Now is the season where we’re eating up what’s left in the freezer.  I’d thawed out a sirloin tip roast, and had absolutely no idea what to do with it.  Thank you, internet!   We started with this recipe, and did some slight modifications, due to our collection of spices, and our larger than 3 lb. piece of meat.  DH made the spice rub, I dried off the meat and did the temperature watch while it roasted.  This stuff will be lovely in sandwiches, since we have a LOT leftover.

I think the next time I do this, I will put the meat on a rack on the sheet pan, so that the outside can get crispier.

Equipment

• sheet pan
• aluminum foil
• paper towels
• bowl
• measuring spoons
• spoon or small spatula
• meat thermometer

Ingredients

• sirloin tip roast (3-5 lb)
• 1 Tbs paprika
• 1 Tbs kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp ground chipotle (ours is from Penzeys)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 Tbs olive oil

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line sheet pan with aluminum foil.
2. Place meat on sheet pan, and dry off with paper towels.
3. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add the olive oil, stir it up, and let it sit for 15 minutes, for the spices to  blend.
4. Rub herb paste on all sides of the meat, then place pan in oven.
5. Roast meat until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).  Let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

These are a few followup notes I have for the Go-To Chocolate Dessert for 2010, having made them again this morning for an upcoming dinner party:

• Have all ingredients at room temperature before starting.

We’ve all seen this in baking recipes, but have proceeded to use eggs and butter straight from the fridge, figuring this can’t make that much of a difference.  Well, I’m here to say that it does.  I noticed that this time the volume of my beaten yolks and particularly my beaten whites was significantly larger, and they were easier to fold in.  I don’t think this is insignificant.  I had left my eggs and butter on the shelf in the kitchen last night before mixing the souffles this morning.

• Don’t use chocolate chips in place of regular bar chocolate*

This is something I’ve heard from the America’s Test Kitchen/Cooks Illustrated people.  When melting chocolate chips, they stay thicker, because of an emulsifier that is added to the chocolate to keep the chocolate thick, and in chip form.  This means melted chocolate chips have a much thicker consistency than regular melted chocolate bars.  I’d that this would make souffles less likely to rise as high if made with chocolate chips than with regular bars.

*That said, with only the chips in my pantry this morning, I used about a half cup of water to thin out the chocolate when I melted it, and it seemed to make the chocolate mixture more “normal” thickness.  We’ll see later next week if this changes how the souffles come out.

In my now regular pattern of acknowledging a holiday (in this case, St. Patrick’s Day) after everyone else does, the other night we had Murphy’s Stout Stew for dinner, and it was quite tasty. You may have heard of this dish as Guinness Stew, but as the stout we have in the fridge is Murphy’s, so you get the idea.

I searched several sources on the Internet for recipes to start from, and found many versions. If you are a connoisseur of stout, you can imagine that the flavors will likely be different depending on the kind you use. If you don’t use the brand that is called for in the recipe, you will want to be sure to taste it, so you can make a determination on how to balance the flavors. Murphy’s has none of the bitterness that is mentioned about Guinness by some.  The flavor will also vary depending on the type of stew meat you use.  I used 2 lbs of lamb and 1 lb of beef, though most recipes I saw were for beef only.  And now for some action shots of cooking:

Browning the meat first in batches- notice the fond developing on the bottom of the pan.

Meat cooked, then removed.

Vegetables cooking, releasing their water to deglaze the pan, incorporating the fond with the vegetables.

The secret ingredient and flavor balance for the stout.  It really works.  This stew is absolutely delicious, and I’m sure I’ll make it again.

Stout Stew

Equipment

• Dutch oven
• chef’s knife
• cutting board
• tongs
• plate
• paper towels
• small bowl
• fork
• liquid measuring cup
• wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula

Ingredients

• 3-4 Tbs. olive or vegetable oil
• 3 lbs stew meat, cut in 3/4 inch pieces (I used 2 lbs lamb, 1 lb beef)
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 8 oz. baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, sliced
• salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp. ground chipotle or cayenne pepper
• handful of fresh thyme stalks
• 1 pint stout (I used Murphy’s, but I’m sure it’s fabulous with Guinness as well)
• 8 pitted prunes, chopped
• 2 cups beef stock or broth (mine was unsalted- check yours before you add more salt)
• 1 Tbs cornstarch
• 1/2  cup cold water

Procedure

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Dry off your meat with paper towels.  Dry meat will brown better.
3. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in your Dutch oven over medium high heat until it is almost smoking.  Add a portion of your meat to the pan, leaving plenty of room around the pieces so they will brown, rather than steam.  Brown on all sides, and remove to a plate.
4. Repeat step 2 with remaining meat, so that you have browned it all, and a dark fond has formed on the bottom of the Dutch oven.
5. Add the onions and mushrooms to the pot, and add 1/2 tsp. of salt.  Cover the pot, and cook for about 3-5 minutes.  The vegetables will soften and release their moisture, deglazing the bottom of the pot as they cook.
6. Remove the lid of the Dutch oven, stir up the vegetables, and add the meat back into the pot, including any juices that have accumulated on the plate.  Add in the stout, beef stock, bay leaves, thyme, and prunes.
7. Cover the Dutch oven, and place it in the oven for 1-1.5 hours.
8. After the stew has cooked for at least an hour, remove the lid, and test the meat for doneness.  If the stew seems watery, let  the stew cook for another 30 minutes uncovered.
9. Remove the stew from the oven, and return to the stove top. Remove the thyme stems and bay leaves. If you prefer a thicker gravy,  dissolve the cornstarch in cold water, and add the mixture to the stew over medium heat, allowing the sauce to thicken.    Adjust seasoning to taste.
10. Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes, or with noodles.  This will serve 4-6 people, or you’ll have plenty of leftovers.

photo by Ward Thompson © 2010

We all need a go-to dessert that will be an automatic pleaser.  Especially if we can find one that is either

• Easy
• Fast
• Delicious
• Chocolate
• Impressive

Of course, it’s best to combine as many of those as possible. This recipe is not easy if you don’t have a mixer, or if you have fear of folding egg whites in a mixture, but it fits all of these criteria for me.  The best thing about it is that you can make the souffles ahead, and keep them in the freezer for up to a month, and just put them straight from the freezer to hot oven, only pausing to unwrap the plastic wrap.

Individual Chocolate Souffles

from The Best Make-Ahead Recipe by Cooks Illustrated

Equipment

• 8 8oz ramekins (or more ramekins of your preferred size, say 4 or 6 oz)
• rimmed sheet pan
• medium heatproof bowl
• stand mixer with bowl and whisk attachment
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• spatula/spoonula for folding ingredients together
• dish for separating eggs

Ingredients

For ramekin prep:

• 2 Tbs softened unsalted butter (nonstick spray works here, too)
• 2 Tbs granulated sugar

For souffles:

• 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 Tbs (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbs Grand Marnier (orange liqueur)
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2 1/3 oz (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
• 8 large egg whites
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/2 oz ( 2 Tbs) confectioners sugar

Procedure

1. Grease the inside of the ramekins with the softened butter, then coat the inside of each dish evenly with the sugar.  Place the ramekins on a  rimmed sheet pan, for ease of moving them around.
2. Melt the chocolate and remaining butter in a heatproof bowl, either in the microwave, or over a pan of simmering water.  Stir until the chocolate is smooth.
3. Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and stir in the salt, vanilla, and liqueur, and set aside to cool.
4. Put the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl for an electric mixer, and whip at medium speed until the mixture is very light in color, and triple in volume.  If you are using a stand mixer, this could take as little as 3 minutes.  If you are using a hand-held mixer, this could take 8 minutes or so.
5. Fold the yolk mixture into the cooled chocolate mixture.
6. Thoroughly wash and dry the mixer bowl and beaters, so there is no possible trace of the egg yolk mixture remaining.
7. Whip the egg whites with the cleaned bowl and beaters on medium-low speed until frothy (1 or 2 minutes).  Add the cream of tartar.
8. At medium-high speed, continue whipping the whites until soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted (1 to 2 more minutes).  At this point, add the confectioner’s sugar, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form (2 to 4 more minutes), but don’t over whip.
9. Vigorously stir one quarter of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
10. Gently fold the remaining whites into the chocolate mixture until just incorporated.
11. Carefully spoon the mixture into the ramekins almost to the rim, wiping excess filling from the rim with a wet paper towel.
12. Cover each ramekin tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and freeze for at least 3 hours, or up to 1 month.

Baking Procedure

1. Put the oven rack at a lower-middle position, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
2. When the oven is at temperature, remove the ramekins from the freezer, unwrap them, and put them on a rimmed baking sheet.  (DO NOT THAW THEM BEFORE BAKING.)
3. Bake the souffles until fragrant, fully risen, and the exterior is set, while the interior is still a bit loose and creamy.  This will take about 25 minutes for 8 ounce ramekins, 20-22 minutes for 6 ounce ramekins,  18 minutes or so for 4 ounce ramekins.
4. Serve immediately.

These are really tasty, and not overly sweet.  But as you can see from the first photo, they have appeal amongst the small set as much as the adult set. You’ll feel great about having a few of these in the freezer, ready for any chocolate emergency.  I expect ramekin sales to go through the roof.  Just don’t eat too many of these at once. You don’t want to experience chocolate overload:

photo by Ward Thompson © 2010

Since I love to throw a dinner party, and I love to cook for people, for the past three years, I have offered a 5 course dinner for 8 in my church’s annual silent auction.  This dinner was for last year’s auction- we just took a really long time in getting the dinner scheduled.   The dinner actually happened in February, but as I was very busy then,  I didn’t get to posting it.  Oh well.

Menu

Course: Food /Wine

Amuse Bouche: Date-wrapped Kumquats

First Course: Carrot Soup with Fresh Cilantro / Red Bicyclette Rose 2007

Second Course: Fennel and Orange Salad with Olives and Sherry Viniagrette / Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2008

Third Course: Salmon Roe with Buckwheat Blini and Creme Fraiche / Segura Viudas Cava Extra Dry

Fourth Course: Juniper-rubbed Pork Loin with Poached Pears / Hogue Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Fifth Course: Individual Chocolate Souffles / Bonny Doon Framboise

I knew at the time things were going to be very busy, so this needed to be accounted for in all parts of the dinner. I needed to choose tasty menu items that I knew could be put together quickly, or partially made ahead.  I needed to be sure I could get the courses timed correctly, since I didn’t have the help of others for serving, plating, etc.  As any good chef will tell you, having a good plan, and getting as much done ahead as possible eliminates the need for as much crisis management when it’s time to go.

I often will try out new recipes for a dinner party, and I did in this case with the dessert, but this is a move that is NOT for the faint of heart.  All those wise, experienced cooks will tell you that if you are the tiniest bit anxious, stay with a familiar recipe you know will work, and will not stress you out.  The main reason that I tried the new recipe for dessert this time is because it comes from a book called The Best Make-Ahead Recipes (my emphasis), from Cooks Illustrated.  All of the other recipes were ones I have used before, and limited my active work time when it came to serving.

Due to the make-ahead nature of several of these recipes (soup, blini, souffles), and the slow, unattended cooking of the main course items, (roast in oven, pears in Dutch oven) I had enough time to prep the courses long before the guests arrived.  The afternoon of the event was spent first prepping items for cooking, and then prepping the rest of the items for service.

While the tags on piles of plates might seem excessively AR for some, I find that having them labeled and counted saves me lots of confusion when I’m doing the serving, and allows me to update my mental action plan as I go.  Due to a sudden outbreak of sickness, I was without my DH and Front-Of-The-House guy, so these prep steps made it much easier to get the table set, and to have things lined up and ready to go when the guests arrived.

The last thing I prepared before the guests arrived was the first thing they were served- the amuse bouche of a date-wrapped kumquat.  This was solely because I saw the kumquats at our local food co-op while I was shopping for ingredients, and the store always carries pitted dates.  I hadn’t previously planned on an amuse bouche, but they are fun to have.  Kumquats, with their bright tangy citrus taste, would also foreshadow the citrusy salad, with both navel and blood oranges.

This soup recipe is of Indian origin, and has a hint of cayenne and cilantro to balance the sweetness of the carrots.  It’s a thin soup, so it is light, but the spiciness tends to whet the appetite.  I expect I will pair this with rose more often, particularly as the weather heats up.

The salad is one of my favorite winter salads.  You can mix and match the kinds of citrus with what is available.  The licorice flavor of fennel and its crunch are balanced with the sweetness of the fruit, and the brininess of the olives.

I don’t have any pictures of the Salmon Roe and blini course, or of the Pork Loin and Poached Pairs plated.  I think this was due to the amount of assembly that was required for each of these dishes.  Not that it was difficult, but that it did take some time to do, and I decided that serving food at the right temperature to the guests was more important than photos.

I did snap this picture of the meat when it came out of the oven, though.  Doesn’t that look good?  Imagine a slice of this with two purple (from the red poaching wine) pear halves on a plate, and you get the idea.  Both the pork and the pears were cooked with pepper and juniper berries.  The pears also poached with star anise.  The pork also had rosemary, thyme, and salt in its rub.

I didn’t get a picture of the desserts all plated, but I did take a photo of one of the souffles I saved and baked a couple days later.  More detail to follow on that in a later post.  I can say, however, that there wasn’t a hint of any of this left over in the guests’ dishes.  And they had no difficulty with the deliciousness that is the Bonny Doon Framboise.  I suspect that several bottles of this were purchased the next day, given the rave reviews.
In sum, the great group of people who shared this dinner were so appreciative, and especially liked the pairings of the wines with the food.  I am pleased to say that the dishwasher handled 90 % of the cleanup, and I did not feel exhausted  afterward.   Doing the dessert 2 days in advance, and then making the blini and soup ahead of time were so important to how this whole meal came out.  There were no panicky moments or streams of expletives wafting from the kitchen, and nothing was left out, forgotten. Boy, I love to throw a dinner party.

Chocolate Pots de Creme, in about Half an Hour

We’re having guests over for dinner this week, and tonight I made the dessert ahead.  I may have blogged about these before.  They’re a go-to recipe for chocolate fiends, and they can be made up to 3 days ahead, and kept under plastic wrap in the fridge.  For those who like to have their mise en place, this is a winner.  Who doesn’t like rich thick chocolate?  And who says you need a bain marie to make Pots de Creme?

I slightly modified a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated.  I used 2 oz ramekins instead of 5 oz ones, because I find the  full size to  be too much if you are serving more than a salad before it.  Besides, who doesn’t like having one or two (or 6) left over to share with friends the next day?

Chocolate Pots De Creme

Serves 8 – 14, depending on ramekin size (5oz for 8, 2 oz for 14)

Equipment

• ramekins: eight 5oz. ramekins, or about fourteen 2 oz. ones (I’ve used espresso cups before with good luck, also.)
• sheet pan
• 4 qt. saucepan
• heatproof silicon spatula or wooden spoon with flat edge
• whisk
• 1 qt Pyrex measuring cup for portioning
• fine mesh strainer
• large mixing bowl
• rolling pin or hammer (or chef’s knife and cutting board)
• 1 cup liquid measuring cup
• small bowl and spoon
• measuring spoons
• instant read thermometer
• plastic wrap

Ingredients

• 10 oz bittersweet chocolate  (2.5 Ghirardelli bittersweet bars from the baking section)
• 5 large egg yolks
• 5 Tbs. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. table salt
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup milk (I used skim, since it’s what I had)
• 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder mixed with 1 Tbs. water

Procedure

1. Set out your ramekins on a sheet pan.
2. Break up the chocolate.  I use my rolling pin, and bash the bars before I unwrap them.  You can do the same thing with a hammer.  Otherwise, you can show your real knife skills by unwrapping the bars, and chopping the chocolate with a chef’s knife on a cutting board.  Either way, put the chocolate bits into the large mixing bowl, and put the fine mesh strainer over the bowl, and set them aside.  Put the 1 qt Pyrex measuring cup beside the bowl.
3. Separate the eggs, putting the yolks in your saucepan.  Do what you will with the egg whites at a later time.  Add the sugar, salt, cream and milk and whisk until combined.   Put the whisk aside with the large bowl, strainer, and large Pyrex measuring cup.
4. Mix the espresso and water in the small bowl, and measure in the vanilla.  Set aside with the large bowl, etc.
5. Put the saucepan over medium low heat, and stir constantly with the silicon spatula/wooden spoon so the custard can cook without sticking to the pan.  Cook for 8-10 minutes. It will heat up and thicken slightly.  Use your instant read thermometer to check the temperature during the process.  When you reach 175-180 degrees F, turn off the heat.
6. Immediately take the saucepan over to the large bowl, and pour the custard through the strainer, to remove any lumps. Scrape out all the custard with the spatula.  Let the hot custard melt the chocolate for a couple minutes, then begin stirring gently with the whisk.  Whisk more vigorously until the custard and chocolate are incorporated, and whisk in the espresso and vanilla.
7. Scrape the mixture into the large Pyrex measuring cup for portioning into the ramekins.  Fill the ramekins.  Cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  Allow to stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.
8. At serving time, serve plain, or with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa.

I jumped on the bandwagon on Michael Ruhlman’s blog to join in on this summer’s BLT From Scratch Challenge, which was one to creatively make a BLT sandwich entirely from scratch, making the bread, the bacon, growing the tomato and lettuce, making the mayonnaise, and then sending in a writeup of the results.

Here is the basis for my entry, Panino del Po,  (Bacon Butty Italian Stylie, in Jamie Oliverese)

I made the  basic pancetta recipe from Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing with friends M and B some time ago.  Here is a picture of us with our lovely tied rolls of pork belly, ready to hang for curing.  As you can see, I was wearing the official Team Bacon t-shirt when we did it.

Pancetta, Rolled and tied, ready for cure

Here is what the results look like, sliced, before cooking.

Slices of cured goodness for the sandwiches

The tomatoes have been growing along, pretty slowly, but have changed to some lovely colors.  I think the micro climate near our driveway has been warmer than that of many others this year, despite our Minnesota locale.  I picked out two pretty tomatoes for the project.

A Jubilee and a Cuor di Bue

The one on the left is a Jubilee (I think).  The one on the right is a Cuor di Bue, which has taken over as one of my favorite tomato varieties.  You can see that it is shaped somewhat like the heart of an ox, which is the meaning behind its name.  Both of these varieties have dense “beefsteak” texture, and are juicy but not watery when you slice them. In the interest of giving credit where it’s due, I’d need to thank Whitewater Gardens for starting the seedlings, and my DH for helping with the watering of the plants.

While my love of Italian flavors is influencing my overall product, good toast was an essential for my sandwiches.  My current favorite bread for toast and club sandwiches is Pain de Mie.

The prepared pan and risen dough

I used Nick Kindelsperger’s recipe from The Paupered Chef.  I had better luck with this recipe than I have had with others.  This is the first time I’ve had a perfectly even colored crust. Since it came out so well, I’m happy to say I’ve now checked #78 of the Cook’s 100 off my list.

Even shape and even browning

For the mayonnaise (or otherwise emulsified sauce, also #54 of the Cook’s 100),  I chose the basic recipe using one egg yolk from Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, also by Michael Ruhlman, but not without prior research in the works of Julia Child and Simone Beck.  The main tipping point was not that quoting Michael Ruhlman again might provide me with a better chance at a prize in the challenge, but for the simple reason that I didn’t need two and a half cups of mayonnaise for only two sandwiches.  Ruhlman’s recipe yields about a cup, which was more than enough.

Mise en place for arm-strong mayo

I decided to use the mayonnaise as my arm workout for today.  And I’m glad I did.  It’s very satisfying to improve one’s understanding of the egg and emulsion, as Julia Child might say.  Beating the 1 yolk, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. lemon juice together with a teaspoon of water, then drizzling 1 cup of canola oil into it very very slowly while whisking constantly does, really, create a cup of mayonnaise.

After tasting the basic mayo, I flavored it with some balsamic vinegar (1-2 tsp.) to fit in with the other Italian flavors.

"Arm-strong" Mayonnaise

Finally, while Panino del Po was completely homemade, it does not contain lettuce, since we never got any lettuce planted.  Instead, to stay with the Italian flavor profile, and still use home grown ingredients, I used large basil leaves which we grew alongside our tomatoes in containers.

Sandwich fillings, ready while the bread is sliced and toasted

Here’s how the sandwich finally looked:

The end result, ready to eat

I’m no Donna Ruhlman, so the photos of this may not do the sandwich justice. This was a lot of fun to make and to eat.  It was well worth the effort.  This project entertained me several times.

Courgettes, or Zucchini and Summer Squash

Exhibit A: a normal sized courgette, green, with a medium sized yellow summer squash.  Both can also be referred to as zucchini.  Not pictured, lo zucchino grandissimo (THE HUGE ZUCCHINI, singular) which was utilized in the recipes referenced below.  Yes, that’s cakes plural, and it only reduced my zucchini count by 1.

It’s the time of year when the zucchini can get very large. In this season, in some cultures (Maine, for example), this is the single item where what is usually seen as generosity (the anonymous [or not] free donation of foodstuffs) can be considered an act of hostility.  We’re not kidding when we say that the only time that rural Mainers lock their cars is when zucchini is in its runaway stage.

I have found two very good zucchini cake recipes… one from the famous blog of Clotilde Dusoulier, Chocolate and Zucchini, for Chocolate Zucchini cake, and one (non-chocolate) from another recipe site, allrecipes.com.  Given the amount of zucchini around this time of year, it may be necessary to dig for my paternal grandmother’s recipe, and make one of those, too.

To prove that there is some originality in this content, there were modifications made in this episode. Due to the fact that we don’t have hazelnuts right now, we didn’t make the hazelnut topping for Clotilde’s cake, and we used a variation of the other recipe, to replace half the oil with applesauce, and to add more zucchini, which a recipe tester had said did not affect the result.  For us, however, it did.  This made for a much moister cake, which needed more time in the oven.

In the interest of journalistic integrity, we had perfect results with Clotilde’s recipe, as we have several times in the past. However, I must tell you that the classic zucchini cake came out VERY moist, (DUH, as I think in retrospect), but according to DH, it was not a failure because it tastes good.   My engineering-attention-to-detail self was not completely present this weekend.  Personally, I consider the result a bit embarrassing.

What to do with the over-moist cake?  I could still take it to work, since people there will eat any food that is put out on a certain table in the break room, with potential damage my reputation for very high quality output.  Perhaps if DH takes it to church today, the congregation will forgive and understand my failings?

Please let me know, readers, is it better to know that I produce sub-optimal results, and show my humanity, or are you reading this for America’s Test Kitchen quality with a less obsessive tone?  Or is it something else entirely?

OK, enough whining.  On to the evidence.  Let’s start with the chocolate cake, shall we?

Chocolate Batter

The method for the chocolate cake involves mixing the wet ingredients (eggs, butter, vanilla) with the sugar, then sifting the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cocoa) together.  One half cup of the dry ingredients are reserved, to be tossed with the grated zucchini and chocolate chips, while the other dry ingredients are mixed with the wet ones, as shown above.  This is a very thick batter.

The grated zucchini and chocolate chips with the remaining dry ingredients

The two are folded together, and then put in the prepared (greased and “floured” with cocoa) baking pan.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake before baking

Clotilde uses a springform pan, but I like the Kugelhopf shape for presentation:

And After the Oven. MMMMM....

It’s not picture-perfect, but none of its issues are anything a pretty plate and a dusting of powdered sugar wouldn’t hide.  “Flouring” a Kugelhopf pan evenly takes some practice, whether you are using flour or cocoa.  DH and I are still perfecting our technique on this.

And now “Mom’s Zucchini Bread” as cake:

Half of Lo Zucchino Grandissimo... 4 generous cups, grated

Adding the dry ingredients before the veg

I should have suspected this would be overly moist…

Very thin batter this time

And finally, it DOES look like a cake:

The Basic Zucchini Cake, Completed

I really should have baked this longer.  But evidently the UU members appreciated it enough to eat most of it.

The Homemade Version, brushed with melted butter

Oh, how we took things for granted in our youth.  Those boring little everyday things like these.

I recently had leftover cooked lobsters, and decided the best way to serve the cold lobster meat was in Lobster Rolls.  Living as I do in Minnesota, it is not possible to purchase the appropriate rolls for lobster rolls.  And we all know that your basic bratwurst bun, while perfectly fine for bratwurst, is NOT a suitable vehicle for the lobster roll, as the sides have a crust, and cannot reach the appropriate texture of toastiness when buttered and grilled as the immortal New England style Split-Top bun.  Here is a photo of what I’m trying to explain.  Doesn’t that look DIVINE?

Jeffrey Steingarten, food writer for Vogue magazine,  in his book It Must Have Been Something I Ate, explains the importance of having the right kind of roll when you make a lobster roll, much like the folks at http://theslowcook.blogspot.com/ and http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/ do, with more eloquence than I could.

What’s a Mainer in Minnesota to do?  Make her own, of course.  The King Arthur Flour people have sold special pans for these in the past, but they go out of stock quickly, and I couldn’t get one before the lobster got devoured anyway.

So, I searched for a recipe to start from, and I found this one, so thanks to Sally the submitter, whomever she is.  I modified this slighty, and we made it with the KitchenAid, so my directions reflect that method.

Equipment:

• Electric mixer with dough hook
• scale
• dry measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• pastry cloth/board
• rolling pin
• liquid measuring cup
• mixing bowl, large
• baking pan(s) (9×13 is OK, but  I think 2 7×11 pans would be better)
• oven
• instant read thermometer
• pastry brush (optional)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter  (or 1/2 stick, in the USA) , plus some (optional)
• 23 oz. all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading, rolling, and shaping
• 0.85 oz. sugar (2 Tbsp)
• 0.25 oz instant yeast (1 envelope, or approx. 1 tsp.)
• 0.17 oz  table salt (5 grams, or 1 tsp)
• 1 egg

Procedure:

1. Melt the butter. (I used the microwave, and a large Pyrex measuring cup.) Add the milk and water.  Take temperature of the liquid.  If 120 degrees F (50 degrees C),  you’re ready to go.  If not, heat until you reach a temperature between 110F and 120F, but not over. (Hotter will kill the yeast.)
2. Mix 8.75 oz (1 3/4 cups) of flour, yeast, sugar, salt together in the large mixing bowl.  Add the milk/butter mixture, and beat together using the paddle attachment on your mixer. Add the egg, and beat it in.  Beat in the remaining flour, 2.5 oz. (1/2 cup) at a time, beating well between additions.  When the dough has pulled together, switch to the dough hook, and let it knead for 8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Divide the dough into 12 pieces, (3.5 to 3.75 oz).  Roll each piece into a 6 x 4 inch rectangle.  Roll them up along the longer side, and pinch the ends together to seal them.  Place them seam side down in the greased baking pan, close together, so you will get the fluffy sides when you separate them.
4. Let them rise 20-25 minutes in the pan before baking.  Bake 10-14 minutes, or until golden brown.  Brush top crusts with melted butter (optional) for that lovely shine.
5. Remove from pan and let cool completely before separating and slicing.
6. To make the top slice, separate a single bun at a time from the “loaf”. Slice vertically through the center top crust, until 3/4 through the bun.

Some photographic evidence of the process is below.  Thanks to DH for taking the photos.

Making the dough balls for each roll

Using the scale to get reasonably even sized pieces

Rolling, rolling, rolling

Forming the hotdog bun shape

Formed Rolls in Pan

Here to the right you can see the lovely lobster that I’d removed from the shells, and was rinsing and drying before refrigerating, for the eventual lobster rolls. And YES, they were delicious!

Baked Hotdog Buns

I think I’d make these in a narrower pan next time, so they’d be a little shorter and wider.  I think a 7 x 11 brownie pan would be the right width.   This is a remarkably delicate and tasty roll, however, and I’m going to make them again, soon.  Might have to make sausages to put in them this time. Or maybe some other kind of filling that would be good with the grilled sides.

The best blue food

After my parter in canning, C, had an adventure picking blueberries, and gave me some, I needed to make some blueberry pie.  This is not just because  a double crust pie is on the Cook’s 100.  As a Mainer, it’s important for me to have some Maine regional specialties every summer, and blueberry pie is a common Maine summer dessert.  The fact that I’m making them to coincide with my annual lobster dinner (I know it’s tough, but I as a Mainer, I MUST) this Saturday is just a happy coincidence.

As I had never made a blueberry pie before (though I’ve made many two crust pies), I sought the advice of those other New Englanders and cheffy types, the folks at America’s Test Kitchen. (That link will get you the recipe.  On their site you should be able to see a video of them making this pie, too.)

This recipe has two great culinary revelations, one in the crust, and the other in the filling.  The crust revelation is that they use vodka as some of the liquid in the crust, and the alcohol prevents the creation of gluten (as more water would), but evaporates away in the cooking.  This means that the dough is easy to roll out, but still comes out flaky.

The filling revelation is the use of an apple for added pectin for thickening, to help out the minute tapioca, as well as some tart flavor notes. You squeeze out most of the moisture from the apple (as in the kohlrabi recipe previously seen here on Slow and Sew), but the pectin remains.

I’m particularly proud of us for making these pies (I had the help of DH) on a weeknight after work. , and it’s a great reason to pull out the good tools:

It's not just for lefse, ladies and gents!

Once the pie crust is mixed up, and chilled, you roll it out.   Chris Kimball has a different shaped rolling pin, and rotates the  dough a quarter turn each time.  I think I’d need to really practice that method to get good at it.

Ready for the Onslaught of the Rolling Pin

I rolled out the two bottom crusts, put them in their pans, and set them in the fridge to stay cold (That’s Rose Levy Berenbaum‘s biggest secret to great pie crust.  Keep those ingredients COLD.  Use your freezer, too.)

Keeping it Cold

Look- I’m even letting you see the inside of our refrigerator.  I knew you’d be thrilled.

With the shells chilling and ready for filling, it was time to address the filling portion of the recipe…   Time to cook down a portion of the blueberries into a jam, to cook out the moisture that would bubble out, or spill when cutting the pies.  This is accomplished with the saucepan, potato masher for squishing berries, and heat.

We're really cooking here.

Of course, the wooden spatula is now permanently navy blue and tan, but it was worth it.  After cooking half the berries down, then mixing the minute tapioca, sugar, and lemon zest with the remaining berries, and adding the hot and not hot berry mixtures, we had the filling.

Doling out tooth-staining goodness to the shells

Then, it’s back to the rolling action for the lid crusts.

With pretty little holes so the berries can breathe, and not explode

And then, to my best Bridget Lancaster impersonation, crimping the crust edges.

Seal 'er up, and get her in the oven! Egg wash Optional.

And finally, after baking in a 400F oven for 30 mins, and 30 mins more at 350F, here’s our result:

Aren't these pretty? I can't wait to cut into them!