Sweet Potato Fries

3 large sweet potatoes

3 tbsps olive oil

2 tsps dried thyme

2 tsps dried rosemary

1 tsp salt

Wash the sweet potatoes very well with a scrubber. Slice them up into vaguely fry-shaped pieces. Remember, the thinner they are the faster they cook.

Toss the pieces on olive oil, and lay them out on cookie sheets on some parchment paper (or silicone mat, or nothing if you like scrubbing cookie sheets). Sprinkle the herbs evenly across them.

Preheat the over to about 425, and place the cookie sheets in. Let them cook for about 15 minutes, until their undersides are nice and browned, flip, repeat.

Sprinkle the salt over when they come out of the oven.

Wow these were great! Soft (the 'fry' part comes from the shape- they aren't crunchy, but they can be finger food) and sweet, salty and savory. They got rave reviews at the dinner table, and I can't wait to make them again!

Quote:

We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink... ~Epicurus

Herbal Tea Gelato

(requires ice cream maker)

3 1/4 cup whole milk

8 bags herbal tea (your choice)

1/4 powdered/dry milk

8 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream

Place the milk in a medium saucepan, heat to a simmer, stirring constantly.

Pour half of the milk over the tea bags and let them steep for 30 minutes. Add the powdered milk to the half still in teh saucepan, and keep it warm over low heat while the tea steeps.

Beat the eggs and sugar together, then slowly (while stirring) pour the warm milk from the saucepan into the egg mixture. Make sure the milk isn't too hot or it will cook the eggs in a way that you don't want, and make sure you're stirring and pouring slowly.

Pour the egg-milk and the tea-milk into the saucepan, and heat it to 180, stirring with a wooden spoon. Make sure it reaches 180 for reasons of health. You're working with eggs, and this is as cooked as it gets. The mixture will at this point have thickened considerably, and probably have gross lumps in it.

Strain the custard through a strainer, then add the cream. Pop it in the fridge overnight.

Pour the gelato into your ice cream maker, and make it according to your instructions (probably for 20-25 minutes). Transfer the soft gelato into an airtight container and freeze it harder if desired.

Gelato is Italian for 'ice cream with tons of fat' or something like that. But it's incredibly creamy (no graininess ir ice crystals at all!) and delicious. The amount of sugar is unfortunately necessary for reasons of texture, but it also really enhances the flavor of the tea, of which there is tons. I've made it with Celestial Seasoning's Honey Vanilla Chamomile, and I'm looking forward to making Chai, green, and whatever other flavors I happen across in the tea isle. Happy freezing!

Pulled Beef Barbeque

3 lb rump roast

1 medium onion, diced

1/3 cup commercial BBQ sauce

3 tbsps molasses

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsps liquid smoke

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tsps salt

1 tsp cumin

Trim as much fat as possible from the roast.

Stick it all in a crock pot on high for...6 hours or so. Until you can pull the meat apart with two forks and make barbeque out of it. You'll need to use a slotted spoon to take it out so that you can drain a lot of the fluid (hang on to it for sandwiches if you want them juicier).

I cooked mine for several hours on low the first day, but the bread I was baking didn't make it. So it got stuck in the fridge overnight for the next day, which provided me the opportunity to take a ton of solidifed fat off the top. Then I took it out, turned it on high for about 2 hours, then on low until we ate. I got lots of compliments!

Quote:

Great food is like great sex. The more you have the more you want. ~Gael Greene

Focaccia

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/8 tsp instant yeast

2 cups minus 2 tbsp room-temp water

3/4 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

2 tsps dried rosemary

1/2 tsp course sea salt

Mis the dough in a mixer with a paddle attachment- start with the flour and yeast, then add the water. It will be very very soupy, you'll never think it can create bread.

Mix for about 20 minutes on a medium speed (note: I would not advise trying this by hand, your arm would fall off). The dough will slowly slowly get more stringy as gluten networks form. If after 20 minutes it's still soupy and not at all pulling away from the sides, add a bit more flour a teaspoon at a time until it gathers on the paddle in a ball. Add the sugar and salt and beat it for 3-5 more minutes.

Scapre the dough into a lightly greased container, and let it rise in the oven (oven off, light on) for 4 hours until doubled. It took mine a full 4 hours.

Plop the dough onto a lightly greased piece of parchment paper in a very large baking sheet. I'm adding this recipe before I perfected it- I didn't use the parchment paper, and mine burned around the edges where there was excess olive oil. It stuck a fair bit to the pan, too, so I'll try it next time with the parchment paper. Spread it out gently, maintaining all the gas in the dough, as much as you can without it ripping. Let it rest for 10 minutes (the gluten will relax and it will be able to stretch more). Stretch it out some more.

Preheat the oven to 475 an hour in advance, and place a baking stone on a shelf in the bottommost position.

Cover the stretched out dough with a well oiled piece of Press N Seal, and let it rise for about another hour or so, until it has gained 50 percent of it's size again.

Sprinkle on the rosemary and sea salt evenly over the surface, place in the oven gently.

Bake for about 13 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

This bread is lovely and tasty and chewy with a nice crust. The (incredibly) high moisture content means that it has nice lovely holes that I love so much. None of us could keep our hands off of it! I'm going to try baking it a bit longer directly on the stone to beef up the crust and using it for sandwiches. But for now it's nice to just eat as is!

Quote:

[Breadbaking is] one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with one of the world's sweetest smells... there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel, that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread. ~M.F.K. Fisher

Pumpkin Ice Cream

(requires ice cream maker)

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tbsps molasses

1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 1/2 tsps cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Stir together mill, brown sugar, and molasses until all of the sugar is dissolved. Add pumpkin, spices, cream, and vanilla.

Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions, which undoubtly is "turn it on, pour it in, let it run for 20-25 minutes".

Transfer the soft ice cream to an airtight container. Cover with plastic wrap, tightly fit the lid on, and stick it in the coldest part of your freezer (if you want it hard). It's best to store it in several smaller containers so that you aren't opening one up over and over and over, because exposing it to air will cause a kind of gummy film over the top, or cause large ice crystals to form. Both are undesirable.

This ice cream is delicious. It tastes just like pumpkin pie. I plan on making it again, and putting it in a baked pie crust or graham cracker crust and freezing it, then serving it as an ice cream pie with whipped cream. Mmmmm!

Quote:

Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are. ~Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Creamy Salmon Macaroni

8 oz dry macaroni

4 oz smoked salmon (preferably wild caught Coho Pacific Salmon)

1/3 cup plain fat free yogurt

1/2 cup fat free/light mayo

1 cup frozen peas

2 tsps dry dill

2 tbsps lemon juice

1 tbsps worchestershire

1 tsps liquid smoke

1/2 tsps tarragon

1/2 tsps dry mustard

Cook the macaroni to al dente, then rinse thoroughly with cold water, or add ice. Drain thoroughly.

Broil the salmon until it turns a lighter pink but not so that it's light brown and curling-if it's just a bit tough, it will hold together. Put it on a plate on top shelf of over, arranged so that it is thin and spread out. Turn the broiler on Low, and keep the oven door cracked. Check on it frequently.

Add the mayo and yogurt next, a bit at a time until you reach the desired creaminess. Add peas next, then the rest of the ingredients.

Crumble/tear the salmon into small pieces and add, stir gently. Serve.

This is one of those that I modified heavily. I liked the basic recipe that I found, but it needed more savory flavors I though, so I added most of the herbs, the liquid smoke, and worchestershire. My son loves this recipe!

Quote:

When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste. ~Laiko Bahrs

Ciabatta

Starter:

1/8 tsp instant (aka rapid rise, breadmachine) yeast

1/3 plus 2 tbsps warm water

1 cup bread flour

Dough:

1/2 tsp instant yeast

2 tbsps warm milk

2/3 cup room temp water

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups bread flour

1 1/2 tsps salt

Mix up the starter the night before. Cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to sit for at least 12 hours, up to 24. This adds a wonderful flavor to the final product.

For the dough, start the yeast in the warm milk and let it get creamy. Combine the milk mixture, water, flour, olive oil, and sponge starter (NOT salt) in a mixer with a bread hook. Or, if you must, by hand with a wooden spoon (don't use your hands if you can avoid it). Mix it for 3-4 minutes. Add the salt, mix for another 5 minutes. The dough will be very sticky.

Us an oiled spatule to scrape dough into an oiled bowl. Turn it once to coat the dough in oil, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise until doubled- about 1 1/2 hours. It will be very sticky and full of bubbles. This is the goal!

Cup two pieces of parchment paper about 8 inches wide and 14 inches long. Dust them both lightly with flour. Use a sharp knife or kitchen shears (don't pull and tear) to cut the dough into two equal pieces. Place each piece on a piece of parchment paper and shape into a roughly oval loaf, trying to maintain the air inside the dough.

Lightly dust the top of the bread and use your fingertips to dimple the surface (this reduces the large air bubbles in the baked bread. If you like the large air bubbles like me, then ignore this step)

Cover the dough with a slightly damp, lint free towel. Allow it to rise until doubled, 1 1/2-2 hours.

45 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 425. Place a baking stone on the bottom rack (baking sheet if you don't have a stone).

Bake one loaf at a time- gently transfer the parchment paper to the stone and cook for about 20 minutes- longer if you like crustier, chewier bread like I do.

Remove to a rack to cool.

I love Italian artisan breads, and I especially love the flavor and chewiness of ciabatta. The extra step of the starter is worth the effort for sure- you won't get the same flavor without it.

Feel free to add some dried rosemary, oregano, or whatever other herb you like. Indespensible for dipping in olive oil. Or slice the bread very thinly and stick it back in the oven on low to make wonderful, hard little bread chips for a hearty dip.

Quote:

Proust had his madeleines; I am devastated by the scent of yeast bread rising. ~Bert Greene

Cranberry Crisp

2 cups (at least) of your favorite berries, fresh or thawed

1 bag of fresh cranberries

3 pears or apples, sliced thin

2 cups all purpose flour

3 cups rolled oats

2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed (or less if you desire)

1 cup butter

2 tsps cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

As much sugar as you feel is appropriate

Preheat the oven to 375. Locate a 9 x 13 inch pan (preferably glass).

Cranberries go down first, then whatever berries you've chosen on top of them (I like blueberries and blackberries). Sprinkle some sugar on top of the berries-as much as you want it to be sweet, enough to take the edge out of the tartness of the cranberries. Arrange the apple or pear (I prefer Bartlett pears) on top.

Mix all of the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, spices to taste. You can probably take out some of the butter and brown sugar, but I haven't tried. It will form a crumble that is sticky but will fall apart- crumble it to cover the top of the fruit. It will be thick and wonderful. Nothing is going to rise, so don't worry about it being too tall.

Bake for 35 minutes or so. It's better the longer it bakes because the fruit lets out all of it's juices and gets nice and soft and sweet. So long as the crisp isn't burning, you're good. If the juice is bubbling up through the crisp, you're great.

My aunt made this and brought it for breakfast on Thanksgiving. I fell in love with the tart cranberries and sweet crisp. I used her recipe for the crisp, but substituted my own fruit. It's especially delicious with vanilla yogurt or makes an awesome breakfast in a bowl with milk.

Quote:

The belly rules the mind. ~Spanish Proverb

Ricotta Loaf

3 1/3 cups all purpose flour

2 tbsps sugar

1/2 tbsps instant yeast

1 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsps whole milk ricotta, cold

7 tbsps unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg, cold

1/2 tbsp salt

1/2 cup water, cold

Cooking is 25% recipe, 75% intuition.

Baking is 100% recipe, 100% intuition. That's why they had to invent the Baker's Percentage.

By this I mean to say- recipe counts here! The science behind dough making and bread baking has been explored for centuries, and there are reasons for the order in which things are mixed, the speed, the methods, the amounts. Also, I suggest springing for the Kind Arthur flour. It's worth the extra dollar.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and yeast.

Add the ricotta, egg, butter, and salt and mix on a low speed with a bread hook (or by hand with a wooden spoon) until the dough is formed- about 5 minutes. It should be soft but not sticky (adjust flour or water accordingly, using a dusting or misting respectively).

Place the dough in a container and let it rise until doubled (took mine 2 hours). Keeping the dough warm (75-80 degrees) will let it rise faster.

Preheat the oven to 375 now. If you have a baking stone (ideal), place it on the shelf in the second lowest position- if not use a baking sheet. Place a baking sheet on a rack in the lowest position.

Shape the dough into a loaf gently- flatten into a rectangle and roll up from the short side. When you have a log, tuck the ends under. Place it into a lightly greased, 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

Cover the loaf pan with a large container and allow it to rise for about an hour, until almost doubled- 1/2-1 inch above the pan. When you press your finger lightly into the dough, it will fill in slowly.

Slash the top of the bread down the center with a very sharp knife. Place it gently into the oven, and toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes into the baking sheet below.

Bake the bread for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden and a skewer comes out clean. Turn the bread halfway through. Tent if you want with some foil after 30 minuets to keep the crust from getting too brown.

Remember to cool the bread completely before cutting. The crumb is very soft and moist, so it you cut it too soon it may be gummy and hard to cut.

This bread is delicious. The crust isn't too hard, the crumb is dense and moist and soft without being chewy. It has a mellow but present taste of ricotta cheese.

Quote:

All sorrows are less with bread. ~Miguel de Cervantes

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 bag (1lb) dried chick peas, reconstituted

1 jar (15oz) roasted red peppers (15 oz), drained. I like Mezzetta

1/2-1 cup fat-free plain yogurt

1 tbsp sesame seed oil

3 tsps cumin

2 tsps coriander

1 1/2 tsps cayenne pepper

2 tbsps lemon juice

2 tsps salt

3-6 cloves garlic

fresh ground pepper

Prepare the chick peas according to the instructions on the bag. Basically boil them in water until they're almost/kind of falling apart and soft. Strain them.

Do about half the chick peas at a time in the food processor (if you need to. I don't have a huge food processor and it had a hard time handling all of them). Add everything else, in any order that you feel appropriate . I feel that it's easier to get the texture right, so I start with the lemon juice, oil, red peppers, and yogurt. You'll mix it all together in the end, so it doesn't matter really when you put in the rest of the stuff, but I typically try to split it up. It makes me feel more balanced.

All spices are to taste. I like my hummus very garlicy and spicy, but that's because I typically just eat it plain. If you're using it with something else and don't want it to be too overpowering, feel free to cut back. If you feel it's too stiff and grainy, add some more yogurt or try a tablespoon or two of the water that the red peppers were packed in.

This is perfect on pita bread, toast, or chips.

Quote:

Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn. ~Garrison Keillor