IN MY KITCHEN

Posted in General, In My Kitchen by sallybr

One of the blogs I visit all the time is Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, hosted by Celia, a mother of two boys living in a wonderful spot in Australia, where she and her husband maintain a garden that provides almost all the vegetables they consume, raise chickens, and in her time off, she does trivial stuff like baking all the bread they consume, making cakes and tempering chocolate. Talk about impressive! Her blog is always a joy to read, and I particularly look forward to her posts under the category “In My Kitchen.” Check them out here.

Today I join her by sharing with you some of the highlights in my kitchen these days.

In my kitchen….
A brand new arrival! A Cuisinart ice cream machine, red, sexy, gorgeous… which was put to test with a chocolate sorbet, a favorite of my husband, who used to order it often at Sweet Harts, in Los Angeles. The enabler for this purchase was another favorite blogger of mine, Fer, from “Chucrute com Salsicha.” She always makes amazing concoctions with her ice cream machine, and I could not resist getting one myself.

Here it is, hard at work, it’s fun to watch the ice cream starting to form in front of your eyes

In my kitchen… serendipity…
When we lived in L.A., I used to visit an amazing Anthropologie store in Beverly Hills, and drool over their clothes and kitchen stuff. This set of plates caught my attention then, but the price tag left me cold, so I did not buy them. A couple of weeks ago, I logged into ebay and just for fun did a search for Anthropologie & plates. I felt a shiver up and down my spine (the good kind of shiver) when these plates were the third item, no bids, a couple of hours to go, great price… don’t you love when things work so well? 😉

In my kitchen…
A beautiful bowl, with my favorite colors, that I found over at Etsy, in this store from Kim Berger. Perfect to serve pasta, salads, stews, rice…

In my kitchen…. a little soba-obsession, maybe? 😉
I brought this “small sample” with us from L.A., from our favorite Japanese market. The green ones are made with tea, and I must use them instead of guarding the packages like a terrier with his favorite toy.

In my kitchen….
Muffins or crumpets rings, could not resist bringing them home. Wait for a post using them in the near future… 😉

In my kitchen….
Gorgeous beefsteak tomatoes, straight from our farmer’s market… juicy, heavy, superb! I love Summer!

In my kitchen….
I am not spoiled, I just happen to have three favorite toys… wanna play?

ONE YEAR AGO: Heavenly Home-made Fromage Blanc

TWO YEARS AGO: A Perfect Sunday Dinner

19Jul2011

A GUEST BLOGGING GIG

Posted in General by sallybr

I am thrilled to share with you a post from the blog Diva Entertains, hosted by Debra, a virtual friend I’ve known for many years from exchanges in cooking forums. Her cooking style is very similar to mine, except of course for the fact that she can bake a cake in her sleep. 😉 I am sure you will love to visit her site and will find a ton of recipes to try!

Thank your for having me in your site, Debra!

17Jul2011

EVERYDAY FOOD FOR A QUICK AND EASY DINNER

Posted in Pasta & Noodles by sallybr

I don’t buy every single issue of Martha Stewart‘s Everyday Food, but often grab it for a quick browsing at the grocery store. Depending on what catches my eye, I’ll bring it home. Even though I’ve been reading the publication for years, only last week I noticed they offer free online newsletters, which I subscribed to. If you want to check them out, jump here and choose the ones that appeal to you. I signed up for “Dinner Tonight” and “Everyday Food”. Once a day I get an email from each with a recipe title in the subject. If it seems interesting, I open it, otherwise I delete it right away, no time wasted. Last week, one of these emails was a big teaser: “Whole-wheat Spaghetti with Vegetables and Peanut Sauce.” There’s no way I could “skip the click.” 😉

WHOLE-WHEAT SPAGHETTI WITH VEGETABLES AND PEANUT SAUCE
(adapted from Everyday Food)

8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 ounces sugar snap peas, tough strings removed, sliced
3 medium carrots, shaved with a vegetable peeler
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons light-brown sugar

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, 1 to 2 minutes less than specified in the package. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add the sliced sugar snap peas and the shaved carrots to the pot with the pasta and cook everything together for a minute. Drain the pasta and the veggies and set aside.

In the same pot you cooked the pasta, mix together the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar, combining them well. Add the pasta and veggies,toss gently, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time to create a thin sauce that coats spaghetti. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I could not stop thinking about soba noodles while I savored this dish. It would be a natural match for the sauce and veggies, but whole-wheat wasn’t bad at all. As to the grilled chicken, couldn’t be simpler: I made a quick marinade with olive oil, lime juice, tequila, and a touch of agave nectar. Placed boneless chicken breast filets in the mixture for 15 minutes, seasoned with salt and pepper, and grilled them while the pasta cooked. A delicious, healthy dinner, ready in less than 30 minutes!

ONE YEAR AGO: Brigadeiros: A Brazilian Party!

TWO YEARS AGO: Lemony Asparagus

14Jul2011

HOEGAARDEN BEER BREAD

Posted in Breads by sallybr

I don’t regret that many things in my life, but if I could go back to the period that I lived in Paris, I’d take some time to travel to Belgium. I was so close to that beautiful country, but never saw it in person… it’s a shame and it’s sad. Plus, I’ve never met a person from Belgium who wasn’t super-nice! All my Belgium friends have a great sense of humor, a great appreciation for the fun side of life, and many positive things to say about their home country, that excels in so many things. Two of their special delicacies are chocolates and beer! The very best of both are produced in small quantities and not exported, but some excellent Belgium beer makes it all the way to the US, examples being Chimay, Leffe, and Hoegaarden, the latter of which is a beer that brings fond memories of my days as a single woman in Paris… 😉

I don’t drink beer anymore, but I still like to cook with it, or include it in breads- for a quick flash back, click here. So, when I saw this post not too long ago, I changed all my baking plans for the weekend, to accommodate a little Hoegaarden sourdough, and take the Bewitching Kitchen on a virtual trip to Belgique!

HOEGAARDEN BEER BREAD
(adapted from Fab Food Blog)

For the sponge:
120 g 100% hydration sourdough starter
60 g bread flour
45 ml Hoegaarden white beer

For the final dough:
235 g bread flour
65 ml Hoegaarden white beer
40 ml lukewarm water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

Mix all the ingredients for the sponge in a small bowl, mix well and leave it overnight at room temperature. It should be very bubbly and more than double in size. If it rises too much and collapses, it’s fine.

Next morning, place the sponge, flour, beer and water in a large bowl. Mix for a few minutes until barely combined, then let it sit for 20 minutes undisturbed. Add the salt, fennel seeds, and rosemary, and mix by gentle kneading. Let the dough rise for 30 minutes, knead again (20 seconds cycle), let the dough rise for about 40 minutes. Do one more cycle of quick kneading and let the dough rise for another 40 minutes. Knead one final time and let the dough rise undisturbed for 1.5 to 2 hours, until almost doubled in size. Shape as a ball, and place with the seam side up inside a well floured banetton type container.

Let it rise undisturbed for 2 hours. Heat the oven to 450 F with baking stones or tiles inside. Invert the dough on the tiles, quickly score the surface, and bake with initial steam. If covering the dough, remove the cover after 30 minutes, reduce the temperature of the oven to 425 F and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, until golden brown. Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This recipe makes a small boule, so if you want to serve it in a dinner party for several people, consider doubling the recipe and baking two loaves. The bread smells wonderful during baking, and fennel is the dominant flavor. As to the beer, it would be interesting to bake two loaves side by side, substituting water for beer in one of them – I imagine that there will be a slight difference in sourness and complexity of flavor, but it’s hard to know for sure with the competing taste of fennel and rosemary (which, by the way, I increased a bit from the original posted recipe). In my experience, fresh rosemary has a tendency to lose its punch once it’s incorporated in bread dough, so I now use it with more abandon.

Fennel lovers: pair this delicious bread with some hearty Italian type sausage, for a double-fennel kick… Don’t like fennel? Simply omit it, the bread will still be delicious with a nice crust and moderately open crumb.

I am submitting this post to Susan’s Yeastspotting event… stop by and visit her weekly showcase of breads.

ONE YEAR AGO: Ancho-Chile Marinade: Pleased to meat you!

TWO YEARS AGO: The Handmade Loaf (the book that got me into sourdough baking!)

Spicy Kalamata Sourdough (bewitchingkitchen.com)
Bread Winner (Part 1) (tienunscripted.wordpress.com)
Pane De Casa & Crostini (bewitchingkitchen.com)
Homemade bagels! (kerrycooks.wordpress.com)

12Jul2011

ANDY WARHOL WAS RIGHT!

Posted in General by sallybr

I just got my 15 minutes of fame! 😉

Thank you to Pork Recipes Videos for highlighting the Bewitching Kitchen!

And, by the way, the site is a wonderful source of recipes and information regarding pork, so if you are fond of “the other white meat,” stop by and get ready for some serious bookmarking… 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Russian Tea Cookies (a lesson in persistence)

TWO YEARS AGO: Cinnamon-Raisin Walnut Loaf