SECRET RECIPE CLUB REUNION 2018

Posted in Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Talk about a flash back! Those who follow my blog for a while might remember my favorite group virtual event, The Secret Recipe Club. Food bloggers were paired in secret, and had a few weeks to stalk the assigned blog, pick a recipe and blog about it on Reveal Day. Every post would go live at the exact same time, midnight of the first Monday of the month, New York time. I was a member for years, and had a lot of fun with it. Not only for the cooking aspect, but for its social component. SRC had it’s last appearance in November 2016, but our beloved organizer, Sarah, had the idea of a special encore that celebrates the 10th year anniversary of its creation. So here we are, one final time! I was assigned pure royalty in food blog shape. I got Sarah’s food blog, Fantastical Sharing of Recipes! Can you believe it? The queen behind my favorite event! I was assigned her blog in the past as pretty much every member rotated through every blog in the group. At that time, I made a fantastical recipe as you can see here. Now I share another fantastical recipe, a Carrot Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Icing. OMG OMG OMG. Because this is such a special occasion, I felt like dressing it up a little, and tried my hands at adding a pattern on the surface of the cake. One word: THRILL!

CARROT CAKE ROLL
(from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes)

for the decoration (optional):
50g butter, softened
50g powdered sugar
50g egg whites
50g all-purpose flour
orange food coloring (I used gel)

for the cake:
3 eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup flour
2 cups shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots, pat dry)
Powdered sugar

for the filling:
6 oz. cream cheese, at room temp
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temp
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Make the piping decoration by beating the butter with powdered sugar in a small bowl until fully combined. I used a hand-held electric mixer. Add the egg whites and beat for a couple of minutes. Add the flour and mix by hand with a spoon, add a couple of drops of orange food color. Reserve.

Draw the design you want to have on the surface of the cake with a pencil on parchment paper that fits a half-sheet baking pan. Invert the paper so that the pencil mark is at the bottom. Pipe the icing using a very thin piping tip. Freeze the whole tray with the decoration for at least one hour. When the time is almost up, prepare the cake batter.

Heat the oven to 350F.

Beat eggs on high-speed for 5 minutes until they are dark yellow and frothy. Add sugar and vanilla and beat. In a medium bowl, whisk together salt, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and flour. Stir dry ingredients into wet until just combined. Then stir in carrots.

Remove baking sheet from the freezer, and quickly spread the batter on top of the decorations. Gently bang the pan so that the batter gets well into the design. Bake for about 15 minutes until done, it should spring back gently when you press your finger at the center of the cake.

You will need to flip the cake twice, first time the pattern will be up, but you will need to flip it again so that it will be down, and once the cake is rolled, it will be on the outside surface. On the second time, flip it over parchment paper sprinkled with sugar. Roll the cake while still warm, and let it cool completely, about one hour.

Make the filling: beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat again until nice and smooth. Unroll cake, spread filling evenly, then roll it back. Chill in fridge for at least one hour to firm it up.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Public thank you goes for my dear friend Gary, Patissier Extraordinaire, for his advice on the piping technique. I used my new gadget, the silicone bulb with a very fine piping tip (featured here), and was pretty pleased with the way it worked. The amount of piping icing made would be enough to cover three cakes, but particularly on my first time doing it, I decided that having extra icing was better than not enough. And, by the way, this was also my first time making a rolled cake! I was quite happy with the outcome, although as usual, there is room for improvement. A small crack happened in one side of the cake, but it was not too bad. Considering the types of tragedy I’ve endured during cake baking, this was nothing.

Our departmental colleagues loved the cake! It was very moist, warm due to all spices, and the cream cheese filling takes it over the top. I cannot wait to try another type of rolled cake and a bit more elaborate patterns. The trickiest part of this recipe was flipping the cake twice, I think it would be easier to wait maybe a few more minutes before doing that, the crack actually happened during flipping, not rolling. The cake was a bit too warm and still very moist from the oven. Live and learn.

Sarah, I am so thrilled I got your blog for this special reunion!
Really felt like closing the Secret Recipe Club chapter with a golden key!

I invite all my readers to browse through the recipes posted by all members of SRC following the link at the end of my post.

ONE YEAR AGO: Parsnip and Tomato Soup

TWO YEARS AGO: A Retro Dessert

THREE YEARS AGO: Cauliflower Tortillas: Going low-carb and loving it!

FOUR YEARS AGO: Clementines in Cinnamon Syrup

FIVE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2013

SIX YEARS AGO: Thrilling Moments

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Maple-Oatmeal Sourdough Bread

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Pork Trinity: coffee, mushrooms, and curry

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12Apr2018

GILDING THE SOURDOUGH LOAF

Posted in Breads by sallybr

Two sourdough posts in a row! But this one brings back the subject to its most classic use: a rustic bread made less rustic with a razor blade and a ton of fun. Here is my baby, all dressed up for party!

CLASSIC SOURDOUGH BREAD
(adapted from Anna Gabur)

for the levain:
120g water
40g starter
40g whole-wheat flour
80g all-purpose white flour

for the final dough:
Half of the levain above (about 140g)
375g water
50g spelt flour
150g whole-wheat flour
300g bread flour
10g salt dissolved in 15g water

Make the levain mixture about 6 hours before you plan to mix the dough. It should be very bubbly and active.

When you are ready to make the final dough, dissolve half the prepared levain in water (375g), then add all flours. Save the remaining levain in the fridge for later. Mix well with your hands until a shaggy dough forms. Leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Add the salt dissolved in the remaining water, and incorporate by folding repeatedly the dough over itself. Now let the dough ferment for a total of 4 hours, folding a few times every 40 minutes. You don’t have to be precise, but allow the full four hours fermentation to take place.

Shape as a round ball and place inside a banetton covered with a cloth and lightly floured. Keep it in the fridge overnight, from 8 to 12 hours.

Next morning, heat the oven to 450F.

Invert the dough on a piece of parchment paper and lightly, very lightly coat it with flour, then rub all over the surface with the palm of your hand. Score the guiding lines according to the desired pattern, use a razor blade to slash the dough with firm, short slashes.

Bake at 450F for 45 minutes, preferably covered for the first 30 minutes to retain steam. Cool completely over a rack before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I love a rustic sourdough that is left untouched, opens up in the oven according to its own desire, or one that gets a very basic crisscrossed slash at the top to get things started. But I must admit it’s nice to work a little magic on the crust. However, my previous attempts failed to match my expectations. In other words, I had issues to transfer to the razor blade the image I had in my mind for the baked loaf.

A couple of weeks ago I found an online course taught by a gorgeous woman named Anna Gabur on artistic bread slicing. I asked myself, do I really need this? Not sure what happened, but before I could give an honest answer to that question, my paypal account was activated and the online class was playing on my screen. Very odd. Must be a computer virus or something. At any rate, I am very glad this odd phenomenon happened, because I loved the class, learned a lot and was very pleased with the results of my very first attempt. I followed her design very closely, but maybe at some point I’ll feel confident to come up with my own creations (fingers crossed).

Between you and me, I can hardly believe this bread came out of our own oven… I was in total awe when I opened the lid and saw the oven spring, the pattern, the crust starting to get golden. A real baker’s thrill…

I highly recommend that you get Anna’s course if you are passionate about bread baking. You don’t need to make a sourdough, any bread formula will work, as long as it’s not very high in hydration. You need some structure to be able to slash it, so high-hydration formulas won’t work as well. Also, it helps a lot if the bread gets its final fermentation in the fridge, so that its surface is tight and easier to slash. My loaf went straight from fridge to pre-heated oven, it took me less than 10 minutes to finish the slashing, and I bet most people can do it much faster. You’ll need a regular razor blade that you will hold between two fingers, not using a lame holder. And, according to Anna, one blade should last you for about 5 loaves. It needs to be truly sharp. She makes it seem so easy, it is a pleasure to watch her in real-time making a very elaborate design on the loaf. You can also marvel at all her photos on Instagram.

The bread had excellent taste and crust, the crumb was not super open, but that was expected from a bread with a lower hydration level.

Anna has quite a few articles about bread baking written on her blog, like this one that goes over basics of artistic slashing, and this one that shares her favorite bread formula. If you’d like to sign up for her online tutorial, follow this link. She lives in Moldova, and often has to adapt her bread baking for the types of flour she can find. I often get a bit upset with “trendy” bread cookbooks that insist you must obtain the flour that was milled 4 days ago under a full moon, otherwise don’t bother making the recipe. All you truly need is flour, water, a bit of yeast, a touch of salt, and the right amount of passion… Anna’s masterpieces prove this point!

ONE YEAR AGO: Lolita Joins the Bewitching Kitchen

TWO YEARS AGO: Cashew Cream Sauce

THREE YEARS AGO: Blood Orange Margaritas

FOUR YEARS AGO: Smoked Salmon Appetizer

FIVE YEARS AGO: Clementine Cake

SIX YEARS AGO: Springtime Spinach Risotto

SEVEN YEARS AGO: The end of green bean cruelty

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Torta di Limone e Mandorle

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9Apr2018

SOURDOUGH CHOCOLATE TWIST BREAD

Posted in Breads, Breakfast & Brunch by sallybr

Every once in a while, it’s nice to expand the horizons of the sourdough starter. I have yet to try sourdough croissants, a much more involved process, but when I saw a blog post joining bubbly starter with chocolate in a twisted shaping, I could not wait to try it. It does take a little practice to get the braiding correctly, but I think this attempt turned out a little better than the one of years ago. Practice, practice, practice.

SOURDOUGH CHOCOLATE TWIST BREAD
(slightly modified from My Daily Sourdough Bread)

Starter
100 g water
100 g bread flour
1 tablespoon sourdough starter

Dough
all of the above starter
180 g warm milk (water can be used instead, for a less rich dough)
370 g bread flour
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons of melted butter
1 tablespoon of sugar
6 g salt

Filling
100 g soft butter
60 g brown sugar
50 g grated chocolate (70% cocoa)

In the evening, first prepare your sourdough starter. Mix 100 g of white wheat flour, 100 g of water, and 1 tablespoon or your base starter. Leave it to ferment until risen, puffed, active and bubbly, so you will be able to mix it into the dough next morning.

In the morning, mix the dough. First, dissolve all of your starter in 180 g of milk (or water, if desired). Add egg yolk and melted butter. Next, add all of the flour (370 g), salt and sugar. Mix well, and knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth. Shape it into ball and place it into a bowl. Cover with a plastic wrap and leave to ferment until doubled in volume, about 3 hours.

Prepare the filling mixing softened butter, sugar, and grated chocolate. Line a Dutch oven or another appropriate baking container with a piece of parchment paper.

Roll the dough into a 12×18 inch rectangle. Drop the filling across the rolled dough and spread it thinly, leaving about 1 inch clean border on all sides. Roll the dough from the longest side, then tuck the ends underneath. Cut the rolled dough in half length-wise. Flip the cut halves outwards.

Start braiding two strands one over another. Tuck the ends together to form a circle. Place the twisted bread into Dutch oven and let it rise until doubled, about 1.5 hours.

Heat the oven to 375°F. When the dough is ready, put the Dutch oven into oven and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a rack before slicing. If desired, cover the bread with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This was a fun weekend project, for sure. My only issue was that during baking, a lot of butter sipped out of the bread, forming a puddle on the bottom of the baking dish. I was not sure how to deal with it, so I ended up using one of those stainless steel bulb basters (like this one) to remove the butter a couple of times during baking. The bread tasted amazing, no major harm done on the bottom crust, all seemed fine. It was not overly greasy either.

We enjoyed some of it still a bit warm from baking. A deep silence ensued. You know how that goes sometimes. Leftover wedges were wrapped in plastic and frozen. A few minutes in a low oven restored the bread to top-notch level, so rest assured, you won’t need to consume it all in one sitting. There’s a limit of how much aerobics a person can do…

This bread is a nice alternative for a pain au chocolat craving. Much easier to make and equally delicious.

ONE YEAR AGO: Dan Lepard Times Three

TWO YEARS AGO: Turkey Portobello Burger

THREE YEARS AGO: Raspberry Ricotta Cake

FOUR YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2014

FIVE YEARS AGO: Whole-Wheat Pasta with Lemony Tomatoes and Spinach

SIX YEARS AGO: Blood Orange Duck: A work in progress

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Grilled Mahi-mahi with citrus marinade

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Memories of Pastéis

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5Apr2018

CLAY POT ROAST CHICKEN

Posted in clay pot cooking, Poultry by sallybr

In my las post – In My Kitchen – I mentioned that we got a large clay pot. I put it to use right away, making the most classic item in clay cooking: a whole chicken. It is truly a non-recipe, essentially no work, no special ingredients. Salt and pepper. I added lemon slices just because. The clay pot gets soaked in water for half an hour, drained, and placed with the chicken inside (obviously) in a cold oven. As the oven heats up, the water retained by the porous surface of the pot turns into steam – a lot of steam – contained in the pot. With time moisture is reduced and the pot turns into a real roaster. You simply cannot beat the texture achieved by this type of cooking, and if you are into crispy skin, no problem, open the lid and let it roast for 10 to 15 more minutes.

CLAY POT ROAST CHICKEN
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 chicken, about 4 pounds
fingerling potatoes
carrots
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Soak the clay pot in cold water for 30 minutes.

Pat dry chicken, season liberally with salt and pepper all over, and place lemon slices in the cavity. No need to truss it, but you can do it if you’d like.

Place fingerling potatoes, left whole if small, cut in half lengthwise if big, on the bottom of the clay pot. Add carrots. Use enough veggies to fully cover the bottom of the pot. Place the chicken on top. Close the lid, and place in a cold oven.

Set the oven to 430 F, and cook the chicken for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Open the lid and let it roast for additional 10 to 15 minutes, if you like a more crispy skin.

You can make a simple gravy with all the juices accumulated in the clay pot, or simply drizzle it over the meat.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: It’s so nice to go back to simplicity in cooking. Yes, there’s something to be said about involved sauces and marinades, braises that take every single spice you own, measuring 1/8 of a teaspoon of this, a pinch of that, to the point that you wonder… could I really tell a difference if I left a few of the spices out? In this preparation, all you need is salt and pepper. You can gild the lily if you prefer, grab that smoked paprika, the fennel, the Herbes de Provence. But consider making it once like this. You’ll be surprised by how flavorful a simple roast chicken can be.

The root veggies will cook and get soaked by the juices, and for that reason I think the lemon is a simple addition that brightens up the flavor. This was our non-traditional Easter dinner, by the way. We did not feel like having lamb, a light snow was falling outside, roast chicken was a perfect choice that evening.

Added bonus? The glazed interior makes cleaning a breeze!

Stay tuned for more adventures in clay pot cooking… I’ve got quite a few things on my list to try soon, including a nice loaf of sourdough bread. If you have a favorite recipe to use the clay pot, please let me know in the comments, will you?

ONE YEAR AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2017

TWO YEARS AGO: Secret Recipe Club: Chicken Korma and a Bonus Recipe

THREE YEARS AGO: Josey Baker’s Olive Bread

FOUR YEARS AGO: Almonds, A Cookbook Review

FIVE YEARS AGO: Pomegranate-Molasses Glazed Carrots

SIX YEARS AGO: Codruta’s Rolled Oat Sourdough Bread

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Corn and Tomato Risotto

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Light Rye Bread

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1Apr2018

IN MY KITCHEN – APRIL 2018

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

Three months have passed since I took you for a walk around the Bewitching Kitchen. Time for another virtual tour. In My Kitchen is a fun tradition started by Celia and now hosted by Sherry, from Sherry’s Pickings. Stop by their virtual spots to say hello, but not before you are done walking with me…

As usual, I like to start by sharing the gifts that found their way into our kitchen….

For my Birthday (back in March), from my grandkids:

A gorgeous Bundt pan, and a rectangular tart pan with removable bottom. Can you say happy camper? Getting one year older all of a sudden is a lot less painful…

From Phil, temptation in shape of many truffles….

From Aritri, temptation in a can…

Gulab Jamum is heaven in form of dessert. I fell in love with it the first time I tried, many years ago. You can read all about it here. I’ve flirted with the idea of making it from scratch, but it’s really a very involved process. Little balls with a taste that reminds me of cooked condensed milk, floating in a simple syrup. Yes, very sweet, a little bit will satisfy your cravings…

Since I spoke of Aritri, I take the opportunity to give a little update. Tomorrow, April 2nd, she starts the second cycle of chemo at Sloan-Kettering, New York. We have the gofund still going strong, and thanks to all the generous donations she’s been able to stay in New York and get the best possible treatment. Thank you for all of you who donated or helped in any way with messages, advice, and moral support.

From Ms. S., Aritri’s Mom, home-made temptation on a plate…

Paatisapta, a Bengali dessert. Delicate crepes, traditionally made with rice flour from freshly harvested rice. The filling can vary a lot, sometimes even savory stuff is used. These had a creamy coconut filling, and were very delicious. The crepes were made with a mixture of rice and semolina flour, as they were unable to find the exact kind of rice flour they would have in India. Absolutely lovely!

From my niece Raquel…

Raquel knows of my love for elephants, and sent me this package with two beautiful coffee cups (handmade), pen holders, and elephant and dog clips. They work great to close paper and plastic bags, and also to keep parchment paper collars when you want to make a tall souffle, or something along those lines. Such thoughtful gifts!

From Phil….

As you may have noticed, we do have a little problem with coffee and tea cups. Oh,well. There are worse addictions in life. We are not interested in any type of therapy to get rid of this one. These were all from our favorite UK artist, Mary Rose Young, found on ebay.

In our kitchen…

A baguette-flipper. A wooden board that is perfect to transfer baguettes from their proofing stage into the oven, as the less you mess with them after shaping, the better. I’ve always wanted to have one, and now I do! Stay tuned for a baguette adventure coming up soon.

In our kitchen…

Since we are talking baguettes, might as well share one more item to make them. Diastatic malt powder, often used in bread dough to maximize fermentation. America’s Test Kitchen recommends using it in uses some in their baguette formula.

In our kitchen…

A dough docker. Yes, I realize the tines of a fork do the same job. But this is sexier. So there!

In our kitchen…

A spoon-shaped cutter. I first saw this gadget used to make a super cool bite-size dessert. Take a look at this post. I got in touch with the company, and Mr. Roy shipped it to me from the UK. I intend to put it to use very soon… Adorable, don’t you think? You can also roll out sandwich type bread very thinly, use the spoon cutter to cut them in spoon shape, toast and serve with all sorts of dips, tapenade, cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers… Endless possibilities!

In our kitchen…

A cookbook with very interesting ideas for non-alcoholic drinks. For more info, click here.

In our kitchen…

Cute little platters found at Marshall’s. I see blue macarons in the future…

In our kitchen…

Another Marshall’s gem. As I’ve mentioned many times, I am not too fond of jams. Never spread them on toast, alone or paired with peanut butter. But, they are amazing as components of macaron fillings, so whenever I see a more exotic flavor, I cannot resist bringing it home.

In our kitchen…

A very nice tahini, in fact this is the brand recommended by the one and only Ottolenghi. I ordered it from amazon, as I could not find it in town.

In our kitchen…

This is a silicone piping bulb. I have not tried it yet, but intend to do so in the near future. The reviews on amazon were pretty good, and I think it might come in handy for small piping jobs. It comes with three tips, but it will fit most sizes of tips available in the market.

In our kitchen…

A clay pot. I used to have one many many years ago, but it cracked and after saying goodbye to it, I decided to live without one. Recently, my beloved had a craving for clay pot chicken, and that was all the stimulus I needed to bring it into the Bewitching Kitchen. Stay tuned. Did you know you can use it to bake fantastic loaves of bread too? Ours is glazed inside, which facilitates cleaning.

And now, it’s time for our loyal and goofy four-legged furry friends to say hello… They’ve waited patiently for 3 months and cannot wait to share their own adventures….

Bogey Quit That, over the 18 months he’s been with us, has changed a lot. He seems more adapted to his new routine, and is having a lot more fun patrolling the backyard with his brothers. However, there is no doubt he prefers weekends, when he can be inside with us.

Oscar, as usual has his “issues.”

Your willingness to share with me some of your fancy soup is appreciated, but I don’t think I would like it. Therefore, I won’t even taste it.

Whereas his brothers had a totally different take on it…

Normally a very well-behaved pup, Buck got himself into trouble.

Those were the remains of the cork of a very special balsamic vinegar, a gift from our friends Marijo & Vlad. I must have dropped the cork on the floor and did not even notice until it was too late.

Would you ever forgive me, Mom?
Maybe the fact that I am the cutest dog in town could help?

Oh, pleeeeease… cute is MY middle name!

Methinks you are both in blind denial. My carefully placed spots make me the most handsome dog to ever roam the Earth.

And I’m the only one who matches Mom’s outfits…

You must be joking. I can outmatch you anytime!

Plus, matching outfits is no big deal. I am the only one who meditates with Mom…

But, not all is peace and quiet in the Bewitching Kitchen…

Scary indeed, but nothing compared to Osky, when he accidentally saw some luggage going into the pick up truck.
Luggage = kennel.

He hid in the den, and tried to cover himself with the dog bed. I was not fast enough to get a perfect shot, but his sad eyes convey all the emotion… Still, we always come back to rescue them and shower them with love!

That’s all for now, folks!
We hope you enjoyed the Spring version of In My Kitchen…

ONE YEAR AGO: First Monday Favorite