Bran-Encrusted Levain Bread

This bran-encrusted levain bread brings together the whole grain, but reconstructed. This is a hybrid leavened dough, with a combination of sourdough starter (levain) and a small amount of yeast in the final dough.

Raspberry Fudge Sandwich Cookies

You know how the top of a batch of brownies gets all crackly? The cookies for these raspberry fudge sandwich cookies do just that.

Barbecue Beef Sliders

These barbecue beef sliders are so easy to make and the beef makes excellent leftovers.

The beef is braised for about three hours in barbecue sauce, shredded, and then piled onto slider sized buns (I used these rolls and they were excellent with this beef).  This recipe makes about 24 mini sandwiches.

The beef can be made a day in advance and reheated for serving.

Barbecue Beef Sliders

Ingredients

1 T olive oil

2 medium onions, roughly chopped

1 28 ounce whole tomatoes

1 18 ounce bottle of barbecue sauce (I used Bulls Eye)

3 pound chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat

Pepper

24 slider buns

Instructions

1. In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and saute about five minutes on medium.
2. Add the tomatoes and break them up in the pot. Pour in the barbecue sauce and simmer on medium for 10 minutes. 
3. Add the beef, cover, and simmer on low, stirring every once in awhile, for about 3 hours. 
4. Remove the meat from the dutch oven and shred it into small pieces with two forks, discarding any extra fat. Cover with foil and set it aside.
5. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce it until thick, stirring regularly. 
6. Once the sauce has thickened, add the beef back into the sauce and heat on low until the beef is thoroughly warmed. Add pepper to taste. 
7. Serve on slider buns. 

One of my all-time favorite food blogs is Simply Recipes by Elise Bauer. Each post is simply that... a short narrative, a recipe, and usually one gorgeous photo of the finished dish. I am amazed at how regularly she posts new recipes and I've never been disappointed with any of the ones that I have tried. This recipe has been slightly adapted from Simply Recipes.

Pain au Levain (Sourdough) with Caramelized Onions

Pain au Levain is made with a sourdough starter rather than cultivated yeasts. It takes longer to make because the starter works more slowly, but the result is a much more flavorful bread.

One of my favorite foods is caramelized onions. I love them. Pissaladiere... French onion soup... on burgers...  caramelized onion jam... onion and goat cheese tarts... and this bread.

This flour is a combination of 2/3 bread flour and 1/3 whole wheat flour. The water to flour ratio is about 62% but likely increases with the addition of the caramelized onions.

The crust is thin and crisp, and the bread is slightly sweet from the onions. As my friend David (who gave me this formula) suggested, the bread makes amazing grilled cheese sandwiches.  The aroma of the caramelized onions in the bread is wonderful.

Pain au Levain (Sourdough) with Caramelized Onions

Ingredients

Levain

227 g bread flour
227 g water
45 g sourdough starter

Caramelized Onions

1 large onion (I used a sweet onion)
1 T olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp sugar

Final dough

372 g water
454 g levain
457 g bread flour
228 g whole wheat
17 g salt
Caramelized onions

Instructions

1. About 8 to 10 hours before mixing the dough, mix the levain ingredients and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature. 
   
2. Coarsely chop the onion. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet, add the onion, salt, pepper, and sugar. Saute the onions on medium low, stirring regularly, until lightly browned, but still very soft. Let cool. 
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the levain and the water with a spoon to break up the levain. Add the flour and mix on low until the flour and water are mixed, about a minute. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes. 
4. Sprinkle the salt over the dough and mix on low with the dough hook for three minutes. Mix on the second speed for 3 more minutes, adding the onions during the last minute. 
5. Place the dough in an oiled bowl or dough rising bucket and allow to rise for 2 1/4 hours, with two stretch and folds at 45 minute intervals. 
6. Divide the dough in half and pre-shape it into boules. Cover with plastic wrap to rest for 15 minutes. 
7. Flour two 9-inch bannetons, brotforms, or towel lined bowls. (I use a combination of wheat and rice flour to prevent sticking)
8. Shape the dough into boules and place them into the baskets/bowls, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 2 hours. 
9. Preheat the oven with a baking stone to 450 degrees F and prepare it for steam (see this post). 
10. Bake the loaves for about 40 minutes, until they reach an interior temperature of about 200 to 205 degrees F. 
11. Cool on a rack before slicing. 

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The Tanjeen Negroni

This Tanjeen Negroni is different from the traditional Negroni, in that it substitutes the red vermouth with the juice of of a tangerine. For this cocktail, I substituted the juice of a tangelo.

Don't let the pretty color fool you into thinking that this is a girlie drink. While Campari is in the liqueur family, it is quite bitter, flavored by herbs, fruits, spices, and other botanicals. According to the Williams Sonoma Bar Guide, Campari is "considered an acquired taste." In Milan, where it was introduced, it is said that you must drink it three times before you enjoy it.

This cocktail is, for those of us who like crisp and somewhat bitter aperitifs, amazing and refreshing.

The Tanjeen Negroni

Ingredients

2 ounces gin

1/2 ounce Campari

The juice of one tangelo or one tangerine

Thin slice of tangerine or a twist for garnish

Instructions

1. Pour all of the ingredients into an ice filled glass or shaker and stir or shake for about a minute. 
2. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish. 

Cheers!

This recipe is from The Best Craft Cocktails & Bartending with Flair: An Incredible Collection of Extraordinary Drinks.The book is by Jeremy LeBlanc, lead bartender at Altitude Sky Lounge in the San Diego Gas Lamp. According to the book, the bar is listed by Conde Nast as one of the top ten roof top bars in the world. The cocktails in this book are one-of-a-kind, and the photographs are gorgeous. 

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher without obligation. 

Tuscan Coffeecake

This Tuscan coffeecake was developed by PJ Hamel (of King Arthur Flour fame) after visiting an Italian bakery in Vermont. As she describes it, it was "Italian-Italian, not American-Italian."

While this is called a coffeecake, it is actually a yeasted bread filled with fruit, nuts, and lightly enriched with a bit of sugar and butter.. but not too much. It is brushed with a vanilla sugar mixture prior to baking to give it a nice crunchy glaze. It's reminiscent of panettone, without all of the fuss.

Only issue? How to evenly distribute the fruit throughout the loaf when shaping. I'll have to work on that.

Knowing that certain members of my family who shall remain nameless would probably not like the walnuts included in the original recipe, I substituted chopped dried apricots. I also substituted dried cherries for the dates called for in the original recipe. In addition, I added 1/8 tsp of Fiori de Sicilia, an Italian flavoring that combines the flavors and scents of vanilla and citrus.

Keep in mind that you will need to make the starter the night before making the bread. It can sit out on your counter for several hours to get bubbly and develop flavor. It's super easy so don't let the word "starter" stop you from trying this delicious bread.

This bread was chosen for the Avid Bakers Challenge for February. Each month, we are baking a recipe from the King Arthur Flour website. To see how other bakers fared, check out the Avid Bakers Challenge page. You'll find lots of delicious looking variations.

Tuscan Coffee Cake

Ingredients

Starter

1 cup / 4.25 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or European-Style Flour (I used the European style)
1/2 cup cool water
1/16 teaspoon instant yeast

Final Dough

All of the starter
2/3 cup water
2 3/4 cups / 11.7 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or European-Style Flour
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 large egg
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/8 tsp Fiori de Sicilia, optional

Add Ins

1 cup dried apricots, chopped
3/4 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup dried cherries, soaked in hot water and then drained

Glaze

2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon water

Instructions

1. Mix the starter ingredients in a one quart bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to sit overnight, until bubbly.
2. Mix all of the dough ingredients in a stand mixer or bread machine until smooth, about 7 minutes. 
3. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for about an hour (if your kitchen is really cold, you should let it rise longer). If it doesn't completely double, that's okay. 
4. Knead the fruit into the dough, and shape it into a ball. Place the ball into an oiled 9 inch cake pan and flatten it a bit, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to rise for about 30 minutes. It should just crest over the top of the pan (the loaf will rise even more in the oven). 
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Mix the glaze ingredients and brush the top of the loaf with the mixture. 
7. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden and the interior of the loaf reaches 190 degrees F. 
8. Allow it to cool in the pan for five minutes. Remove it from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. 

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Sichuan Pork with Peppers and Peanuts | Wok Wednesdays

The recipe for this Sichuan pork with peppers and peanuts is from Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge by Grace Young, the James Beard award winning cookbook filled with amazing stir-fry dishes.

This pork stir-fry calls for ingredients that are fairly easy to find, and because I have been participating in Wok Wednesdays, I actually had all of the ingredients on hand, with the exception of the pork, bell peppers, and the peanuts. Yes, I have a jar of chili bean sauce. In fact, I've been so in love with making the dishes from this book that I've taken over a couple of shelves in our refrigerator with ingredients.

Even better, this dish is super easy to make on a weeknight.

This recipe consists of pork, red bell peppers, and peanuts flavored with lots of garlic, red onion, soy sauce, Shao Hsing rice wine, white pepper, chili bean sauce, and Chinkiang or balsamic vinegar. After the initial prep, it takes about five minutes to make.

Verdict? One of my favorites from the book. Totally dinner party worthy. How does Grace do it?

The recipe (although doubled in volume) can be found on the NPR website. Even better, get the book. It's full of all kinds of information about cooking with a wok. I'm totally hooked.

Chorizo Kale and Chicken Stuffed Poblanos

These decadent and cheesy chorizo, kale, and chicken stuffed poblanos are from a new cookbook, Stuffed: The Ultimate Comfort Food Cookbook by Dan Whalen, the author of the hugely popular blog, The Food in my Beard. The back cover of the book describes Dan as "the mad scientist of comfort food."

As the title hints, this book is about taking your favorite comfort foods and stuffing them into your other favorite comfort foods. He even has a recipe for Turduken in the book.. and it's stuffed with corn bread stuffing. See what I mean? 

Other recipes from the book that I want to try... pepperoni bread, chicken stuffed waffles, and sweet potato tamales, just to name a few. Oh yeah, and cheese stick Pot Stickers. Seriously.

At the end of this post, you will have an opportunity to win a copy of this fabulously fun and decadent book.

So about these stuffed poblanos...

This is a cross section of the rolled up chicken stuffed with cheese, kale, and chorizo and then stuffed into a poblano and then topped with more cheese. The kale makes them extra healthy, right? 

I used Mexican chorizo and seriously recommend that you do the same. Next time I make these, I will try to pound the chicken to be thinner to make it look more swirly (and I will be making these again). 

Serve these with Mexican rice and garnish with sour cream and avocado slices if you like. We loved these. 

Chorizo Kale and Chicken Stuffed Poblanos

I’ve (Dan Whalen) been cooking this recipe for a really long time and it never disappoints. It’s fairly straightforward and is easy enough to make on a weeknight, but tastes like something much more special. Feel free to use another type of cheese if you want to tone down the heat level. Choosing the right chorizo in my opinion is the most important part of this recipe. I usually like the ground uncooked Mexican stuff, but most of the authentic Portuguese cured/smoked kind are tasty, too. Some of the more Americanized brands are a little too smoky/sweet and come off “hammy” to me.

Makes: 6 to 8 servings

Heat: 5.3

Pig-Out Scale: 6.4

Filling

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

½ pound (225 g) ground chorizo

3 branches kale

8 ounces (225 g) pepper Jack cheese

8 ounces (225 g) queso blanco, crumbled

10 poblano peppers (number includes two extra in case of breakage)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Make the Filling: In a skillet over medium heat, with a little olive oil, cook the chorizo to brown it (whether it is already cooked or not). Remove the thick stems from the kale and rip the leafy parts into small pieces. Shred half the pepper Jack and combine with crumbled queso. Slice the other half of the pepper Jack into thin slices.

Prep the Poblanos: Broil the poblano peppers for a few minutes, turning and moving around constantly to slightly char parts of the skin and soften them up a bit. Using a paring knife, remove the stem from the peppers and shake out the seeds and insides.

Prep the Chicken: Slice the chicken the long way to make 2 thin cutlets out of each breast. You may want to also pound these out to thin them further.

Stuff It!: Top the cutlets with the chorizo, kale and cheese. Roll the cutlets up and stuff them into the poblano peppers. Try and match smaller peppers with smaller cutlets. Also, don’t worry if some rip! Practice makes perfect and we can hide those rips with cheese later.

Cook It: Preheat the oven 350˚F (180˚C, or gas mark 4). Bake the peppers for about 45 minutes, until fully cooked. Top with the slices of pepper Jack and broil until browned.

Recipe from Stuffed: The Ultimate Comfort Food Cookbook: Taking Your Favorite Foods and Stuffing Them to Make New, Different and Delicious Meals. by Dan Whalen (Page Street Publishing; August 2013) Posted with permission.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to participate in the Stuffed Blog Tour.

Swirled Rye Bread (Using Cocoa)

I used to think that marbled rye bread was made by using two different rye flours, one white, and one dark. I've since learned that both doughs are the same, with one having been darkened by an added dark colored ingredient.