This year I planned to do a pumpkin bread pudding, but alas, had no pumpkin puree to work with. I also didn't get around to the store to pick up bread, so I made it that morning using the no knead dutch oven bread recipe (a basic bread). The custard part of the bread pudding came out fine; but the exposed part of the bread above the custard seemed dried out.. like I should not have tried to dry out the bread before adding the custard by baking it for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Twice baked bread doesn't quite make the texture of dry, stale bread. Anyhow, onto the recipe...
Bread Pudding Ingredients
1 load white bread, cubed
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced + 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 1/2 c whole milk
1 c raw apple cider
1/4 c brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
Bread Pudding Directions
1. In a nonstick skillet, heat apple with ground cinnamon. Cook over medium heat until the apples are tender.
2. Butter a 9" x 13" glass baking dish. Add apple and cubed bread, distributing both evenly in a single layer.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, apple cider, brown sugar, vanilla extract and eggs. This is the custard base. Pour it over the cubed bread. Be sure to dunk all the bread into the custard mixture. Refrigerate dish for 1 hour before baking. This will help to flavor the milk and eggs with the apple cinnamon.
4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and drizzle on apple cider sauce.
Caramel Apple Cider Sauce - this was the sauce I made for the bread pudding; and the ratios seemed off. One, the caramel part of the sauce was too watery and I never got to the dark amber part. The heavy cream and the caramel separate if you let the sauce sit to cool down from the stove to room temperature. Two, the sauce was ridiculously sweet; and three, it made too much. To keep myself from re-making this awful sauce, I am posting an alternate Apple Cider Sauce recipe to pair with the bread pudding.
Apple Cider Sauce:
1 c apple cider
1 tsp cornstarch + 2 tsp cold water
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp bourbon (or apple schnapps), optional
In a small prep bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water before adding to the apple cider. Bring cider and butter to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the cornstarch and let the mixture thicken. Stir in bourbon (if using) and cook for an additional 30 seconds; remove from heat and pour on top of bread pudding.
The recipe ratio of the cider sauce can be doubled, if necessary.
Olive Oil and Rosemary Dinner Rolls
Seems like the amount of bread that goes into turkey stuffing is one of those "invisible" carbs. These rolls went quickly. I only made one batch (a dozen) for a T-Day gathering of twice that. While the rosemary shrub is winter hardy in the Pacific Northwest, I'm glad that the house where I made these rolls has their rosemary potted and on the patio. I used a stand mixer to bring all the ingredients together; though I didn't use it to knead the dough. Maybe that's why the dough really didn't start to double in size until the second rising. And, the rolls didn't rise again after being formed and rested on the baking tray before going into the oven. As for the amount of unsalted butter that is melted so that it can be brushed on top of the rolls, well. it is too much for what the original ratio calls for. I ended up with a lot of leftover butter.
Also, there wasn't any bread flour so I used all-purpose flour, substituting out 3 tbsp flour for 3 tbsp vital wheat gluten. Bread flour plus yeast makes your rolls rise higher. The vital wheat gluten adds more wheat-based protein to all-purpose flour.
Ingredients
1 c warm water (about 100 degrees F)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast + a pinch of granulated sugar
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour (minus 3 tbsp)
3 tbsp vital wheat gluten
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped, divided
1/4 c unsalted butter, melted (for brushing tops of rolls)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Directions
Personally, while dinner rolls typically don't call for sugar, I think adding a pinch of it to the yeast helps the yeast bloom faster. You'll see if your yeast is still alive if it starts to foam and bubble in the warm water.
0. Take half of the prepared rosemary and let it steep in the olive oil for at least 30 minutes.
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer: add the yeast water (after bubbles appear, 5-10 mins). Mix in the flour, half cup at a time until it is all incorporated. Add the vital wheat gluten, the oil+rosemary, and salt. Mix until the dough gathers into one mass. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula.
2. Add the other half of the rosemary and knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Either use the stand mixer to knead the dough for 2 minutes, or work it by hand for 10.
Empty the dough into a resealable plastic bag, close, and let it sit in a warm place in the kitchen. Let the dough double in size twice (check each hour for two hours).
Divide dough into equal pieces. You can make a dozen small rolls with this recipe. Roll the dough into balls and place onto a baking tray. Cover with linen (lint free) kitchen towel until ready to bake.
Preheat oven to 425 F. Brush tops of rolls with the melted butter. Bake rolls for 10 minutes. This gives the rolls a nice golden brown color.
Reduce heat to 350 F and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a kitchen-towel lined serving container (maybe a bread basket?).
Enjoy.
Also, there wasn't any bread flour so I used all-purpose flour, substituting out 3 tbsp flour for 3 tbsp vital wheat gluten. Bread flour plus yeast makes your rolls rise higher. The vital wheat gluten adds more wheat-based protein to all-purpose flour.
Ingredients
1 c warm water (about 100 degrees F)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast + a pinch of granulated sugar
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour (minus 3 tbsp)
3 tbsp vital wheat gluten
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped, divided
1/4 c unsalted butter, melted (for brushing tops of rolls)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Directions
Personally, while dinner rolls typically don't call for sugar, I think adding a pinch of it to the yeast helps the yeast bloom faster. You'll see if your yeast is still alive if it starts to foam and bubble in the warm water.
0. Take half of the prepared rosemary and let it steep in the olive oil for at least 30 minutes.
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer: add the yeast water (after bubbles appear, 5-10 mins). Mix in the flour, half cup at a time until it is all incorporated. Add the vital wheat gluten, the oil+rosemary, and salt. Mix until the dough gathers into one mass. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula.
2. Add the other half of the rosemary and knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Either use the stand mixer to knead the dough for 2 minutes, or work it by hand for 10.
Empty the dough into a resealable plastic bag, close, and let it sit in a warm place in the kitchen. Let the dough double in size twice (check each hour for two hours).
Divide dough into equal pieces. You can make a dozen small rolls with this recipe. Roll the dough into balls and place onto a baking tray. Cover with linen (lint free) kitchen towel until ready to bake.
Preheat oven to 425 F. Brush tops of rolls with the melted butter. Bake rolls for 10 minutes. This gives the rolls a nice golden brown color.
Reduce heat to 350 F and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a kitchen-towel lined serving container (maybe a bread basket?).
Enjoy.
Mulled Wine Cranberry Sauce
This may be the second time I've made it, though perhaps the first time documenting it as a blog post. The recipe ratio comes from Bon Appetit November 2005 issue. The amount of wine was too much; the end result tasted too much like boiled wine with cranberries. Also, the amount of sugar was too low; this made the sauce not only taste like wine, but like wine with sour cranberries. And, the orange fruit segments did nothing for the sauce; and added too much texture. My corrections are noted below. I wouldn't necessarily say that I have adapted the recipe, more like I am fixing it's glaring mistakes. I'm not sure that the variety of dry red wine has anything to do with the flavor; after all, this is just a condiment the roast turkey. Cranberry sauces are typically pumped full of sugar (to balance the tartness of the fresh cranberries). I am ambivalent about how this sauce came out. The wine drinkers that sampled it on T-day were pleased with how it tasted and there was a lot of it leftover.
The additional sugar depends on how sour/tart the sauce tastes to you. It may need more or none at all.
Wine used: Woodbridge Merlot
Ingredients
2 navel oranges
One 12-oz bag of fresh cranberries, washed and picked over
6 oz dry red wine
2/3 c brown sugar + up to 1/3 c granulated unbleached cane sugar
2 tbsp crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmet
Directions
1. Zest oranges with a fine grater, then juice the oranges.
2. In a medium-sized sauce pan, combine whole cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, wine, sugar, ginger, and spices. Bring to a boil then simmer over low-medium heat until most of the cranberries burst, about 20 minutes, and the sauce has thickened slightly.
2a. Taste the sauce. It is too sour, add more sugar.
3. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Cool to room temperature. Cover and chill until ready to use; or serve warm.
Kitchen Notes:
The additional sugar depends on how sour/tart the sauce tastes to you. It may need more or none at all.
Wine used: Woodbridge Merlot
Ingredients
2 navel oranges
One 12-oz bag of fresh cranberries, washed and picked over
6 oz dry red wine
2/3 c brown sugar + up to 1/3 c granulated unbleached cane sugar
2 tbsp crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmet
Directions
1. Zest oranges with a fine grater, then juice the oranges.
2. In a medium-sized sauce pan, combine whole cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, wine, sugar, ginger, and spices. Bring to a boil then simmer over low-medium heat until most of the cranberries burst, about 20 minutes, and the sauce has thickened slightly.
2a. Taste the sauce. It is too sour, add more sugar.
3. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Cool to room temperature. Cover and chill until ready to use; or serve warm.
Kitchen Notes:
- This ratio is terrible. Came out tasting very sour and winey.
- The original 1 1/2 c dry red wine was too much liquid.
- Do not make again (note to self).
AB Marinated Olives
These turned out tasting quite nice after a few days. I was initially concerned because of how salty the olives were after I drained them and let the olives sit in filtered water for a half hour. AB recommends up to 5 hours in water, but I didn't really have the time nor patience. I used a Cambro quart container for this because unlike the quart-size yogurt containers, Cambro containers are see-through and you can always tell how things are going without having to open the container. Except for the tarragon, everything else comes from Trader Joe's.
Recipe source: Citrus Marinated Olives
Ingredients
1 lb green olives with pits (2 jars Picholine Olives from Trader Joe's), drained and rinsed
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil (a good quality olive oil for eating)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried tarragon leaves
1/4 tsp curry powder
Directions
0. Soak the olives in clean water for up to 5 hours. This may reduce the saltiness of the olives; but after a half hour, the olives were just as salty as when it came out of the jar.
1. Combine all the ingredients in a quart container. Shake or stir the olives to make sure all the olives get covered by the marinade.
2. Let the olives sit, covered, for a day in a cool dark place. Refrigerate 1-2 days before serving. (The coldest "dark" place is my refrigerator; then at the house for T-day, the coldest place was the garage).
Recipe source: Citrus Marinated Olives
Ingredients
1 lb green olives with pits (2 jars Picholine Olives from Trader Joe's), drained and rinsed
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil (a good quality olive oil for eating)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried tarragon leaves
1/4 tsp curry powder
Directions
0. Soak the olives in clean water for up to 5 hours. This may reduce the saltiness of the olives; but after a half hour, the olives were just as salty as when it came out of the jar.
1. Combine all the ingredients in a quart container. Shake or stir the olives to make sure all the olives get covered by the marinade.
2. Let the olives sit, covered, for a day in a cool dark place. Refrigerate 1-2 days before serving. (The coldest "dark" place is my refrigerator; then at the house for T-day, the coldest place was the garage).
(not smoked) Salmon and Cream Cheese Spread
I like smoked salmon, as a luxury treat to eat on its own. This recipe does not use smoked salmon. Instead, it relies on no-salt added canned salmon and the convenience of a food processor. By way of food storage laziness, I found cream cheese takes on a crumbled cheese texture when thawed after having been frozen solid.
Ingredients
One 6 oz can TJ boneless pink salmon, drained
8 oz cream cheese, frozen then thawed
1/2 c cheddar cheese, grated
2 small dill pickles, diced
Directions
Whirl it all around in a food processor until a well combined paste forms. Scoop it all out and put into a resealable container. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Strangely enough, the cheddar cheese gives the spread a classic light pinkish-orange color.
Ingredients
One 6 oz can TJ boneless pink salmon, drained
8 oz cream cheese, frozen then thawed
1/2 c cheddar cheese, grated
2 small dill pickles, diced
Directions
Whirl it all around in a food processor until a well combined paste forms. Scoop it all out and put into a resealable container. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Strangely enough, the cheddar cheese gives the spread a classic light pinkish-orange color.
Buttermilk Waffles with Bacon
Because bacon makes everything taste better, even waffles. The fact that the waffle maker was a $2 garage sale find makes it even more awesome. But, the prep and ingredients required to make the batter for the waffles is why I don't make waffles that often.
Ingredients
1.75 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1.5 c buttermilk
1/2 c unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/4 lb bacon, any variety, cooked and drained
Directions
Preheat waffle iron (turn on the waffle maker; I set mine to light waffles)
0. Fry the bacon. For this I used 1/4 lb applewood smoked bacon. Reserve bacon lard.
1. In a 2-cup measuring cup, beat eggs until frothy and combined. Add vanilla extract and beat again. Add buttermilk and melted butter. Mix to combine.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add wet to dry and stir together until no dry bits remain.
4. Add waffle batter to hot waffle maker. Add strips of cooked bacon, then cover bacon with some batter. Close the waffle maker and cook until golden brown.
 |
| Buttermilk Waffles with Bacon |
1.75 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1.5 c buttermilk
1/2 c unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/4 lb bacon, any variety, cooked and drained
Directions
Preheat waffle iron (turn on the waffle maker; I set mine to light waffles)
0. Fry the bacon. For this I used 1/4 lb applewood smoked bacon. Reserve bacon lard.
1. In a 2-cup measuring cup, beat eggs until frothy and combined. Add vanilla extract and beat again. Add buttermilk and melted butter. Mix to combine.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add wet to dry and stir together until no dry bits remain.
4. Add waffle batter to hot waffle maker. Add strips of cooked bacon, then cover bacon with some batter. Close the waffle maker and cook until golden brown.
Chanterelle and Ginger Soup
Warm and earthy, this soup really hits the spot on a very chilly autumn day. This is a mostly clear broth. The chicken broth could probably swapped out for a vegetarian broth, if you prefer.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 quart homemade chicken broth
2 organic celery ribs, diced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/2 lb fresh chanterelles, cleaned and halved
Directions
Bring broth to a boil. Add celery, ginger, and chanterelles. Simmer until the celery is fork tender. about 15 minutes.
Serve hot.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 quart homemade chicken broth
2 organic celery ribs, diced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/2 lb fresh chanterelles, cleaned and halved
Directions
Bring broth to a boil. Add celery, ginger, and chanterelles. Simmer until the celery is fork tender. about 15 minutes.
Serve hot.
Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
This is definitely not for the gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, or corn-free crowd, as it has wheat, dairy, eggs, and cornmeal in it. My muffin tin holds about a half cup per muffin and made 18 muffins. The cornmeal I used is stone ground from the local grist mill.
Makes: 12-18
Wet Ingredients:
1 c pumpkin puree
1 c half 'n' half or whole milk
2 eggs
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
4-6 tbsp raw honey
Dry ingredients:
1.5 c yellow cornmeal
3/4 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix wet ingredients together in a large bowl. Sift in dry ingredients. Whisk gently to combine. Use a 1/3 c measuring cup to fill greased muffin tin.
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown on top.
Let cool on a rack.
 |
| Ready to eat: pumpkin cornbread muffins |
Makes: 12-18
Wet Ingredients:
1 c pumpkin puree
1 c half 'n' half or whole milk
2 eggs
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
4-6 tbsp raw honey
Dry ingredients:
1.5 c yellow cornmeal
3/4 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix wet ingredients together in a large bowl. Sift in dry ingredients. Whisk gently to combine. Use a 1/3 c measuring cup to fill greased muffin tin.
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown on top.
Let cool on a rack.
Kitchen Notes: Crispy Pork Belly
I had visual aspirations for this food experiment. I thought it would resemble the real thing. But sadly, it seems that how my oven performed versus what it looks like from a restaurant are radically different in taste, texture, and overall appearance. I think the start of the #fail began when I picked up a random portion of pork belly from Fubonn. There was a lot of fat on the cut I got and it should have had more meat. Aside from the very top layer of the pork belly, the skin, the other two layers should be relatively equal in distribution: fat and meat. Just a thought, really. My pork belly had twice as much fat as meat. Also, I don't believe that 465 degrees F is the right temperature for the second baking phase.
This recipe process did not work for me: http://kirbiecravings.com/2014/08/crispy-golden-pork-belly.html
It could also be that I had the pork belly in the freezer for several months instead of using fresh pork belly. The fat content of each slice is too much for me. Ugh. #fail
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| What pork belly looks like after the second roasting; the skin is really, really hard |
This recipe process did not work for me: http://kirbiecravings.com/2014/08/crispy-golden-pork-belly.html
It could also be that I had the pork belly in the freezer for several months instead of using fresh pork belly. The fat content of each slice is too much for me. Ugh. #fail
Miso Ginger Fried Rice with Cherry Tomatoes
For a chilly autumn day, this fried rice dish hits the spot. It's both savory and sweet. I did not come up with the combination of the Miso Ginger and Jasmine rice, the samples counter at my local Trader Joe's did. I'm using homegrown cherry tomatoes, although they're not all that sweet but they'll add more flavor to the rice.
Serves: 1-3
Make the rice
2 c dry jasmine rice
2 1/2 c miso ginger soup
Rinse the rise under water until most of the starch washes away. In an oven-proof bowl, combine rice and soup. Bake for 50 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Stir fry the rice
1 tbsp unsalted butter
a handful of cherry tomatoes
a cup of cooked rice
Melt butter in a skillet. Add rice and tomatoes. Stir around until rice is hot and tomatoes can be squished when gently pressed with a spatula.
No added salt needed.
Serves: 1-3
Make the rice
2 c dry jasmine rice
2 1/2 c miso ginger soup
Rinse the rise under water until most of the starch washes away. In an oven-proof bowl, combine rice and soup. Bake for 50 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Stir fry the rice
1 tbsp unsalted butter
a handful of cherry tomatoes
a cup of cooked rice
Melt butter in a skillet. Add rice and tomatoes. Stir around until rice is hot and tomatoes can be squished when gently pressed with a spatula.
No added salt needed.
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