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No Knead Bread…I Am a Follower

Before you say "another No Knead Bread recipe? What is it with you people?", I am telling you to surrender and become a follower! Ah well, when I see a good thing I can’t leave it unattended. When I read about a good thing I know it won’t be long before I end up making it, especially when that particular item has been tried and endorsed by so many of us out there. I hate being left out of the loop! I have to admit that this is probably the first time I have followed a recipe in its entirety.
The bread is really easy to make. I made it in the evening, shaped it and let it rise again the next morning, baked it exactly according to the recipe and we had wonderful grilled cheese sandwiches Sunday at lunchtime. I truly believe that such a great result is achieved by the baking method: preheating your pan, covering the loaf 30 minutes, uncovering it for another 30. When you read such detailed instructions you know you have to respect the baker’s work and do the same. I used a 2 quart Le Creuset casserole dish and I ended up with a beautiful round loaf. I believe it is the reason why I had less air pocket than other loaves I saw on other blogs but I wanted larger slices for sandwiches….hmm…also to spread more butter!

No-Knead Bread, from The New York Times
Yields one 1 1/2 pound loaf

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Pear and Almond Tart

I am always fascinated when I pull something out of the oven, set it on the counter to cool, turn the computer on, only to find out that some have just made and published somewhat of a similar thing. If I can find a couple of bloggers with the same inclinations towards similar flavors, how many of us out there in the world have made the same dessert? (or close).
It fascinated me the same way when at the restaurant customers would gravitate toward the same dessert one night but not the next. Was it something in the air? Familiar flavors of the season?

One thing for sure: there are flavors that will always go together like nuts, fruits, and chocolate. I have made this tart plenty of times and I always change or add something to the original recipe. I sometimes sprinkle chocolate chips over the pears before baking, I change the nuts, I add some liqueur, some caramel…I serve it with creme anglaise, chocolate sauce, raspberry coulis, ice cream (vanilla or more funky flavors)…the possibilities are endless, let your creative side speak! This time however, I give you the original version. It comes from a pocket size recipe book that I have had for the past 10 years filled with sweet and savory tart recipes. It travels with me almost everywhere I go.

Pear and Almond Tart, adapted from "Idees Recettes, Les Tartes Salees et Sucrees":

Sweet Tart Dough (I now have adopted the one from Dorie Greenspan):
In a food processor, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 stick of butter, pulse until it ressembles coarse meal, add 1 egg yolk and pulse until combined into a ball. I flattened it into a disk in between sheets of plastic wrap, refrigerated it and rolled it out to cut rounds big enough to fit into my mini tart pans. The dough gets soft very fast so you can flour your fingertips to push it up and down the sides and bottoms of the pan. Cover with parchment paper, add pie weights (I use dry beans) and blind bake at 350 degrees until the crust is completely baked through. Let cool.

Filling:
4 ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced
4 eggs
200 gr. sugar
100 gr. ground almonds
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a blender or food processor, combine the sugar, eggs, almonds, cream and vanilla and pulse until combined.
When your pie crust has cooled, arrange the pear slices at the bottom and slowly pour the cream over them. Bake at 350 F. until golden brown.
You don’t have to use your food processor to combine the filling ingredients together and you could it by handby whipping the sugar and eggs together, then adding the almonds, cream and vanilla.

Note: I had leftover cream and baked it in 2 ramequins in a water bath, kind of like a compromise between a flan and a creme brulee. It was delicious too!

Walnut Chocolate Cake

Yep, no fancy name, no weird ingredient, just the pure comfort of dark chocolate in a slice. I am probably the last one to post her entry for "Dishes of Comfort" a one-off event created by Yvonne and Orchidea, and I realized today I had passed the deadline. Hopefully they will be able to include this, if not well, you can have it all for yourself!

When I first read about the event, I immediately thought about my grandmother’s apple pie, my aunt Agnes chocolate mousse, or my mom’s chocolate cake. I don’t know if mom remembers it but for the longest time, one of my brothers birthday requirement was homemade Walnut Chocolate Cake. What they did not know is how happy to see his birthday roll around…or why…don’t get me wrong I love him dearly, but I also love chocolate cake!
I also think that Grandma Paulette and Auntie Agnes deserve a post of their own. However, it has got to be somebody’s birthday somewhere…out there…and if no one wishes to claim a slice I will because it is comforting and good for any reason, any occasion.

Why is this cake so comforting to me? For one it does not look perfect, and as I get older I find that highly reassuring. All crusty on top, crumbly when you cut it. Easy to eat anytime of the day, cold with milk for breakfast, warm with your afternoon coffee, with ice cream for a romantic dinner and perfect for anybody’s birthday (unless they hate chocolate).
I am not sure when the recipe came from but it is one of those I bundled up in my suitcase when I moved here and one I make for B. when his birthday comes to town.

Walnut Chocolate Cake:

200 gr. dark chocolate (6 1/2 oz)(time to get your best out)
200 gr. butter (6 1/2 oz)
5 eggs
1/4 cup ground walnuts
250 gr. sugar (7 oz)
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375. In a saucepan set over low heat, melt together the chocolate and the butter. Add the sugar and stir until incorporated. Remove from the heat and let cool 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and stir well after each addition. With a spatula, add the ground walnuts and vanilla. Pour into an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out "clean"

Cake Aux Fruits Confits

Allright, it’s a fruit cake. Hold on before you run away! This one is far away from the mass produced and displayed ones you see on grocery store shelves or given to you by your dear Auntie and that you try to pass on to your not-so-dear neighbor. This one is good, light and airy, buttery, soft and studded with only a reasonable amount of candied fruits. They always made me think of little gems and I have loved them since I had whole candied fruits and traditional Provencal Epiphany cake where I grew up in Provence.

When I moved to the US, I brought along with me a little black notebook filled with recipes that both my mother and grandmother would make on a regular basis as well as some of my favorite cake recipes, including this one. I forgot about it for a while because I quickly discovered pumpkin, sweet potatoes and pecan pies, cornbread and biscuits. As the holidays approached I grew a little homesick and I became really excited when I found fruit cake at the grocery store. I bought one, and decided to have a couple of slices with my afternoon tea. I got anxious upon cutting it, kinda dense…. when I put the slices on my plate it was a big disappointment: where was the cake? All I could see was a big mass of candied fruits and nuts barely needing cake batter. I made it my mission to make the one I used to have at home.

I made three that first time, one for roomie and me, one for the two guys downstairs and one for Isabel. It took a little convincing but they tried it and loved it! When B. and I spent our first Christmas together, I then used womanly persuasion and he agreed to try it, he liked it so much that now he calls me from the grocery store as soon as he sees candied fruit on the shelf. I have already made 3 this week and the neighbors want more. Even if you think you don’t like fruit cake, I think it is worth a try. My sister in law can’t stand it so we make it with almonds instead, I guess the batter is really good on it own.

I believe my mother got the recipe from a magazine many moons ago claiming that it came from the Lenotre Patisserie. I cannot validate this statement but I would not be surprised if it did as all their confections and desserts are scrumptious.

Candied Fruit Cake, adapted from Lenotre:

4 oz. butter
4 oz. powdered sugar
3 eggs
5 1/2 oz. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup rum
8 oz. candied fruits

Soak the fruits in the rum while you prepare the batter. Cream butter and powdered sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Add the flour and baking powder. Drain the fruits and add to the batter with 2 Tb. of the rum. Pour into a loaf and
bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes. The top will get brown quick so make sure the cake is dry in the middle (insert knife) before you remove it from the oven.

Cake Aux Fruits Confits, adapte de chez Lenotre:

120 gr. beurre
120 gr. sucre glace
3 oeufs
165 gr. farine
10 gr. levure
4 c.s rum
240 gr. fruits confits

Faire tremper les fruits avec le rum pendant la preparation du cake.
Reduire le beurre en pommade avec le sucre glace. Incorporer les oeufs un a un, en melangeant bien apres chaque addition. Ajouter la farine et la levure. Egoutter les fruits confits, les ajouter a la preparation avec 2 cs. du rum. Mettre dans un moule a cake et faire cuire a 180 C pendant 20 a 30 minutes.

Chocolate and Praline Tart

This tart was really a spur of the moment "what is in the fridge" kind of dessert. As I mentionned the other day, we never really don’t know how our saturday gatherings with the neighbors are going to be like or if we’ll have one altogether (holidays, weather, …) Around 4pm, I got a call from the bachelor next door asking me if I had a good recipe for clam chowder. I looked around at all my cookbooks and realized with a good laugh that 99% of them were baking/dessert related ! I have a couple of French cooking "bibles" and a collection of southern recipes in case B. wants gumbo and biscuits… you get the point… the neighbor was ringing the wrong person. I did not want to shatter his image of me being a great chef (hm, hm) so I quickly went online and found one that sounded fairly easy for him to make. That’s when the inevitable question followed: what was I going to bring to the party?

I had made a Banana Poundcake from Dorie Greenspan’s latest book but I wanted to keep that more for breakfast or snacks. Dang! Quick come up with something that has time to bake and cool! As I said previously, sometimes leftovers are a good thing: I remembered I had a batch of tart dough in the freezer and leftover ganache from the macarons. A chocolate tart! I added 1/2 cup of crushed up pecan pralines (nut toffee of any knid would work too) to the ganache and there it was, dessert, on the fly.

Chocolate Praline Tart:

One recipe "pate sucree":
In a food processor, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 stick of butter, pulse until it ressembles coarse meal, add 1 egg yolk and pulse until combined into a ball. I flattened it into a disk in between sheets of plastic wrap, refrigerated it and rolled it out to cut rounds big enough to fit into my mini tart pans. The dough gets soft very fast so you can flour your fingertips to push it up and down the sides and bottoms of the pan. Cover with parchment paper, add pie weights (I use dry beans) and blind bake at 350 degrees until the crust is completely baked through. Let cool.

One recipe chocolate ganache:
In a saucepan, heat 1 cup of heavy cream to scalding point, remove from heat and add 1 1/2 cups good quality chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes and slowly stir until well incorporated. Add 1/2 cup of crushed up praline or toffee. Pour the ganache in the tart shell, let cool 15 minutes and refrigerate until the ganache is completely firm.

I have a tendency to cut small slices because it is almost like eating a big truffle, nothing wrong with that I know. It is easy to put together even if you don’t have all the ingredients beforehand, and it goes real well with a nice cup of coffee.

Key Lime Squares


You must be in the same situation I am: you read blogs everyday, your mouth waters at gorgeous pictures and great recipes. You copy them, you print them and your collection keeps on growing. I have binders full of recipes I see on blogs and it ususally takes me longer than a few days to get around one of them, but these were the exception. When I saw the original recipe on Mary’s blog, I knew I had to make them almost immediately. I love anything lime or lemon as much as I love chocolate.

I made them last week, early saturday afternoon, you know, in case of a snack attack, and I had no idea that they would part of our weekly saturday neighborhood gathering. You probably think we live on Wysteria lane the way I talk about my block, but take away some of the drama and you are not far from the truth. There are bachelors and young couiples, plenty of kids, cats and dogs. It is a fun and crazy mix. The doors are wide open, the kitchens shared and ingredients travel from one pantry to the other. No phone required, just step out on the balcony.
Around 4pm, there is an oyster roast or a clam chowder in the making, ribs and vegetables on the grill, finger foods being set out as well as am assortment of drinks to be passed around.
Around 6pm, the kids gather under my balcony and want to know what is for dessert. Tonight it was something chocolate but last week it was Key Lime Squares.

I altered Mary’s recipe a little and the bars still came ou perfect. For starters, I did not have Meyer lemons but a big supply of Key lime. I also baked the crust in a bigger pan and tripled the filling quantities. These bars or squares are close to perfection. The filling has that perfect balance of tartness and sweetness. The crust is buttery but never soggy or too hard. This recipe is already part of "my favorites" binder.

Key Lime Squares, adapted from Mary at Alpine Berry:

Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 tsp salt
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Filling:
6 large eggs
3 cups superfine or bakers' sugar
6 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt2 Tb finely grated key lime zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and line a 13×9-inch square pan with parchment paper.
To make crust:Combine flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and pulse until the mixture is pebbly. Press evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 18-20 minutes. Set aside crust.

To make filling:In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Whisk in lime zest and juice until well combined. Pour over crust (it’s okay if crust is still hot). Bake until filling is just set, about 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely before serving. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.

Thank you Mary for sharing such a great recipe! Tonight’s installment with our weekly gathering was not bad either, but that post will have to wait.

Orange and Cranberry Muffins

I started wondering if people thought we only have egg yolk omelettes and macarons for breakfast given my sunday SNAFU, and decided to make a proper breakfast item. I read throughout the blogosphere about some wonderful foods and flavors of Fall but I have to tell you I am having a difficult time getting in the mood for pumpkin, persimmons, pomegranates and other items when it is still 75-80 degres and I am still in short sleeves. I don’t even want to think about turkey! I know most of you want to throw me a stone right about now and tell me to count my blessings because it is either rainy or cold where you are but seriously all I want right now is a juicy piece of watermelon.

Back to breakfast. One of the things we enjoy a couple times a week, especially when B. is late for work is a good scone or a couple of muffins. Easy to eat on the go, in the car, in a rush or if we have time enjoyed on the deck wishing the leaves would fall. I decided to give myself a little pep talk the other day and finally put a couple of pomegranates and a bag of dried cranberries in my cart (ok, they were also on sale).
There are so many great cranberry recipes out there right now it was difficult to settle on just one. I found one with so many good reviews that I decided to go for it and tweak it to our taste.

Orange Cranberry Muffins, adapted from allrecipes:
Yields: 12 servings

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter, room temp
1 egg, beaten
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pan, or use paper liners.Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar together until light. Add egg and beat until smooth. Add orange juice and grated zest. Add flour mixture and stir just until mixed. Fold in cranberries.
Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes.

No Eggs For Breakfast


And there you have it…these macarons are the reason why we did not have eggs left for or breakfast sunday morning…that and the lime squares I took to T&D for dinner that night.
I am a little late in catching the macarons bug but now I don’t wish for a cure. They have become very enjoyable to make and after the fear of the first batch I have spend many hours dreaming of different flavor combinations. Some I came up with were interesting, not to say weird and some complemented the arrival of fall and its chilly days. I have to dream of chilly weather because here it is sill 82-85 degrees (!)

I use the same basic recipe everytime and vary either the topping or the flavor. This time I made plain ones dusted with cocoa powder and filled with a raspberry ganache, vanilla flavored ones with coarse brown sugar topping with a rum ganache and coffee ones with a hazelnut praline ganache. I made a firm ganache as I was going to package some for D. as a hostess gift and wanted the texture to withstand the car ride. Basically, 1/2 cup of heavy cream for one cup of chocolate. Also remember that for every ounce of liqueur, you have to increase the chocolate of one ounce also or you will end up with a runny texture.

Lisa, I have not forgotten your wish and I promise to send you some very soon!

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Note: maman, Arnaud et les reste de la smalla, n’hesitez pas a laisser un commentaire si le coeur vous en dit!

Applesauce Spice Bars…Another Great One From Dorie

Apparently I like the book! I have tried some of the recipes and so far there has not been one we did not like. It is a great read for novice bakers as it contains all sorts of basics from breakfast treats, cookies, bars, cakes, ice creams and more. It appeals to the intermediate cook who wants to broaden his/her repertoire with all the variations Dorie gives on the sidebar of the recipes. It is full of homey, uncomplicated delights for the seasoned chef who wants to return to the basics or does not want to fuss with complicated techniques and hard to find ingredients.

Sunday afternoon, the boys were working on the boat and given that the weather was a little bit in the chilly side I thought that a batch of these apple bars with a nice cup of coffee would be totally appropriate to make them take a break. The bars are rich but not heavy, you can play with the kind of apple you use as well as the amount of spices. The recipe called for raisins but B. has a childhood aversion to them so I used dried cranberries instead and it worked even better (at least in my book). I also used Calvados instead of applejack because that was what I had on hand.

Applesauce Spice Bars, adapted from Dorie Greenspan:

For the bars:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tb. applejack
1 baking apple, peeled, cored and finely diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans

For the glaze:
2 1/2 Tb. heavy cream
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp. butter
1 tsp. light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Butter and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan. Preheat the oven to 350.Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.In a medium heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat.Still in the saucepan, whisk in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well until blended. Add the applesauce, vanilla and liqueur until smooth. With a spatula, add the dry ingredients, cranberries and nuts and mix until combined.Scrape into the pan and bake 20 -25 minutes.
Let cool and prepare the glaze in the meantime.

In a saucepan, whisk the cream, sugar, butter and corn syrup over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minuts. Remove from the pan and stir in the vanilla.
Remove the bars from the pan and set on a wire rack positioned on top of a sheet pan to catch the drips. Pour the glaze over the bars and let set, cut as desired.

Sunday Breakfast

I usually make us some eggs on sunday morning since B. has more time to enjoy breakfast. We sit quietly looking at the river without the t.v or radio on, just looking at the herons or the crabs. When I woke up this morning, the first words out of my mouth were "Oh no! How did I let this happen?", to which B. gave me the most puzzled look. Him: "Did you have a bad dream hon?" Me: "This is no dream. We are out of eggs!" How could I let this happen? Well, the answer is easy: I made a double batch of macarons and lime squares yesterday and I am left with 4 egg yolks. After many funny and interesting ways we devised to cook those yolks for breakfast, we quickly abandonned the sunday egg fix. B. nicely suggested we could go out for brunch, but I like to lounge in my pjs, hair undone, having as many refills of coffee as I want without a frown from the staff. No! I will think of something!

In one of my moments of recycling or using items I have on hand I came up with one of my childhood favorites, a "chausson": a little pocket of buttery dough filled with anything sweet and yummy. Fifteen minutes these little pastries were getting golden brown in the oven. Some leftover puff pastry dough, some homemade pear jam and the use of one egg yolk for color and we would have breakfast!

Pear Filled Pastries:

Homemade Pear Jam, adapted from Recipezaar:

8-9 pears, peeled cored and chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 (1 3/4 ounce) box pectin, Sure-Jell no-sugar, powdered
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
3 cups sugar

Place the chopped pears and the lemon juice in a heavy pot.
Mash pears with a potato masher to desired chunkiness. If you like it fine you can coarsely grind it. But a food processor will make it too pureed for this recipe.
Stir-in the powdered pectin, spices and ginger.
Bring to a boil and boil hard for one minute.
Add the sugar.
Bring back to a boil and boil hard for 4-minutes stirring frequently.
Ladle into sterile jars, seal and process for 10 minutes.
Yield 7 half pints.

For the pastries:
1 sheet pastry puff
pear jam (or your favorite)
1 egg yolk mixed with 2 Tb. water

With a large cookie cutter, cut out rounds in the puff pastry. Layer 1 or 2 tsp. jam in the middle of a round, brush the edges with the egg wash, layer another round on top and press the air out of the pocket. Brush more egg wash on top and prick the edges closed with the tines of a fork.
Repeat with the remaining puff pastry and jam. Bake 15 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.

Seriously easy, seriously good, even the crabs and herons wanted some!