daring bakers: pizza, pizza, pizza

i've said it before but i'll say it again: i love pizza. plain, white, vegetables - you name it, i love it. well, actually, i prefer my pizza meatless. is that an aberration?

anyhoo, what a happy surprise when rosa from rosa's yummy yums picked pizza for this month's daring bakers challenge. and it was even more special as this month's selection was in honor of sherry, who was to co-host with rosa, but who tragically passed away this summer.

i just had one wee mistake. i've only made pizza dough once before and it was made, proofed, and baked on the same day. so even though i waited to the very last minute - because i like to put the challenge in a daring bakers challenge! - i was cool as a cuc, and anticipating a fun night of when the moon hits your eye ....

but this recipe from peter reinhart instructs one to rest the dough in the refrigerator overnight before proceeding the next day .... frickety frick!!



well, there was not going to be any overnight rest and i made do with the time i had (about 3 hours in the fridge). this made the dough harder to work with as it was relatively warm and soft. i used more flour than usual to get it working. i also think next time i won't make the dough balls so small, as it is counter-intuitively easier to work with larger pieces of dough.

even without the longer fridge time, these pizza babies still came out terrific. it had a wonderful flavor, soft but crispy at the same time, it was great to bite into. but i felt badly i didn't do this recipe the justice it deserved. however, this is definitely going to be my go-to recipe for pizza dough from now on, so i'm excited to see just how amazing it can be!

for the recipe, from reinhart's the bread baker's apprentice, please check out rosa's blog. however please note the original recipe did not call for sugar, and listed oil as only suggested for high gluten flour like bread. for more pizzas check out the entire daring bakers blogroll, all zillion of them!

pizza #1: fresh mozzarella, anchovies, capers, hot chilis, and sauce (inspired from jaime oliver)



pizza #2: fresh mozzarella, artichokes, spanish olives, and sauce



pizza #3: gruyère, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and turkey bacon. um yeah, just forget about that first comment about meatless pizzas! this one was definitely my favorite, so damn tasty. i loved having the gruyère instead of mozzarella, it's more flavorful and such a good contrast to the earthy mushrooms and onions.

twd: brioche overload with snails and french toast

for this week's tuesdays with dorie, madam chow of madam chow's kitchen choose dorie's ooey gooey sticky pecan buns. everyone loves sticky pecan buns ... except for the mimis. even the gorgeous gooey photo in dorie's book didn't appeal to us.

but brioche ... now that is something even the village idiot would love! i've never made brioche before, so i was up to the challenge. also, dorie's brioche method is slightly different than others i have read, from the way the butter is added to the way it is rolled for the loaf pan. so let's give it a whirl and see what happens!

and a whirrled it went, my poor KA was huffing and puffing and still those butter chunks were just whirrling around the side of my dough instead of getting properly incorporated. no way i could finish this dough on LOW speed as dorie instructs. so a little faster, a little more huffing and puffing, and finally it came together.



for my alternative to sticky buns, i chose a previous TWD selection of brioche raisin snails. yumm. i didn't quite have enough raisins on hand, but i always have a bunch of dried apricots around, so i chopped those up too. i also used armagnac instead of rum for a more traditional flambé. i also doubled the sugar filling because i like it like that.



but oops, i used a pastry cutter to slice my snails and they ended up a wee bit squished. and oops, i don't know what happened but they got really really brown (burnt?) and i cooked them for probably 10 minutes less than indicated. i have an oven thermometer, so i know the temp was right (in fact, it was a little low in the beginning) so i have no idea what happened. but it wasn't anything a little drizzled sugary icing couldn't fix!

a little toasty


meets a little icing


and what about the rest of the brioche dough? we went for the obvious. some classic brioche french toast the next morning. to make myself feel better for all that buttery goodness i tried to pretend i wasn't eating i went out and played two hours of tennis afterwards. somehow it all balances out, riiight? ;)





to get your goo on with hundreds of sticky pecan buns, please check out the rest of tuesdays with dorie!

brioche raisin snails
adapted from dorie's baking handbook (p. 56)

1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
a pour of armagnac or other brandy
3 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
your favorite brioche recipe
your favorite pastry cream recipe
your usual sugar icing recipe

1. line one or two baking sheets with parchment. mix sugar and cinnamon (you probably won't use the full doubled amount, so reduce if you want).

2. put raisins and apricots in small pan, cover with hot water and let them steep for about 4 minutes until they are plumped. drain raisins/apricots and return to pan, stirring, and warming them over low heat. pour a bit of armagnac on the mix, and ignite with long match or lighter. if your kitchen hasn't burned down (haha, just kidding, really flambéing is easier than you think) set aside.

3. on well floured surface, roll dough into rectangle 12 inches wide and 16 inches long, with short end towards you - oops!! i don't think i did this either! spread pastry cream across dough, leaving 1 inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. scatter raisins/apricots and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix.

4. starting with side nearest, roll dough into cylinder. with chef's knife, using sawing motion, trim just a bit of the ends if not even. then cut the log into rounds 1 inch thick. put snails on lined baking sheet, leaving some space between each. cover with wax paper and let double in volume, about 1-2 hours.

4. meanwhile preheat oven to 375F. bake snails for about 25 minutes or until puffed and richly brown (or really dark brown in my case, mwahaha!) transfer snails to cooling rack and then drizzle with the good sugary stuff.

there is a season, turn, turn, turn!

asparagus bread pudding
(it ain't the prettiest, but it's pretty tasty!)

sure the song might be about peace, but when i hear the word "season" i always think of hours at the ocean in the long days of summer (did you actually wonder if think about food first?!) but then i do think about all the great seasonality of food.

most of us follow seasonality on a most basic level. a hearty stew or beanful chili gets made in the cold days of winter. a hamburger (boca, of course! but we'll see what happens this summer huh?) on the grill. cold margaritas at a summer sunset. yeah yeah, okay that can be enjoyed any time of the year :)

but i also really try to follow seasonality in the small choices i make about vegetables and fruits. of course, living in new york means i don't really follow seasonality to a T, but don't confuse being seasonal with being a locavore - they are related but not the same (i still eat oranges from florida and "hawaiian gold" pineapples).

i'm not pedantic or preachy but some things i'm strict on. i pretty much only buy apples in the fall, oranges in the winter, artichokes in the spring, berries and pit fruits in the summer. that's why you won't see any strawberry tarts from me yet. with other things i'm flexible. sure, spinach tastes best after harvesting in the cold months, but i eat it all year long. melons, bananas, corn, and green beans are almost year round too. thank goodness cheese has no season huh? :)

bread alone is one of my favorite places for bread that i don't bake myself. the other is tom cat and that isn't just because we have four cats :)

asparagus is one of those only in the spring purchases. because it's cheesy and bready, this recipe is great for thinking about spring produce even when it's still cold outside, like the most unfortunate days we're not enjoying in the city.

did i tell you i can't wait for strawberries to arrive? sigh ...


asparagus and mushroom bread pudding: serves 6
adapted from madison's local flavors book (2002, p. 37) - i love deborah madison!

1 head garlic
3 cups milk
1 loaf white bread (1 lb) cut into thick slices (stale bread from the day before)
1-2 lb asparagus, preferably thick and bottoms peeled
3 tb butter
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 lb mushrooms, coarsely chopped
4 large eggs
1/3 cup parsley
3 tb chopped tarragon or marjoram
2 cups grated gruyère cheese
salt + pepper

1. preheat oven to 350F. lightly butter a 8 x 12 gratin dish. coarsely chop garlic, add to milk, and bring to boil. turn if off and set aside to steep.

2. break bread into chunks, put in large dish, and strain milk over it. let it sit while you prepare the vegetables. occasionally turn bread so it soaks up as much milk as possible.

3. slice asparagus on diagonal about 1/3 inch thick and soak in cold water for couple minutes. fill skillet with water, bring to boil, add salt and asparagus. simmer until bright green and partially tender, about 3 minutes. drain, rinse with cold water.

4. melt half butter in skillet. add shallot, cook for 1 minute, then add mushrooms. cook over high heat until tender after several minutes. season with salt and pepper.


5. break eggs into large bowl and beat until smooth. add herbs, salt and lots of pepper. add bread and any milk left behind, along with asparagus and mushroom mix (plus the skillet juices) and 2/3 of the cheese. toss well.


6. pour mixture into gratin dish, even it out, dot with remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining cheese. bake until golden, about 45 minutes. let cool for few minutes and serve with crunchy side salad. the delicious gruyère smell makes this a great leftover to re-heat for lunch in your cubicle :)

winter tomato soup and dinner rolls

still feeling under the weather, exhausted and coughing. i've felt like this for a month, with varying degrees of intensity. sure it's nice to call out sick and have a four day weekend. but really, it gets kind of old and boring and completely a waste of time. by now i would happily trade in all my sick days for the quarter if i could just feel better.

but since today was better than yesterday, i dragged myself out of bed and took a short walk around in the sun. i also was in the mood for a simple dinner of creamy soup. ginger carrot was on my mind as a spicy balm to my scratchy throat.

of course you can't have soup without some bread! i really enjoy baking bread. i love the smell of the yeasty beasties (that lovely phrase came from somewhere else, but i have forgotten ... if it's yours, i'm sorry!) i love the feel of the dough, the kneading and the folding. i love the oxymoron of forced patience. of course mine isn't quite up to the best of the city's bakeries (i'm personally partial to here and here, ahem, even if that last one isn't *technically* a city bakery at least it's still new york). but nothing beats that taste and smell fresh out of the oven in your own kitchen.

i didn't want to be laboring under something difficult or timely, so i found a quick little recipe for rolls. after i tried one of these light, fluffy, buttery dreams of a carb, ginger carrot didn't seem to fit the bill anymore. mr. mimi suggested something a little more homey and classic. and it hit the spot perfectly!

no-knead dinner rolls: makes 18
from martha's everyday food magazine (dec 2007, p. 93)
(i halved this recipe and put into a 9x9 pan and it was fine)

2 cups warm water (105-115F)
2 packages (1/4 oz each) active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
4 tb butter, melted, plus more for pan and brushing
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping

1. pour warm water into large bowl, sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. add sugar, butter, eggs, and salt and whisk to combine. add flour, mix until incorporated and sticky dough forms. brush top of dough with butter. cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

3. turn dough onto well floured work surface. roll dough into thick log. cut into 18 equal pieces (cut in half, and then each half in thirds, and another thirds, etc).

4. brush 9x13 pan with butter. flatten each piece of dough then fold edges toward center, pressing to secure, until smooth ball forms. place each roll in pan, smooth side up (three rows of six). cover loosely with plastic wrap and rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

5. preheat oven to 400F. brush rolls with butter. bake until golden, about 35-40 minutes. serve warm!

i love my rolls :)

winter tomato soup: serves 4

1 shallot, diced
1 large garlic clove, sliced
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced, white parts only
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 tb white wine vinegar
1 can chopped tomatoes (if this was summer, you'd be using "real" ones)
1 tsp paprika
salt + pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
chopped chives for garnish
olive oil
1 tb + 1 tsp butter

1. heat olive oil and about 1 tsp butter. lightly sautée shallots, garlic, and leeks until translucent. add vinegar, reduce. add carrots and tomatoes, season with paprika and salt and pepper. simmer until carrots are soft, about 1 hour (because the tomatoes will thicken, add water if soup looks too thick).

2. add cream and then purée with a burre mixer (or use a regular blender) until silky smooth. bring back up to a simmer and if you're feeling decadent add a monté au beurre (about a 1 tb butter) and mix in until incorporated.

3. serve and garnish with a drizzle of cream and chives.

this ain't your mama's can of campbells!

let's break bread: part deux

although i am in this for the fun, i do admit that baking brings out (much to the amused dismay of mr. mimi) the neurotic perfectionist in me. i want my things to come out *just so* and if something doesn’t, i become a pain in the ass until i determine why.

as some of you remember, my first bread baking adventure was last weekend with the french baguettes. two main problems: too salty and un-brown bottoms. i figured my salt problem was due to using fine instead of coarse, as the recipe called for. and for the bottoms, thanks to the suggestions of the amazing daring bakers, i reasoned that my stone was not hot enough.

so i tried again. the beautiful thing about baking is that it becomes like a mental and muscle memory. the first time i made baguettes i had no idea what i was doing. just this second time, it seemed so much more natural; my thoughts and movements had direction, expectation, and relaxation. i can’t wait to see what happens a dozen times down the road.

and that is why from the beginning, it seemed like things were going better. even my starter looked so much better (i let it mix a little longer, so it became a little thinner.) from there, the dough just felt much more “right” than before.

here they are, another round of french demi-baguettes. i made them small because my stone is small. the crust was perfect; when you sliced it, that wonderful crackle sound was like music to my ears. the crumb was soft and airy. we ate some slices with the three wise cheeses, but really, it was so good you didn’t need anything with it at all.

short and stout this time

the perfect union of crust and crumb

as for my two previous problems? well, i used coarse, and even a smidgen less than required. it still tasted a wee bit salty to me. although it could just be traumatic memories of my first attempt because mr. mimi said it tasted perfect. however, next time i think i’ll use even just a little less salt.

and the bottoms browned!! in fact, just a teensy bit too dark. ahh, the art of having the perfect bottom. isn’t that a problem for all us ladies?! ;)

let's break bread

rising
i don't know why i am on such a martha kick. it all started back in october. i was flying out from newark to geneva again for work with the international centre for migration and health. because mr. mimi was dropping me off, that meant i was going to get to the airport a ridonkously 3 hours early. being on time, for me, means getting there at the start of boarding, hehe. anyhoo, so i had forever time to kill, much more than usual. i wandered to the bookstore and bought a bunch of magazines, including martha. and since then ... i have been hooked!

folding in thirds
this month's living issue had a beautiful article on baking bread. if there is one thing about me, it's very clear that i am not a candidate for the atkins diet. i LOVE french baguettes and ciabattas and foccacia and all things doughy and yummy. i figured, if i'm going to keep eating bread, why not start making my own? at least i will feel a *little* less guilty ... maybe ... and so i was inspired.

rolled out
the bread making today was a combo of the recipe from this month's living issue and the baking handbook, p. 312. i mainly followed the book, especially for ratios, but i did reference the magazine for some of the folding techniques and rising times.

the verdict? well, for my first attempt, i am pleased. the texture is perfect: crunchy crust and chewy inside, with lots of air pockets. the taste is good, but i made a mistake. the recipe called for coarse salt. i used fine salt, but the same measurements. so it tasted more like a pretzel than a french baguette. which, in itself, is not entirely terrible, but wasn't what i wished for. next time i know ... reduce the salt or buy some coarse for baking!

demi-baguettes

crunchy + chewy = delicious!

boule

also, if anyone happens to be reading this ... if you know why my bread didn't brown on the bottom please let me know? i baked it on a parchment sheet on a baking stone. i did have a skillet of water for steam. as you see, the top browned nicely to a crunch, but the bottom remained soft. any ideas?

even though french bread is not technical, it is time-consuming for the rising and resting. this is definitely a project for only a lazy sunday, but i will definitely be doing it again!

note: because the recipe is long, i am not re-typing it here, but if you're interested let me know and i'll send your way!