family recipes from Wren's mom, his aunts, and grandmothers including the family recipe for angel biscuits.

Tonight, I caught myself saying "Y'all" while standing in the deli line at ShopRite. Can deep frying a block of butter be that far off?!

Sometimes the Best French Dining Comes in Surprising Places

2009-05-28T00:01:00.000-04:00

I'm back in my beloved Shenandoah Valley this week.

I'm in the early stages of a project thatwill give me the excuse to visit the valley and the surrounding environs often over the next few months and nothing could please me more.

Last September, when I was vacationing in the area, I discovered that the valley is a little foodie paradise; especially between Strasburg and Roanoke. The key to discovering this land of tiny but fantastic restaurants, farm stands filled with just picked produce, and shops filled with local delicacies is to get off the Interstate and drive Route 11.

Tonight, while staying in Lexington, I had the pleasure of dining at a French restaurant that was as much at home in Virginia as it would be in any small French village or New York City for that matter, Cafe Michel.

I admit, I had done a little research before descending in Lexington for the evening. I googled "Best Restaurant Lexington, VA" and Cafe Michel kept popping up with every link. After visiting the restaurant's webpage and checking out the menu, I knew that was were I was going for dinner.

When I arrived in my hotel room, I called to see if I could get a table for one. Luckily, I was able to and now let me tell you why, the next time I'm any where near Lexington, I'm going to make it my mission to go back to Cafe Michel.

Even though this was my first visit to the restaurant, I was greeted like I was a returning regular. Maybe I'm jaded, living in the greater NYC area by the typically cold or lack of any greeting when I enter a restaurant but nothing makes you ready for a good dinner than a friendly, we are really to happy to see you and we want to make sure your dining experience is good greeting by the host or hostess.

After being shown to my seat, which wasn't off in the corner which is somewhat typical when you are dining alone, I was given the menu and wine list and a basket of nice soft bread was placed on my table. I ordered a nice Oregon Pinot Noir and told the evening specials.

I was pretty sure when I walked in to the restaurant that I would be ordering the smoked salmon but when my waitress mentioned that the house special country pate was the appetizer special, I quickly decided that I would have the pate.

I wish I had remembered to bring my camera in to take a picture of the textbook pate. It was perfectly marbled with meat and fat and wrapped in country smoked bacon. On the plate with the generous slices of pate were grilled slices of the same bread in the basket, a small herb salad with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette. The pate was absolutely fantastic. In fact, it was the best pate I've had since my last visit to Paris. I could eat Chef Michel Galand's country pate every day for the rest of my life and die very, very happy. Yes, very happy indeed.

Had I known that the pate was going to be that fantastic, I would not have ordered a salad but the champagne vinaigrette on the salad was the perfect combination of sweet and tangy that vinaigrette should be and the shaved carrots in the salad were nice and crisp, perfect to be dipped into the vinaigrette.

I was in the mood for a light pasta dish for dinner so I ordered the Chicken Bianco. It was also very, very good. The chicken wasn't over cooked, the white wine sauce well seasoned and the pasta perfectly done. I especially liked that the parmesan cheese was tossed into the pasta and not just shaved over top. The heat of the pasta caused the parmesan cheese to begin to melt and helped form these tight swirls of pasta to collect the sauce with.

I finished my meal with a creme brulee cheesecake that was every bit as good as anything I get at Juniors in Brooklyn. Come to find out, they get their cheesecakes shipped in from New York City but other than the cheesecake, they make all their desserts. Another reason to come back to try the crepes and the creme brulee.

The best part of my dinner, besides the pate (did I mention how good the pate was?), was the nice long chat I had with Chef Galand while I finished my coffee.

He told me about coming to America after working at resorts in Bermuda to cook as a chef at the Homestead. After a stint in Wisconsin, he came back to Virginia to open his first restaurant in Coventry before opening Cafe Michel in Clifton Forge. About five years ago he moved his restaurant to Lexington, including the customized ice box that serves as the wine cooler and is prominently displayed in the middle of the restaurant. After showing me the kitchen, we went out to the bar area where he has pictures of his hometown on the Swiss border prominently displayed.

Besides the wonderful pictures of the local food market, I especially loved the pictures of the communal oven where the residents of his tiny home village still bake bread. I wanted to run right over there and shove a loaf of my pain de champagne right into the blackened brick maw.

We then walked over to the wall where Chef Galand's many, many awards and reviews are displayed including his prized signed photo of Gordon Ramsey and a signed article from the Washington post about his best friend, former White House pastry chef Roland Mesnier.

We stood and chatted about the joys of tripe and pigs feet before he sent me on my way back to my hotel with fresh strawberries sliced on the last half of my creme brulee cheesecake. I can't wait to come back to Cafe Michel on my return to Lexington and have the smoked salmon for a starter.

Chef tells me he cold smokes it fresh and I'm a sucker for cold smoked salmon...

Making Dough Stretch The Daring Baker's Way!

2009-05-27T00:01:00.000-04:00

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.
mmmmm......

Apple Strudel. Serve it warm with a big ole scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Trust me.

You'll be going "mmmm.....apple strudel" all day long.

To see other scrumptilicious strudels get your lederhosen on and check out my fellow Daring Baker's creations. Thanks Courtney and Linda for a fun challenge.

Apple strudel
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Tips
- Ingredients are cheap so make a double batch of the dough, that way you can practice the pulling and stretching of the dough with the first batch and if it doesn't come out like it should you can use the second batch to give it another try;
- The tablecloth can be cotton or polyster;
- Before pulling and stretching the dough, remove your jewelry from hands and wrists, and wear short-sleeves;
- To make it easier to pull the dough, you can use your hip to secure the dough against the edge of the table;
- Few small holes in the dough is not a problem as the dough will be rolled, making (most of) the holes invisible.

Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge: Greek Celebration Bread

2009-05-26T08:22:00.000-04:00

Oh, Peter.

I really truly wanted to like the Greek Celebration bread.

Honestly, I did.

Especially after running my fingers through the luscious dough that rose so high and puffy.

I even laughed at myself for calling the dough "Puffy Christo Dough" since I was going to make the Christopsomos version of Greek Celebration Bread. I cooed at it and chatted up a storm with my "Puffy Dough". I get that way when I'm working with the dough from one of my starters.

I used Harpo for this bread since I'd been feeding him regularly the past two weeks to give some away to two students at a bread baking class I taught last weekend. Nice, mild and easy does it is Harpo's way. Aptly named starter wouldn't you say?

The bread baked nicely and the crumb was a delight

but there was just something that didn't click with me when I took my first bite.

Maybe it is the combination of cloves and allspice I don't like in this bread or maybe the fruit combination I used. I had a mix of dates, apricots, golden raisins and currants on hand from another dessert I made a few weeks ago. Frankly, dried fruit is expensive so I did substitute.

Or, maybe it was the 1 1/2 extra cups of precious bread flour I had to add to the soup I started with to get the dough even close to the description in the Bread Baker's Apprentice.

I don't know and maybe won't ever know but I'm sorry Peter and you lovely Puffy Christo Dough.

I really and truly am...

Breadchick Rating of BBA Recipe:
2 Loaves out of a possible 5

A Search Gone Awry...In a Very Good Way

2009-05-25T11:25:00.008-04:00

I didn't intend to end up visiting the four corners of Manhattan when I woke up on Saturday morning.

I had no intention what so ever of doing anything but sleeping in late, leisurely puttering around the house until midday and then going into "town" about 4ish to meet some friends at the roof top bar of the MET for drinks and the best views one can have while holding an adult beverage of Central Park for six bucks (or six bucks plus the price of admission if you aren't a memeber) before embarking on an evening of debauchery in the Big Apple.

But, after reading about Nutella and Go on Baking Bites, I got a wild hair and quickly gathered myself for a day of searching the various food shops that specialize in European imports for those little packages of Nutella and dipping biscuits. I was going to go find some and triumphantly take them into the office for all to oogle and be in awe of my luck. Besides, I was out of Jif to Go and what better item to replace those little containers of peanut butter with than little containers of Nutella?

Deciding my best plan of attack to find the Nutella and Go was to hit the stores specializing in the cuisine of the countries I know that Nutella is one of the major food groups, I added to my Google map of NYC Food and Cookbook Store the Essex Street Market in the Lower East Side, collected my things for a day and night in NYC in my "city bag", fed LB a generous helping of cat food along with leaving two windows open for him to catch the early summer breezes from the sound, and took the 11am train into Grand Central.

I started with a visit to the Yorkville section of the Upper East Side for a stop in one of my two favorite cookbook stores, Kitchen Arts and Letters. I love this little store crammed full of new and old cookbooks. I had the store to myself and after perusing several lengthy and heavy tomes on bread baking and pastry, I was a good girl and left without purchasing anything to add to my ever expanding cookbook collection.

Next stop, Schaller & Weber, the venerable German grocer on the corner of 2nd Ave and 86th street.

I've stopped in here before to quench an addiction of mine for lemon filled crisp cookies by Manner

but I had never really bought anything else. Since I knew I was meeting friends later and the weather was delightful, I decided to add some German salamis and cheese to my purchases.

I figured we all might like to go sit in Central Park before emarking on our evening of drinking for an impromptu picnic of various meats, cheeses, and other goodies I might discover while searching for the Nutella and Go.

Right next to Schaller & Weber is the Heidelberg Restaurant,

one of the last places along the "German Broadway" where they still pull good German beer the old fashioned way, slow and long, and that you can get the German equivalent of a Ploughman's Lunch

Wurstbrot mit Kartoffelsalat (sausage loaf with potato salad). I opted to get mine with a fried egg on top. The egg had a still soft center that when I cut into it spilled over the Wurstbrot and when paired with the fantastic true German pumpernickel from the bread basket and washed down with a "Frau" liter of Hasenbrau

was exactly the type of stick to my ribs lunch I needed before heading to the Village and my next stop, Myers of Keswick.

But not before a stop at the place that I and quite a few other New Yorkers think has the best cupcakes in NYC, Two Little Red Hens

for a little dessert of two mini cupcakes, one red velvet with cream cheese frosting and the other yellow cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. I devoured them before I even thought to take a picture.

A twenty minute subway ride with a change from the Downtown 6 to the Shuttle at Grand Central and a jump onto, literally, of the Downtown 1 at Times Square to Christopher/Sheridan found me at the doorstep of my absolute favorite cookbook store in the world, Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks.

Bonnie is the absolute queen of all cookbooks old. If the cookbook was published and can still be found extant, she either has it or knows where to get it. I'd like to tell you I had the same restraint I had at Kitchen Arts and Letters but I would be so completely telling a lie. I mean when one is confronted with a vintage copy of Bernard Clayton, Jr's "The Bread's of France and How to Make Them in Your Own Kitchen"

a bread baker has to do what a bread baker has to do! (Don't hate me Tanna.) Afterall before there was Peter Reinhart, Maggie Glazer, and Rose Levy Beranbaum, there was Bernard Clayton, Jr. showing us how to make artisan bread in our home ovens.

I'm also not sure how these other three books ended up going home with me.

Honest. They just jumped in my bag. Really....

My trip to Myers of Keswick was very in and out. The store was swarming with people and the shop isn't that big. So, after a quick "look-see" to try and locate the so far elusive Nutella & Go, I headed out into the sunshine and a walk to 6th Ave to catch the "F" train to Coney Island to get off at Delancey/Essex and check out the Essex Street Market.

I have always wanted to wander through here but just haven't quite had a chance to. It reminded me a lot of the Chelsea Market but on the other side of town. I stopped in to Batista's and they didn't have my Nutella & Go yet but said that they were trying to source it as I was about the twentieth person in two weeks to ask for it.

As it was about 3pm, I knew I had to be quick about my last stop, Zabar's.

But I had that planned as making Zabar's my last stop would put me on the opposite side of Central Park and quick cab ride across the 79th St. Traverse to the Met. Besides, Zabar's was the place to pick up any last minute picnic items, like their Lake Superior smoked whitefish dip, some more cheese,

and a big hunk of Sullivan Street hearty country sourdough bread.

Zabar's was the typical late Saturday afternoon zoo that it always is but the sample ladies were as nice as always shoving pieces of bread slathered with country pate and hunks of thin shaved prosciutto at you as you whizzed by basket over arm. No luck on the Nutella and Go but that is OK because I also tossed a box of Carrs crackers and a much needed bottle of water in my basket.

I walked out onto the sidewalk to hail a cab and head to my rendezvous on top of the MET but was waylaid by the smell of fresh baked bagels wafting across the street from H&H Bagels.

Well, just in case I ended up staying the night at one of my friends apartments, it would be good to have something for breakfast like half a dozen everything, sourdough, and egg bagels right?

As it was, after munching on some of the goodies I had bought during my Nutella and Go search and dropping the leftovers off at one of the apartments, we ended up having dinner dinner at Buceo 95 before hitting an endless string of bars and night spots. I did end up crashing on a friend's couch because I missed the 1:49AM "Strange Train" back to Connecticut and it was all good. Really. Greenwich Village is a great place to end up at 4:00AM.

Nicole informs us that Nutella and Go isn't yet available in the US but, when I embarked on my city wide search on Saturday morning, I assumed she meant they weren't available "out there" beyond the borders of NYC, the great city of small ethnic markets on every corner.

I was wrong and she was right but, after my visits to the food markets of the four corners of Manhattan, I have never been happier or more sated to admit I was wrong.

Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge: Anadama Bread Rules!

2009-05-22T08:36:00.000-04:00

Peter Reinhart has been sniffing around my family recipe box.

I'm proving my loss of any semblance of sanity by participating along with my fellow Bread Baking Babes Tanna, Gorel, and Natashya in the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge so wonderfully directed by Nicole of Pinch My Salt.

I've blogged about my deep, personal and intense love of Anadama bread before. I've even shared my Great Auntie Nora's family recipe for Anadama bread with you.

I've gushed about how I love the molasses sweetened taste of Anadama bread toasted and slathered with butter. How I love to take slightly staled slices and dip them in steaming clam chowder made with clams straight off the boat that morning.

So, imagine how I gleefully ripped into that first perfect loaf from the oven

I made using Peter Reinhart's fabulous recipe in The Bread Baker's Apprentice.

While his recipe calls to soak the corn meal overnight versus pouring boiling water over it like my family recipe instructs, the result is still the same: the texture of the cornmeal is preserved in the baked bread.

Which, in this Anadama bread lovers opinion is what makes it such a fantastic toasting bread.

The only thing that makes it better?

Slather some orange marmalade on top and eat with slices of sharp Vermont cheddar cheese for after dinner dessert!

Breadchick Rating of BBA Recipe:
5 Loaves out of a possible 5

Bread Baking Babes Twist Things Around a Bit

2009-05-20T20:02:00.004-04:00

Hi, you've reached the home of Breadchick.

I can't come to the blog right now because I'm a bit tied up in knots of luscious dough and yummy Italian Knot bread

courtesy of the Bread Baking Babes and our host kitchen, Ilva.

If you would like to be a Bread Baking Buddy, please email Ilva by May 30th with a link to your post or a picture of your bread and go visit the other Babes on the sidebar over there to see their twists, turns, and tucks.

Thanks and have a good day.

Beep....

PANE DI PASTA TENERA CONDITA or ITALIAN KNOT BREAD

biga:
500 g /1,1 lb normal bread flour
5 g/0,17 oz fresh yeast
240 ml/1 cup water (I usually need a little more)

- Dissolve the yeast in a little water and quickly work the dough together.
- Put it in a high container, cover itwith a half closed lid or a kitchen towel and leave it for 15-24 hours.

bread:
0,500 g/1,1 lb biga
1 kg/ 2,2 lb 00 flour
450-550 ml/ 1,9-2,3 cup water, finger warm
30 g fresh yeast (this is what I found: 18 grams of fresh yeast = 7-10 grams of active dry yeast = about 4-6 grams of instant yeast, I don't dare trying to calculate it right now)
50 g/ 1,7 oz extra-virgin olive oil
60 g/ 2,1 oz lard
25 g/ 0,88 oz honey
25 g/ 0,88 oz salt

- Put the flour either in a big bowl or on a baking board, add the lard and mix it with your fingers until it has 'crumbled' and is completely mixed with the flour.
- Dissolve the yeast in little tepid water and add it to the flour.Mix as well as you can.
- Mix salt, olive oil and honey with the finger warm water and add it to the flour. Now work it it until it holds together and then add the biga.
- Work the dough until it is smooth and doesn't stick. I do it by hand and then it takes between 5-10 minutes.
- Put it into a big bowl, cover it with plastic film and leave to rise until it has doubled.
- Now take up the dough and divide it into smaller parts, about 100 g/3,5 oz each, and roll them it into long snakes (sorry can't remember the proper term) about 25 cm/9,8 in long but you can do them smaller if you want, no need the follow these indications religiously!
- To make the knots:

page 1
1. (top left) Roll out the dough into snakes and lay them out on a flat surface.
2. (middle right) Make a semi-circle with the dough snakes.
3. (bottom left) Twist the two end together like in the photo.

page 2
4. (top left) Bring the two ends towards the upper part of the circle.
5. (bottom left) Lift/fold the top part over the twisted part.
6. (right) Take the two end and join them together under the actual knot, this will make the knot part come out more and it hides the ends.

- Put the knots on baking sheets and leave to rise until they have doubled in size.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven (200°C/390°F) for 30-35 minutes. As always it is useful to check the bread and to use your common baking sense!

Bread Baking Babes: Buddies Show Off Their Injera

2009-05-18T18:40:00.005-04:00

This past month's bread the Babes "baked" was quite the challenge for us and our buddies but we had ~~five~~ six intrepid bakers join us for some Authentic Ethiopian Injera,

including a few from places where Teff was really hard to find!

First to show up with her perfect looking and from the sounds of it tasting Injera was Judy from Judy's Gross Eats.

She loves Ethiopian food even her dog didn't like the "Tacoma" aroma wafting from the starter.

Next in was Jude of Apple Pie, Patis, & Pate with his gorgeous looking injera

and admits to an "addiction" to the Ethiopian restaurants in Chicago.

Long time buddy, Caitlin of Engineer Baker used all her powers of persuasion to get her boyfriend make a drive to the Madison, WI Whole Foods to get her Teff flour.

Even though he wasn't buying the fantastic Injera she made (or the toxic smell the starter gave off), she wrapped up her injera to take home and enjoy all by herself; which gives a new meaning to "taking your ball and going home."

Astrid, my fellow Weekend Cat Blogging food friend at Paulchen's Food Blog searched high and low in her home of Austria for teff flour. She finally found it online and had a "grand time" (sarcasm here children) trying to get the starter to do what it was suppose to but on the third try she had great success! Just look how lovely her injera looks.

I'll bet it tasted fantastic with her yam wot and lentils.

Madam Chow came to the party with the perfectly chewy balanced injera

and showed us all how you can combine many cultures of food with this flat bread by scooping up lovely leftover Mr. Chow's Coq au Vin with pieces of injera. When you get right down to it, there really isn't much different between Doro Wat and Coq au Vin, other than a few spices.

GUESS WHAT! We really had SIX buddies this month! Jane from Jane of Many Trades has a tale of woe to share but don't fret too much, despite having to improvise with some flour and water at the last minute, she and her other culinary half (both she and her husband are trained cooks!) pulled off a meal of injera and wot.

Thanks Jane for letting me know about your post.

Don't forget to join me and the other Babes this Wednesday for the bread we've all been working so hard on this month and to see how you can join us as a Bread Baking Buddy.

If I missed anyone's injera, drop me a note so I can add you to the round up and thanks for all your great efforts this month!

They're Baaa-ck!

2009-05-16T22:40:00.003-04:00

Look what I spied this afternoon in a grocery store...

Yup, that would be a package of Archway Cookies!!

Back in October 2008, the private equity firm that owned Salerno, Mother's Cookies and Archway shuttered the bakeries, filed for bankruptcy and fired all the folks that baked those cookies in the ubiquitous red and yellow package. By November, just when all of us were looking for our Mexican wedding cake, cherry nuget, and our pfeffernusse for the holidays, the last of the stock of the original soft supermarket cookies were gone.

In December a secret Santa came to town in the form of Lance Snacks, who not only bought the assets of Archway BUT also immediately rehired people who lost their jobs, gave them $1500 gift cards to get through the holidays, and started the ovens again.

The good folks at Lance said that getting production back up and running would be a long term process and that it may take them six months to get Archway back in all the stores. Now I know, making cookies are easy, but if you have to have a store bought cookie, there isn't a better cookie than Archway, Mothers, and Salerno. I'm glad to have them back.

I've always been a fan of Lance Snacks, having grown up with their peanut butter on cheese crackers in my lunch box, in the picnic basket and the hiking backpack. I always keep a pack or two in my travel bag as emergency rations. But their good will towards the workers of the bakeries affected by the bankruptcy and the slow restarting of the bakeries made me search out Lance's other snacks.

By the way, Lance was the only peanut butter cracker not affected by the recall of peanut butter. They don't outsource their peanuts and make their own peanut butter to keep quality control high.

In this day and age when we are bombarded by news of our food companies outsourcing their ingredients, having to recall large batches because of lax oversight on both the government and the companies, it is nice to see that at least one food company in the US has some morals.

Now on to some bread business.

I'll bet you think I've forgotten all about the Bread Baking Babes Buddies this month. I'll bet you think that I forgot that I was host kitchen and owe you all a round up of the fantastic Injera that you all made. I mean it has been almost a month!!

Never fear, I haven't forgotten about you all. Work was a bit crazy this week and now I'm out of town to deliver the Day of Bread Baking with Breadchick prize from last years Menu for Hope. The round up will be on Monday. Promise!!

Also, for those of you who had any doubt that I was absolutely out of mind and in serious need of therapy and a rubber room, this little news flash will cure you of your delusion...

I joined that crazy group of folks from all over the world who are baking their way through every recipe in Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice with Nicole at Pinch My Salt. I baked the first bread and I'm telling you, if I had to pick one bread to live on for the rest of my life, this one just might be it. I'll be showing you what I mean on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, those wild and crazy gal pals of mine, the Babes, will be showing you what we've been up to this past month. I'm not giving anything away but if bread had a yoga pose, what we did this month might qualify.

Heck, since we are on a roll (get it, roll...he-he, bread humor), let's really knock you out by offering up an installment of "Ask Breadchick" next week!

So, get those questions in to me. I'll answer them on Friday before we all take off for the Memorial Day weekend and the official start of Summer. Now if only the weather would co-operate. It's going to be 40 where I am tonight. Brrrr.....

Wordless Wednesday: First Brats of the Grilling Season

2009-05-13T08:35:00.001-04:00

What I Did With My Morels

2009-05-11T18:41:00.006-04:00

No, not those morals but these morels.

While Mama Breadchick was here, I used the morel mushrooms she brought to make one delicious pasta dish, herb chicken pasta with morels.

It was quick, easy and oh so good. Less than twenty minutes from start to finish not including letting the chicken breast marinate overnight. I can tell you it made enough leftovers that both Mom and I had excellent lunches the next day.

I had half the office standing outside my office wondering what the incredible smell was...

Herb Chicken Pasta with Morels

2 6oz chicken breasts, pounded thin and sliced into 1 1/2" stips
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn into small pieces
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf Italian parsley
3 sprigs rosemary, stripped
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup morel mushrooms, cleaned and halved (check them to make sure you have no false morels too!)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup pasta water
salt
pepper
2 cups cooked long pasta, drained (don't forget to reserve 1/4 cup pasta water)
1/4 cup finely grated Parm cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parm cheese

Combine first six ingredients in a sealed plastic bag and let sit in fridge overnight.

In large deep skillet, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat until shimmering, add mushrooms and saute for 1 minute, turn down heat to medium low, add garlic and saute for another 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside.

Turn heat back up to medium, add marinated chicken strips. Cook until chicken is just done. Remove from pan. Deglaze pan with chicken stock and pasta water and add back in morels and chicken breast.

Add in cooked pasta and toss until coated with sauce. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup grated Parm.

Place in pasta bowls and sprinkle with grated Parm cheese.

Serve with warm crusty bread and butter

It's been a really long time since I participated in Ruth's Presto Pasta Night

but this was so good, I just have to submit it to this week's host, Patsy at Family, Friends, & Food for the weekly pasta round up.

Weekend Cat Blogging: Mama Breadchick Comes for a Visit

2009-05-08T15:13:00.004-04:00

We're hosting Weekend Cat Blogging for Mother's Day weekend here at The Sour Dough.

I get pretty excited when Mama Breadchick comes to stay because Mom makes my couch do a magic trick and it becomes a low bed I can hop on and take over the middle of;

just like I do with Mom's high bed in her bedroom, because I am King of All Furniture With Pillows!

Mama Breadchick and I have been spending lots of days together while Mom is at work. We sit in the front room reading, doing counted cross stitch where I help Mama Breadchick keep track of all the colored string by pouncing on it to keep it from escaping, and of course taking afternoon naps together on the magic couch.

Mama Breadchick even knows that I like a good game of "hand snake".

She isn't as fast as Mom is though, so I get more opportunities to gnaw on Mama Breadchick's fingers.

Pops Breadchick didn't come to visit this time because someone had to stay home to watch after the two stupid dogs that Mama Breadchick and Pops Breadchick have. But he sure misses her because he sent her this fantastic bouquet of flowers to tell her how much he misses her and to wish her happy Mother's Day.

Mom and Mama Breadchick are heading into the city tonight to catch Angela Landsbury and Rupert Everett in Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit. But, first they are having dinner at the Bryant Park Grill. I hope they bring me back a Kitty Bag!

If you would like to participate in Weekend Cat Blogging, leave us a comment and a link to your post about WCB. I'll be doing a round up on Monday after Mom takes Mama Breadchick to the airport to fly home.

Have a great weekend and don't forget to wish your Mama a happy Mother's Day if you live in the US.

Monday May 11 Weekend Cat Blogging Round-Up:

Mom took Mama Breadchick to the airport today. It sure is quite around the house now.

Mama Breadchick's flight back home to Northern Michigan was delayed for a few hours so Mom and Mama Breadchick went to a sandwich shop Mom knows about in the Marine Terminal at LaGuardia.

The Marine Terminal is where the Pan Am Clipper Overnight flights left during the 30's and 40's and the terminal is all art deco polished glass with incredible art work. The shuttles for Delta fly in and out of there but even you don't have a flight from that terminal or are just visiting NYC, you may want to make a trip to see the beautiful building. Unlike the old Pan Am terminal at JFK that Jet Blue promised they were going to us but now aren't, it is nice to see the Marine Terminal is still in use as originally planned.

We had quite a few cats stop by to say "hi" to Mama Breadchick this weekend.

Jules at Judi's Mind Over Matter celebrated Mother's Day by sitting in Mom's lap while Mom worked. I like to do that too!

Luna was just a chatty catty all weekend at CatSynth! We love to hear her lovely voice. Bet she does great duets on the synths in the house.

Our French friend Melle Mina had a lazy weekend in the garden laying on yard furniture and soaking up the last of the spring sunshine.

Mom's good foodie friend at Paulchen's Food Blog had her funny Salome write a post about Moms and playing in the herb pot. Mom doesn't like me to get into her herbs so she keeps them outside during the nice weather. I'm jealous Salome, who is a pretty girl cat, gets to play in her Mom's herbs.

Another of Mom's good friends, Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums had her cat Fridolin show us his god poses and remind us all that we kitties were once worshiped. I'm not sure about the "once" part because I'm pretty sure I'm still worshiped as are all my WCB friends.

It was a lazy day to lie stretched out on the floor at the House of the (Mostly) Black Cats over the weekend.

The grande dame kitty, Scrappycat, gives every woman good grooming tips for the Mother's Day weekend over at Sidewalk Shoes.

Thanks for visiting everyone! I always enjoy hosting WCB because Mom let's me say anything I want to, mostly. We'll be hosting again in a few weekends but don't forget to check out the other hosts over the next three weeks.

Don't Hate Me Because I Have...

2009-05-05T23:02:00.002-04:00

A big container of fresh, picked yesterday Northern Michigan morels.

My dad and his brother always find baskets of them. Yes, I said baskets. Free. That is if you know where to find them and I'm not telling. My dad sent them with my mom for me to use in the next day or two.

I see lightly sauted in butter morels with a splash of white wine and garlic in our future.

I love May in Michigan.

Ah, Breakfast for Dinner

2009-05-04T22:11:00.002-04:00

And it was good for me too!

Tonight, after getting the apartment in order for my mom's visit that starts tomorrow, I cleaned out the fridge of odds and ends. Somehow, without even planning I ended up with a low fat, low carb, high fiber, turkey Italian sausage fritatta wrap for dinner.

It was delicious. How did I do that?!

Breakfast for Dinner Frittata

1/2 cup Eggbeaters or egg substitute
1 link turkey Italian sausage
1/3 cup shredded low fat cheese
1 low carb, high fiber whole wheat sandwich wrap
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
dash salt
dash pepper

Remove the sausage from the casing, break up in large chunks and cook in an eight inch non stick skillet. Remove from pan, and drain on paper towel. Wipe out pan of any residue grease, pour in egg substitute and add back in cooked sausage on medium low heat. Sprinkle spices on top and cook, lifting cooking fritatta to let liquid under until very firm. Flip over and sprinkle cheese on top and cook until cheese is melting.

Place fritatta on top of sandwich wrap, roll up and slice in half. Serve with granny smith apple slices and seltzer water.

Calories: 335, Carbs: 9 grams, Fiber: 7 grams

Calling All Bread Baking Buddies: Extending the Injera!

2009-05-01T07:58:00.003-04:00

I've received a lot of great emails from quite a few of you asking about how to find teff flour so you can make injera and be a Bread Baking Buddy with the Babes.

Because so many of you have just received or will be receiving your teff in the next few days and then you need five or seven days to get your starter going, we are going to extend the posting date for you to get me links to buddy posts to May 13th.

We can't wait to see your Ethiopian feasts, so if you know where you can get some teff but didn't think you had time, start your starter and invite your friends over for a good time next weekend!

You can find the recipe for the injera here and recipes for food to go with your injera here.

Pretty Pasta

2009-04-30T07:09:00.005-04:00

Over the weekend, the temperatures reached into the low 90s. I hate when that happens in April because it normally means that New England will segue right from winter to mid summer. I hope not...

One good thing the hot weather ushered in was sun tea and pasta salad season. I made my first gallon of sun tea on Sunday afternoon and then to go with the salmon I had marinating for the grill, I decided to make a quick pasta salad that is a family favorite.

The salad couldn't be easier to make. You need five ingredients, pasta, a package of Good Seasonings Italian dressing, sugar, vegetable oil and white vinegar. You can add green, red, orange, yellow pepper, black olives, pepperoni, chicken, tomatoes, onions, cheese, or just about anything else you want to the base.

I like to use tri-color pasta for this salad because it looks so pretty,

even in the colander.

The perfect side for anything you throw on the grill during the summer or for a stand alone lunch with a glass of sun tea with lemon.

Basic Pasta Salad
1 16oz box of pasta of your choice
1 package Good Seasonings Salad Dressing Mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta to al dente,drain and rinse with cold water. In large plastic container with lid, combine remaining ingredients. Add in pasta and stir until pasta is completely combined with the other ingredients. Put in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

Optional Adds: green, red, orange, yellow pepper, sliced black olives, pepperoni, chicken, tomatoes, onions, cheese

Daring Cheesecake Math

2009-04-27T00:01:00.001-04:00

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Tricky math here at The Sour Dough today, courtesy of the Daring Bakers.

What does one bag of crushed Chips Ahoys

plus one infamous cheesecake recipe plus one double shot creme de cacao plus one half bag of mini chocolate chips plus a batch of frozen chocolate chip cookie dough equal?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake, that's what!

There will be lots of different cheesecakes out there today as we were given liberty to make the base recipe our own. So, get your milk and go check out my fellow Daring Bakers creations.

I Can Die Happy Now...

2009-04-23T22:09:00.004-04:00

Just returned from Taste of the Nation New Haven courtesy of Foodbuzz. What a fantastic event for a great cause, ending child hunger in the US with Share Our Strength. I'll be giving you the complete run down tomorrow but I just had to share a small moment with you.

Look what I came home with!

I've had Julia fondle my cheese and now I can cook with Jacques looking over my kitchen.

I stood there while Chef Pepin was signing my book gushing about how his tome, La Technique, taught me knife skills. What an blubbering idiot I must have seemed.

Still, it doesn't get any better than being the presence of one of your cooking idols.