Fabulous Whole Wheat Bread

This Sunday my kids wanted to learn how to make real from-scratch homemade bread. So we pulled out the wheat grinder, reminding me of the thrill I felt as a child when I poured whole wheat kernels into Nana's monstrous wheat grinder. After hours of waiting, finally it would come steaming out of the oven. Anyway, this bread recipe was chewy and delicious and the oats give it a yummy, slightly nutty texture. The dough also made fabulous elephant ears while we waited for the dough to rise. Recipe compliments of Epicurious.

2 cups whole milk 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking) plus additional for topping 1/2 cup warm water (105-115°F) 2 tablespoons active dry yeast (from 3 packages) 1/2 cup mild honey 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for buttering pans 3 cups stone-ground whole-wheat flour About 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon salt Vegetable oil for oiling bowl 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water Special equipment: 2 (8- by 4-inch) loaf pans Heat milk in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan over low heat until hot but not boiling, then remove pan from heat and stir in oats. Let stand, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooled to warm. Stir together water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon honey in a small bowl; let stand until foamy, 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.) Stir yeast mixture, melted butter, and remaining honey into cooled oatmeal. Stir together whole-wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour, and salt in a large bowl. Add oat mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead with floured hands, adding just enough of remaining unbleached flour to keep from sticking, until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes (dough will be slightly sticky). Form dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled large bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel; let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Lightly butter loaf pans. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times to remove air. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a loaf, then place 1 loaf in each buttered pan, seam side down, tucking ends gently to fit. Cover loaf pans loosely with a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly brush tops of loaves with some of egg wash and sprinkle with oats, then bake until bread is golden and loaves sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 35 to 40 minutes. (Remove 1 loaf from pan to test for doneness. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen.) Remove bread from pans and transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Oatmeal-Wheat-Bread-232825#ixzz27zYLQJVo

Julia Childs' Reine de Saba Cake

So I've been craving a real, authentic french chocolate cake whose texture and taste is extremely different from what American recipes produce. I looked through my French cookbooks and made this gem of a treat. It was just like I was back in Paris, so rich, so complex, so dense, so moist!

Round cake pan 8inches
4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
2 Tbsp rum or 1 Tbsp rum extract
1 stick softened butter
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/3 cup pulverized almonds (in a cuisinart)
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup cake flour (sifted)

Preheat oven to 350
Butter and flour cake pan VERY WELL including this sides.
Chop up baking chocolate and place it in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave it for 30 SECONDS ONLY. Stir and repeat for another 30 seconds. Repeat until chocolate is smooth. If you do it too long, the chocolate will seize up.

Cream butter and sugar for several minutes until they form a pale yellow, fluffy mixture.
Beat in three egg yolks until blended. Mix the almond and rum extracts into creamed butter mixture.

Beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Add 1 Tbsp sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

With a rubber spatula blend the chocolate with the creamed butter/sugar/yolks then stir in pulverized almonds. Immediately stir in 1/4 of the egg whites to lighten the batter. Switch back and forth slowly folding in the flour and egg whites in parts until they are all incorporated.

Turn batter into the cake pan, pushing the batter up to the rim with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 25 minutes. NO LONGER! The cake should be slightly underdone in the center.
Cool the cake for 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge and reverse cake onto plate or tray.

Optional Glacage au Chocolate (frosting)
2 squares semi sweet baking chocolate
1 Tbsp rum extract
5-6 Tbsp softened, UNSALTED butter

Melt the chocolate in the microwave.
Whisk rum extract into the softened butter THEN add the melted chocolate.
If you don't do it in this order the chocolate will seize up.

Custard Divine!

5 Tbsp corn starch

1/2 cup sugar (or agave substitute)

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup cream

3 egg yolks

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla

Start by beating the egg yolks in large glass measuring cup and set aside.

Mix corn starch, sugar and salt in large sauce pan. Add milk and cream into mixture and stir constantly over medium heat until smooth and thick and starts to bubble. Take sauce pan off of heat and pour about 1 cup of hot mixture into the egg yolk mixture.Blend thoroughly, then pour egg yolk mixture back into the sauce pan and cook for another two or three minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Set aside to cool.

Helpful hints: Make sure when you stir that you are getting the edges of the sauce pan so the custard does not burn along the edges. Also, the enzymes in saliva make your custard go flat, so do not double dip a taste with the same spoon. Do not put a lid on the sauce pan while cooling the custard because it will create condensation into the custard and make it go runny.

Mother Teresa's English Trifle

1 lb pound cake (or two depending on the size of your bowl)

*Raspberries ( both fresh and frozen)

One cup of whipping cream

*Fresh strawberries

Custard

Slivered almonds (toasted)

* There are not exact amounts on the berries. It just depends on how big you make your trifle.

Also Peaches are wonderful in season and other types of berries are delicious as well.

Directions:

Begin by making Custard ( I will add the custard recipe in a separate post). Upon completion set custard aside and allow it to cool completely.

Make your whipped cream and once the custard is completely cooled fold in the whipped cream to the custard.

Combine berries in a bowl and sweeten with agave or real maple syrup to taste.

Cut pound cake into one inch cubes

Put half of the pound cake into a trifle bowl. Next, pour about half of the berry mixture on top of the pound cake (add some juice from the berries being careful not to completely saturate the pound cake. Finally spread half of the custard mixture onto the berries and repeat the layers in the same order.

Optional: Sprinkle toasted almonds on top and fresh berries

Abigayle's Famous Transfer Treat Bruschetta

I made this all the time on the mish while my companions and I were anxiously awaiting the transfer phone call. It was a great way to distract yourself from the suspense.
I recently made this again for Matt and my roommates and for Jordan and Danielle & fam, to rave reviews.
I made it with soup, but no one ever remembers the soup, they just talk about the bruschetta, so apparently it's a show stealer. I also talked to dad about it before Thanksgiving and he said he wanted to try it but since I didn't get a chance to make it over Thanksgiving, I thought I'd just slap this on here for whomever would like to be permanently addicted to it for the rest of his or her blissfully tasty life.

2-3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 a red onion, chopped finely
a bunch of fresh basil, finely chopped
1/2 a red bell pepper, chopped
half a can of mixed olives, minced
half a small bottle of capers
1/3 c butter
fresh minced garlic
italian seasoning
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
1-2 balls of fresh mozzarella
parmesan
salt and pepper
1-2 loaves high quality, artesian ciabatta bread

Slice the bread, sandwich style
chop all the chopped stuff and mix with capers in a bowl, add salt and pepper and italian seasoning
melt the butter and spread on the bread
take a generous spoonful of minced garlic and spread it on both halves of the bread
Slice the fresh mozzarella about half an inch thick and place it on the bread so that it is spread evenly on the loaf
Scoop the chopped mixture onto the bread. I like it to be heaped up pretty high. 2-4 inches
Drizzle olive oil and balsamic over the top, NOT TOO MUCH
sprinkle with parmesan
Broil on the top rack until the mozzarella is melted and the edges are golden brown
WATCH IT CLOSELY SO IT DOESNT BURN
devour. moan. cry. laud effusively. lick your fingers.

p.s. I've never tried this, but I thought it might be fun to add chopped artichoke hearts. If you try it and it's tasty, let me know.

Famous Turkey Meatballs

I swear I have put this recipe on the blog before but Danielle says it's not on here so without further ado, the famous meatballs!

Marinara Sauce

Chop 1 large onion and 3-4 cloves garlic.  Sautee in a sauce pan in 2 Tbsp olive oil.  Sautee until tender.  Add 3/4 cup red wine and deglaze.  Let simmer for about 3 minutes more.  Remove from pan and add to crockpot set to High.  Add to the onions one 32 oz can crushed tomatoes and one 6 oz can tomato paste.  Then add 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp Basil,  1 tsp organo, and 2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley.  Stir together and put the lid on while you make the meatballs.

Meatballs

1 1/2 pounds regular ground turkey (Not Lean!)
2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
4 Tbsp ground or shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Oregano

Place all in a large mixing bowl and mix lightlywith a fork .  Don't mix with a spoon or hands or it will get to dense and the meatballs won't be as light.  Shape into golf ball sized meatballs and sautee in 3 Tbsp hot olive oil.  Turn meatballs over until all sides are browned.  You will have to do this in batches so they all get browned on all sides and you might have to add more olive oil as you go.  Then transfer meatballs to the sauce in the crockpot.  Gently push the meatballs down so they are all mostly covered with sauce.  Pour extra oil out of pan but leave any browned bits.  Add 1/2 cup more red wine to the pan and simmer about 3 minutes.  Scrape the bottom of the pan to get the browned bits off.  Then pour wine over the top of all the meatballs and cover with the lid.  Turn the heat to low and cook 5-6 hours.  If you forget to plan enough time just keep it on high and cook 3-4 hours.

Honey-Mustard and Bacon Brussel Sprouts

By: Rachel Hall

First trim about 2 pounds brussel sprouts and then in a 9x13 pan toss them all with olive oil until they are completely coated.  Then sprinkle with 1 1/2 tsp sea salt and 1 tsp cracked pepper.  Then put about 1 1/2 Tbsps of chicken broth in the corner of the pan and then about 1 Tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar over the top.  Toss again.  Then lay 4-6 pieces of bacon over the top of the sprouts.  Place in a preheated oven at 425 degrees.  

Roast for about 20 minutes or until the bacon is almost crisp.  Then take them out of the oven and remove the bacon.  Save it though!  Then in a cup or bowl add about 3-4 Tbsps Dijon mustard and honey.  Stir until smooth and pour over the sprouts.  This may be a little too much sauce so just pour it on until it looks like enough and then toss the sprouts until they are coated.  Lay the bacon back on top (on opposite side) and return to the oven for about 10-15 more minutes or until the very outside skins are browned and crispy looking and they are fork tender.  Remove bacon and let cool.  After it is cooled crumble the bacon over the top of the brussel sprouts and toss and serve.

Note: This recipe is for Thanksgiving and makes a ton so you should half the recipe for a normal dinner.