Category: Food and Drinks

  • Sourdough Apple Fritter Bread

    Rating: N/A

    Ingredients

    For the Bread:

    • 1 cup (150 grams) All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 cup (125 grams) Sprouted Wheat Flour (or All-Purpose Flour)
    • 1/2 cup (100 grams) Sourdough Discard (or 1/2 cup active sourdough starter + 1/4 cup water)
    • 1/2 cup (100 grams) Granulated Sugar
    • 2 large Eggs
    • 1/4 cup (60 grams) Melted Butter, cooled slightly
    • 1/4 cup (60 ml) Milk
    • 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
    • 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
    • 1/2 teaspoon Salt

    For the Apple Filling:

    • 2 large Apples (peeled, cored, and diced) (about 2 cups)
    • 1/4 cup (50 grams) Granulated Sugar
    • 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg (optional)

    For the Glaze (Optional):

    • 1 cup (125 grams) Powdered Sugar
    • 2-3 tablespoons Milk

    Preparation

    1. Prepare the Apple Filling:In a medium bowl, combine diced apples, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg (if using). Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the bread batter.
    2. Whisk Dry Ingredients:In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
    3. Combine Wet Ingredients:In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, sourdough discard (or starter and water), melted butter, and milk.
    4. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients:Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
    5. Fold in Apples:Gently fold the diced apples and their juices into the batter.
    6. Prepare Baking Pan:Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a loaf pan (9×5 inch).
    7. Pour Batter:Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
    8. Bake the bread for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
    9. Cool and Glaze (Optional):Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. While the bread cools, prepare the glaze (optional) by whisking together powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle this glaze over the cooled bread.
  • Tartiflette

    Servings: 6-8
    Rating: N/A

    Ingredients

    • 1 3/4 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
    • 8 oz of Reblochon cheese (see note for options), sliced
    • 6 slices of bacon, diced
    • 1/2 white onion, diced
    • 1 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1/2 cup dry white wine
    • 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
    • 1/4 tsp black pepper
    • 1 1/2 Tbsp creme fraiche

    Method

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Place potatoes in a medium pot over medium heat, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife. Remove from heat, drain, and let sit until they are cool enough to handle. Cut potatoes into small pieces and set aside.

    Cook bacon in a sauté pan over medium heat until browned. Drain, leaving 1 tablespoon of fat in skillet and add onion. Cook over moderately high heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add bacon and wine to pan and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes and thyme and season with salt and pepper.

    Remove potato mixture from heat and spoon half into ovenproof dish. Place half of the cheese slices on top of potato mixture. Spoon remaining potato mixture on top of cheese, then top with remaining cheese. Bake tartiflette until golden brown and bubbling, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

    Note

    If you can’t find Reblochon, look for another soft, washed-rind cow’s milk cheese such as Taleggio, Camembert, and Delice de Jura.

  • Anthony Bourdain’s Mortadella Sandwich

    Ingredients

    • 9 Slices of Mortadella
    • 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    • 3 Slices Provolone
    • 2 Slices of Croissant Toast (you can use a water roll or any bread of you choice)
    • 1 Tbsp Mayonnaise
    • 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

    Method

    In a large frying pan over medium to medium-high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil.Take 3 slices of mortadella, fold them loosely, and stack 3 slices each into 3 separate piles.

    Fry until the bottoms are crispy. Once fried, flip and place a slice of provolone cheese on top of each pile.

    Stack the mortadella slices. Using the same pan, lightly toast the bun with a touch of olive oil until golden brown (you can do this before hand as well)

    Spread mayonnaise on the bottom half of the toasted bun and Dijon mustard on the top half.

    Finally, place the layered mortadella and melted cheese onto the bottom bun and top it with the other half and serve.

  • Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache

    Source: Fine Cooking Recipe Builder, 2016
    Servings: 10-12
    Rating: 5/5

    Ingredients

    • 8 oz. graham crackers, finely crushed (2 cups of crumbs)
    • 3 Tbs. granulated sugar
    • 7 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
    • 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
    • 3/4 cup sour cream or creme fraiche
    • 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
    • Table salt
    • 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
    • 1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
    • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
    • 3 oz. chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
    • 5 Tbs. unsalted butter
    • 1 Tbs. light corn syrup
    • Crushed amaretti cookies, for garnish

    Preparation

    Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

    In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and 3 Tbs. granulated sugar. Mix in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moist and clump together slightly. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch springform pan and press evenly onto the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of the pan (to press, use plastic wrap or a flat-bottom measuring cup). Bake until the crust is fragrant and slightly darkened, 9 to 12 minutes. Let the pan cool on a rack. Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

    In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, flour, and a pinch of table salt on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the paddle frequently, until very smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Make sure the cheese has no lumps. Add the 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar and continue beating until well blended and smooth.

    Add the vanilla and beat until blended, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until blended. (Don’t overbeat once the eggs have been added or the cheesecake will puff too much and crack as it cools.) Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top.

    Bake at 300 degrees F until the center jiggles like Jell-O when nudged, 55 to 65 minutes. The cake will be slightly puffed around the edges, and the center will still look moist. Set on a rack and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. The cake can also be frozen at this point for up to 1 month. (To freeze, put the unmolded, cooled cake on a rimmed baking sheet in the freezer, uncovered, until the top is cold and firm; then wrap it in two layers of plastic and one layer of foil. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.)

    In a small bowl, melt the 3 oz. chopped chocolate and the butter. Add the corn syrup and whisk until smooth. Unclasp and remove the side of the springform pan and run a long, thin metal spatula under the bottom crust of the cheesecake. Carefully slide the cake onto a flat serving plate. Pour the ganache on the cheesecake and spread evenly.

    Garnish with crushed amaretti and serve immediately. To cut, run a thin knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and cut the cake into slices, heating and wiping the knife after every slice.

  • Sourdough 101

    Summary

    These are some great resources for people who want to get started making sourdough. The book Tartine Bread by Robertson is the bible. Chad is the person who brought back naturally leavened artisan bread techniques to the US and runs the well-respected Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, LA, and Seoul.

    Some of these links are from Instagram. You don’t have to have an account or follow the person to view and read comments. You can just go to it in the web browser.

    Kristen Dennis (Full Proof Baking)

    Kristen’s Instagram is the source of most of her content. Everything can be found there as posts or from the links in her bio (“Her links” below). While she is not very active right now, she posts a lot of her recipes, techniques, and descriptions in the comments of her posts. I find her to very easy to follow. I would probably start with her YouTube videos on building a strong Sourdough Starter and then try out her Basic Sourdough video. 

    Maurizio Leo (The Perfect Loaf)

    There is a lot of overlap between Maurizio and Kristen. I find Maurizio to be more technical but his web site format might be an easier reference for some. He just came out with a cookbook in 2024 too.

    Happy Baking!