Published: November 21, 2007
Adapted from “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)
Time: About 45 minutes plus about 3 hours’ resting and rising
1-1/2 tablespoons yeast
1-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6-1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough
Cornmeal
In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).
Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put dough on pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.
Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450°F; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.
Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.
Yield: 4 loaves.
Variation: If not using stone, stretch rounded dough into oval and place in a greased, nonstick loaf pan. Let rest 40 minutes if fresh, an extra hour if refrigerated. Heat oven to 450°F for 5 minutes. Place pan on middle rack.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
Coffee Roasted Filet of Beef
2 dried pasilla chilies
1, 6-inch white-corn tortilla
3 Tbs unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups chopped white onion
4 large cloves garlic
2-1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt
1 tsp light brown sugar
3 Tbs medium-roast coffee beans, finely ground
1 Tbs cocoa powder
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1, 2-pound beef tenderloin roast, cut from the large end, trimmed and tied at 1/2-inch intervals with kitchen twine
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
Fresh watercress
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Seed, stem and cut the chilies into pieces. Tear the tortilla into pieces. Set both aside. In a saucepan, melt 1 Tbs butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the chilies and tortilla and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until softened. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil and then simmer, partly covered, for 10 minutes. In a blender, purée the hot mixture until smooth. Pour through a fine sieve set over a saucepan, pressing on the solids. Discard the solids. Whisk in the cream, 1 tsp salt and the brown sugar. Season to taste.
In a bowl, whisk together the coffee, cocoa and cinnamon. Pat the beef dry and rub with 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper; then rub with oil. Sprinkle the coffee mixture over a sheet of wax paper and coat the beef in it. Place the beef on a rack set in a roasting pan and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Roast the beef for 10 minutes; then lower the temperature to 250°F and cook for an hour more, or until the meat reaches 130°F. Let stand, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes. (The meat will continue to cook, reaching about 135°F.)
Bring the broth to a boil and simmer until just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Cover and keep warm.
In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until golden. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the twine and cut the beef into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Spoon just enough broth to cover the bottoms of 4 to 6 shallow, wide soup bowls. Add 2 to 3 slices of beef, spoon more broth over the beef if desired and top with mushrooms and watercress. Serves 4 to 6.
1, 6-inch white-corn tortilla
3 Tbs unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups chopped white onion
4 large cloves garlic
2-1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt
1 tsp light brown sugar
3 Tbs medium-roast coffee beans, finely ground
1 Tbs cocoa powder
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1, 2-pound beef tenderloin roast, cut from the large end, trimmed and tied at 1/2-inch intervals with kitchen twine
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
Fresh watercress
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Seed, stem and cut the chilies into pieces. Tear the tortilla into pieces. Set both aside. In a saucepan, melt 1 Tbs butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the chilies and tortilla and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until softened. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil and then simmer, partly covered, for 10 minutes. In a blender, purée the hot mixture until smooth. Pour through a fine sieve set over a saucepan, pressing on the solids. Discard the solids. Whisk in the cream, 1 tsp salt and the brown sugar. Season to taste.
In a bowl, whisk together the coffee, cocoa and cinnamon. Pat the beef dry and rub with 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper; then rub with oil. Sprinkle the coffee mixture over a sheet of wax paper and coat the beef in it. Place the beef on a rack set in a roasting pan and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Roast the beef for 10 minutes; then lower the temperature to 250°F and cook for an hour more, or until the meat reaches 130°F. Let stand, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes. (The meat will continue to cook, reaching about 135°F.)
Bring the broth to a boil and simmer until just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Cover and keep warm.
In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until golden. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the twine and cut the beef into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Spoon just enough broth to cover the bottoms of 4 to 6 shallow, wide soup bowls. Add 2 to 3 slices of beef, spoon more broth over the beef if desired and top with mushrooms and watercress. Serves 4 to 6.
Apricot, Pear and Cranberry Tart
Crust:
55 vanilla wafers
1 Tbs + 1 tsp crystallized ginger, chopped fine
6 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
3 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs + 1 tsp cornstarch
3 – 4 large ripe pears (about 2 lbs) – Anjou or Bartlett
3/4 cup thinly sliced dried apricots
3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tsp finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 cup apricot preserves
Heat oven to 375°F. Coat tart pan with non stick spray.
Process vanilla wafers to fine crumbs - should be about 2-1/3 cups. Add ginger and butter, process 'til moistened. Press into pan bottom and sides. Bake 15 min until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.
In large bowl mix 2 Tbs sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Peel, halve and core pears, cut crosswise in 1/4-inch slices (about 5 cups). Add to bowl, toss to coat with lemon juice mixture Add apricots, cranberries, ginger. Toss to mix. Spoon into crust and top with remaining 1 Tbs sugar.
Bake 1 hour, until filling begins to bubble around edges (check after 30 min. Cover loosely with foil if getting too brown on top). Cool to warm or room temp. Melt apricot preserves over low heat and press through fine strainer. Brush or spread with back of spoon onto the tart. Let set 10 minutes (or more) before serving.
55 vanilla wafers
1 Tbs + 1 tsp crystallized ginger, chopped fine
6 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
3 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs + 1 tsp cornstarch
3 – 4 large ripe pears (about 2 lbs) – Anjou or Bartlett
3/4 cup thinly sliced dried apricots
3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tsp finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 cup apricot preserves
Heat oven to 375°F. Coat tart pan with non stick spray.
Process vanilla wafers to fine crumbs - should be about 2-1/3 cups. Add ginger and butter, process 'til moistened. Press into pan bottom and sides. Bake 15 min until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.
In large bowl mix 2 Tbs sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Peel, halve and core pears, cut crosswise in 1/4-inch slices (about 5 cups). Add to bowl, toss to coat with lemon juice mixture Add apricots, cranberries, ginger. Toss to mix. Spoon into crust and top with remaining 1 Tbs sugar.
Bake 1 hour, until filling begins to bubble around edges (check after 30 min. Cover loosely with foil if getting too brown on top). Cool to warm or room temp. Melt apricot preserves over low heat and press through fine strainer. Brush or spread with back of spoon onto the tart. Let set 10 minutes (or more) before serving.
Pistachio Cake
by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers from Italian Easy: Recipes from the London River Cafe
Topping:
Heat the oven to 300°F.
Grease a 12 x 4-1/2 x 2-3/4-inch loaf pan with 4 tsp of the butter and line with baking parchment.
Soften the remaining butter. Finely grate the lemon peel. Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Finely grind the almonds and pistachios together.
Beat the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the lemon peel and vanilla seeds, then fold in the nuts and sift in the flour.
Spoon the batter into the pan and bake for 45-60 minutes. The cake is ready when a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan, then turn out.
Cake:
2-1/4 sticks unsalted butter
2-1/4 sticks unsalted butter
1 lemon
1 vanilla bean
2/3 cup blanched almonds
3/4 cup pistachios
1-1/4 cups superfine sugar
4 Eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Topping:
1 lemon
1/2 cup pistachios
1/4 cup superfine sugar
Heat the oven to 300°F.
Grease a 12 x 4-1/2 x 2-3/4-inch loaf pan with 4 tsp of the butter and line with baking parchment.
Soften the remaining butter. Finely grate the lemon peel. Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Finely grind the almonds and pistachios together.
Beat the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the lemon peel and vanilla seeds, then fold in the nuts and sift in the flour.
Spoon the batter into the pan and bake for 45-60 minutes. The cake is ready when a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan, then turn out.
For the topping, grate the lemon peel and squeeze the juice. Halve the pistachios. Mix the lemon juice with the sugar, boil until reduced to a syrup, then add the peel. Stir in the pistachios and pour over the cake.
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