Homemade Bagels

These are probably the most complicated thing I’ve made.  Yeast and two different risings and boiling dough and ahhh!!  Though it took a lot of careful reading and re-reading and nervous peeking into the oven, these bagels turned out awesome.  This recipe makes about 10 (random number, right?) but one of my bagels had an accident when it was time to boil, so I had 12 (9 bagels, three nubbins).  I’m really proud of how they came out but also a little weary because I know soon my inbox will fill with “MAKE MAKE MAKE” emails from Justin.

Ingredients & Method (adapted from Melinda Lee):

• 3 1/2 C bread flour (or sub regular)
• 2 pks dry yeast
• 3 T sugar
• 1 T salt
• 1 1/2 C hot water (120-130 degrees)
• 1 1/2 t barley malt syrup (or sub sugar)
• 3 quarts water
• 1 egg white, beaten with 1 t water
• cornmeal for sprinkling
• toppings of your choice (sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic, rosemary, anything!)

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Irish Soda Bread

As someone who grew up in Boston in a very Irish neighborhood, St. Patrick’s Day has always been a celebrated holiday.  The best part about it is that in Boston it’s also an actual holiday, Evacuation Day, and not having school when I was growing up was the best.  Now that I’m older I have to work, but that doesn’t stop me from eating good food and drinking good beer on that day. This year I decided to try making my own Irish Soda Bread as opposed to buying it from my favorite bakery.

Ingredients & Directions:

• 4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup craisins (You can use raisins, but I love craisins so I substitued them)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.  Using a pastry cutter or two knives (can also use your fingers), work butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then stir in craisins.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add beaten egg, buttermilk, and cinnamon to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir.

Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add in a little more flour. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf.  If you over-knead, the bread will end up tough.

Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased a baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about an inch or so deep in an “X” shape. Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35-45 minutes.

Remove pan or sheet from oven, let bread sit in the pan or on the sheet for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool briefly.

I sliced the bread and toasted it with a little butter for my breakfast during the week.

(Steven)

Chocolate Chip Scones

I have been reading cookbooks as part of my reading goals for 2010 & Karen DeMasco’s Craft of Baking was the second cookbook I read from cover to cover.  The very first recipe from that book is this recipe here.

Ingredients & Directions:

• 1 3/4 C Flour, plus some extra for rolling
• 1 T & 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder
• 1/4 C plus 2 T Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 6 T Chilled Butter (cut into small pieces)
• 1/2 C Chocolate Chips
• 1 C Heavy Cream, plus 2 T for brushing scones
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1 T Sugar for topping (original recipe called for Demerara sugar, but I didn’t have any)

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.  Add the butter.  Put bowl in freezer for 5 minutes.  The beat the mixture (on a low speed if using a mixer) until the butter is broken up into pebble-sized pieces, about 3 minutes.

Add the chocolate chips & mix.  Pour in the heavy cream and vanilla and mix until the dough comes together.  Using hands knead dough until it comes together completely.

Turn out the dough on to a floured surface and roll into a 7” round shape, about 3/4” thick.  Using a sharp knife cut into wedges (I cut it into 8 wedges, but you could cut them smaller if you wanted).

Place wedges on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.  Place in freezer for 15 minutes.  While chilling preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brush the scones with with remaining heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake the scones, rotating baking sheet once half way through, until they are golden on the edges and bottom, about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar and serve warm.

(Steven)

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Today was a gorgeous day in Portland, and as I traipsed around the city in my sunglasses and t-shirt, I thought I should make something yummy to celebrate the good weather.  I’ve been wanting to try out Alton Brown’s carrot cake for a while, and I’m glad I did today because it was incredible!  As far as baked goods go, Alton Brown can do no wrong, and this cake is surprisingly simple to make.

Ingredients & Method (adapted from Alton Brown)

• 2 1/2 c flour
• 6 medium-sized carrots
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/3 c sugar
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 6 oz. yogurt
• 6 oz. vegetable oil (I subbed, as usual, applesauce to make the cake a bit lighter)

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Grease a 9x3 circular pan with butter, then dump a teeny amount of flour in and kind of tap it around until the pan has a light layer to prevent sticking.  Put parchment paper over the pan and set aside.

Shred the carrots; I used a peeler and listened to MGMT which provided an excellent metronome for my peeling rhythm.  This isn’t in Brown’s recipe, but I definitely recommend getting some music to peel to.  In a food processor, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices until they’re well blended.  Pour the mixture over the shredded carrots and toss until the carrots are well coated.

In a deep mixing bowl, mix the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and yogurt on a medium speed until well blended.  Add the oil (or applesauce) while mixing.  Don’t be afraid of the consistency - it looks really soupy, but Alton Brown knows what he’s doing, okay?

Combine the two mixtures and pour them into your pan.  Stick it in the oven and bake at 45 minutes at 350°, then drop the temperature to 325° and cook for another 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then pop out and leave it on the rack until fully cool or until your boyfriend starts saying “caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake” “caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake” under his breath.

The recipe for the frosting is really easy, and I totally forgot to take photos of it, mostly because I was trying my hardest not to just eat the frosting with a spoon.

Mix an 8 oz container of cream cheese with 2 tbs of softened, unsalted butter and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth.  Add 2 c powdered sugar in increments of 1/2 c, mixing well after each addition.  Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes before using.

This cake is so good and really moist, and I have a feeling it won’t last long in the house.

(meg)

Arancini

You know how sometimes you go out to eat and think, “Oh, that would be so easy to make at home.  I should just do it.”  Then you get home and think, but that seems like so much work and remember the last time you made risotto & how well that turned out?

Anyway, I have been out to eat a few times in the past few months and one thing I keep seeing everywhere is Arancini.  It’s basically a ball of rice/risotto, some cheese in the middle, covered with breading (typically panko) and then fried.  It’s like that SNL sketch, Delicious Dish, where all you want to do is talk about how good these balls are while you are eating them.  The first time I had them they were bite-sized & served with nothing.  The next time I had them they were large and served with truffle honey.  I found a recipe online that served them with marinara sauce and I thought that would be a great accompaniment with the Chicken Marsala that I was going to make for dinner.

Ingredients & Directions:

• 3 C cooked mushroom risotto, cooled
• 12 mozzarella cubes, 1/2 inch
• 1 C all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 C Panko bread crumbs
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 1/2 C of marinara sauce
• 2 T of Parmesan Cheese (I actually used Asiago)

I made the mushroom risotto beforehand following this recipe (without peas..I hate peas!).

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Peach Ice Cream

I don’t know what possessed me on the coldest weekend we have had in Massachusetts this winter to make ice cream, but I did.  My parents have had this ice cream maker in their basement for about a year and I thought it might be a fun thing to do with my boys.  The ice cream maker comes with instructions on how to make different kinds of ice cream and that’s where I got this recipe.

Ingredients & Directions:

• 1 quart Half & Half
• 2/3 Cup Sugar
• 2 T Vanilla
• 1/2 C Peaches diced (I used canned, fresh would better)
• Ice
• Rock Salt

Put the rock salt in to the maker.  (Sea salt or kosher salt will work too you may just need to double the amount)

Simply pour the half & half, sugar, and vanilla into the maker.  Shake for ten minutes.

Dice the peaches up into small cubes.  I used canned peaches here because the peaches at the grocery store didn’t look too good.

After shaking the maker for the first 10 minutes open it up and put the peaches in.  Continue to shake for 5 more minutes.  Open the maker up, scrape the sides, close and shake for another 15 minutes.  It took approximately 35 minutes of shaking to get really solid ice cream.

I packed all the ice cream up into containers and put it in the freezer to eat later.  It was delicious.  Next time I will probably puree some of the peaches as well as leaving chunks of peaches in for a more overall peach flavor.

Also if you don’t have an ice cream maker I have made it using plastic storage bags before and it works great.

(Steven)

Pumpkin French Toast Bake

I know pumpkin season is over, but I had an extra can and felt like I needed it just one more time.  I definitely made the right decision on that one.

Ingredients & Directions:

• 1 loaf wheat bread cut into squares (you can use whatever kind of bread you want)
• 6 large eggs
• 1 C milk
• 3/4 of 16oz can of pumpkin
• 1 T vanilla
• 2 T brown sugar
• pinch of ginger and nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Cinnamon Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut bread into small cubes.

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Peanut Butter Cookies

My family & I went sledding this past weekend and when we came in I made some hot chocolate and these cookies.  Nothing is better than coming inside from the cold to have a nice cup of hot chocolate, Swiss Miss, of course!

The recipe is adapted slightly from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook.

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Mediterranean Tuna Salad on Ciabatta

Sometimes I just don’t feel like turning the stove on to make dinner, but that doesn’t mean there should be sacrifices in flavor and complexity.  After perusing Serious Eats, one of my favorite resources for inspiration, I stumbled upon a recipe they had adapted from Whole Foods.  The combination of Kalamata Olives (my favorite!) and tuna (my favorite!) was the deciding factor and tonight I dove in and tried it.

Ingredients & Method (adapted from Serious Eats)

• 2 6-ounce cans solid white tuna, drained
• 1/2 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 1/4 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 3/8 cup kalamata olive, seeds removed, sliced thinly
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt and black pepper
• 4 sandwich sized sliced of focaccia

The recipe is really easy - just combine everything but the Salt, Pepper, and Focaccia.  I used more olives because I love them, and couldn’t find foccacia in my cursory search of the Fred Meyer’s “boulangerie”, so I picked up a Kalamata Olive Ciabatta loaf instead.

I loved the color and unique flavor profile the various ingredients added.  I served it with a simple salad of mixed greens with a sherry vinagrette and Ommegang Abbey Ale.

This dish would work really well in the summer when you’re just too hot to cook, or for a night you’re feeling less than motivated.

(meg)

Banana Blueberry Lemon Muffins

My favorite thing to make with really ripe bananas is banana bread, but this time I wanted to make something different.  I was going to make plain banana muffins, but then came across this recipe on Dragon’s Kitchen and knew what had to be done.  Fortunately, I had all the ingredients for these muffins, because who wants to go to the grocery store in a snow storm?

Ingredients & Directions:

• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup blueberries
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
• 3 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin pan with muffin liners.  Grate your lemon now if you don’t already have some in your kitchen and set aside.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of the lemon rind. Stir in dry ingredients until blended.

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