So simple, so basic, and so good. Pieces of bread spread with salty French butter, thin slices of crisp, spring radishes, a sprinkling of Fleur de Sel. This is what I've been making lately -- more radish seeds have just been sown. A late day appetizer with a frosty glass of rhubarb slush -- or pretend you're in the south of France and pour a glass of Rosé. I was fortunate to receive a gift of French salted butter -- picked up for me by a stewardess-friend on her international flights to Paris. I have been very judicious in its use. It resides in my freezer and is only pulled for something special, like a baguette with radishes and fleur de sel! TAKE a LOOK:
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I have mixed feelings about the brioche buns I made for a birthday party (my birthday party). Of course, I wanted them to taste good -- I was having guests. I invited three neighbors for drinks, dinner, and birthday cake on the patio. The four of us have our birthdays within a one week span in May. This party was a celebration for all of us. Fortunately, the brioche buns did taste good. I was expecting that would be the case, and that is my dilemma. How can I ever purchase grocery store or bakery buns again? From now on I will want these made-by-me brioche buns every time I plan to grill a hamburger, turkey burger, or salmon burger. I approached this recipe for Light Brioche Buns (an adapted recipe from Comme Ca in L.A., and printed in the June 30, 2009, New York Times) a little differently than the published instructions. The changes I made really make these buns easy (yes, EASY!) if you plan one day ahead. 1. First of all, my intention was to make smaller buns for beef sliders. The recipe is for 8 buns (8 large buns). I made 12 buns instead. They were smaller, but I wanted them smaller still. On my second batch of the brioche buns, I divided the dough into 16 pieces, and I'd have to say, the result was perfect. 2. The recipe calls for hand kneading. I eliminated a little time, and cleaning up my work table, by kneading the dough in my KitchenAide mixer. When my mixer literally started "walking" across my counter, the dough was ready (about 6 minutes). And in using my mixer, I didn't need to add any extra flour -- as little additional flour as possible should be added when kneading by hand to prevent toughening the dough. 3. After the dough was placed in a large mixing bowl to rise and covered with plastic wrap, I put it in my refrigerator overnight. The next day I immediately rolled the risen dough into balls, placed them on parchment-lined baking sheets, and let them rise for one hour, then baked them for 15 minutes. Also, having the dough cold makes them very easy to roll into balls. • 3 tablespoons warm milk • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast • 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar • 2 large eggs • 3 cups bread flour • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt • 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small cubes, softened 1. In a glass measuring cup, combine 1 cup warm water, the milk, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, beat 1 egg. 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the flours and salt. Add the butter, and with your fingers and rub into the flour until small crumbs. Add the yeast mixture and beaten egg; using the hook attachment of the mixer, beat the flour-yeast mixture on medium-low until the dough cleans the side of the bowl and is smooth and elastic. 3. Transfer the dough mixture to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator to rise overnight. 4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the brioche dough from the refrigerator and divide into equally-sized pieces -- 8 for large buns, or 16 for "slider-sized" buns. Flour your hands lightly and shape each piece of dough into a small ball. Place the dough balls, evenly spaced, on the the two baking sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place for approximately one to two more hours -- I enclose my dough with plastic without letting the plastic touch the dough. 5. Set a large pan of water on the floor of the oven and place a rack on the middle shelf. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Beat the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the top of the dough with the egg. Sprinkle each dough ball with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or leave plain. Bake brioche buns (I do one sheet at a time) for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack. If not using that day, freeze buns in an air-tight freezer bag or container. TAKE a LOOK: Mornings at my house... With a container of orange curd in my refrigerator, left-over from my daughter's birthday cake last weekend, what could be better than freshly-baked Chocolate Orange Scones spread with Orange Curd? adapted from a Gourmet | April 1996 recipe • 4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 2 teaspoons baking soda • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk • 2 large eggs • 3 tablespoons orange zest, preferably organic • 1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped • heavy cream • Raw sugar (Turbinado or Demerara) 1. PREHEAT OVEN to 400˚F. Position oven racks in upper third and lower third of the oven. 2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pulse briefly to combine. 4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and orange zest. Set aside. 5. Add the chilled butter to ingredients in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until butter is the size of small peas. Pour this mixture into the bowl containing buttermilk and eggs; stir quickly with wooden spoon just to combine and then stir in chocolate. Pour the mixture onto a work surface and knead briefly. Flatten the dough into a 3/4-inch thick rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough evenly into 12 squares. Transfer 6 squares to each of the baking sheets. Brush the top of each scone with heavy cream and sprinkle generously with the raw sugar. 6. Place baking sheets on the upper and lower racks of the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, switching the position of baking sheets half-way through baking (10 minutes). 7. Transfer the scones to a cooling rack. Serve scones with Orange Curd. TAKE a LOOK: Lately I've found myself explaining the things I do, to someone who has recently been getting to know me better. I've been slightly aware of my odd behavior, but apparently it is glaringly obvious to other members of my family (as my daughter has pointed out to me many times). I will do things over, and over; not in an obsessive-compulsive way. But what I will do is listen to the same CD constantly (for months). During that time, I will not play any other CDs. I will listen to the music and know it inside-out. I will know all of the words. I can sing all of the harmonies. I will hum it to myself as I'm trying to fall asleep at nights (which keeps me from falling asleep at nights). Does anyone else do this? It seems to be the same with food. When I really like something, I will make it non-stop -- especially salads. There are winters we will eat greens with dried cherries, toasted walnuts, Gorgonzola, and a cherry balsamic vinaigrette most every night (o.k., sometimes I will throw in some bacon). It's not a lack of creativity or that I'm in a rut... I just love this salad and I'm happy as can be consuming this and nothing else. Years ago I fell into that same routine with this breakfast of whole grain bread, banana slices, peanut butter and honey (chocolate chips optional ;-). It was what I made every morning for weeks on end. I think I see a pattern developing... again. Broiled Bananas with Peanut Butter and Honey • 1 slice of whole grain bread • Natural peanut butter • 1 banana, cut in 1/4-inch slices • Chocolate chips, optional • Honey Spread the whole grain bread with peanut butter (smooth or chunky). Arrange banana slices on top of the peanut butter (toss on chocolate chips, if using),and drizzle with a good dose of honey. Place the bread on a baking sheet and broil until toasted and the bananas have begun to caramelize. 1 SERVING TAKE a LOOK: What's not to love about a strata (a.k.a. bread pudding)? A huge positive with a strata is, it can be totally assembled the day before you plan to serve it. This makes a breakfast or brunch for several very easy. Add some fresh fruit, coffee, juice -- you're set! Then... there are the ingredients. As long as you work within a certain ratio of milk to eggs for the custard filling (that will be absorbed into the chunks of sturdy bread) you can go crazy tweaking the rest. This recipe uses ham and spinach to nestle between the baguette layers, but cooked sausage and blanched broccoli would be a tasty substitution. The combinations can be endless, or you can stay true to this recipe. You won't go wrong there. I made this Ham, Fontina, and Spinach Bread Pudding for breakfast at our friends' cabin; assembled it entirely at home, then wrapped it securely for the trip to the cabin. (One caveat... if you are planning to travel several hours with the strata, wait until you reach your destination to pour the custard mixture over the other ingredients. Trust me... it's just easier that way. I'm talking from experience). There were also buttery croissants from a French Vietnamese bakery in St. Paul that we nibbled on while the strata baked. It was one of the few mornings that it actually felt like winter, with a night-time low around zero. The hot-from-the-oven strata hit the spot! > HAM, FONTINA, and SPINACH BREAD PUDDING < a recipe from Gourmet magazine | December 1999 MAKES 6 SERVINGS • 1 large baguette (about 3/4 pound); I used my no-knead baguette recipe • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted • 1 large onion, chopped • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 pound cooked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes • 4 large eggs • 1 quart whole milk • 1 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg • 6 cups spinach leaves • 3/4 pound Fontina cheese, grated 1. Preheat broiler. 2. Diagonally cut baguette crosswise into 3/4-inch thick slices and brush both sides with butter. Toast on a baking sheet under the broiler until golden on each side. Remove bread and preheat oven to 350˚F. 3. Sauté onions in oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden. Add ham and sauté until ham is lightly browned. 4. Whisk eggs in a large bowl and whisk in the milk, salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Add toasted bread and toss gently. Transfer the saturated bread to a 3-quart casserole, slightly overlapping slices. Add any remaining egg mixture. 5. Tuck spinach and ham between slices. Sprinkle cheese over bread pudding, lifting slices of bread with a spatula to allow some of the cheese to fall between them. Bake on a rack centered in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until puffed and edges of the bread are golden and custard is set in the middle. + The bread pudding can be assembled 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Increase baking time to 1 hour and 10 minutes if bread pudding is cold when put in the oven. Cover the top with foil after 45 minutes to prevent over-browning. TAKE a LOOK: This is what I've been snacking on in the mornings along with my cappuccino -- a buttery, chocolate-filled, yeasted coffee cake... Need I say more?
If you make the huge loaf of braided Egg Bread I made last week, you'll have breakfast covered for several days. That's been the case in my house, at least. I've toasted egg bread slices and slathered them with salted butter and jam. One morning we devoured the Bread with Chocolate, Olive Oil, and Fleur de Sel. Today I dipped thick slices of the bread into a vanilla bean infused milk, followed by beaten eggs, before frying in sweet butter. And, there is still enough bread left to make croutons toasted in olive oil and tossed with kosher salt! I found the recipe for Vanilla French Toast in a 1992 Australia VOGUE Entertaining, one of several Australia VOGUE issues I've had for many years and just can't part with. (Several years ago I recycled 20 years-worth of GOURMET magazines and I've regretted it ever since.) I've slightly altered the ingredient proportions of the original recipe with a little more vanilla and additional egg -- just how I like it! (I always save the vanilla beans I've scraped seeds from for recipes like this, and also to make vanilla sugar for my baking.) Lately, my husband has been on a blueberry buying binge. I'm more of the, "it's out of season, so you don't buy it" mind-set. He, however, will purchase what he likes... (and I'm secretly enjoying those fresh blueberries on my yogurt with granola in the mornings). When local berries are plentiful in Minnesota, I'll be making this French toast again, and crowning the stack with fresh blueberries and raspberries! + Vanilla French Toast with Maple Syrup and Blueberries ++ adapted from a recipe in Australia VOGUE Entertaining | Oct•Nov 1992 SERVES 2 • 1 cup milk • 1 vanilla bean • 1/3 cup granulated sugar • 6 thick slices Egg Bread or Brioche • 3-4 eggs, beaten • Butter, for the frying pan • Maple syrup • Fresh berries 1. Bring the milk, vanilla bean, and sugar to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. 2. Dip the slices of Egg Bread or Brioche into the cooled milk, then dip each slice into the beaten eggs. Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the bread on both sides until golden. 3. Plate the French toast and drizzle with maple syrup. Serve with fresh berries. TAKE a LOOK: I've always loved the combination of bread and chocolate -- and I know I'm not alone. For breakfast as a child, I dipped my mother's Iced New Year's Pretzel Bread into cups of steaming hot chocolate. Later, when I moved from the Amana Colonies to Kansas City, Missouri to attend school, I frequented a French bakery on the Country Club Plaza to purchase their chocolate croissants. Patricia Wells introduced me to the afternoon ritual of French school children stopping by the patisserie for a Pain au Chocolate in Time for Snacks, a September 1988, New York Times Magazine article. I have been using the recipe it provided ever since. The combination of bread and chocolate is common everywhere -- how it is done, is where it differs. Ferran Adrià's Bread with Chocolate and Olive Oil is a Spanish take on the snack -- grated chocolate on top of toasted bread. When I made my Egg Bread the other day, I knew that one of its uses would be Adrià's Bread with Chocolate, Olive Oil, and Salt. The addition of olive oil (this is where you want to use the really good stuff) and sea salt (again, pull out the Fleur de Sel if you've got it) took it over the top. I am so crazy about this! What a great Valentine's Day breakfast this would be! • really good coffee • freshly squeezed orange juice • bread with chocolate, olive oil, and fleur de sel Bread with Chocolate • Olive Oil • Fleur de Sel adapted from a recipe by Ferran Adrià • good artisan-quality white bread, sliced (or my Egg Bread) • bittersweet chocolate, coarsely grated • good quality extra-virgin olive oil • fleur de sel or sea salt • Either toast the bread slices on both sides in a preheated 325˚F oven, or do as I did -- use your toaster. Once the bread is toasty-brown, sprinkle generously with the grated bittersweet chocolate. Drizzle the chocolate covered bread with the extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the fleur de sel. Easy, isn't it? ENJOY! TAKE a LOOK: It was the perfect way to spend a cold, snowy day -- baking bread. Egg Bread, to be exact. Now, all I have to do is decide how I'll use it tomorrow for breakfast. + EggBread recipe from County Home Magazine • 4 3/4 - 5 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour • 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dried yeast • 1 1/3 cups whole milk • 3 tablespoons sugar • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 2 large eggs * 1 egg yolk, beaten • Sesame seeds 1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together 2 cups of the flour and the yeast; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat and stir the milk, sugar, butter, and salt, just until warm (120˚ to 130˚) and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to dry mixture along with eggs. Beat with electric mixer on low to medium speed 30 seconds, scraping side of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much remaining flour as you can (or use the stand mixer with a dough hook). 2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (this can also be done with a stand mixer and a dough hook). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a buttered bowl, turning the dough to cover the surface with butter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place until double in size (approximately 1 hour). 3. Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces, cover and let rise for 10 minutes. Roll each third of dough into a rope 18-inches long. Place the ropes on a parchment-lined baking sheet spacing 1-inch apart. 4. Starting in the middle, loosely braid the rope. Press the ends together to seal; tuck ends underneath the loaf. Repeat these steps with the unbraided ropes. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled (about 30 minutes). Brush braid with the beaten egg yolk (thin with a drop of milk or cream if desired). Sprinkle with sesame seeds. 5. Bake in a 375˚F preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when you tap on top. If the bread is browning too quickly, cover the last few minutes with foil. After removing from the oven, transfer to a wire rack to cool. TAKE a LOOK: Ever feel like this... there are days I should just get out of my kitchen for a while and do something else? Last week for example -- I had a bottle of canola oil on my work table. I was reaching for something, and knocked over the uncapped, open bottle. It seemed like slow motion as the newly-purchased (that means full) bottle fell over onto the floor. While moving as quickly as possible to grab it up, all I could hear was a gulping sound as the oil bottle emptied itself. There was evidence of what had happened across the room. I spent the entire afternoon cleaning. Yesterday I pulled out a stack of recipes that I've been meaning to try. The Almond-Crusted Pineapple Bread was one of them -- along with a recipe for Carrot and Pineapple Muffins. I was half-way through combining ingredients for what I thought was the pineapple bread, when I realized I was following the recipe for the muffins instead. As you can see, I did finally get the pineapple bread made; I just took a more circuitous route. Today? I may just go to the bookstore for a few hours... This cake-like bread is good with a cup of tea. • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened • 3/4 cup sugar • 1 large egg • 2 teaspoon grated orange peel, preferably organic • 2 1/2 cups flour • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 3/4 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 1 8 1/4-ounch can crushed pineapple • 1/3 cup sour cream • 1/4 cup sliced almonds 1. Cream together the butter, sugar, and egg until light and fluffy. Blend in the grated orange peel. 2. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add alternately with undrained pineapple and sour cream, mixing by hand until all of the flour is moistened. Do not overmix. 3. Sprinkle the almonds over the bottom and sides of a heavily greased loaf pan. Pour batter into the pan. Bake in a preheated 350˚F oven for 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let the bread rest 10 minutes before unmolding. Place on a wire rack to cool completely. TAKE a LOOK: |
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