HAPPY NEW YEAR IN MY KITCHEN!

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

Post quickly edited by members of our household……

In My Kitchen posts are hosted by Sherry, from Sherry’s Pickings. Please visit her site to see what everybody else is sharing this month. I join four times each year, on the first day of January, April, July and October. If you are a food blogger, consider taking part of this fun event. It is chance to share those little things you bought or received as gifts and that make your life in the kitchen easier.

Starting with gifts….

From our friend Virginia, who spent a couple of hours decorating cookies with me this month, this super cute set of cookie cutters in the shape of a pig, that are the authentic shape for Biscochitos (need to make them again soon!)

From our friends Keith and Sarah, the most amazing pillow! That we will have to keep away from the pups, for obvious reasons….. Slobber, anyone?

From Courtnie and Alex, a super special olive oil,
made from Castelvestrano olives…. amazing!

One of my gifts for Phil at Christmas, a bottle of aged balsamic vinegar…. goes perfectly well with that olive oil…

From our friends Ines, Ben and Gi, Panforte from Siena, they sent us every year, but this time it was a different type, coated in chocolate. Can you say OH MY GOD, loud and clear?

From The Hayden Family, a tea cup with the photos of their beautiful daughters on it! Will cherish it forever….

Now, moving on to things I got since our last “In My Kitchen” get-together…

In our kitchen….

I will have to start with a bang… Our Blue Star range, after a few problems over the past 5 years, finally bit the dust. We bought a new range, not as fancy but definitely with more features and easier repair in case it needs. Meet Thor, the new addition to The Bewitching Kitchen, installed on Dec 28th…

In our kitchen…

Virginia’s gift made me realize how much I love sets of cookies of varying sizes. I do have a box dedicated just for them… Stars, bells, ovals, flowers, they are so convenient… I also love the set of sticks that cut four at a time.

In our kitchen…

We got rid of all our regular non-stick pans in favor of this ceramic brand called Green Pan. They do not have the nasty chemicals (PFAs) that get into the food and stay in our body forever like regular non-stick pans do. Especially if you cook for kids, consider getting rid of those. You can read more about the issues here.

They are a pleasure to cook with!

In our kitchen…

A little sourdough, super simple, just white bread flour, but I liked the way I planned the design on paper and then transferred to the dough. I am easily amused…

In our kitchen…

Have you noticed I bake a lot of cookies? Did you know I have blog devoted JUST for cookies? I hope you do know… But what you may not know is that I’m pretty partial to perforated mats for baking. And this brand, that makes pink ones, is my favorite. The cookies do not darken excessively, bake just right.

In our kitchen…

I love the quality of spices from this company… One of my favorites to use in gingerbread is Star Anise powder. Highly recommend it.

In our kitchen…

A tofu press! I’ve been flirting with the idea of trying some interesting recipes using tofu, but they all call for pressing it before using. You know me, I like to have the right tools for the job, so I ordered this one. Will report back once I put it to use.

In our kitchen…

I bit the bullet and ordered some colors for cookie decorating that do not have artificial dyes. They are all made from natural ingredients – spinach, beets, raspberries. I tried a few color over the holiday season. I have to say I am very disappointed at the red. It is not really red, and to have enough color you need to use a lot but it always ends up with a more burgundy-mauve tone. Other colors behaved better. It will take a lot of practice but it might work in the end. Fingers crossed. This is a recent example of a red that is not quite the way I hoped.

In our kitchen…

Printed wafer paper that can be used to decorate cookies. I got them at evilcakegenius, all in Christmas motifs (click here). They are easy to glue to iced cookies with a little brushing of corn syrup as glue. Here they are, over chocolate cookies.

In our kitchen… or rather…. in our basement!

My “small collection” of cookie cutters, in an attempt of organization, and guarded by Royalty…

That brings to the spotlight our black spotted heroes and their oldest brother Osky, who’s been having ups and downs lately, due to his advanced canine age…. Let them bark their stories, they’ve been anxious to do so since our last IMK chapter.

Hi, Friends of The Bewitching! Here we are, me and my little sister, who is now slightly heavier (methinks it is all in the butt). She has the appetite of a bear fresh out of hibernation, and usually polishes her food bowl in seconds, then goes in search of leftovers from mine and Grumpy’s bowl. Contrary to the male canines, she does tend to get in trouble on a regular basis, and endure that “did-you-do-that” monologue, which is known to hurt puppy’s ears. She IS just a puppy, after all…

Those were apparently “precioussssss” instructions from some toy our Dad bought for himself. Personally, methinks he should be buying toys to play with us, so can you really blame Little Star? Isn’t she the portrait of an angel 99% of the time? You tell me!

Now me, Prince Freckles of Tatarrax, I work hard. I make sure preparations for our meals run smoothly and that they are delivered on time. Humans can be slow and easily distracted from the task at hand, so I rise to the challenge and take the task at my own paws.

Osky is for the most part being Osky, and lacks the elegance and dignity that is so characteristic of Dalmatians.

Oh, you REALLY want to talk about dignity? Elegance? How about your behavior as you ride in the pickup truck with The Humans? Is that “elegance” in the Dalmatian universe?

Well, we just have excessive enthusiasm at times, and if you want to know, there was
a squirrel teasing us! Unacceptable!

I am obviously the most dignified of the canines in The Kingdom, The Alpha Male, The Ruler,
The One with Paws in Charge…. And the one who gets Human Affection on a regular basis….

Yeah, right… but The Dalmatians are the only ones who get to The Higher Territory and enjoy ELYSIUM!

And we are also the only ones who can play the REAL fun games with Mom!

I simply dance to a different kind of tune, my friends……

Well, it’s been a nice holiday season, no doubt… Pups are enjoying slow times, a lot of snoozing around, getting ready for a full new year in The Kingdom of Tatarrax!

SEE YOU IN THE SPRING,
MY FRIENDS!

ONE YEAR AGO: Happy New Year in My Kitchen, 2024

TWO YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, January 2023

THREE YEARS AGO: Happy New Year in My Kitchen!

FOUR YEARS AGO: Happy New Year in My Kitchen!

FIVE YEARS AGO: Happy 2020 In My Kitchen!

SIX YEARS AGO: Happy 2019 In My Kitchen!

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Happy New Year In My Kitchen!

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Happy New Year In My Kitchen!

NINE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen: Happy New Year!

TEN YEARS AGO: And another year starts…

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen: January 2014

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Tacos with Pork in Green Sauce

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Maui New Year!

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Natural Beauty

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Sunflower Seed Rye

28Dec2024

GINGERBREAD CUTOUT COOKIES

Posted in Cookies by sallybr

I am a bit surprised that I never blogged on this particular recipe, adapted over the years from several sources, including a version from Phil’s family. It uses a small amount of baking soda, that makes the cookie puff a little bit but not spread too much. My current favorite version includes ground star anise, I am kind of smitten by its flavor.

GINGERBREAD CUTOUT COOKIES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

375g flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 + 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cardamoon
1/2 tsp ground star anise
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter (170g)
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg

Mix flour, baking soda and spices in a large bowl. Reserve.

To a mixer, add butter at room temperature and brown sugar. Beat until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add molasses, mix until incorporated. Add egg and mix. Add the flour mixture in two steps, mixing at low speed.

Place dough in fridge for 1 hour to overnight. Roll out, cut shapes, bake preferably from frozen for 10 min, at 350F.

Decorate if desired, when at room temperature.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

I love the smell of these cookies while baking and also as they sit later at room temperature. The star anise is a fantastic addition, a tip I got a few years ago from Haniela.

ONE YEAR AGO: Ube Linzer Cookies

TWO YEARS AGO: Four Festive Macarons

THREE YEARS AGO: Cuccidati, from Tina to You

FOUR YEARS AGO: Festive Macarons to Welcome 2021!

FIVE YEARS AGO: Episode 6, Cookies in The Great American Baking Show

SIX YEARS AGO: Brazilian Chicken and Heart of Palm Pie

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Butternut Squash with Walnuts and Tahini Sauce

EIGHT YEARS AGO: The Complicit Conspiracy of Alcohol

NINE YEARS AGO: Candy Cane Cookies

TEN YEARS AGO: Macarons: Much better with a friend

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Our Mexican Holiday Dinner

TWELVE YEARS AGO: The Ultimate Cranberry Sauce

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Edamame Dip

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Gougeres

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Beef Wellington on a Special Night

25Dec2024

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Posted in Cookies by sallybr

May your celebrations be full of love and harmony!

(comments are shutdown for this post)

21Dec2024

AIR-FRIED SOURDOUGH BREAD

Posted in Air-Frying, Breads by sallybr

When your oven dies and you won’t have another one delivered for a couple of weeks, but your freezer is running out of sourdough slices, what can you do? Desperate times call for desperate moves. You turn to the air-fryer. I am actually quite pleased with the way the bread turned out, although the crust is not nearly as crisp as a “normal” sourdough bread. But if you like to experiment in the kitchen, give it a try…

AIR-FRIED SOURDOUGH
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

250g bread flour
50 g sourdough starter at 100% hydration
180g water
5 g salt

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, place the water in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer and dissolve the starter in it, mixing with a spatula briefly, then add the flour, and salt. Turn the mixer on with the hook attachment and knead the dough for 4 minutes at low-speed all the time.

Remove from the machine, and transfer to a container lightly coated with oil, cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment for 4 hours, folding every 45 minutes or so. Because the dough is already a bit developed from the initial time in the mixer, you should get very good structure after 3 and a half hours, or even sooner than that.
After four hours bulk fermentation, shape the dough as a ball, and place, seam side up, in a lightly floured banetton. Leave at room temperature one hour, and then place in the fridge overnight, from 8 to 12 hours.

Next morning, turn your air-fryer to 400F and leave it on for 5 minutes at that temperature. Invert the bread on a piece of parchment paper, and cut it so that very little paper is outside the perimeter of the dough. Score if you want. Place the bread in the air-fryer with ice cubes around it.

Air-fry for 25 minutes, remove the paper and check the internal temperature. If it is over 205F, and the crust has good color, invert the bread and inspect the bottom. If a bit soggy and pale, place the bread in the fryer with the bottom up, and continue roasting it for another 5 minutes or so. Remove from the fryer and let it cool completely before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The air-fryer will never be my choice to make sourdough bread, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well things turned out. Let’s suppose you are on a road trip and still want to bake some bread while away from home, maybe you can take your fryer with you… Just a thought! I do like to experiment, so this was actually pretty cool. I painted the surface with Sugarprism green after baking.

ONE YEAR AGO: Ube Macarons

TWO YEARS AGO: Christmas Sourdough

THREE YEARS AGO: Star-Shaped Sun-dried Tomato Bread

FOUR YEARS AGO: Cranberry White Chocolate Tart

FIVE YEARS AGO: I dream of Madeleines and a Tower of Cheesecakes

SIX YEARS AGO: Dominique Ansel’s Chocolate Mousse Cake

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Slow-Roasted Eye of the Round Beef

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Steam-Roasted Indian-Spiced Cauliflower

NINE YEARS AGO: Creamy Zucchini-Mushroom Soup

TEN YEARS AGO: Ken Forkish’s Pain au Bacon

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Carrot and Cumin Hamburger Buns

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Potato Galettes a l’Alsacienne & Book Review

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Caramelized Carrot Soup

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Miso-Grilled Shrimp

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Pain Poilane

16Dec2024

ROOT VEGETABLE CLAFOUTIS

Posted in Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

One of the tastiest and most unusual recipes I’ve made in the recent past, we loved it so much! This would be perfect as a side dish for the holidays, or as a hearty main dish for vegetarians. The idea came from Geoffrey Zakarian in FoodTv’s The Kitchen, and I just knew I had to make it. I modified it to lower the amount of fat but will give you the original version and you can do as you please. My modifications are listed in the comments.

ROOT VEGETABLE CLAFOUTIS
(from Geoffrey Zakarian )

2 carrots, diced small
2 parsnips, peeled and diced small
2 small turnips, peeled and diced small
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced small
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt
5 sprigs fresh rosemary
12 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 shallots, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
2 cups diced Honeycrisp apple
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Add the carrots, parsnips and turnips to one baking sheet. Add the sweet potatoes to a separate baking sheet. Drizzle each with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Add 2 sprigs of rosemary and 5 sprigs of thyme to each baking sheet. Roast about 30 minutes, rotating the sheets and tossing the vegetables about halfway through.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 10-inch cast-iron or other oven-safe sauté pan. Add the shallots, sage and some salt, and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the apples and a pinch of salt and cook until the apples are softened but still have some bite, an additional 4 minutes.

Once the vegetables are done roasting, combine them in the sauté pan with the shallot-apple mixture. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

Remove the leaves of the remaining sprig rosemary and 2 sprigs thyme and chop. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, eggs, half-and-half, rosemary and thyme, 1/4 cup Parmesan and some salt. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the vegetables. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over the top. Bake until golden and set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes, then serve immediately or at room temperature.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: My modifications were quite a few. I could not find turnips at the store, so I used double amount of parsnips and one extra sweet potato. I omitted the shallots and used diced celery instead (food sensitivities at play). Veggies were sautéed in olive oil instead of butter. I did not bother removing all the leaves from the stalks of rosemary and thyme, added some Herbes de Provence instead. And, finally I used half the amount of half-and-half and completed the volume with cashew milk. Next time I might try to go for cashew milk only and see what happens, but overall I think the amount of fat is not excessive. Do not omit the apples, they really make the dish shine. This savory clafoutis is absolutely delicious, and it will become part of our rotation for special meals. Leftovers kept super well, with a brief encounter with the microwave. But it is even nice at room temperature.