Adventures in Baking #1: No-Knead Honey Bread

I have decided that I would like to focus on two things this calendar year that need much improvement: my baking and my gardening. Both inspired by a dear friend, the first project I've tackled was a no-knead bread. The recipe comes from this month's Better Homes and Gardens, and it took all day long to accomplish. Lots of chilling, rising, waiting, and baking. In the end, I was left with two small and not significantly risen loaves that didn't turn out too badly. The consistency was certainly more country-style as opposed to a French or Italian loaf. But I enjoyed it both on its own and with a slathering of some leftover (albeit not yet fully set) orange marmalade which I made this morning.

You need:

3/4 c. warm water
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/3 milk
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. butter or olive oil (I used butter)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 3/4 c. all purpose flour
cornmeal
1 egg white
2 tsp. water
fresh herbs of choice (I used sage because it's what I had on hand)

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the 3/4 c water and yeast. Let stand five minutes. In a small saucepan, heat and stir the milk, honey, butter, and salt until just warm and butter almost melts. Stir milk mixture into yeast mixture. Stir in flour. Lightly coat a medium bowl with nonstick cooking spray and transfer dough to the bowl. Lightly coat a sheet of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray and cover bowl. Chill for four hours. Turn out dough onto a floured surface. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes. Grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Shape dough into an oval loaf, lightly flouring dough. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set on the middle rack of an unheated oven. Place a bowl of warm water on the lower wrack. Let rise until doubled in size, about an hour. Remove loaf from oven and remove towel. Preheat oven to 400. In a small bowl, whisk egg white and 2 tsp. water. Brush over loaf. Place herbs of choice onto the top of the bread and brush with egg white mixture. Bake for 23 minutes. Check to be sure that thermometer reads 200 degrees. Remove from baking sheet and let cool on wire rack.

Easy Shortbread

My favorite part of the weekend is preparing our "weekly," a baked good that sits delightfully stacked  in our domed cake platter and serves as Sunday's dessert, weekday treats, and special snacking. The kids knew I was making marmalade today, and because there is always a little left over that tastes just as amazing loose and gooey (before it really sets), I decided to make a shortbread that, with a little warm marmalade and a scoop of ice cream, will make an amazing Sunday treat, with plenty of cookies left over for the week. This recipe only makes enough for a thin cookie in a 9x9 pan, so if you wish for more, double or triple the recipe.

You need:

3/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 c. flour

Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the sugar and vanilla. Work in the flour. Knead the dough on an unfloured board until smooth. Press dough into greased pan. Prick the surface with a fork. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for ten minute. Loosen the edges with a knife and invert onto a cutting board. Cut into serving pieces while still warm.

Sauerkraut

Cabbage is a tricky addition to a produce box. It requires me to get creative in my recipe selection, because my children will often rebel against its existence. However, I've got a great beef stir fry that they both go crazy for without even realizing it calls for half a head of savoy cabbage. The problem is what to do with the second half of the head. Enter sauerkraut.

This recipe is ridiculously easy to follow, as long as you are willing to commit to the days of work to prepare the fermentation process. I'm attaching the link to the blog I follow that has the easiest methods for fermenting your own kraut.

http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2014/08/simple-sauerkraut-recipe-a-favour/

Orange Pickled Beets

I get giddy when beets show up in our produce box. I love to eat them baked, roasted, boiled, and pickled. With so much going on in the oven today, I decided to pickle them in an orange-infused brine. The recipe below is for a beet bounty. I had only eight lovely beets in the box this month, so I halved the recipe and it worked perfectly. The leftover blue cheese and candied pecans I have in the refrigerator should do nicely to accompany these beets.

You need: 

20 fresh beets, tops removed
3/4 cup distilled vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 whole cloves
1 4-inch cinnamon stick
Peel of 1 large navel orange
1/2 cup orange juice

Place the beets in a stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and simmer for forty minutes or until fork tender. Meanwhile, prepare pickling syrup. In 1-quart saucepan, heat vinegar, sugar, water, salt, cloves, cinnamon stick, and orange peel to boiling over high heat, stirring once to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Remove and discard cloves, cinnamon, and orange peel. Stir orange juice into mixture and heat to simmering. Meanwhile, wash and rinse one 1-quart or two 1-pint jars and their caps. Drain beets, then rinse with cold water. Cool beets until easy to handle. Peel beets and pack into jars.  Add pickling syrup to cover beets. Cover jar and refrigerate at least 1 week before serving. They'll keep at least 4 weeks from bottling time.

Orange Marmalade

I love orange marmalade.

With a fervor only matched by Paddington himself, I could eat orange marmalade every day. Surprisingly, I've never made it. I've been canning and preserving for years, but I've never gotten around to marmalade. Last year, I was excited to see my favorite local food shop offer a course in making marmalade. It was a hands on instructional course, and each of us went home with our very own half pint of that golden goodness. 

Fast forward 11 months. I still never got around to making marmalade. Until today. Each month, from November to April, when our vegetable and fruit shares have ended, we order from that shop a produce box of local fruits and vegetables that have been kept in storage and are perfect for that time of year. Yesterday, we picked up our January box, filled with winter delights and delicious citrus. It was time to make marmalade. 

You need:

equipment - 

boiling water canner

eight 1/2 pint jars or four pint jars

new lids and screw bands

jar lifter, magnet, and wide-mouth funnel

ingredients:

 eight medium oranges

two medium lemons

2 1/2 c. water

1/8 tsp. baking soda

four cups sugar, divided into 1/4 c. and 3 3/4 c.

1 box sure-jell no sugar needed pectin

Prep jars and lids according to canning rules. Remove peel from oranges and lemons using a vegetable peeler. Finely chop or grind removed peel into thin silvers and set aside. Peel and scared remaining white part of peel from fruit. Chop fruit and reserve juice. Set aside. Place fruit peels, water, and baking soda in a large stock pot. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add reserved fruit and juice. Cover and simmer an additional ten minutes. Mix 1/4 c. sugar and pectin in a small bowl. Add to the fruit in the stockpot, mix well, and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining sugar, return to full rolling boil, and boil exactly one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Ladle into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe rims and threads, cover with lids and screw bands tightly. Place jars on rack in canner. Cover, bring to boil, and process 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on clean towel to cool completely. Check seals. Allow one week to set completely. 

Creamy Chicken Soup with Baby Peas and Carrots

Last night, we were invited to join friends for a game night, bookended with a feast of delicacies made by a host of impeccable cooking skills. With a new sitter on the way, we needed to make sure that we could have the kids fed, bathed, and ready before she got here. It was cold enough to prompt me to consider soup, so I went back into my binders and came across this recipe, one I had clipped years ago, pre-children, when I still subscribed to Food + Wine and actually cooked those recipes often. I had never made it, most likely under the assumption that it would be laborious. However, I was surprised to see how easy it was and how delicious it turned out. The original recipe called for a rotisserie chicken, which is always a possibility. However, I cannot stand the process of stripping a rotisserie chicken of its meat. There was also an incredible deal on chicken breasts this week at my favorite meat shop, so I decided to used cooked chicken as the foundation for a few meals for the upcoming week. Before I started the soup, I roasted a few breasts in the oven, chopping up one for this soup. Whichever works best for you will work for this soup. I also loved the idea of thickening the soup with a hearty bread, pureed with the stock and cream. I had a quarter of a loaf of my favorite bread in the world (thank you, Dave) that was leaving its time as toasting bread, so I took advantage of its age and chopped it right up!

You need:

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 lg. carrots, peeled and sliced very thin (I used a mandolin)
1 leek, halved lengthwise and thinly slices
3 c. cooked chicken
1/2 tsp. mild curry powder
4 c. chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
3 oz crustless peasant bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 c. half and half
1 c. frozen peas
1 tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the carrots and leeks and cook over moderate heat until slightly softened, about four minutes, stirring often. Add the curry powder (and dark meat of the chicken if you are using a rotisserie chicken) and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add three cups of the stock and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over moderate heat until the vegetables are tender, about five minutes. Meanwhile, in a blender, puree the bread, remaining one cup of stock, and half and half. Stir the puree into the soup along with the peas and simmer over low heat until thickened, about eight minutes. Add the chicken and heat through, about three minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve hot with a crusty roll or a slice of bread (preferably from a friend who makes incredible bread.)

Butternut-Apple Soup

It was my turn for soup again, so I brought this light but filling dish into school last week. With the right additions to add a little creaminess and crunch, it made for a hearty enough lunch to keep us all full on a cold return to work on January 4th (the building was freezing!) The recipe serves four, so I quadrupled it for soup club and a friend's lunch. 

You need:

1 large butternut squash

1 large, tart apple, peeled, cored, and halved

1 large onion, halved

4 c. unsalted or low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (I used vegetable)

1 tbsp. mild curry powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 c. plain, low-far yogurt

1 tbsp. cilantro

2 tbsp. roasted pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the squash, apple, and onion cut side down on a parchment lined baking dish. Roast for 30 minutes. Transfer the apple and onion to a blender. Return the squash to the oven for another 15-30 minutes or until tender. Let cool. Scoop the flesh from the squash and add to the apple and onion. Add 2 c. of the broth, the curry powder, and the salt. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan. Add the remaining broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for ten minutes, covered. Serve topped with a little yogurt, cilantro, and pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!

Please note: You can also skip the blender part if you have a rockin' immersion blender. Put the squash flesh, apple, onion, broth, curry powder, and salt into your saucepan. Blend with immersion blender. Continue with the simmering bit.