Monthly Archives: September 2023

AUTUMN LEAVES SOURDOUGH

Posted in Breads by


Fall is here, and to celebrate one beautiful season with sourdough bread, I tried a new technique, coupling air-brushing with leaf shapes. You can use any recipe you like, these were flavored with either Za’atar, Smoked Paprika, or Herbes de Provence.

AUTUMN LEAVES SOURDOUGH
VERSION #1

I started air-brushing a mixture of three colors, red, orange and green…

However, the green was totally lost during baking, so in my second attempt I skipped that color and went with red, orange and yellow instead….

AUTUMN LEAVES SOURDOUGH
VERSION #2


I also got a little more assertive with the gold painting of the edges, which happens after baking.

For my last version, I changed things around and used real leaves to mask parts of the dough. Spray-painted black all over, then came back with the air-brush to highlight the leaves with red and yellow.

AUTUMN LEAVES SOURDOUGH
VERSION #3

It is by far the most dramatic, and what I like about air-brushing is that contrary to charcoal or cocoa powder, the black color won’t run on your fingers as you touch the bread to slice it.

Stay tuned for more adventures with air-brushing and bread, so many possibilities! A lot of inspiration available on Instagram and Pinterest, it is hard to decide what to try next…

ONE YEAR AGO: Dog Cookies

TWO YEARS AGO: Sugarprism Watercolor Macarons

THREE YEARS AGO: Dutch Macarons and a cookbook review

FOUR YEARS AGO: Yogurt Tart

FIVE YEARS AGO: Grilled Lamb-Stuffed Pita Bread

SIX YEARS AGO: Elderflower Macarons

SEVEN YEARS AGO: A Duet of Sorbets

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Sobering Peach Sorbet

NINE YEARS AGO: Spiralizer Fun

TEN YEARS AGO: Beer-Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak

ELEVEN YEARS AGO:  Secret Recipe Club: Corn Chowda

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Page-A-Day Calendar (Pits and Chief 5 minutes of fame…)

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Home Sweet Home (our beloved Pits in one of his last photos)

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Marbled Rye

PEANUT-GINGER PORK WITH CELERY SLAW

Posted in Pork, Salads, Side dishes, Sous-Vide Cooking by

This is a sous-vide preparation, but you can change to regular cooking in any way you like to make pork tenderloin. The recipe was adapted from Melissa Clark, via The New York Times (click here for original post). I usually increase the cooking temperature because we dislike pork that is still pink in the center, no matter what the “experts” say. If you prefer it less done, set your sous-vide to 135F to 140F.

SOUS-VIDE PEANUT-GINGER PORK WITH CELERY SLAW
(adapted from The New York Times)

for the pork:
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons Sriracha or chile-garlic paste
1½ teaspoons fish sauce
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed


for the celery slaw:
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 small celery stalks, cut crosswise into thirds, then very thinly sliced lengthwise
1 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
fresh cilantro leaves
Chopped roasted peanuts, for garnish
sesame seeds for garnish

Fill a pot with water, add the sous-vide machine and set the temperature to 150 degrees.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, sugar, Sriracha, and fish sauce. Place pork in a sous-vide bag, then pour sauce all over meat. Lower bag into heated water, weighing the bag down if necessary, and cook pork for 3 hours.
Heat broiler and place a rack 4 inches from heating element. Remove pork from sous-vide bag and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Pour remaining cooking liquid into a small saucepan. Bring sauce to a simmer over high and let cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Cover to keep warm, and set aside.

Drizzle pork with olive oil and broil until charred in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest, 5 minutes.

Make the celery salad: In a large bowl, whisk together sesame oil, rice vinegar, pepper and salt. Toss with celery, fennel and cilantro. Taste and add more salt, sesame oil and rice vinegar if needed.
To serve, slice pork and drizzle with sauce. Top with celery salad, and peanuts. Garnish with cilantro leaves, and sesame seeds if you like.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The sauce is absolutely delicious, I am quite fond of peanut butter in savory preparations, in this particular case it goes well with the ginger and all other flavors. The way the recipe was published it called for 135F for 2 hours, but there is no way that would work for us. Do what you think is best. Whatever method you go for, make sure to incorporate the sauce reduction in the end and drizzle it over the meat. It takes the dish to a whole higher level. The slaw was good in terms of flavor, but the texture of the celery was a bit harsh, so next time I might just do the “microwave blanch”, in which I cook the veggie with a tiny bit of moisture (often just a damp paper towel will do) for 10 seconds or so. It is enough to just kill the raw texture. Plus, since it will be slightly warm it will incorporate the dressing even better. I don’t mind the raw fennel at all, so I would not “blanch” it.

ONE YEAR AGO: Cauliflower Tacos with Chipotle Romesco Sauce

TWO YEARS AGO: One gift, one dough, two recipes

THREE YEARS AGO: Rocking the Zucchini Boat

FOUR YEARS AGO: Polenta Bites with Spicy Tomato Sauce

FIVE YEARS AGO: Vague Mousse Cake

SIX YEARS AGO: Cottage Loaf, my very own technical challenge

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Pork Ribs: Sticky, Spicy and Awesome

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Sobering Peach Sorbet

NINE YEARS AGO: Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake

TEN YEARS AGO: Silky Cauliflower Puree with Almond Milk

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Beef and Broccoli Stir-fr

TWELVE YEARS AGO:Wheat Germ and Sage Sourdough Bread

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO:Popeye-Pleasing Salad

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO:Summer’s Finale

A BOUQUET OF MACARONS

Posted in macarons by

Last month I was minding my own business when my friend Vy sent me a message with a little macaron-design-teaser. This amazing baker – check her page here – shared some carnation macarons that were simply spectacular, and Vy thought I should try to make them (don’t I have great friends????). I resisted for a while, but then decided to go for it. I attempted two floral designs, first using my regular French meringue method, but that did not work well. So I am sharing the exact recipe I used for both, a Swiss-meringue version that is slightly sturdier and performed better to hold shape. The tulip-shape template for piping was from this site. I used it for the larger, pink flowers, the others were free-hand over a circle shape. 


MACARON FLOWERS
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

100g almond flour
100g powdered sugar
100g egg whites
100g granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pink, red, green gel food color

Process almond flour and powdered sugar in food processor, about 10 pulses, then pass through a sieve. Reserve.

Bring the sugar and egg whites to the top of a pan with simmering water and whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture feels smooth if you rub your fingers into it, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately transfer it to a KitchenAid bowl and whisk on medium-high until the meringue form solid peaks that fold just slightly as you hold the whisk up. This will take 8 to 12 minutes. Add vanilla. Add the almond flour/powdered sugar mixture, put the blade beater and mix for a few seconds. Mix a little more by hand, remove a small amount do dye green, and dye most of the meringue pink or red. Proceed to do the macaronage but do not take it as smooth as normally for regular macs, you need to hold it back so that the mixture is thicker and holds its shape when piped.

Place the red meringue in a piping bag fitted with a leaf icing tip (104 works well). Place the green meringue in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, maybe 1/4 inch.

Pipe petals in the shape you desire, then a little green stem. Do not bang the sheet. Let them fully dry until the surface is not moist at all. These need to dry more than round shells, or they will explode. Some cracks will happen, but they usually do not interfere too much with the design.

Fill the shells with the filling of your choice. I used raspberry buttercream (from this post, but regular butter instead of vegan).

Leave the macarons in the fridge for 24 hours before serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The larger, pink version had a slight curve in the shape, so it is important that you print the template in two orientations, and then pipe half the shells in one particular way. The smaller, red flowers were symmetrical, so no need to worry about that.

The more you hold back the macaronage, the sharper the shape will be, and I could have made my batter slightly thicker, but it is hard to judge when to stop. I think it was a good compromise and I did not have that many cracks or explosions. All the shells were painted with a little luster powder and vodka but that step is of course optional. It is hard for me to leave cookies alone, as you know…..

If you enjoy making macarons, consider trying some alternative ways to pipe the batter, there are so many possibilities, I am thinking of autumn leaves next, so stay tuned!

ONE YEAR AGO: Chocolate-Hazelnut Tartlets

TWO YEARS AGO: Turkey Taco Salad

THREE YEARS AGO: Cheese and Pesto Emmer Roll-ups and Elaine’s Cookbook Review

FOUR YEARS AGO: Mango-Hazelnut Entremet Cake

FIVE YEARS AGO: Lebanese Lentil Salad and a Cookbook Review

SIX YEARS AGO: Cottage Loaf

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Sourdough Loaf with Cranberries and Walnuts

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Sichuan Pork Stir-Fry in Garlic Sauce

NINE YEARS AGO: Our Green Trip to Colorado

TEN YEARS AGO: Ditalini Pasta Salad

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Celebrate Wednesday with a Thai Seafood Curry

TWELVE YEARS AGO:  Post-workout Breakfast

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Semolina Barbecue Buns

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Lavash Crackers

HAVE A HEART

Posted in Breads, Chocolate Bonbons, Cookies, macarons by

A wordless post.

For last year’s version, click here

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ONE YEAR AGO: Chocolate-Hazelnut Tartlets

TWO YEARS AGO: Turkey Taco Salad

THREE YEARS AGO: Cheese and Pesto Emmer Roll-ups and Elaine’s Cookbook Review

FOUR YEARS AGO: Mango-Hazelnut Entremet Cake

FIVE YEARS AGO: Lebanese Lentil Salad and a Cookbook Review

SIX YEARS AGO: Cottage Loaf

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Sourdough Loaf with Cranberries and Walnuts

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Sichuan Pork Stir-Fry in Garlic Sauce

NINE YEARS AGO: Our Green Trip to Colorado

TEN YEARS AGO: Ditalini Pasta Salad

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Celebrate Wednesday with a Thai Seafood Curry

TWELVE YEARS AGO:  Post-workout Breakfast

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Semolina Barbecue Buns

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Lavash Crackers

FETA EGGS WITH ZUCCHINI

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Pizzas & Small Dishes, Vegetarian-friendly by

Please don’t judge this recipe by its looks, it would be unfair because it is delicious and so very simple! I eat a lot of eggs, my lunch is often a scrambled egg wrapped in a tortilla, or some type of omelette made by the husband, who is a pro at those. I am always searching for new ways to enjoy my favorite lunch item, and this is my newest obsession.

FETA EGGS WITH ZUCCHINI
(slightly modified from Skinnytaste)

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup grated zucchini, squeezed dry
Chili crisp hot sauce, any amount you like (I used this one)
2 large eggs
1 ounce feta cheese
ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste


In a small nonstick skillet, heat the oil and add the chili crisp sauce and zucchini, sautee on medium heat until the zucchini gets soft and starts to get some color. Add the feta cheese evenly over the zucchini and cook until it starts to melt a bit.

Carefully drop in the eggs, season with salt and pepper and cover. Cook on low until the yolks are runny and set, or cooked to your liking. Use a silicone spatula to transfer the eggs to your plate.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here


Comments: I have made it with other cheeses (Cotija and goat cheese), and they all work great. It is such a nice way to enjoy eggs, a slice of sourdough is the perfect way to deliver it to your mouth, but if you want to keep the carb index low, just enjoy the layer of zucchini to give it texture. It gets all crispy and cheesy underneath the egg, giving it that bit of texture that the fried egg by itself lacks. If you don’t have the chili crisp sauce, just use red pepper flakes.


If you love eggs, try this preparation. I imagine it could work well with finely grated carrots, or even some shredded cabbage in place of the zucchini. Worth playing with!

ONE YEAR AGO: Poilane-Style Bread, a simplified version

TWO YEAR AGO: Broccoli Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and Tahini Dressing

THREE YEARS AGO: Turkey-Spinach Meatballs with Cardamon-Tomato Sauce

FOUR YEARS AGO: British Baps, a Technical Challenge

FIVE YEARS AGO: Japanese-Style Cupcakes with Cherry Blossom Icing

SIX YEARS AGO: Quick Weeknight Soups

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Sourdough Loaf with Cranberries and Walnuts

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Sichuan Pork Stir-Fry in Garlic Sauce

NINE YEARS AGO: Our Green Trip to Colorado

TEN YEARS AGO: Ditalini Pasta Salad

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Celebrate Wednesday with a Thai Seafood Curry

TWELVE YEARS AGO:  Post-workout Breakfast

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Semolina Barbecue Buns

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Lavash Crackers