Bread: Guest post from Matt Palmer, a.k.a. The Bread Man

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Alisa

Alisa: I wanted Matt to write about the bread that he’s made countless times in the past seven years. He started on a quest to learn to bake at the same time he wanted to become more likable at his office (to improve his performance review, which, the only thing that was negative was, “Matt’s kind of intimidating”) and so the two tasks naturally went hand in hand. After one year of bringing bread in to the office every Friday, not surprisingly, there wasn’t a negative comment on his next review 🙂 Bread is the great equalizer. This loaf, in particular, is beautiful in its simplicity, flavor, crusty exterior and soft, spongy interior. Frankly, it’s the perfect loaf. I think life has a lot of challenges, but if you could say that you could turn out a loaf of bread like this (given a day’s notice) any time it was needed, well, I’d consider that success.

Matt: I like making things from scratch. I enjoy learning how things work, and with cooking you usually end up with something better than what you can get at the store – and it’s cheaper, better for you, and you even get a night’s entertainment out of it. So I guess it was just a matter of time before I got into baking. I’ve been making bread pretty regularly for a few years now, and I’ve certainly gotten better, but I’m still an amateur. Bread is one of those things that you could devote your life to (think Jiro Dreams of Sushi) and still find things to improve on.

That’s part of why I love it, but if that sounds disheartening to you, the good news is that even the poorest homemade loaf is better than anything you can get at the store. With a little bit of practice you can make bread better than you can get anywhere (unless you happen to live in San Francisco, New York, or a country that still cares about good bread). It’s kinda like chocolate chip cookies – the best bread you can buy where I live is essentially the bread equivalent of Chips Ahoy. Maybe you live somewhere with a bakery that sells something other than cupcakes, but unless the guy behind the counter looks like this, I’m guessing the bread there is still a Soft Batch at best. I’m sure the worst batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies that came out of your mom’s oven blows either of those away. The bread that will soon come from your oven is the same – once you’ve tried it, you’ll be hooked.

Bread

21 oz bread flour (or AP flour if you prefer)

14 oz water (66%, for the bread nerds out there)

1 tsp instant/rapid rise yeast

2 tsp salt

Mix up the dry ingredients (you are using a scale, aren’t you?) and then add the water. Mix until the flour is all hydrated then cover it and set it aside for twenty minutes. (Or I could just say autolyse. See, you should become a baker, we have our own secret language.)

Stretch the dough out and fold it back up in thirds like you would a letter. Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat, then put it seam side down in an oiled bowl. Wait ten minutes, then repeat. After three of these stretch-and-fold sessions your dough is probably developed. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover it and place it in the fridge overnight, or for up to 2-3 days (you might use less yeast if you know you’re going to wait several days to bake).

About two hours before you want to bake, take the dough out and let it warm up on the counter for a bit. Press it out into a circle (gently, we’re not making pie), then gather each side up to form a ball. Roll the ball in small circles on the counter to develop surface tension. This is a lot easier to understand when you see it, so you might want to watch a video.

Put the dough (now a boule, if you want to talk the talk) into a bowl lined with a floured towel. I use a basket called a banneton, which I flour directly, and it leaves little rings of flour on the loaf.

Leave the dough covered, on the counter to rise. This will probably take about an hour and a half, but you can tell if a loaf is still rising by poking it gently – if it springs back quickly, leave it to rise some more. If the indention stays, you’re ready to bake.

About a half hour before baking, preheat your oven to 450, with your baking stone, Dutch oven, or preferred baking device inside. You can bake on a sheet pan, and if that’s your plan you don’t need to preheat for very long. I recommend a Lodge cast iron combo cooker, which gives you the added heat while also trapping steam, and you can put dough into it without getting second degree burns, which is tough to do in a normal Dutch oven.

When the dough is ready, remove your preheated Dutch oven and flip the bowl over to put the dough into the pan. Make a couple of cuts in the loaf so it doesn’t rupture when it rises in the oven (this is called scoring), then put the lid on the Dutch oven and return it to the oven for thirty minutes.

Remove the lid from the Dutch oven and bake another 30 minutes.

Remove the loaf from the oven (the interior of the loaf should be around 200 degrees, if you want to make sure it’s done) and put it on a rack to cool. Lean in close and I bet you can hear the loaf “sing.” It’s tempting to cut into it right away, but I promise it’s better if you let it sit and finish cooking – think of it like resting a steak.

Blackberry Jam Tart – I get pie with a little help from my friends…

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Alisa

This tart was made because I bought three packages of fresh blackberries at 99 cents a pack (usually $3) and after we had some for a snack, I realized they would probably mold by the next day, and I would have wasted them. So, looking up blackberry recipes on Martha Stewart Living online, I found a wonderful recipe that calls for a cornmeal crust, a jar of jam and some blackberries. Perfect. And I JUST happened to have the most perfect jar of blackberry jam in my pantry, made by my friends in Seattle, who have an entire acre, basically, of wild blackberry bushes beside their house. I think jams and preserves are one of those treats that should be enjoyed in season. It’s so much more satisfying to get a jar from the literal fruits of someone’s labor, than to just go pick up any ol’ flavor you want at the grocery store. I think eating this way is another way of naturally limiting one’s sugar intake. My friend, Brynn’s dad, makes this blackberry hybrid batch of jam each spring/early summer, and sometimes, there’s no fruit and we’re all sad, and sometimes there’s an abundance and I get one, coveted jar. This stuff is the most amazing jam I’ve ever eaten. So we wait, excitedly, all year for it. Tell me that’s not better for the soul than having exactly the flavor you want, any time of the year? Cook seasonally, bake seasonally, and natural moderation will follow.

My cousin, Kathleen, and her daughter, Hannah, stopped by earlier this week to pick up the disc from a senior session I did for Hannah. Hannah’s boyfriend was with them, too, and when I asked if they’d like a piece of the berry tart I’d just made that afternoon, this precious boy’s eyes lit up and he just said, “uhhhh.” All it takes is one in your group to say “yes” for you to feel comfortable to take a piece, as well! They all stayed and ate and chatted and kept Matt and me company as we started prep for our dinner. I was in my little piece of heaven. Just wish it happened more often. I don’t always have a piece of pie or tart or cookies, but I ALWAYS have coffee. Always. So stop by any time. You might get pie, if you’re lucky!

Blackberry Jam Tart*

For the crust: (I didn’t have enough butter, so I just halved the recipe. It makes two crusts, anyway, so it worked out! I’ll post the full, two-crust recipe. This recipe also uses a food processor, which is easier, but you don’t burn as many calories and you have a food processor to clean up. Sometimes I’d rather pull a muscle than have to clean gadgets)

2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Place the flour, cornmeal, salt and sugar in a bowl and whisk until combined. Add the butter and cut with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add a few tablespoons of water and continue cutting it into the mixture until the dough holds together when pressed between your fingers. Knead it inside the bowl about 10 times until it all holds together in a ball. Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap and press into a nice disc. Refrigerate for at least one hour, up to one day before using.

For the Tart:

AP flour, for surface rolling
half a jar (about one cup) of blackberry jam
12 ounces fresh blackberries (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup toasted, sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the crust into an 11 inch round (about 1/4 inch thick) on a floured surface. Press dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 10 inch springform pan. Trim the edges to come 1 inch up the sides using a paring knife. Use the trimmings to patch up any thin areas or holes in the crust bottom. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Prick the tart shell all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Immediately spread jam into the tart shell, top with blackberries, sprinkle with almonds and bake for 10 minutes more. Serve warm.

*adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Pizza Night!

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Alisa

We do pizza night nearly once a week. It’s kind of a weekend thing because Matt makes the dough the night before and we think up a new topping combination we haven’t tried, yet while flipping through magazines and cookbooks. It’s even better to have friends over, make individual pizzas and let everyone top their own. Matt has the crust down to an art. It’s perfect every time and trust me, he’s tried at least a half dozen different recipes and ways of doing the crust. He finally got the texture he was searching for: chewy, crispy, even in the very center under all the toppings and sauce, and great flavor. It’s honestly lacking nothing. And it makes us bitter when we go out for pizza, thinking, “Why didn’t we just make our own?”

We have Jim Lahey to thank, the pizza guru himself. His book, My Pizza, is forever bookmarked on the crust and sauces recipes. The recipe isn’t the only trick, though! We have a stone that we start heating up as soon as we begin prepping. We heat it as high as the oven will go – ours is 500 – and let it heat for at least 30 minutes. Then, right when we’re about to cook, we switch it to the high broil setting so that it cooks the top as fast as the stone cooks the bottom. I don’t trust my pizza peel skills, so I let Matt put them in the oven. (Self admitted wimp when it comes to this and frying things. I’m scared of lunging heat particles.)

You need never buy pizza sauce again in your life. If you do, you’re probably sacrificing flavor, money and freshness. The only thing it won’t save is time. But really, it doesn’t take that long and you get to squish tomatoes between your fingers. Always a bonus.

The topping combinations we came up with this week:

Sun Dried Tomato, Goat Cheese and Basil

Pea, Bacon and Mint with Bechemel Sauce (alfredo, basically)

Mexican Chorizo, Purple Potato, Queso Fresco and Fresh Corn (this was my idea and my favorite of the three, but chorizo is cheating because it makes everything delicious like bacon or butter. Three cheers for lymph nodes and salivary glands and such – I’m at least comforted that they don’t try to hide these ingredients from the list)

The best part of pizza night is that there’s no limit to your topping choices! We’ve done so many from buffalo chicken to dried cherries and sausage (a fav) and even Thai chicken. Get creative and get a pizza stone!

Pizza Dough:

500 grams all purpose flour
350 grams water
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp fine sea salt

In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and with a wooden spoon or your hands, mix thoroughly.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow it to rise at room temp for 18 hours or until it has more than doubled. it will take longer in a chilly room and less time in a very warm one.

Flour a work surface and scrape the dough out of the bowl. Divide it into 4 equal parts and shape them: For each portion, start with the right side of the dough and pull it toward the center; then do the same with the left, then the top, then the bottom. The order doesn’t actually matter; what you want is four folds. Shape each portion into a round and turn seam side down. Mold the dough into a neat circular mound. The mounds should not be sticky; if they are, dust with more flour.

If you don’t intend to use the dough right away, wrap the balls individually in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Return to room temp by leaving them out on the counter, covered in a damp cloth for 2 to 3 hours before needed.

Shape each ball into about an 8-9″ round (about 1/4″ thick). Put on a pizza peel (we have a wooden one and we dust it with cornmeal so that the dough slides off easily once topped) and top with a thin layer of desired sauce. We’ve used plain olive oil, pesto, bechemel, marinara, buffalo sauce, homemade ranch dressing, etc – possibilities are endless and should correspond with your toppings! One tip if you’re using a fresh mozzarella that might be watery is to sprinkle the top of the cheese with a little corn meal. It absorbs the extra moisture! Top your pizza as desired – maybe don’t go crazy because the weight makes it hard to get off the peel. If you’re using fresh herbs, put them on once your pizza comes out, unless you just want that charred effect. We cook our pizzas at a preheated 500F oven for exactly 5 minutes. Right before we put the pizzas in, we turn our oven to broil. Some of this may be trial and error depending on how your oven cooks (oh, for a wood-burning stove!) but that’s part of the fun of cooking – figure out what works!

Marinara Sauce that we use every time:

1 – 28oz. can whole tomatoes. We like San Marzano
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs red wine vinegar

Combine all ingredients and crush tomatoes with your hands, removing the tough stem ends of the tomatoes. Mix well. That’s it! 🙂

Creamy Rice with Peas and Asparagus

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Alisa

There is a beautiful quarterly cookbook/magazine called Canal House cooking. It is founded by two friends who meet together every day to talk about what they had for dinner the night before, and then they get cooking. They decided to start writing down their recipes and what resulted was this beautiful magazine book. I like to try recipes out that are in season, and so I am currently going through their Spring issue. And even though there aren’t a lot of fresh peas in our produce bins, I know that they are currently in season somewhere out there in lands where it rains, so I felt this was still an appropriate recipe for an overcast May day. Asparagus is also in season, so I added some chopped up that I had roasted a few nights before and it was a really excellent addition. Canal House calls this dish Risi E Bisi (rice and peas) and it’s just that simple.

This is an excellent dish for little ones. The comfort of soft rice and cheese and the addition of greens and a dab of butter makes this dish all-inclusive. For smaller, toothless ones, this would be so simple to pulse a few times with an immersion blender! Olive still doesn’t like asparagus, but I think I’ve only given it to her 5 times. I’m going to try at least 15 more times before I determine that she does not, in fact, love asparagus. I challenge any mom out there to do the same! Case in point: I had nearly determined that Olive didn’t like peas until I hadn’t given them to her for a week or so, and then tried again and she gobbled them up. I realized that familiarity equals good for a child. So if you make a wide variety of vegetables simply familiar to a child, the enthusiasm will soon follow. I believe this with all my heart, even on days where Olive spits out anything green. One day she won’t, and I’ll be glad I didn’t let her under-developed, under-exposed palate determine her food preferences!

Creamy Rice with Peas and Asparagus
serves 6

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
4 tbs butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cups fresh peas (you could also use frozen, as I did and it turned out great)
salt
6 cups hot chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups arborio rice, or other short grain rice. I didn’t have any on hand, so I used plain long grain white and it was just fine.
1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
pepper to taste
1 bunch asparagus, roasted at 400 with olive oil, salt and pepper until tender

Heat the olive oil and 2 tbs of the butter together in a heavy medium pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and golden, 5-10 minutes. Add the peas and season with salt. Cook for a minute or two, then add 1 cup of the hot stock.

Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the peas until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the rice and 4 cups of the remaining hot stock. Cover the pot and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil. Cook the rice, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and moisten the rice and peas (if needed and too thick) with the remaining cup of stock (I didn’t do this step – my rice didn’t absorb as much as arborio would have) Stir in the remaining 2 tbs of butter and half of the cheese. Fold in the chopped, roasted asparagus if you want. Season with salt and pepper and serve sprinkled with remaining cheese.

Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Alisa

This picture is of the cake resting on my toy kitchen that I had as a child. Mom and I looked up pics of me and my cousin, Tracy, playing with this kitchen when I was three and she was five. We were both wearing frilly dresses and prancing around the room with spoons in hand, creating recipes out of air and pretending it was delicious. Ah, nostalgia 🙂 Doesn’t seem that long ago…

It’s funny how you can also be nostalgic about something that wasn’t even your personal memory. My mom made this cake for my older brother and it was his favorite, but it became part of my food nostalgia anyway. I think that’s another wonderful thing about food – others’ enjoyment of it can create memories for you, whether you took part or not. I like remembering foods my brothers’ liked. Matt loved cherry cheesecake, Chad was more of a savory guy and really had a thing for mustard. I love both! And I love that when I went home for a speedy trip this week to visit my mom, that we made this cake together and remembered good times. Olive sat on the stove while Mom narrated my work to her as I made the cake. Mom used to make it while I would sit on the counter and talk to her and now she plays with my daughter while I make it. Life just doesn’t get sweeter than that.

Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese

3 cups sugar

1 tsp coconut flavor

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

6 eggs

3 cups flour

a pinch of salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup bakers coconut

Preheat oven to only 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10″ tube pan or bundt pan. Cream butter, shortening and cream cheese together in a large bowl. Gradually add the sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Stir in coconut flavoring and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder and add to batter. Stir just until blended. Fold in the coconut. Pour the batter into a prepared tube pan or bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Remove cake from the pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

This cake is dense and rich. Don’t worry too much about the sugar content. It’s not an iced cake, anyway! Just imagine the sugar you wouldn’t bat an eye at putting into the frosting of a regular cake and instead, put it into the batter 🙂 And if you haven’t gotten the hint that weekends are for feasting and not for guilt, I fear you never will! Happy Eating!

The Ultimate Meatball and Taking Food to a Friend

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Alisa

We’ve been on the receiving end of food donations twice in our life and both times, we were touched by others’ thoughtfulness, great recipes and the comfort that was passed to us through the dishes they made. It takes a bit of humbling to bring food to someone who can’t cook for themselves, or simply don’t want to or don’t have the time. You worry if they’ll like what you made. You worry if they will critique the preparation or that you brought store-bought cookies instead of homemade. If I could only convince you that anything you bring is wonderful and welcome, I would. If they can’t eat it right away or they have duplicates, they can freeze what you brought! To worry too much about what to bring, or to worry the recipient about what you brought, shifts the focus off the deserving and on to you. Keep the focus where it belongs, ask if they have any requests or food allergies, and get cooking! Homemade is always nice, but I will admit, I did not turn away store-bought cookies, chocolate or coffee! 🙂

My wonderful, life-long friend, Summer, had her second baby almost two weeks ago. A beautiful, darling girl! I immediately began to think of what I would bring for Summer and Phil to eat. Summer is my food buddy. I trust her cooking as much as my own. Her sense of taste is far beyond most people, almost to a fault. We used to live together in college, and I think one of our first food-bonding moments was throwing chicken patties off the balcony of our apartment because they were just so disgusting. They were pre-cooked, breaded chicken patties and they tasted like…gray. Or sweat. It wasn’t good. We both were actually offended. How could you screw up a breaded piece of chicken, and worse, sell it to poor college students?! In our act of defiance against badly cooked food, we became unofficial food critics in our own right. We were each other’s taste-testers. A favorite game throughout our friendship is Guess the Ingredient! in which we excitedly wait while the other tastes and see if they guess right. I love that no matter what time of day, I can text Summer a description of something I made or want to make, and she will react with an appropriate amount of shock, enthusiasm and awe.

We joke that Summer always says her FAVORITE thing in the ENTIRE world is whatever I last cooked for her. True to the accusation, I asked if she had any requests for what I could bring for them, and she requested the last meal I made for her, which was the BEST meatball recipe I’ve ever run across. It’s tough to get a meatball right. They can be too dry or too mealy or rubbery from being over cooked, or simply too greasy. This recipe is perfect. And even more perfect, it came to me via fashion designer, Michael Kors in his appearance on Martha Stewart Living. So they’re both delicious AND fashionable. Win-win.

The secret ingredient to these meatballs is the water. Smooshing all these ingredients together, especially with the water, is not for the faint of heart. My mother would die a thousand deaths before making this recipe. She has a thing with texture. However, I like playing with my food, so it’s rather enjoyable for me. The meat mixture is very delicate, so be gentle as you turn them while cooking. I usually use two spatulas to help me turn them without smashing them apart. Getting a good crust on each side is key. Then, there will still be a slight crust, even after they’ve stewed in the sauce for a while. Oh, and serving this with spaghetti is up to you. It’s not tradition – the Italians eat their meatballs in a bowl with crusty bread. But, the recipe makes enough sauce that even after we finish up the meatballs, I have plenty of sauce left to toss with noodles the next day. Olive absolutely adores these. She ate two, 3 inch meatballs by herself before slowing down. They are so soft, you could easily smash it up for a little one. And they get better the next day!

Frankie’s Meatballs in Rao’s Marinara Sauce

1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 1/2 cloves garlic
2 large eggs
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups plain dry bread crumbs
2 cups water, room temperature
1 cup olive oil

In a large bowl, combine beef and pork using your hands. Mince 1/2 clove garlic and add to meat mixture along with the eggs, cheese, and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Continue mixing with your hand until well combined. Add bread crumbs and mix well. Add water, 1 cup at a time, and continue mixing until mixture is quite moist.
Shape mixture into 2 1/2-to-3-inch balls. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Smash remaining clove of garlic with the back of a knife and add to skillet. Cook until lightly browned and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon and discard. Working in batches, add meatballs to skillet. Cook until browned and cooked through, turning, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.
Meanwhile, bring marinara sauce to a boil in a large nonreactive saucepan. Reduce heat to a simmer and add meatball. Let meatballs cook in sauce about 20 minutes; serve immediately with pasta, if desired.

Rao’s Marinara Sauce
Makes 7 cups

Four 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes with basil, preferably San Marzano
1/2 cup olive oil
6 tablespoons minced onion
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
12 leaves fresh basil, torn (optional)
Pinch of dried oregano

Remove tomatoes from can and place in a large bowl, reserving juices. Crush tomatoes using your hands; remove and discard the hard core from stem end, and any skin and tough membrane; set aside. (Wear an apron and keep your hand submerged as you crush. This is messy business, but kind of therapeutic .)
Place oil in a large, nonreactive saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, and cook until soft and just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, and cook until softened, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and reserved juices; season with salt. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 hour.
Stir in basil, if using, oregano, and season with pepper; continue cooking 1 minute more. Remove from heat and serve.

*Recipes taken directly from Martha Stewart Living. They can not be improved upon.

Thai Basil Whatever

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Alisa

I wanted to share with you a recipe I’ve been making for years. Matt and I cooked a lot of Thai food in the first few years we were married. Matt had a version of this dish while living in Nashville at a place that served Chinese food, but had Thai posters all over their walls. So Matt asked one day if they would make him some Thai food and the guy excitedly made a chopped chicken dish with Thai basil and hot Thai chilies. Matt was hooked. We love the flavors of fish sauce, soy sauce, the heat of peppers and the sweetness of basil that this dish brings. It’s a wonderful mix of sweet/sour/spicy. Over the years, we’ve lost the original recipe we first referenced and so this is legitimately a Palmer original.

Again – don’t be afraid of fish sauce. It’s completely essential to the flavor balance of this dish. If you can’t find Thai basil, regular Italian basil works just fine. I’ve used ground pork, chicken and turkey, as well as hand chopped chicken thighs (so good), but my go-to is ground turkey. Don’t leave off the fried egg!

Thai Basil Turkey
serves 4

1lb ground chicken, turkey or pork
3 tbs peanut oil or canola oil
1 medium white onion, chopped fine
6 cloves garlic, chopped
4 or 5 seeded jalapenos, diced (or Thai chilies, or whatever kind of pepper/heat level you want)
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

This recipe goes quicker if you use a large wok over really high heat. If you don’t have a wok, use the largest stainless steal skillet, or cast iron skillet you have. Heat the oil over medium high heat till it shimmers. Add in the onion and stir a few times till they soften. Working quickly, stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in your ground meat and jalapenos and stir until meat is cooked through. If you want more heat, stir in your chilies closer to the end of cooking. When the meat has cooked through, toss in the fish and soy sauce and stir to coat. Remove the pan from heat, stir in the chopped basil and cover to keep warm. In a non-stick skillet, fry a couple eggs in peanut oil, and a splash of soy sauce and serve on top.

I typically serve this over about a half cup of rice. I’m not going to tell you how to cook rice.

Grown-Up Sticky Buns

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Alisa

I decided to tackle a Pinterest recipe yesterday. It had been sitting there on my Recipes board, looking amazing, yet going unmade and uneaten. (Also known as every pin on Pinterest)

The Butterscotch Spiral Coffee Cake was intriguing and beautiful and I loved how the original baker created one gigantic cinnamon roll effect. I loved it so much that I didn’t do it that way. I knew without a doubt, that mine would not look the same, I’d cut it wrong, placing it wrong, and get frustrated and end up drinking the whiskey instead of adding it to the caramel sauce. So I decided I’d make a crowded pan of cinnamon rolls, call them sticky buns, and be happy!

I had a really great time making this recipe. Matt is usually the one who bakes, but when I do, I really enjoy kneading the dough, working with it to form it into something pretty. I love clearing off a huge space on our counter to roll out the dough. Makes me think of my mom making biscuits. There’s something so wonderful about baking that instantly connects you to bakers from centuries past, who had flour on their bellies from leaning against the counter too far, and a happy heart from their necessary taste-testing.

I used my antique coffee grinder

to grind the cardamom pods because we have a spice grinder, but it’s forever known as Cumin Grinder because once you grind cumin seeds, congratulations, you now have an exclusive cumin grinder. If you grind anything else, it will have a faint whiff of cumin, or B.O. (also known as cumin). I don’t know why we eat a spice that smells like B.O. I’ll chalk it up to things that taste delicious but smell horrible. Like cheese. Oh, cheese, you stinky wonder…

The caramel sauce called for a teaspoon of whiskey. My first thought was, “that’s not enough – just one teaspoon?” but when I gave Matt a taste, wanting him to identify the mystery ingredient, it took him a half second to shout, “You put whiskey in the caramel?!” Yes, and not just any whiskey, but his Laphroaig 10 Year Smoke Bomb whiskey. (Not its official name) And even though there was only one teaspoon, it was obvious! I also added a generous sprinkling of kosher salt, because I feel strongly that when something calls for brown sugar, butter AND corn syrup, you’ve GOT to add a bit of salt. Everything sweet needs balance and caramel is definitely one of those things! I also forgot to add butterscotch chips, like she did, but they were still amazing. The dough has so much flavor, that you almost don’t need the extra sweetness. However, I think adding the chips would be a great addition.

My crowded cinnamon roll approach kinda worked and kinda didn’t. When they baked they BURST up out of the pan in a sprawling fashion. No fuss – I just smooshed them back down before inverting them on a plate.

If you want to do the gigantic cinnamon roll swirl like the super cool blogger/baker lady did, go for it! I know my weaknesses and copying a recipe word for word is one of them. If you make it look different, you won’t be sad when it does. (Make sense?)

These are AWESOME, by the way. Like Monkey Bread for grown-ups. Sweet, buttery, sticky and with a hint of smoke. Pretty amazing.

Grown-Up Sticky Buns*

For the Dough

2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cup AP flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup whole milk

1/4 cup (2-ounces) unsalted butter

1/4 cup water

2 extra large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Butterscotch Glaze

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup (2-ounces) unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon Scotch whisky
1/2 tsp kosher salt

For the Cinnamon-Butter Filling

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons (1-ounce) unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup butterscotch chips, chopped (I forgot this step)

For the Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast, salt, cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon. In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the milk and butter just until the butter melts. Add the water and set aside until warm (120º F-130º F), about 1 minute. Pour the milk mixture over the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after addition. Add the vanilla. Add 1/2 cup more flour and continue to mix on low speed until smooth, about 30-45 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons of additional flour and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth, but slightly sticky. Sprinkle the work surface with flour, and knead the dough gently until it is smooth and no longer sticky, adding an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour if needed. Place the dough in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about an hour.

For the Butterscotch Glaze

Meanwhile, lightly coat a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan with non-stick spray. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the sugar, butter, and corn syrup and heat until the butter is completely melted. Sprinkle in the salt, stir to dissolve and taste test. Does it taste like butterscotch? Good! Not yet? Add more salt! Remove from the heat and stir in the whiskey. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and tilt the pan to cover the bottom evenly; set aside.

For the Cinnamon-Butter Filling

In a small bowl, stir together the butter and cinnamon. Don’t forget to chop up the butterscotch chips that you went to the store, specifically to buy.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350º F. Gently de-gas the dough by pressing lightly. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a 16 x 12-inch rectangle. Using a pastry brush, spread the cinnamon-butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with the chopped chips. Roll the dough up, length-wise, and cut into 1″ rolls and place side by side. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the cake rise in a warm place until it is almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Bake the cake until the top is deep golden brown, about 35 minutes. Check after 20 minutes to make sure the top is not browning too fast. If so, cover the top loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil for the last 10-15 minutes to prevent over browning. Transfer to a wire rack (remove the foil if used) and let cool for 10 minutes.

Gently tilt the pan and tap the side on a counter to release the sides of the cake. Invert a serving platter on top of the cake, then invert the pan and the plate. Leave the pan on the cake for 1 minute so the glaze transfers to the cake, then gently lift off the pan. Using a rubber spatula, scrape out any glaze remaining in the pan and spread it over the warm surface of the coffee cake. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature with a cup of coffee and a friend. This is an adult dessert – enjoy being one and let the kids marvel at the mystery 🙂

*recipe adapted from The Galley Gourmet

Cooking from a Food Memory

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Alisa

The first time I went down to Tulsa, Oklahoma to meet Matt in person, we ate this dish together with his family at a restaurant called Carrabba’s. (We met via instant messenger, after a dear friend of mine, who was talking to both of us at the same time said, “Here, you guys talk to each other, you’re telling me about the same band” (Jurassic 5) and after talking that day, we talked every day, increasing in hours logged (we had only land lines way back in 2003 and ran through multiple calling cards each week.) 6 months later we were engaged, and a year after that, we got married. We’ve been eating good meals together ever since. Aww)

Matt ordered the Chicken Bryan and we both marveled at the melty goat cheese and sun dried tomato mix that was tangy and sweet. A revelation! Since that day, I’ve tried to recreate it multiple times, but I never can quite replicate it. (Not enough butter?)

This week, I tried again and I’m slowly getting closer. It’s such a good dish, and as I look at their online menu, it says they drizzle a basil lemon butter sauce on top. Ah. That might help. Will try again next time! I happily used up the rest of my goat cheese and even made a mini portion on a bread and butter China plate for Olive, just so she’d feel fancy, too. (I think it worked, as she made some of the chicken into a hat near the end of the meal.)

As a side, I made the creamed spinach and basil recipe from a few weeks ago, and put a scoop inside squares of puff pastry, baked it, and although they didn’t stay together in the neat little pouches I folded, they were still amazingly good and a perfect side for this dish.

Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Basil
serves 4 to 6

1 lb chicken tenderloins
Salt and pepper
4 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, sliced in half
8-12 basil leaves
1 shallot, diced small (1/4 cup – you can use an onion if that’s what you have on hand)
1/4 cup white wine or chicken stock
4 oz goat cheese

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season each side with kosher salt and pepper. Heat olive oil (go two tablespoons at a time) over medium heat until shimmering and cook the chicken strips in batches, not over crowding the pan, or they won’t get a good sear. Chicken strips don’t take long to cook, maybe 1-2 minutes per side. Let the strips sit on a plate, covered in foil to keep warm until ready to plate. In your empty skillet, add the diced shallot and saute until golden. Then, add in a splash of wine or chicken stock, scraping up the browned chicken bits and then add a tablespoon of butter to make a pan sauce. Set your sauce off the burner so it won’t continue to reduce.

Put your chopped sun dried tomatoes in a saucepan with a quarter cup of water and let it simmer to re-hydrate a bit. Assemble the chicken, two strips per plate, with a sprinkling of sun dried tomatoes, a basil leaf or two, and a slice of goat cheese. Place the plates under the broiler until the cheese melts. Drizzle your reserved sauce over the cheese and serve!

Pasta Carbonara – tried and true recipes

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Alisa

I’m going back to some basics this week. I’ve exhausted myself on trying something new nearly every single day for two months. Time for some repeats! I have made some form of pasta carbonara on a regular basis since Matt and I were first married, 8 years ago. Carbonara is one of those dishes that you can nearly always make, even when you don’t think you have anything in the fridge for dinner. (Hello, Monday dilemma) Nearly everyone has some form of pasta on hand. Carbonara is traditionally made with spaghetti, but it can really be just fine with any kind of dried pasta you have on hand. Also – most people have bacon either in the fridge or freezer. The sauce for this dish comes from cheese and egg yolks – that’s it! And if you’re wanting something extra tossed in, try frozen peas or corn or lima beans – any kind of random bag of frozen veg you have in the freezer that has been labeled “too little for a side dish, too much to throw away”

I love the comfort of this dish – I love the simplicity and I love that in about 25 minutes, I can have a dish on the table that makes everyone feel good. The little darlin’ loved it, too.

Good for little fingers is any kind of smaller pasta such as rigatoni, fusilli, macaroni, or these cute little corkscrew shapes (which I think are just un-trimmed macaroni) really – whatever you think your toddler can grab or stab with a fork – go for it!

Pasta Carbonara
serves 2.5 (two big people and one little person) or 4 as a side dish

8 ounces dried pasta, cooked al dente (maybe cook a little longer for the baby if they don’t have more than 8 teeth, like mine)
4 strips of bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, diced small
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup frozen peas (or other vegetable of your choice)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 egg yolks

1. Salt your pasta water. I usually put about 1/4 cup of salt into a large pot of water (at least a half gallon of water.) EEEEEEEK, SALT! Here’s the thing: it flavors your pasta. You don’t have to salt the dish upon completion because you salted along the way. Just enough salt gets absorbed into the pasta and it’s perfect. The noodles could be eaten on their own. Try it next time. And if you’re still worried, just look at how much sodium is in the powdered cheese on your blue box mac and cheese.

2. Bring the water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta till al dente, or a little over for the little mouths that will be eating. Reserve a cup of pasta water and then drain your pasta, rinse and set aside.

3. Cook the bacon strips in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Reserve on a paper towel and drain all but a tablespoon of the oil from the pan. Toss in your onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until translucent. Add in your frozen vegetables and pasta and a splash of the pasta water and stir until combined.

4. Remove the pan from the burner and while stirring constantly, add the egg yolks and cheese. Stir stir stir stir as to not get scrambled eggs. The heat from the pasta will cook your yolks and they will combine with the cheese to make a sauce. If the pasta looks a bit too dry, add more of your reserved water and stir to combine. Pasta water is starchy and salty and PERFECT for making a pasta sauce.

5. Fold in the bacon, garnish with more cheese, if desired, and serve with a crusty piece of buttered bread.

6. And a glass of Malbec for the big people.

Enjoy!

The Family Meal

we eat together

Bread: Guest post from Matt Palmer, a.k.a. The Bread Man

Blackberry Jam Tart – I get pie with a little help from my friends…

Pizza Night!

Creamy Rice with Peas and Asparagus

Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake

The Ultimate Meatball and Taking Food to a Friend

Thai Basil Whatever

Grown-Up Sticky Buns

Cooking from a Food Memory

Pasta Carbonara – tried and true recipes

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