Baked Tofu with Celery and Pickled Radish

This is a multi-part recipe. The first stage is to marinate then bake the firm tofu to replicate the taste/texture of Trader Joe's pre-packaged baked tofu. The reason for doing this is that Trader Joe's marinade has onions in it and we all know from reading this blog that onions are the spawn of hell. Eventually, I'll find a recipe that allows me to make the pickled daikon radish that's used in this dish. I've done this with firm, medium firm, and extra firm tofu, the latter of which works well. I'll still "press" the extra firm tofu to drain the excess water from the tofu. If you have ever purchased pre-packaged baked tofu, you'll note that it is supremely dense. Also, Trader Joe's tofu is $3.69 for 7 oz and a standard 16 oz package of "fresh" organic tofu from the supermarket costs around $2. 

The Foodening Blog: Baked Tofu with Celery and Pickled Radish

Baked Tofu

Tofu marinade:

3 tbsp tamari (wheat-free) soy sauce
3 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp raw honey
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tbsp filtered water
1/2 tsp sea salt
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp celery salt
1 block organic tofu, extra firm

Press. Before marinading the tofu, put the tofu on a clean plate and place a plate on top of the tofu. Put a heavy object (a bottle filled with water) on the top plate. Let it "press" out the excess water for a half hour. There will be more water exuded from medium firm tofu than from extra firm tofu. Discard this water.

Marinate. Combine marinade ingredients and pour over tofu in a container large enough so that the marinade and tofu can fit. I use a 3-cup resealable container. Let tofu marinade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer.

Bake. Preheat oven to 425 F. In a metal or glass baking dish, either oil the bottom of the dish or add a bit more water to the marinade; or bake the tofu slightly covered. I did all three and didn't end up with dried/burnt marinade in the baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. You can flip the tofu half way through baking, but I don't think it matters all that much.

Onto the second stage:

Ingredients

1 recipe baked tofu, sliced thin into matchsticks
3 organic celery stalks, sliced into matchsticks
1-2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1 6 oz jar of pickled radish
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only

Roughly chop the cilantro. Slice the celery and tofu into matchstick pieces. Add pickled radish and a splash of rice vinegar (can substitute apple cider vinegar). Mix well. Can refrigerate this until ready to serve.

Makes roughly 2 quarts (by volume).

Future note: The pickled radish is a specialty item; though most Asian grocery stores will carry it. And taste-wise, quick pickled radish recipes will not be a fair substitute for it.

Tapioca Pudding

This recipe ratio comes from Bob's Red Mill and the pudding has a really fluffy texture; of course, this is from beating the egg whites. I would post a pic but it's just a vanilla pudding with tapioca in it.

Makes 6 (1 cup) servings

Ingredients

1/3 c small pearl tapioca, soaked in 3/4 c water for 30 minutes
2 1/4 c whole milk
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 c sugar, divided
2 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Soak tapioca in water in a saucepan that can hold at least 2 quarts. Don't drain any remaining water.

Add milk, salt, 1/4 c sugar, and stir frequently over medium heat until boilings. Then simmer over very low heat for 10-15 minutes.

In a small dish, beat the egg yolks. Temper the egg yolks by gradually adding some (maybe a tablespoon?) of the tapioca mixture to the yolks and stirring before adding the egg yolks+tapioca to the pot. Whisk together This is what gives the pudding its yellow-ish color.

As it is cooking over very low heat, beat the egg whites in a separate bowl with 1/4 c sugar until soft peaks form.

Once the tapioca has thickened, turn off the heat (momentarily). Stir or whisk in the beaten egg whites, about 1/4 cup at a time until it is well combined.

Turn heat back on to a low setting and cook for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat. Whisk in vanilla extract. Let cool before eating.

Baked Sesame Chicken

I envisioned something different. But alas, this is the best that it gets when it's baked and not deep fried. Visually, not terribly appealing. It tasted okay, but I don't think I'll be making this again any time soon. It does not even come close to the sesame chicken you'd get at a Chinese restaurant.

TheFoodeningBlog - Baked Sesame Chicken

Ingredients

2-3 lbs chicken body parts (drumsticks, thighs, wings, etc.)
1/4 c white sesame seeds, toasted
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
pinch of fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp soy sauce 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F.

1. In a 9 x 11 x 3 baking dish, add soy sauce and tilt the dish so that the soy sauce covers the bottom evenly.

2. In a shallow dish, combine sesame seeds, flour, salt, and black pepper together. Dredge each chicken piece in the dry ingredients. Lay chicken in a single layer in the baking dish.

3. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken measures 160 F on a meat thermometer. Remove from oven and serve hot.

Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken

While enjoyable to eat, the food prep and wait times are not. The best part of this is that the chicken cooks in its own fat. Having made this twice now, I thought I should write it up. This recipe ratio is adapted from Epicurious.

Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken

Marinade Ingredients

chicken body parts
1 c cultured buttermilk per pound of meat

Coating for chicken

1 c homemade bread crumbs
1 c corn flake cereal, pulverised into crumbs1/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated
smoked paprika
garlic powder
chili powder
sea salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
onion powder (optional)
parsley (optional)

Directions

In a shallow bowl or sealable container, add chicken parts. Pour buttermilk and lemon juice over the chicken. Refrigerate for up to 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 F. 

Take each piece of chicken and dip it into the coating mixture until it is completely covered. Repeat until all the chicken is coated.

Place chicken in a single layer on a Silpat-lined baking tray or in a lightly oiled glass or ceramic baking dish. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 40-45 minutes. Turn chicken over at the halfway timer mark.

A digital thermometer in the thickest part of the meat should read 165 F (for poultry) when done.

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.

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.

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

Roasted Cauilflower

Over the past year, cauliflower has experienced a revival of sorts and the campaign has been driven by vegan enthusiasts. I am not vegan; heck I avoided cauliflower for decades. Although I am curious as to what textures are attributed to this vegetable. It's been picked up by wheat-free eaters as a replacement for pizza dough (Rachel Ray's cauliflower pizza dough); to replace rice as a side dish (Jamie Oliver's cauliflower risotto); and as mock mashed potatoes. Flavor-wise, eating cauliflower is like eating white bread and isn't substantial on its own. But when paired with other ingredients then the spotlight appears.

Take this recipe for example. All the flavor of the dish comes from the olive oil and the nutritional yeast. The salt and pepper remind you that there's a vegetable hiding under all the mock cheesy flavor brought on by the yeast. If you take all that away, these are just baked cauliflower florets; and that is a sight sadder than seeing people eat cauliflower mashed potatoes because they want to consume fewer carbs.

Roasted Cauliflower: start to finish

The majority of the calories in this dish comes from how much olive oil you use to dip the florets before dipping into the nutritional yeast. One cup of olive oil has roughly 1,900 calories. The original ingredient ratio called for more salt (1/2 tsp salt was still too much); and I used a lot more than 1/4 c olive oil. The majority of the calories of this dish comes from oil (aka fat). A large cauliflower head is about 146 calories; that is, if you consume the inner stalk as well. The first pass of this recipe made the kitchen smell really good; but the florets came out soggy and not crunchy.

Ingredients

1 medium organic cauliflower head
1/2 c nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

1. Use a sharp knife and cut the florets off the stalk. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together yeast, salt, and black pepper.

3. Have the olive oil in another small bowl.

4. Dip each floret into the oil, but do not submerse it and then dip it into the nutritional yeast. Place in a single layer on a glass baking dish. 

5. Bake for 50 minutes, until browned. Serve hot.

Enjoy.

P.S. There is no "mock cheese" flavor by using nutritional yeast; although, it is an interesting addition.

Baked Zucchini Chips

These chips took a lot of time and effort for so little reward. Although, now I can say that I ate two zucchinis in five minutes. I'll need a lot more trays, oven racks, or a food dehydrator to do this recipe again. My all-time favorite way to eat zucchini is breaded and deep fried. 

Zucchini chips: slice, place, bake!

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.

Ingredients

organic zucchinis, as many as will fit in the palm of your hand
a pinch of salt, less than 1/4 tsp
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

Use the cutting blade disc with the food processor, this is faster and easier than using a mandoline slicer. The only advantage the mandoline has over the food processor is the width size of the vegetable.

On a parchment paper-lined baking tray, place zucchini rounds side by side until the tray is full. Repeat with other trays. Use a pastry brush to brush each round with a little bit of olive oil. Sprinkle salt on top, if you want. You can always add more salt after these finish baking.

If your oven heats evenly, you shouldn't need to rotate the trays.

Bake for two hours, or until everything looks dry and lightly browned. Use a spatula to remove the chips from the trays to a plate or airtight container, should the chips actually last that long.

Baked Chicken with Kimchi

This dish is quick, easy and requires just a little preparation. I use an oven safe stainless steel skillet for this. It does not reheat well by stovetop or oven; so keep that in mind when planning for leftovers. Depending on the saltiness of the kimchi, there is no need to salt this dish. At the same time, you could make oven baked rice to complement the chicken. I've been using chicken thighs and other cuts could be used instead, except for skinless chicken breast. It has a different cook time than bone-in chicken meat.  If you want to be extra creative, you can reserve the chicken bones from this recipe to make chicken stock later. Simply gather all the chicken bones and freeze them until needed.

I've had mixed results cooking with skinless/boneless chicken meat. If you are using skinless chicken, you may just want to stir-fry the chicken meat (cut into 1/2" pieces) with the kimchi instead of baking.

Ingredients

1 lb raw chicken parts, with skin and bone-in
1 c homemade kimchi

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

1. In a skillet, add kimchi to the bottom then arrange chicken in a single layer on top.

2. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer measures 160 degrees F in the thickest part of the chicken.

3. Remove from oven and serve hot.

Plate with oven baked rice or baked sweet potatoes (these also cook for the same amount of time at the same heat setting).

Baked Delicata Squash

The very first time I tried delicata squash, I didn't realize how sweet it was. Savory herbs and earthy spices pair well with this. For the amount of prep work, I have to cross it off my list of potential vegetable dishes for Thanksgiving unless I can find helpers to peel the squash and scrape out the seeds. I ate this squash in one sitting. You know that myth about vegetables having bulk to make you feel more full? I think it's still a myth. I could certainly eat another.

I did not preheat the oven.

Ingredients

1 delicata squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
olive oil
five spice powder
ground thyme
sea salt, to taste

Directions

Toss squash chunks in olive oil then spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle spices and salt on top. 

Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes. 

Serve hot.

Sweet Potato Fries

These did not come out as crispy as I had hoped they. They are cooked through and resemble fries. I used Japanese sweet potatoes (red skin, yellow flesh) for this; though certainly garnet yams (red skin, orange flesh) or the other sweet potatoes (brown skin, white/beige flesh) can be also be used.

The Foodening Blog: Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2" matchsticks
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Clean and cut sweet potatoes so that the pieces resemble fries. The idea is to cut them into uniform sizes so the fries cook evenly. Toss in a large bowl with olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper.

Spread onto a baking tray in a single layer.

Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees F. Remove from oven and flip fries with a spatula. Return tray to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes.

Serve with homemade ketchup.

Coconut Mochi Cake

This is not the dessert for anyone trying to cut back on sugar. Even though I reduced the sugar, it still tastes rather sweet. It's the perfect rainy day treat to nibble on with a hot cup of tea.

Ingredients

1 lb sweet rice flour (1 box of Mochiko)
1 3/4 c. organic granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 (14 oz) cans unsweetened light coconut milk
5 large eggs
1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

2. In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut milk, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms.

4. Pour batter into an ungreased 13" x 9" baking dish.

5. Bake for 1.5 hours. Let cool for 1.5 hours before cutting into squares and serving.

Source: Gourmet Magazine, May 2005

Baked Nachos with Black Beans and Sundried Tomatoes

For a rainy August day, this dish really hit the spot. I thought I'd add in some sun-dried tomatoes for flavor and color contrast. I found that the shallowest oven-safe dish I had to use was a pie plate, imagine that. If I make this again, I think I will try making a cheese sauce for the nachos.

Ingredients

some quantity of organic tortilla chips
a large quantity of a cheese (jack cheese)
an equal portion of another cheese (grass-fed sharp cheddar cheese)
6-8 sun-dried tomato strips, roughly chopped
1/2 can of organic black beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Layer ingredients starting with chips at the bottom, followed by cheese, then beans and some sun-dried tomatoes. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until all the cheese has melted.

Kitchen Notes: Rosemary Sourdough Bread

What a time consuming recipe, and I'm not just talking about the sourdough starter (recipe) that I started on Monday. It still had to be mixed into a dough and risen twice, and then baked for an hour. Regardless of its appearance fresh from the oven, the bread smells so good. I want to hack into it now and slather it up with the garlic butter I melted earlier for the artichokes.

Batch #1: Rosemary Sourdough Bread,
Problem: no glossy sheen to the crust
Resolution: oven needs more moisture at 400 degrees F

You know how SF sourdough has that particular crust that kind of looks like it has this magical sheen to it? I need more moisture in the oven. Fortunately, I have procured a spray bottle for the water for the second loaf that I'll get around to attempting tomorrow.

Here's what went into this loaf:

2 c all purpose unbleached flour
1 1/2 c sourdough starter
1 tbsp vital wheat gluten (Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 fresh rosemary leaves, whole and chopped
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp olive oil (for the bowl that the bread will rise in)
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (to brush the top of the loaf before baking)

Mix all the ingredients together except for the olive oil and butter until the dough is elastic and no longer sticks to itself, the mixer, or the bowl. In a stand mixer, this took maybe 10 minutes on a very low speed. Remove dough to an oiled bowl and cover with a plate, kitchen towels, or plastic wrap. Let rise for 1.5 to 2 hours.

While you are doing this next step, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it again, this time, shape it into a shape you want to bake it in. I was aiming for a square and got a boule (ball shaped) again. Let this rise a second time for an hour. Score the top with a sharp knife and brush on melted butter.

Baked uncovered in a Dutch oven (Emeril just uses a baking stone or heavy baking sheet) for an hour. It still needs moisture, so use a spray bottle and mist the sides of the oven and the top of the bread maybe every 20 minutes until the bread is done. You are aiming for a chewy, golden brown crust with a spongy, sour bread inside. Misting the oven can help achieve a glossy surface on the loaf.

About that sourdough starter...

I took 1.5 cups of starter out from the jar and replaced it with 1.5 cups of AP flour plus 1.5 cups of warm water (just heat the water in the microwave for 30 seconds in a glass Pyrex measuring cup, it'll be at the perfect temp for the poolish).

The previous night (Friday), I was starting to get concerned about the starter since I hadn't actually been feeding it all week. I added in 1/3 cup warm water and 1/3 cup all purpose flour. I swear my eyes and nose could not tell the difference in the before and after. The starter still had a sour-ish, almost alcoholic smell to it (that's the yeast's byproduct). Most starter recipes will tell you to refrigerate it, well, you could also leave it out on the kitchen counter in a jar covered with a kitchen cloth if it is 50 degrees F outside and damp; inside the house during the day the temp is about 65 degrees F. When you read other people's comments on this particular recipe on AllRecipes with the yeast growing at a ridiculous rate, the ambient temperature of one's kitchen is probably above 70 degrees F.

I have the notion that once the starter successfully ferments, that's when you add in more flour+water to the starter and put it in the refrigerator. As scary as it sounds, the "wild" yeast and bacteria in the starter should be strong enough to fight off any other bacteria from growing. When it can't, like the temperature just isn't kosher for the yeast anymore (like it's too hot), that's when bad things happen (turns pink, smells rotten, grows things other than yeast, etc.) and you have to throw the starter out.

Also, if you think you have a good thing going with your starter, reserve half a cup of it and freeze it. That way if your master batch ever goes wonky, dies, or someone in the household mistakenly tosses the starter, you'll still have some to grow again. You just need to thaw it for 24 hours and add more flour+warm water to it in a glass jar so that it comes alive again; and wait at least three days for it to really get itself going again, or so I've read.

(Mock) Rosemary Sourdough Bread

Is it possible to circumvent the slow feeding cycle of a sourdough starter? This recipe method attempts a possibility by substituting some of the water in the dough with plain yogurt to give it a sour taste. Don't know if it'll actually work. So far, the dough hasn't risen nor doubled in bulk in the usual amount of time allotted to the first rise. 

To make a true sourdough bread with a sourdough starter today, I could either buy a premade starter or make one from scratch several days in advance. While milled, unbleached flour is still inexpensive (< $5 for 10#), it seems like a waste to toss half the starter after the first day. Each time the starter is fed, half is thrown out. I suppose you could also just start other starters and that would require more math and patience than I have time for this particular experiment.

I am baking this using a Dutch oven pot in an oven. This baking method seems to work well with getting a moist inside with a hard, crispy crust (without having to spray the bread with water during is baking cycle). The ingredient ratio comes from a few sources. This is my third attempt at a Dutch oven-baked bread; the first two simply did not taste salty enough. I have added a sprinkling of additional kosher salt to the part of the recipe where you roll the dough in flour before baking. In the previous loaf of rosemary bread, I couldn't taste the rosemary, so this one has a full 1/4 cup of fresh whole and chopped rosemary.

Ingredients

1 tbsp active dry yeast + 1/2 c warm water
2-4 c all-purpose unbleached flour, separated
1 tbsp vital wheat gluten flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1 tbsp raw honey
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 c fresh rosemary leaves, mostly whole and partially chopped
2 c plain whole milk yogurt

Directions

1. Prep the yeast. Add yeast to 1/2 c warm water (110 degrees F) and let bloom for 10 minutes before adding to the flour.

2. Prep the dough. Combine 2 c flour, salt, honey, and yeast-water in a bowl and mix until well combined. Knead using a stand mixer for 8-10 minutes, or by hand, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic; incorporate up to two more cups of flour so that the dough is less runny.

3. Place dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Turn the dough once so that all the sides of the dough become oiled. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap. Let rise for 1.5-2 hours, until doubled in bulk.

4. Sprinkle some flour and some kosher salt onto a large plate. Empty the dough out onto the plate and gently roll around until the dough is lightly covered with flour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Let Dutch oven pot warm up as the oven heat up.

5. Remove pot from oven and place dough inside. Using a sharp knife or edge of a spatula, make decorative marks across the dough. Replace lid on Dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes covered. Then remove lid and bake for an additional 12 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Dutch Oven No-Knead Bread

If ever there was a bread dough that had a minimal amount of effort, this one is up there. The dough is a little bit harder to work with because it is very sticky. But, after an hour in the oven, I have this beautiful, rustic-looking boule. A minute in the microwave is enough to heat 1.5 cups of water to just under 110 degrees F in a Pyrex glass measuring cup. I started the dough at night and baked the bread in the morning. Makes a 1 lb 10 oz loaf.

Ingredients

3 c all-purpose flour
1 tbsp Vital-wheat gluten
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 c warm water

Directions

1. In a 5-quart mixing bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, wheat gluten and salt. Gradually pour in water and stir to combine. Be sure to get all the flour incorporated, but don't overmix. Cover mixing bowl with plastic wrap or put a plate on top of the opening. Let sit for 12 hours, or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place cast iron pot (the dutch oven) with its lid into the oven and let the pot heat up for 20-30 minutes.

3. On a heavily floured surface (~ 1/4 c flour), turn out risen dough onto some flour and shape into a rounded mass, like a boule. Carefully add the dough to the hot pot and replace the lid. Bake for 30 minutes covered, then for an additional 10 minutes uncovered.

4. Carefully remove bread from pot and let cool on a wire rack. The bread should make a hollow sound when tapped.

Nut and Seed Bread (no sugar, no flour)

This comes out looking and tasting like a very dense, protein-rich bread. It is held together by the emulsion power of the ground flax seeds and eggs in the dough. With a food processor and seed grinder, this "bread" is really easy to prepare. You don't even need a special seed grinder to mill the flax into a flour, just use an electric coffee bean grinder. A decent one will run you about $15.

This recipe ratio comes from a Croatian food blog called Istine i laži o hrani (Google translates this as "The truth and lies about food"), which I found referenced to three generation links from its original source. I don't know what oat bran does for this recipe, but seeing how it only called for 2 tablespoons of it, I didn't see the need to make a special trip to the grocery store for it. Also, while all the seeds and nuts should be raw to start with, this batch used roasted sunflower seeds that were leftover from another meal, and sweetened shredded coconut because that's all I could find at the store.

Ingredients

1 c raw or roasted sunflower seeds
1 c raw almonds
1/2 c flax seeds, ground
1/2 c shredded unsweetened or sweetened coconut
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 eggs, lightly beaten
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 340 degrees F.

1. In a food processor, combine sunflower seeds, flax seeds, coconut, almonds, salt and cinnamon. Pulse until fine crumbs form. It's okay if the almonds don't grind all the way.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine mix wet ingredients together, then add dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

3. On a baking tray lined with a Silpat or lightly buttered parchment paper, pour out batter onto tray and gently form into a boule or oblong shape with your hands.

4. Bake for 45 minutes. When done, let cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Braised Boneless Pork Butt

Despite the name of the cut, pork butt does not come from the rear of the pig; instead it is the upper part of the shoulder. The companion cut, called a pork picnic, is the lower part of the shoulder. Either cut can be used as BBQ meat. Tonight's dish will be braised, meaning the meat gets seared on med-high heat on the stove, then slow cooked in broth in a Dutch oven (an oven-proof heavy-bottomed pot with a lid). 

Ingredients

3.25 lbs boneless pork butt

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 tbsp of a spice rub (this recipe uses ras el hanout)

some dry white wine (optional)

chicken or vegetable broth or water

kosher salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 bay leaf

2 organic carrots, sliced

2 organic celery ribs, sliced

1/2 medium onion, sliced

Directions

This recipe has a long prep and cook time, so it is best planned for in advance. 

1. Wash and pat dry the pork butt. Set onto a plate. Using a sharp knife, make slits into the meat and insert a garlic slice. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of kosher salt on all sides of the pork butt, followed by some freshly ground black pepper. With your fingers, apply the spices to the pork on all sides. Gently slip the pork butt into a sealable plastic bag and let it sit in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (or 300 degrees F if using a convection oven)

2. In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pork butt (fatty side up) and sear for five minutes. Flip the meat over and sear for five minutes. Add the onions to the sides of the meat. Then, add the carrots, celery and bay leaf.

3.  Fill the pot with water or broth until two-thirds of the meat is submersed. Cover the pot with its lid and place in the oven for 1.5 hours.

Internal temperature should read 165 degrees F using a meat thermometer. There may be thicker parts of the roast that measure 160 degrees F. This is okay. The pork should rest for 30 minutes before slicing or shredding.

New Orleans Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

Bam! Emeril really knows how to kick a dish up several notches. I made a 9x13 bread pudding with a half batch of the whiskey sauce and there are no leftovers. Devoured. *poof* In one evening party. Strangely enough, despite Trader Joes having a lot of different types of freshly made bread, it is all sourdough based. I wanted just a general "white" bread that didn't scream, I'm a white bread. You know? 

Ideally day-old French or Italian bread would have done it, so I picked up a loaf of shepherd's bread. Trader Joes either changed their supplier or the recipe ratio for their private label shepherd's bread. It's no longer one of those rustic-looking, mop-up-the-stew loaves of bread. It looks -and tastes- like it was mass manufactured. Anyhow. It did the trick for this bread pudding.

This recipe ratio comes from the cookbook: Emeril's Potluck (HarperCollins, 2004). The whiskey used for the sauce was Makers Mark; though, I suppose any whiskey could do or bourbon.

Already hacked into before I could photograph it.

Ingredients

3/4 loaf shepherds bread (originally 24 oz), sliced into cubes (about 14 cups)

2 c (1 pint) organic heavy cream

4 c organic whole milk

6 large eggs

1 1/2 c brown sugar

4 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 c raisins

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Place bread in a large bowl. Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish with unsalted butter.

2. In another large bowl, combine cream, milk, eggs, sugar, spices, salt, and raisins. Whisk to mix. Pour this into the bread bowl. Stir to combine. You can let this sit at room temperature for 30-40 minutes or until you're ready to bake.

3. Transfer bread mixture to baking dish and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the center has set.

4. Pour some of the whiskey sauce (see below) over the top of the bread pudding. Reserve the rest in a small bowl so that guests may add more sauce if they like.

Vermont Cornbread

The ingredients that go into a state or region's traditional cornbread recipe are what sets it apart from everywhere else. In the America the Beautiful Cookbook, the Vermont version of the classic cornbread recipe includes ingredients such as buttermilk, warm bacon lard, drippings, and maple syrup. I suspect it will be a far more moist, buttery tasting cornbread than the other cornbread I typically make as a turkey stuffing component.

As far as looks goes, it looks like cornbread; though the batch I took out of the oven today is of a paler yellow than traditional cornbread and that is because I used a combination of fine white cornmeal and a medium grind yellow cornmeal to make the bread. I fried some bacon for this and let the oil cool to about 130 degrees F before adding it to the batter.

A 9" cast iron skillet can be used instead of a baking dish.

Bacon makes everything taste better, including cornbread.

Ingredients

1 c fine white cornmeal
1/2 c medium-ground yellow cornmeal
1/2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 c buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp bacon drippings, warmed

Directions

In a bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, buttermilk, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Drizzle in maple syrup, one lightly beaten egg, and bacon drippings. Mix until well combined.

Pour into a greased 8" x 8" baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool before serving. Cornbread should be lightly browned on top and shouldn't jiggle in the center. If it does, simply turn the oven off and let the cornbread sit in the cooling oven for an additional five minutes.